[dhawalmakwana99]

Such a lovely thread!

Brings me back all the memories.

*Before my birth*
My dad had a super humble start with a Lambretta. When he used to date ma. He also had a personal autorickshaw back then!

*After I was born*
He had a Matador for business and had a Kinetic Honda for personal use which was later replaced by the Hero Honda Splendor which is still with us.

He then moved to car renting where I have seen a lot of cars. From the 118NE, the Maruti Omni to the 2001 Honda City 1.5 EXI (The car I learnt to drive on), Toyota Corolla (I remember seeing the Odometer reading 225xxx kms once), Honda CR-V was there too for a short stint, Mitsubishi Lancer SLXi, The Dolphin Honda City, Toyota Innova, Toyota Corolla Altis 'J'

Personally, he had the Ford Fiesta 1.4 EXI which he sold recently.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I grew up with my dad's UK road atlas always in the glove compartment of the car. Due to the childhood memory, it was one of the few things I brought back from my parents' house after my mother died (Dad had passed away some time before).

This book dates back to 1930, and he had listed his cars on the inside cover. Actually checking out those cars was something I always meant to get around to! <Blush>

Sadly, the book was among our many treasures lost to the Chennai flood, but the notes were readable and I was able to save them with the camera.

Thad's Dad's Cars...

[racer_ash]

Great Thread. Felt good to refresh those old memories.

1979 - When he landed his first Job, Dad used to commute from Anna Nagar, Madras to Velachery (he had to change buses somewhere mid-way) and this was proving quite tiresome and time-consuming.

1980 - He bought his first two-wheeler, the Lamby 150 that incidentally came with a chain drive. My Grandfather used a Yezdi before which he had sold off sometime during the 70s due to the family's financial condition. My dad got married (I feel funny saying this) in mid 80s and the Lamby became the family vehicle to ferry us around all around Madras. My maternal uncle owned yet another Yezdi and I was in awe of the single barrel headlight that always seemed extremely powerful in comparison to our Lamby which had candles for headlights

1992: We moved to A.P (this region is now in Telangana) and the Lamby 150 moved along with us to the new place. Being more than 10 years old, it had its fair share of problems. It used to shut off without warning often stranding us in the middle of the road. It was during one such incident, where we had to attend an important function, the Lamby simply died, when my dad decided enough was enough. He sold it for a princely sum of Rs.1500 and paid an advance for the most sought after scooter sold in the early 90s. The Bajaj Chetak.

1992 to till date The Bajaj Chetak is still alive and kicking after almost 25 years now with almost 100K KMs on the Odo. My dad used it till 2000 post which I used it (I was underage then) and then it passed on to my dad's friend who used it from 2003 till 2007 post which it was used by his son before he moved on to a bike. The scooter is still occasionally being used by my dad's friend and I still love riding it sometimes.

2000-2003 These were times of vivid memories. Dad purchased a used 1993 Maruti 800 in milky white, our family's first car. The car was an absolute beauty. It had a leather wrapped dashboard(I am not kidding here) and beautiful wheel covers. Sadly, the car met with a major accident in 2002 near Hyderabad. He had major injuries to his left hand but was otherwise unhurt. We used the car for a further 1 year before he purchased his next car. This was the car in which both me and my dad learnt driving. A special car and I still remember the first time I set eyes on it.

2003-2008: Maruti Alto LXi: What an improvement it was from the old 800. It had 5 gears, had a super chilling AC, power steering and a fancy number. Felt like a great upgrade. The car server well for the 5 uneventful years it was with us and we undertook numerous long drives to Bangalore, Chennai etc. from Hyderabad. It was sold to someone who says he still drives this till date.

2008-2015: Sunlight Copper Swift VXi: Again, what an upgrade. We had power windows, a cool sounding USB/CD player and the Swift felt like an upgrade from a studio apartment to a Bungalow. It served well. I was using it during my MBA days and I had real fun with it. We especially used to love red-lining the G13B motor and it used to cross a ton in 2nd gear itself. A true performance hatch that doubled up as a comfortable family vehicle. Dad sold it to his colleague.

2015 till date: Dad said he wanted to own a performance Diesel before he retired and the Figo TDCi proved to be the best option for him. It had mind-blowing performance for a hatch under 10L and I consider it very good VFM. In the last 15 months and 13000 odd KMs it has been with us, it has proved very reliable, frugal and light on the pocket by way of maintenance.

