[anjan_c2007]

A majority of car owners slot cars as machines that are owned by them and move them from place A to place B and nothing more. We teambhpians would always vie with the fact that though cars are lifeless pieces in metal (and plastic these days), they do have a soul and the fact that they are our family members. We get attached to our cars in no time and owners like me never dare to ever think of swapping or selling cars, simply for the fact that these are a part of our family and very much our family member.

Coming to my lucky car, I would rate my 1987 Maruti 800 SB 308 as my lucky car. This nearly 34 year old, very rudimentary car still does its duties for me whenever called for and never fails to impress me more and more, with its unfailing loyalty and reliability. It has been a harbinger of good luck for me, during umpteen occasions and I would like to list a few of its achievements that make it rate it as "you're the best."

My late father, late grandaunt, our family's late and most favourite pet GSD "Soni" and many more relatives and friends have travelled in this car. The Late Dr Shrikant Jichkar, ex- M.P. and Maharashtra Minister (also ex- IAS and IPS), my friend and classmate from school, who is still the most highly qualified person in India, has travelled by this car on a few occasions. Mr Banwarilal Purohit, the present Governor of Tamil Nadu has also travelled in my car to attend a meeting, where we had invited him as Chief Guest, and when his personal car had failed. He was an ex- M.P. then.

Coming to the good luck my car has brought our family, these are mostly during its performance of duties as an ambulance (its white in colour too) on many occasions. Our pet GSD "Soni", born in 1982 would go for several happy rides with we all family members in this car. She became weak by 1995, due to her age and required regular hospital treatments including one successful, major operation. This Maruti was the ambulance for her. She recovered well, but succumbed to dehydration on May 26, 1996.

My daughter was born in 1999 and when my Mrs stepped out of the Nursing Home with the little babe, this Maruti was in the hospital porch to welcome them. So its this car for our daughter's first ever journey into the big world. She is doing well in life.

Next, my aged mother suffered a major health condition in 2011 and had to be hospitalised for about ten days. Medical check-ups were regularly required thereafter. The trusted ambulance did its duties all through. She is doing well health wise thereafter, and is now aged 87. Touchwood ! And on 17.03.2021, we got a slot in a nearby nursing home for her first dose of the Covid vaccine. I again used my lucky Maruti for this job. Needless to say, she stepped out on the wheelchair from the car, got the jab, waited for the mandatory half an hour on the wheelchair. Thereafter, she was back to the car. Ingress and egress for older persons is quite easy on the Maruti 800, perhaps the easiest from among all cars and the front passenger seat is quite preferable. SUV's are the least preferable. She has had no post-jab complications of any kind whatsoever, other than some pain in her shoulder for the first two days. That's again good luck for the family.

There are many, many more anecdotes for this great, little car. No wonder it has served me for nearly 34 years without fail and will go on and on.



With its aftermarket post 1994 front grille - trying to look younger



With its original 1987 slatted front grille and new radial footwear - the real age shows now !

[Abhi5868]

Definitely a great thread!!

Our Creta with it's puny 1.4 might not be the best set of wheels but it has surely been our partner in some very fine moments our of lives.

My first ride in it was to the medical entrance exam center, definitely not the best first ride but I got into a government college and I attribute a part of it to the good vibe the car had gotten me into.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

I would like to list a few of its achievements that make it rate it as "you're the best."

I again used my lucky Maruti for this job.

No wonder it has served me for nearly 34 years without fail and will go on and on.

Well, we are probably a rare breed here on the forum too. I used to flip the cars quickly, and there were a few which I sold within months of owning them, just under this superstition. But it's my Polo MPi which seems to carry some lucky charm with it.

• First research paper selected and presented on an international stage
• First innovation award at national stage
• Placement and offer letter
• First promotion
• Team-BHP membership approval after a long time

Each of these news was received by me while behind the wheel of this car.

Not even once it has let me down anywhere. There were instances like:

• A major hit that bent the front rim at 4 am in morning in a secluded road in UP. But the air leakage was so less that I could easily drive till the petrol pump that was quite far.
• Underbody hit happened near Dehradun, but the oil didn't leak. Around a kilometer before the service station, it started crying the black tears though
• I hit a motorcyclist. His bike was thrown at least 30 feet away and he rolled over my car's roof. Even public favored me, and the biker also didn't get any major injuries.

Leave me aside, even my cousin also feels like there is some good luck associated with this car. He also says that taking this car gets even the complicated situations resolved.

No wonder, I am going to hold on to this car for as long as possible. Doesn't matter what else comes and goes, this one is going to stay.

