[anjan_c2007]

We have discussed about our 15 plus year old cars' and bikes' fitness, the newer draconian and destructive fitness/reregistration norms, how long you wish to retain your older automobiles and a host of other topics on these issues in many threads.

This thread seeks your votes on the number of such "differently abled" cars and bikes you own as a part of your collection. These automobiles treasured by most of us are definitely differently abled, because they may not have the modern day bells and whistles, but are much more capable in many other ways as compared to the newbies.

Vintages (50 years plus as per our "intelligent" Babus) are excluded please, as these go under a totally different category.

For instance, in Germany 30 plus year olds are accorded the status of "young timers". Most Western nations categorise 30 plus year old automobiles as historic/classic and their governments take adequate measures to safeguard their survival. The owners are equally enthusiastic as reaching the age of 30 in a Western country is rare, given the fact that they scrap their automobiles within a decade, if not more.

We have provided options to vote for upto 10 such automobiles that you could own. If it's 10 plus, please vote for them as ten plus and also describe them in text through your post.

To begin with, I own three two wheelers and one car in the 15-49 year bracket and all these are with me since new. These shall remain with me forever.

[Eddy]

Zero.

I wish that was an option in the poll

[puntra800]

We have a Chevy Optra which will be turning 20 in 2024 , I still use a 2006 Honda Dio and it functions way better than the most new scooters in the market currently. I did explore the option of replacing it with an electric scooter but stopped when I realised none of the manufacturers have an answer how to dispose the battery after the efficiency comes down. I also own a Bajaj Pulsar 150 which is 10+ years.

[KrisTvpm]

Own just one - my 2000 model Bajaj Caliber which is listed here (Bikes of yesteryear and long forgotten : Anybody still riding them?).

The bike rides fine, have renewed FC till 2025, returns a decent FE of around 55kmpl. Plan to keep it till legally valid, hopefully till it reaches vintage standard

[GTO]

Own a Jeep that's 26 years old now (Mahindra Classic). Is a beauty to look at, gorgeous to drive (if you adore simplicity), but a privilege to own only if you have the extra parking space + extra time for repairs. Utility is zero, taken out purely for pleasure drives.

[Reinhard]

Ah! Sweet thread.

So I have a Bajaj Super'99 (with the ICC CWC'99 "Official Carrier of the Indian Cricket Fan" sticker on front.) that was our first ever vehicle in the house. Of course bought by dad. And we maintain it in house ourselves completely. Still works like it did on day 1. That was the only USP of these contraptions anyway. Just won't ever die.

And then - there's my own Bajaj Caliber115 (Hoodibaba) bought in 2003. Again maintained DIY & is now dad's primary ride as the Super is pretty much kept as a hobby, and isn't street legal per se as we haven't bothered updating the registration for it. Gives back aches to both of us .

Feel sad that its just 2 wheelers. Hopefully the current cars will eventually make an entry in this old-timer list.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Nice thread. We own a 2006 Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXI (re-registered it in Hyderabad to protect it from the 15 year rule in Delhi-NCR) which will turn 17 years old this year. The biggest badge of honour I can give to it is for its ability to stay fresh after all these years. The biggest thing it has that I often find missing in cars of the same segment today is its ability to make even the most boring commutes interesting (without any fancy gadgets whatsoever, purely with its powertrain and dynamics), while still being very practical.

The beautifully weighted hydraulic power steering and perfectly tuned suspension that lets it absorb bumps well enough while taking full care if high speed stability, for example. These are things you can enjoy even on the commute to work!

When you do get the chance to have some fun, the engine willingly comes to life and propels you forward surprisingly quickly and even treats you to an absolutely brilliant sound while it's at it. One of the best sounding four cylinder engines I've heard, another one of the car's "different" abilities! Even though I'll only be a passenger for the next few years, I can still enjoy this car.

As for utility, it's got you covered! It's a comfortable sedan (unless you have long legs and have been banished to the rear seat, as I can tell you from experience) with a sizable and practical boot. For a car this old, it holds it's own astoundingly well even today. This is by far the longest we have kept a car, since the Fiesta is absolutely a keeper and still puts a smile on my face every time.

