[kskthere]

I still remember the day when we owned a second-hand M800. I went with my father and his friend to a pre-owned car dealer to buy a M800. They had some disagreement over the final price and purchase got delayed, so I had to leave the place and go home. Later in the day my father called to tell me he's bringing it home. At that point of time, I could not believe my eyes a car is coming to our house. It was one of the most joyous moments of my life I still cannot forget. Sadly, could not find a pic of it. Only one found was from my marriage album.

That's me getting out of our M800:

[yogeshsom29]

Wow, a thread that wakes you up from slumber, go look for photo albums, even if you don’t find anything to show off, you can still write a response here because of all the photographic memory stored in our god gifted hard disk placed between 2 ears.

Never got a taste of own automobile as a kid as we couldn’t afford one & my journey of anything engine powered began in 2003 when I was on the cusp entering 20’s, had started working as a bartender making good enough money to support the family & yet fulfill some of the hidden desires.

The journey - RX 100 >> Pulsar>> Pulsar DTSI>> Maruti 800 DX>> Wagon R>> Palio>> Accent >> Getz>> New Figo>> WRV (also added a TVS Wego & a Honda Dio in past years)

All of them were pre-owned except the New Figo, the current ride WR –V & the 2 gearless appliances.

The ones that stirs the emotions are;

1) RX 100 – Got literal feel of power & almost wheelied on day 1 while learning; got shit scared but nevertheless, learned on this iconic machine & spent some good time before moving onto the Pulsar’s

2) The first buy, Maruti 800 DX – So many memories of enjoying doing the right things & also the unmentionables, thoroughly enjoyed that ownership phase

3) Maruti was more from emotional angle but this is from the cars lovers point of view & no prizes for guessing – It was the legendary Fiat Palio.

I loved her so much that even endeared a broken affair; my response to one of her sarcastic comments on Palio was a small oneliner “ I enjoy riding her much more than riding you” & we lived happily thereafter, she with someone else & your truly with the Italian beauty.

Got better ladies in life after that but yet to get a machine that I can again connect with that passion. Palio also ensured that I made some amazing friendships with lot of mechanics & use part dealers in Kurla market in Mumbai but no regrets.

Loved & enjoyed my other possessions including the current ride but nothing comes closer to that connect, ride & handling of Palio, I still yearn to own something similar someday.

[Thad E Ginathom]

No pictures, but...

1. The Convertible (soft-top) Ford Consul that my mum bought, second hand, about 1965 or '66. White with a red top. Even without white-wall tyres, that was really quite classy back then, and she adored it. Must have been falling apart when she had to sell it. But, just once, years later, I spotted it on the road again, looking good. Someone must have done a restoration . This is also the only car in my life of which I can still remember the registration number.

2. My parents' Ford Capri. Kind of a pseudo sports car, although the ones with bigger engines had some punch. The first car I drove on the road when my father finally let me, and gave me lessons. c.1970.

All too many years, and two UK driving tests later...

3. My housemate's Honda Civic, original model, auto gear box. 13 years old but only about 30000 miles on the clock. Quite poky when the slush box decided to actually allow some torque through. How it came to be, effectively, my car is a story of somebody else's family politics, but the main thing is that it was, after finally passing my British driving test, my first taste of have-car-can-drive freedom

[LOL_FWD]

Facing a big dilemma while writing this thread. It elicits nostalgia, excitement, trepidation and pure bliss all at the same time. It made me bring back memories back from '98 when my dad bought our first car, a humble Maruti 800 and took me and mum for a ride around Delhi. Also of our '95 Kinetic Honda on which i've had a lot of fun.

One car which i will never forget is the first car i learnt to drive "properly" in, The 2007 Maruti Suzuki Swift with the G13BB mill.

She was naturally aspirated freedom, distilled into four cylinders and wheels and a tank of petrol. Minimum Spec, maximum fun. At any time, having her meant I could hop in, twist the key and just leave, whatever that meant. And go wherever I wanted, to escape anything with the 1000 Watts of heart pounding bass on my backseat. I felt very silly for being upset when my parents sold this car when i was back in US. 14 thousand kms away from home, unable to escape that feeling. It’s just metal and rubber, plastic and carpet, hoses, belts and fluids. A soulless machine, like a toaster or a hairdryer. And yet, she was different. A bond that lasted for over 8 years. She, despite all her imperfections, will always mean something to me. She will mean my 20’s and everything that went with it. She wasn’t just any car. She was my car. And, sometime between the knee straddling and last abrupt moments together on the highway, something happened. I fell in love with her.

