Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


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Old 3rd February 2009, 17:24   #16
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Had a Gypsy in family,sold it in 2001
would love to buy it again
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Old 3rd February 2009, 17:31   #17
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2006 Swift Petrol Zxi - YES. Definitely. I still think it the most VFM hatch and is loads of fun to drive.
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Old 3rd February 2009, 17:51   #18
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1984- Ambassador- Yes, Then options were few. Mainly Fiat and Ambassador and it remained with us till 1990 and i still re
1986 Maruti 800- Yes, Quiet dependable.
1993 Maruti 1000 - Yes, Was kinda luxury then.
1996- Yamaha RX 100 - Yes, Best fun to drive bike.
1998- Yamaha YBX- Yes, Good mileage and decent power. Still have it though dont use.
2000 Esteem Vxi- Yes, Pure VFM.
2006- Indigo LX- Yes, Pure VFM. If given a choice will like to buy upcoming Indigo Vista instead due to new platform and better refinement.
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Old 3rd February 2009, 18:33   #19
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Firstly, fantastic topic Eddy!

My list in descending order:

'07 Tata Indigo : No regrets, just the right sedan for rough / driver use. Held up decently well though some small niggling problems have come up off & on. Still, for the price / space / comfort / economy, nothing comes close. Would buy again.

'05 Mercedes C220 : A year back, I would have told you it is the perfect compact luxury sedan. However, the C has given too many problems in the past 10 months. 3 significant part changes, LOTS of moolah down the drain and too many days off the road. I'd rather have bought something more reliable since I like to keep my cars for 1.2 - 1.75 lakh kms. The way that she's eating through my bank account, I may think about selling her earlier. Still, I am a 50:50 on whether I am regretful or not, as the car has given plenty reasons to rejoice with its mega torque, RS-matching performance, handling, braking, 6 speed manual & high speed stability. Plus, on our killer highways, the 5 star safety is assuring. Let another 1 - 2 years pass by before I can comment for sure. I just hope not too many problems come up in the future, and that the worst is left behind in 2008.

'03 OHC Vtec : I'd buy this car again without batting an eyelid! Fast, reliable, good looking, cheap to own & immensely practical. At 70,000 clicks, she still brings a smile when high-revving.

'00 Mitsubishi Lancer : Great car. For the time, it offered the best trim, driving position, handling & power (but not class leading). Served us well. No regrets.

'97 Mahindra Classic : She is still with me. Says a lot, wot?

'96 Maruti Esteem VX : Superb sedan for the time. The power king in 1996 with supreme reliability, efficiency & low ownership costs. Dependable and trusty.

Not going anymore back in time, though I'd like to add that the biggest regret is our '93 118 NE. WORST car I have ever owned. Little more than an overheating, unreliable & cobbler-built rust bucket. I have never spent 3.25 lakhs in a worse manner than this.

Last edited by GTO : 4th February 2009 at 11:00. Reason: Further Comments
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Old 3rd February 2009, 18:35   #20
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I own a 2005 Ford Ikon Flair. in hindsight was it a good decision/will I buy it again ? Hell yeah
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Old 3rd February 2009, 18:44   #21
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The only vehicle I will ever buy again if I had to -

CBZ ( launched way back in 99 ). It turned heads the way not even a BMW or Audi will nowadays. Just loved it !!!
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Old 3rd February 2009, 18:51   #22
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2005 P180 DTSi - bought in Aug06 for 40k. Mileage of 40-50 depending on the itch in my fingers Overall yes. But I'll probably go back and strangulate the gurus who advised Motul.

2008 Swift VDi - Mai ka (highway rattling) laal. Yes. But if Fiat had got their AS.S right, their network, and their spares cost at Dhingra etc etc right .... *sigh*. Of course, had maruti put better plastics and a HPS, Swift ANYDAY - love that handling
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Old 3rd February 2009, 19:03   #23
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Nice thread Eddy.

1997 - 2001 : Maruti 800 AT: No. Cute car but would prefer a Zen back then.

2001-2006: Maruti Zen AT: Yes. The best hatch around. Awesome engine and zippy too.

2006 - Present : OHC AT: Hell Yeah !! Period.
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Old 3rd February 2009, 19:57   #24
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1995 Maruti Zen - Definitely Yes ( the only one from the maruti stable i'd ever buy) . Served us for almost 12 years. Learnt my driving on it.
2001 Old Honda City VTEC - No Second thoughts about it. Amazing Car.
2002 Maruti Esteem LTD Edition - Quite a bad experience with it , I'd never purchase it again.
2006 New Honda City VTEC - Yes. Its a good car , only if it had better bumper quality et all.
2008 Skoda Octavia vRs - Need i say More. !
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Old 3rd February 2009, 20:03   #25
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Morris Minor - YES! what a classic!
Premier Padmini - yes, because didn't have more options back then...
118 NE - oh yes, comfort and best gearbox
UNO - no, good solid car, but underpowered and horrible service
GYPSY KING - yes yes yes yes yes.. may buy one again...
Safari Dicor 3.0L - No... good car but too many niggling problems and then the 2.2 got launched...
Honda City 1.5 (OHC) - oh yes for sure... maybe an upgrade to the VTEC

@abhinav: OT but yet: choose between the old and new honda city VTEC and why? One clear winner only.