[Fire0072]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Attachment 2135102

With its original 1987 slatted front grille and new radial footwear - the real age shows now !

My God. Now, this is what you call a timeless beauty. It reminds me of my Mom's 1996 Maruti 800 we used to own back in the day.

In my case, it's the humble old Laura TSi, that cherishes me with joy in my family. This car has been in our family through all our ups and downs, from countless road trips to unforgettable memories, our happy times, and sad times. It has never given up on us once during all these moments.



After all these years, the only thing that makes me say after each drive is, "What a machine"!

[GTO]

Superb thread idea, Anjan . Many communities in India do believe that some metal goods can bring good luck, while some metal products bring bad luck.

My family considers my 5-Series to bring incredibly good luck to our home. Ever since that car has come home, life has been simply AWESOME in all areas. There have been major, major improvements in our properties, investments, health, good times / holidays etc. etc. In fact, I have very strict instructions from them not to sell the 5-Series anytime soon. Life was always good, but things have been "next level" awesome since 01/05/2015.

Will also mention a bad luck car. A new Ambassador we'd purchased in the mid-80s, custom painted in metallic green at National Garage. That car coincided with a very rough period for my family with a huge business loss for Dad, his heart attack, my newborn kid brother's fragile health and more. It was also painfully unreliable, helped in no small part by some later modifications made on it. Dad & Mum sold the car soon.

[vinukm]

Great Thread.

I bought my first Car in 2002 a used Hyndai Santro and have always changed my car every 4 years. None of my cars clocked more than 40K on the ODO.

In 2015 I was looking out an upgrade for my Figo a wonderful car and my second car from Ford Stable after IKON Flair.

In April 2015 I was all set to buy a top end Swift ZXI+ for bit more than 7.5L and completed the test drive. While I went to the showroom for making the advance payment just did a test drive of CIAZ which was still a new car. It was a impulsive decision and decided to go for it. I booked a CIAZ ZXI+. The car just grows on me every time i drive. I have driven it in almost all terrains and has never let me down.

Coming to lucky charm. I was in the most challenging times of my life both professionally and personally since beginning of 2008. Good news started from a phone call at the time I was taking the delivery of my CIAZ and the keys were just handed over to me. I am making a good progress in my personal life and overcoming my challenges one by one and pretty stable professionally.

I have not named my car but it has just changed my life altogether, it will be part of my life for ever.

[jigar1791@gmail]

Having driven cars ever since I turned 18 (in 2009), haven't had any special moments from 2009-2019, during which my family owned - Esteem, A-Star and Santro at various times in that decade.

Come 2019, a Ciaz entered our lives in February (14/02/19 is when we got her home). Following were the series of events that has happened ever since Ciaz stepped into our garage -

1. April '19 - Got a promotion with a designation change, and immediate travel to the US of A for 18 days.
2. May '19 - Parents could take the long awaited 20 day-holiday to Europe (and this was in the planning stages since last 7-8 years)
3. June '19 - Travel again to the UK, for 10 odd days
4. August '19 - Met my wife through an arranged setup, got hooked and booked
5. November '19 - Took a 1500 km holiday across Gujarat with extended families (my 1st such long distance one in the decade, all previous ones were of <500 kms)
6. February '20 - Got married on 14/02/20, and share a common anniversary with my beauties - CIAZ and my better half
7. November '20 - got a call from my ex-boss asking me to join him ( a well funded startup in Automation and IoT), took the opportunity and I'm lovin' it !

Overall, ever since Ciaz has entered our lives, we have seen a lot of otherwise pending tasks getting through (my increment, the US and UK tours, parents' holiday and so on..)

Not sure if you call it luck or a co-incidence, but Ciaz is indeed our family's lucky charm, so to say!

[vigsom]

All my cars have been with me through peaks and troughs, and it would be unfair to point to one as favored and another as unwanted. However, the two cars that coincided with my best phases in life were both, coincidentally, super(ior) white - a 2003 Maruti Versa DX and a 2005 Toyota Corolla H5. Both these cars

1. gave me the least trouble
2. were with me during the best phases of my life
3. were the "stockest" of the lot

but were also, ironically, the ones that provided me with the least learning.

The 2003 Superior White Versa DX


The 2005 Super White Toyota Corolla H5

[armaan_singh]

Ironically when you need to find the old photos, you never can.

I owned a 99 Santro, which was passed on to me by my grandfather after it was 10 years old, and I was 18.
This is the car that saw me through my most Immature phase as a college student and actually tolerated my many ruthless adventures. Though this also includes the initial romance period I shared with my then girlfriend and now wife.