Flashback aside, here are some other vehicles which have left me gasping for breath and given me unique experiences -

1. Ferrari 458 Italia with a Eurocharged tune -

2. Jaguar F-Type -

3. Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 -

4. Mercedes C63S AMG and GLA 45 AMG -

5. Triumph Daytona 675R -

6. MV Agusta F3 -

7. Ducati Panigale 959 -

8. Suzuki GSXS-750 -

P.S. Apologies for the low quality pictures. Writing this thread while i wait at the airport for my next flight. So lifted them directly from my Instagram page.

Cheers!

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by kskthere

That's me getting out of our M800:
Attachment 1838152

Errr.... Isn't that a Gen 1 Indica?

[bordeaux]

Sad to see that there are no Opel Astra enthusiasts here









I bought a used Opel Astra 1.6 MPFI in 2011 as my first car. It had already done ~85,000 KMs and still was going strong. It responded with the right tunes whenever I pressed the appropriate pedals. The low seating position gave the feeling of a sports car. Also, the lower center of gravity resulted in the amazing stability at highway speeds. Another thing that I can't simply forget about it is that it was like an iron cage around you. Though technically it was not a safe car by today's standards, I felt really safe in there just because it was so heavy!

I have been driving Honda City 1.5 iVTec since last 5 years now. It's a fast car but it will never be as fast as that guzzler!

I had to give it away (The Giveaway Thread: Post up anything you want to give away FREE to a fellow BHPian) in 2016 because I was no longer able to maintain it :(

[kskthere]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Errr.... Isn't that a Gen 1 Indica?

Apologies for the wrong pic, that was indeed Indica (bride's family car), but the point here I'm trying to make is, I didn't get those vibes even when I bought my own Baleno.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Great thread

1) Fiat Uno Diesel:

Reason: That was our first car. I cannot forget the day I sat in it first. I was around 19. I went to a driving school and only after I got my driving license after 20 or 22 days of 30 minutes classes that I drove the car . I still remember my friend getting out of the car one day after a city ride and saying "Wow, I feel like getting out of a movie theatre (because of the A/C)".

2) Mercedes Benz W124 300D:

That was when I went to a Carnation showroom (near Kundanoor, Kochi) and drove the W124 for the first time. The car was an imported one and was on sale there. Felt like a tank and boy she felt powerful! I'll never forget that feeling.

3) Mercedes Benz W124 250D:

The W124 that I bought in 2013. I still have the car, but sitting idle in Kochi, with me in Pune. Reason for not forgetting: The W124 was my dream car for a long time.

4) 2006 Toyota Corolla

Surprised at the smiley? Reason for the deadhorse smiley: This is a car that I got conned on. I still drive the car, but hate it. It is up on OLX now. By buying this car I did the mistake of trusting a friend (a BHPian/Known among Fiat circles) and bought the car in 10 minutes without even seeing the car trusting only his words that its a very well take care of car. Little did I know that car wasn't maintained very well and had too many niggles to fix (including power windows, AC). The last nail on its coffin was last week when it failed to start. So, I hadn't doubted that friend one bit, but I lost respect immediately once when I told him of these niggles and he said, yeah what I did was a stupid thing and things in the car kept breaking when the car was with the previous owner. So, 2019 started with two good things : Getting rid of that car and the person who sold me the car from my life. I will bring the W124 to Pune as soon as I get rid of the Corolla at whatever price I get.

5) Mercedes Benz E-Class W213 Petrol

Just because it was a brand new Mercedes Benz and drive was from Stuttgart to somewhere in Switzerland.

[Chetan_Rao]

1. My 1994 BSA Streetcat bicycle Dad bought me for topping my class
   
2. 1989 Vespa T5 bought by Dad and passed on to me at 18
   
3. 1994 Maruti 800 that we road-tripped most of North India in
   
4. Premier Padmini 137D (last iteration of the car, floor mounted gearstick) that needed its diesel pump primed manually and a push-start most winter mornings
   
5. 2003 Zen MPFi (last jellybean iteration)
   
6. 2014 US-spec 120HP Fiesta in that smashing blue shade, a spec I still wish was available in India to a common-man enthusiast

Unforgettable two and four-wheeled memories.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

I remember all my cars. But most are just that - remember - without emotion.
...
Sorry for not being enthusiastic!

