Up until 6 months ago my main car was uber and my beater car, a 1.2 kappa i10 magna which the vahan app tells me today is 9 years 5 months and 21 days old. In nine odd years of owner ship I think my odo might be around 55K, half the time of these nine years I was away working abroad and scant interest to the car was taken by my dad or better half during my absence.
Mechanically sound, well maintained, cosmetically I was not too bothered, the car till recently sported a dimple on the rear bumper that my beloved BIL earned for me during the premier year of ownership.
I had even done a Mumbai Goa Manglore Kerala Bangalore Kolhapur Mumbai trip in it at the start of my ownership.
Along the way my pocket rocket i10 turned into a beater car partly due to the convenience uber offered, partly due to the parking nightmare in Mumbai, partly due to the traffic getting crazy and my patience running low.
I was going along life without a worry till my younger kid confirmed my own niggling suspicion that we needed a bigger car but wait there was nothing wrong with my i10, why would I need a replacement for her? Well then not a replacement but a highway mile muncher for the whole family, something the i10 couldn’t do.
I was following the Hexa for a long time well before it’s launch.
I was egged on partially by my kid’s request for a bigger car, the Govt’s benevolence with the GST, ofcourse the near to zero niggles on the Hexa thread and wholly by the wonderful TD of the Hexa XTA and lo six months ago I got myself a Hexa XTA and in the 3 short months that I got with my car (thanks to my job) did Mum – Nashik, Mum – Goa, Mum- Alibag, Mumbai – Vasind (Kalyan) trip.
Planning even these few Hexa trips involved accounting for the kids school and high command’s office holidays. There would have been many more trips if I could absolve myself of my need to escort my kids to/from their school bus, trying to compensate for the time I'm away.
I now had a beater car, officially a beater. But why did I ever buy the i10 when there was a swift frenzy at the time I got the i10?
My dear wife couldn’t drive at all when we got married, I always wanted her to drive so that she would feel empowered and I could enjoy parties and get a ride back home in my own car. The reason I got an i10 in the first place was because I felt the car had enough speed for me and compactness for my spouse’s first time driving sojourns.
Years of training by yours truly followed up with atleast 5 driving school instructors on their and my car was imparted to my dear. She is a good driver with zero confidence. She was able to drive the car in peak traffic from Goregaon to BKC, BKC to Phoenix Market city on the LBS road multiple times. She has good control on the clutch accelerator combination and is able to keep the engine from stalling even in the most taxing cases for a beginner.
Just when I’m happy with her driving, she will ask me the most unnerving question while driving, eg “Which signal am I supposed to look at now?” Hearing this sends a chill down my spine how can a state rank holder in MSc., MPhil holder and Phd aspiring Statistician ask this?
I then realize do we ever know anybody, just when you think all is discovered, all is known, it’s going to be boring henceforth, the mystery deepens.
I have now decided to give my dear i10 to my niece who I believe should learn driving while young and in college so that she has all the time to learn well. In turn my nephews and my own kids can learn, that is if the i10 can last another 8-9 years.
With the i10 gone my plan is to get an automatic hatch for my better half so that she doesn’t have to bother about changing gears and can concentrate better at which signals to look at. The plan to get an auto is always met with passive opposition as the brains of the operation, my better half by leaps and bounds believes that it will be a few wasted lakhs because she won’t be able to drive.
I can see the spark in my spouse and truly believe underneath all that resistance a talented rally driver is hiding, the jedi only has to accept the side, dark or light to realise the power within.
My quest is now to look for a woman friendly compact automatic preworshipped low maintenance beater car which can also be used by a self respecting man ever so often (implying no zen estillo type aunty cars - no offense to all estillo owners, I already ride a blue Scooty Zest just like advert with Anushka Sharma-Kohli) and all this under 3 lakhs if I may, 5 max.
Feel free to offer any advice towards the above described beater infact any advice is actively solicited and dearly appreciated.