Phew! That was a Long post!!

[krishnakarthik1]

My father owned a 1985 Bajaj Chetak, I still remember its registration number. Even back then he would wear a helmet when ever he went out.

Then a 1990 red maruti 800. Mercury Sable, Toyota Camry and Plymouth Grand Voyager between 1993 to 2000 when we were in the United States.

Then he moved around in a Fiat Palio and Ford Ikon for the next decade. Now he has shifted to his hometown and says that he owns the best vehicle of his life, a red Honda Activa!

[SJM1214]

My father was not actually a petrolhead. As per my father, a Family car is a necessity, that too during the 80s and 90s. His Company (IPCL, now Reliance) provided him with a chauffeur-driven Amby. Here is the list of my father's car.

Before 1983 (my birth) Lambretta Scooter.
1986 to 1992 Fiat Premier Padmini
1992 to 1998 Maruti 800
1999 to 2004 MS Wagon R.
2009 to Present MS Swift Dzire.

[anirudh_85]

Great thread! Brings back so many memories!! Here are my father's rides over the years:

1. Premier Padmini: This was actually owned by my grandfather and the car he learned to drive on. Post marriage, tried to teach driving to my mother on the same car but gave up shortly. To date she doesn't drive

2. Maruti 800: This was his first car back in the early 90s. Funny story with this one. One of my father's clients had been defaulting on his payment for a very long time. Eventually he raised his hands saying he did not have any cash to pay and offered his car instead. My father accepted. This car was however shared between him and his business partner. Both of them used it in alternate weeks.

3. Maruti 1000: This was his first car with 100% ownership rights. It was bought second hand from a very good friend of his. The car was really luxurious by mid 90s standards and we had a lot of fun travelling all over the city in this one. My father and I also used to clean it diligently every Sunday. It suffered a horrendous accident sometime in 98 wherein its entire right side was smashed by a drunk jeep driver. Thankfully my father walked away with a few minor scratches. We however used this opportunity to get it re-painted in the aqua blue shade which was all the rage back then. Used it till 2002-03.

4. Opel Corsa Sail 1.4: This was his first new car, bought somewhere in 2003. It was really really well built, true to its German DNA. My father was all praise for its build quality and the explosive 1.4 liter petrol engine. He often lamented not getting the 1.6 liter engine. It was one hell of a hot hatch nonetheless. Unfortunately it didn't stay with us for long as my father supposedly noted some rusting in its petrol tank. Was sold off in 2006.

5. Chevrolet Aveo : The second successive GM car in our family, bought in 2006 (was soon followed by my Spark). It did its duties well over a period of nearly 11 years and 1.25 lac kms. It did not age as well as we would have liked. The body started giving way though the engine and other mechanicals remained robust till the very end. It was sold in 2017

6. Honda City : This is his current ride. He was looking for a stress free experience in sales, driving and after sales more than anything else with this purchase. Decided to go with the City after due research and the presence of automatic transmission and safety features. It has done around 6.5k kms so far and he is very happy with it.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I grew up with my dad's UK road atlas always in the glove compartment of the car. Due to the childhood memory, it was one of the few things I brought back from my parents' house after my mother died (Dad had passed away some time before).

This book dates back to 1930, and he had listed his cars on the inside cover. Actually checking out those cars was something I always meant to get around to! <Blush>

Sadly, the book was among our many treasures lost to the Chennai flood, but the notes were readable and I was able to save them with the camera.

Wow. What a memorable record. Your father was buying cars in 1930! My father got to that point only in circa 1950. Thad, I'll have to call you Uncle methinks. I cannot help but admire the well formed handwriting that came with using a fountain pen.

[am1m]

Why just 'dad's' vehicles?!

My mom has been driving for most of her adult life. She only stopped about 5 years ago. She used to take road trips with the two of us (my sister and I) in the 80s and 90s in our old Ambassador. I remember her driving us to Ooty and Goa from Bangalore. Not to mention several trips to Mysore and Mangalore. This was a time when there weren't many women driving, cars weren't reliable, no power steering, petrol bunks and rest stops on the highway were few and far between, and of course there were no cell phones.