[RedTerrano]

Voted one.
My 2006 WagonR.

This is the first car I ever bought, that too with my own money. Had to get the re passing done after 15 years and she is still going strong. Though I don't use her on a regular basis, sometimes I still take her out to stretch her legs.

Will always keep her.

[govigov]

I have two.

First is my late father's 1988 Priya by Maharashtra scooters, basically a vespa VBB. Which was Fully restored and made road legal during the pandemic and work from home. This one is 34 years old currently.

Secondly, my first bike, 2004 Bajaj pulsar 150, currently in the workshop again for a full restoration and re-test. This one should be about 19 years old currently.

[Jeroen]

I own, drive, maintain and fix four of these 15+ year old cars.

1982 Mercedes W123 200
1986 Alfa Romeo Spider
1998 Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport
2002 Jaguar XJR (X308)

As I am about to retire officially, I have no company car anymore. We do still have my wife’s 2015 Ford Fiesta.

So I use my cars for all my driving these days. Combined mileage per year for these four cars is about 20-24000 kilometers.

Last year I did about 8000 km in the Alfa Spider. It really depends on how much driving I have abroad. This year we have two major road trips planned already. To our usual place in France with our fellow Spider friends. Spanner mate Pete and I have also just booked a trip to Scotland in September for some serious touring in our respective Spiders.

Next month my wife and I will travel to the UK for a couple of days touring. Of course the Jaguar is the perfect car for this
We have three trip to Germany planned. Two in the Jaguar and one in the Mercedes.

All these planned trips will easily account for more than half of my total annual mileage.

Here in the Netherlands in contrast to most EU countries the “classic car” age is fourth years. The difference being not having to pay any road tax anymore. Classic car insurance can usually be obtained for anything upwards of 15 years.

I don’t think it is entirely correct thinking that in Western countries a lot of cars get scrapped within ten years. In most European countries the average age of regular cars is well over ten years. That’s an average so some will be younger and some considerably older. My sister drives a 17 year old Toyota.

Also, in many cases cars don’t get scrapped, but exported to other EU countries and also to North African countries!

Jeroen

[keroo1099]

3 If I include my bike:

1. 1982 CI Bullet
2. 1985 MG410
3. 2005 Swift Vxi

All 3 are modded to some extent and stupid sentiment prevents me and family from parting with them.

[Govardhansupra]

Both my cars are 15 years old. Well, the Fiesta is almost 15, as it will turn 15 by August this year.

Maruti Suzuki Zen 1999 VX Velvet grey


Ford Fiesta 1.6S

[tharian]

Voted one- My 2002 Enfield Bullet Electra. Got the FC done last year and is good to go for another 5 years.
There is a 1996 Bullet 500 and a 1972 FIAT 1100D too that does not belong to me which I have in the garage.

[hareshjethwani]

I own a Ford Fiesta 1.4 EXI which just turned 17. It runs perfectly fine. The suspension is giving up though. It's an old picture just after a detailing session.

[ryzen7@5800u]

My family owns two such vehicles.
The 2008 Tata Indica Petrol turned 15 recently. It's special to me, as it's the sole car we had for most of my childhood, with innumerable road trips, vacations and memories. It's also the car I'm learning to drive in! So it will stay as long as I can keep it. It still putters about town with no major issues, happily returning perfectly awful fuel consumption figures. The car runs, stops and the AC blows cold - what more does one need? Hydraulic power steering means it's not too much of a pain at lower speed, while the weight of the car ensures it does not reach any high speed! The Salsa Red paint still looks fabulous next to the sea of grey and white cars. The sole fly in the ointment is spares - they are becoming sparse, now.

The 2006 Bajaj Discover 125 has not run in 2-3 years. Dad used to commute on the bike, till we moved to a city and the atrocious traffic forced the retirement of the bike. However, it was still (occasionally) running till a couple years ago, when Dad did not have time to maintain it. Still undecided on it's future, though.