Pictured below is the car in the background in a photo clicked at the Chandigarh border.

[humyum]

My 2008 Swift Diesel is the reason I believe I am alive right now, it was a very rough phase of life for all of us, I was under depression, anxiety attacks and the only solace I could find that time was we had got the car all of us wanted, exactly how we wanted it. white alloys, white rear view mirror cowlings and the car white in color. I used to look at it many times for hours on end sometimes from the balcony just to give some solace that at least one thing in life went right that time.

I used to go on long drives alone, used to talk to myself in the car, the car has seen it all. Lots of people came and left but what stayed was the Swift Diesel. Its been 12 years plus and I don't think I will ever connect to anything more than this car. That was the day in 2008 and today is the day in 2021, it still feels like day one with the car.

Whenever we think of buying a new car now, the first thing all of us agree on is wherever the new car is parked, the Swift will always be parked in the building parking.

[Brumby]

Nice thread Anjan,

Though I showered lots of love to all my cars that I have owned but have not been lucky with any of them.

My 800EX was with me for 11 years but always required expenses.

Next was an Innova 2.5V (2008 still with me) loved by the whole family, though its hardly being used but no one is letting me sell it, it had its share of minor accidents requiring repairs to maintain it. These minor accidents were either caused by rogue motorists on the road or careless people in car parking.

Then there was i10 Kappa Sportz (2011), was plagued with issues, had to change the speedo console with in 3 months of purchase, tail gate developed corrosion (Hyundai never accepted it as manufacturing defect). A paid painting job at authorised service did not solve it. Sold it in 2014 to buy Polo GT.

2012 Swift Zxi was the next buy, this car along with the Polo suffered a lot and brought me lots of expenses. Most of the damages were caused in the building parking by the kids playing around. Twice with in a year (Aug 2019-July 2020) there were incidents of tree branch falling during the monsoon. The paint job by the authorised service centers were pathetic, repeat jobs did not improve and the cars still carry scars of those incidents.

Though I have started to think that cars finally are cars but deep with in I am still hoping to find the one which connects with me and proves to be my lucky charm.

Cheers

[KANNURAN]

A very touching thread indeed. It goes to show just HOW MUCH we BHP-ians bond with our steeds.

But looking at the flip-side, of cars that have been bad omen's, I have owned a Red Volkswagen Polo that was totaled in a bad accident in 2018. The color RED came to the spotlight as the ill-omen because a red Swift I own has had numerous scrapes (though nothing as serious as the Polo incident)

During a trip to Bangalore in Nov-20, I retrieved from my relative, a tool-lit from the ill-fated polo that I had left at his place and guess what: Within an hour of having the polo-vibe in my BLUE Skoda Rapid, I was rear-ended by an A4. And if that was not enough, a short distance after Tumkur, I got a front flat tire.

Another hour into the drive, paranoia overtook me and I dumped the tool-kit by the roadside. I hope anyone who may have chanced on it is safe and well.

[chinmaypillay]

A good and very personal topic! With my limited experience, I would rate my first car Figo 1.4 diesel which was good luck. Contrary to what was Ford's image, this car was utterly reliable and mom had to stretch the budget quite a bit to get the car.

Has seen both my undergraduate/post graduation days to my jobs, MBA and jobs in Bangalore. Being in Bangalore, frequent highway runs to Coimbatore were quite common. Only reason had to sell it was due to bigger MUV coming to the garage, and difficulty in having two diesels.

Post selling it, Covid struck which could be positive or negative depending on where you stand. :P Really miss this car, for the perfect handling and chassis, being utterly reliant whenever you wanted to go for a run.

[sahil624]

I would like to say that a lot happened in 2020 for me. One of them was buying my first car in May 2020. I believe that it has been lucky for me, as after that, I got into my dream organisation, in which I have been trying to get into since three years.

However, more than the car, I believe it is due to the good luck that my son brought for me.

[prateekchanana]

I consider my Polo 1.5 TDI to be a very lucky car for me. It was the first polo with the nee engine the dealership sold. The first car I could actually call mine. Me and my had countless dates for 3 years in this car which made it all the more special.

The car was lucky in many more ways as we moved out to a better place as well post buying it and the next car in the garage was the A4.

The car has been niggle free mostly and 60k kms later still works great and is my preferred car over the honda city any day. I get it touched up once an year as it’s my daily driver in Karol Bagh, Delhi and there are new scratches while it’s parked regularly.

If not for the 10 years diesel rule in Delhi would’ve kept the car for much more time as its already close to 7 years old now. Will still be hard to say good bye when I sell it at 9 years of age as planned.