Last edited by Tejas@perioimpl : 3rd February 2009 at 20:04.
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Old 3rd February 2009, 20:08   #26
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Makes me nostalgic....

1) 1995 Maruti Esteem - absolutely yes, it was a boy racer's dream back then, and the low driver's seating position seemed so good back then.
2) 1997 Maruti Zen - Loved the zippy engine but then for the purpose it served (Mom's car) - a Santro wouldve been a better option
3) 2000 Tata Indica - Absolute workhorse, space, mileage were unparalleled then. Yes Sir!
4) 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer - Yes - though with better options available none could beat the tremendous options it offered to mod the looks.
5) 2007 Honda Accord V6 - Yes unless VW shoehorns a V6 in a Golf and sells it in India (hopefully sometime soon). No other car this side of 40L comes close to the pleasure this car gives, though it drinks fuel!

The worst car I remmbr in the family was a NE 118 in 1993 - it was ok for the first 3 months and then the nightmare started!
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Old 3rd February 2009, 20:35   #27
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Great topic...
1998 Second-hand ten year old Maruti 800 (version 2) - This is the car that made me mobile. Too much nostalgia attached to this one. I would'nt buy an 800 today but faced with the same budget and choices - an 800 would be perfectly acceptable.

2000 Second-hand 1999 Santro GLS (GLX??) - Fully loaded Santro. Loved the features coming from a bare basic Maruti and the bulbous looks. It was a great car at the time and very comfortable. Would I buy one again? Yes and I did. A Santro AT for the wife in 2007.

2001 Maruti Zen Lxi - the original hot hatch. I really liked this car. Powerful, handled well and fuel efficient. Extremely impractical for someone with a growing family because it had very little space inside or cubby holes. Would I buy it again? For sheer enjoyment - yes. If one factors in practicaltiy - No.

2003 Maruti Esteem Vxi - It was ok. No complaints. Trouble is I bought it when it was an already ageing model. And it wasn't a solution for a growing family. Would I buy it again? No.

2005 Honda City Gxi - An extremely practical car with lots of space and tremendous fuel economy. Would I buy it again? Yes but with safety features and a more powerful engine, hence the ANHC. The bullet-proof reliability, FE and build-quality is the reason why I still own it and have no plans to sell it. This is the car I have owned for the longest.

2007 Santro AT - the car that solved my two-year car-buying itch since I wasn't selling the City. Main reasons to buy were wanted a small AT and the good experience with earlier Santro. Interiors and looks have been dumbed down from my first Santro. Does the job we bought it for well. Would I buy it again? No, I'm done with Santros. But the i10 AT with all the safety kit is a definite possibility in the future.
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Old 3rd February 2009, 21:36   #28
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Great topic indeed Eddy.

I'll look at this thread from a different angle - I use a time machine and go back to say 19xx/20xx and am at the crossroads - Will I make the same mistake again ? Will I take that great decision again ?

Wont talk about family cars, since I had no say in their purchase decisions.

2005 - Into my 1st job and looking for a good bike. Options were Zma, P180, Unicorn - Dint consider the others.. Chucked Zma for high maintenance costs, Unicorn for being more a Gentleman bike. I bought the P180 - 26k kms (Given that I spent 2 years in B-School) it still brings a big smile to my face when I press the electric start. So if I were to go back in 2005, I'd have still bought the P180.

2009 - Time for the 1st car, and the options this time were the Fabia, Fiesta 1.6S and the Swift ZXi. Dint consider any other cars for various reasons - primary being lack of airbags in most of the sub 8L models. Fabia's customer service put me off - Heck the sales chap wasnt even interested in calling me back. Hatch vs Sedan battle - The missus says go for the hatch. I obey. But I was scared about handling a car in a metro and all that. And if I go back 1 month back in time, I might have bought the Fiesta 1.6S.

Cheers!
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Old 3rd February 2009, 21:51   #29
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2002 FIAT Palio GTX: YES, YES, YES!!!
2006 G2HC: No
Edit: 1998 Kinetic Marvel: Yes. Ultra reliable. Great for the city (LSD = Labour Saving Device)

Last edited by vipul_singh : 3rd February 2009 at 21:56.
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Old 3rd February 2009, 21:58   #30
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1998: Suzuki Samurai, No problem bike! YES

2004: Fiat Palio 1.2, Love at first drive! Hell YES!
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