Don't know how I forgot to mention about one car which was a revelation (in the context of time and place when introduced) - the Esteem. Even now it's a fun preowned beater car.

[TusharK]

1. 2012 Tata Nano CX



The Nano was the first car I bought and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It isn't the best car I've driven but I certainly had some of the most memorable experiences in it, including three Pune-Delhi trips.

2. Audi R8 V10



I will never forget the 3 laps of the Buddh International Circuit in an Audi R8 V10. Nothing beats the sound of a naturally aspirated V10 engine and the sheer excitement of driving a "supercar".

3. VW Polo R Cup race car



It was a privilege to be at the helm of thoroughbred race car and an experience of a lifetime. It may not be as powerful as the R8, but the direct steering and the grip from the racing slicks made up for it. It was a joy to throw around corners, especially in the twisty section of the BIC (T5 to T15).

[Gansan]

I will always remember my first car, the Sipani Dolphin. I bought it used in '93, and learned to drive in it. Sadly I don't have any photos of it now.

The other special one will be the Suzuki "The Boss" Shogun I bought in the same year, though it was my third bike by then.

[DPetrolHead]

Such a great thread @GTO! Here goes my favorites:

1. 1998 Maruti Suzuki Zen LX : My dad's first car. Absolutely loved the car. That jelly bean look, the stance and pretty much everything about it. We had one in dark grey shade (representational image attached). My childhood is incomplete without that car. I drove it only once, the day before we sold it off, I was pretty much a noob but loved the drive.



2. 2006 Skoda Octavia 1.9 Diesel: The first luxury car of our family. I still remember it's first ride, and Oh Boy! What a head turner it was. We had it for around 11 years and clocked more than 2 lakh km on it( YES! On a Skoda!). That was the first car on which I experienced the turbo diesel's push back acceleration. I literally had tears in my eyes when it was sold away.



3. 2006 Toyota Corolla G: This was my friend's car and used to be our joyride car. The lovely 1.8L NA engine is a gem. Lots of memories with that car.



4. 2008 Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire VXI: My first official car and my daily driven currently. I got my driving skills enhanced on this. I have cosmetically upgraded this a little and has a bass tube with factory fitted ICE.
Attached a picture of the car when it completed its 10 years.



5. 2018 Hyundai Creta 1.6 Petrol E+: My second official car for which I had to convince my family for almost two years! Also, the first that I will maintain via TeamBHP guidelines. Planning a lot of cosmetic upgrades for this and hoping to keep this car forever



6. 2017 Bajaj Pulsar RS200 My friend's bike and also the bike I have ridden most extensively. I am not much into two wheelers and they are also not allowed in my family but I love the way it looks and rides. Those DRLs are drool worthy!



7. Yamaha RX 100: Got the chance to drive this beauty recently. The one I drove was my mechanic's ride. It is really well maintained and I had ridden for only a couple of minutes but that ride was totally unforgettable! If I get a chance, I would definitely try having one for myself.



That's it for now folks! Hoping to have more unforgettable rides in the future of yours and mine!

Cheers!
Ankit

[avdhesh15]

I'm going against the tide and just mentioning one considering the title says to name the car you'll never forget.

The original Swift, a decade plus back. Awesome to drive, and had the best times growing up in this car

Have driven and owned much better cars, but this was special. I cried when we let it go eventually.

[sdaityari]

My grandfather bought a Daewoo Matiz just when it was launched in India. Surprisingly, it was my grandmother who drove it happily for a few thousand kilometers before they decided that they should not drive anymore.

My parents sold our 800 from the mid-90s and got it home. It was about the same time that Daewoo was acquired by Chevrolet. Maintenance was difficult, but we kept it until we were forced to sell it when my father went abroad for work.

I was 16 then, so I never got to drive the Matiz - had circumstances been different, I am sure we would have it even now! I practically grew up with the car, and its memories are still fresh in my mind!