The cars I grew up with (and these were her cars, bought with her own earned money and registered in her name):

Standard Herald, Ambassador, Maruti 800, Maruti Omni, Opel Astra.

Sadly the one thing that has not changed too much is that most Indian men still can't handle being overtaken by a woman! Let's not be like those guys!

I request the mods to change the title of this thread to "Our Parent's vehicles."

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Wow. What a memorable record. Your father was buying cars in 1930! My father got to that point only in circa 1950. Thad, I'll have to call you Uncle methinks. I cannot help but admire the well formed handwriting that came with using a fountain pen.

My father was born in 1913! And I was born in 1952.

My father was a journalist, and could write fast and clear. He used to join up the words to write them quicker.

Thanks for the reminder: I must revisit his motor history!

[R2D2]

These are cars that I recall from seeing family photos going back about 60 years to Dad's days as a young Naval officer. I got my love for cars from him. Dad had a Standard 10 in the '50s, a Fiat 1100 1958 model in the mid 60s, Standard Herald in '69-71, Toyota Corona Mk II from 1972-'78 Our very first Toyota (now you know why I love the T badge), Premier Padmini from '88 to 91, a second Premier Padmini from '91-95, Maruti Esteem 1995-2001. He had his heart and mind set on the Mercedes Benz E Class in the late '90s but heeded the values that many of his generation possessed and decided to purchase a car that was less ostentatious and conspicuous. The Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX purchased in Feb 2002 was his last car. He passed away in 2012 after which the Palio has been with me.

Bikes - Enfield Bullet in the mid to late '50s. He did not purchase any bikes thereafter.

PS - My bad, I forgot an Ambassador in 1978-'79. That thing was the pits with vapour lock every time we stopped at a signal anywhere in Bombay/Mumbai. The engine would stop or not start and block the traffic. Anybody with knowledge of South Mumbai's traffic knows what happens when a car breaks down at the signal. Angry glares and honks by the dozens. It amazes me to think of the kind of junk we Indians used to purchase and had to put up with right through to the early '90s. Even Maruti dealers treated customers like they were doing them a favour. The 'brand new' Premier Padmini of 1991 had a missing petrol filter bracket which was never installed, during delivery they asked us to visit to the nearest petrol station and fill not just fuel but 1 litre of engine oil. Why? Coz they didn't have any in stock and that 3rd grade $%^# company called Premier Automobiles Ltd didn't think it fit to top off the oil as the car rolled out from the factory and to the customer.

[hema4saran]

Where to start for a common man like my dad? He rode a bicycle (Atlas) as far as I remember. A person who kept his hands on all kind of things related to farm (Diesel Pump sets, Electric motor pumps, Fertilizer spraying machines, Tractors, Farm Equpments) etc never got himself a two wheeler. The only four wheeler which he drove most of his life was a Ferguson Tractor from his early 20s to mid 40s.

I got him his first two wheeler when I got my job. A Bajaj Discover which he is driving still. When I told him that I will get him a car now, his answer is to get him a mini tractor so that he can go back to our farm lands again and drive. As far he is concerned, he don't want to drive a car at this age and don't want to look for a driver every now and then to take the car. He said he can hire a cab whenever the need comes.

We will get a car in India once I come back for good from US. Probably a midsize SUV or a C segment top end Sedan. A good two years away. I would love to spend all my weekends in our farm land.

[Arjun Reddy]

My dad had an Java in his college days.

2 ambassadors after that and an Esteem.

My paternal grandfather had a Chevorlet Impala.

My mother's dad had a Studebaker and a Wolseley

[driveanddrive]

Below is a list of my Father's cars. I think he played a big role in bringing out the enthusiast in me.
1. Premier Padmini
2. Maruti 800 DX
3. Used Maruti Omni
4. Used Maruti Omni
5. New Maruti Omni
6. Used Ford Ikon (2003)
7. New Fiat Palio 1.2 NV (2006)
8. Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI (2012)
9. BMW X1 (2018)
I really love the gradual progression. Calculated decisions, patience, head over heart always, wish I had these qualities!
He really loved the Omni. We have done so many long drives in the Omni. Nagpur-Bhubaneswar-Nagpur, Nagpur-Nasik-Nagpur to name a few.
I learnt driving on the Ikon. Served us well for three years.
We then got Palio, for 4.16 Lakhs OTR. A great car for the price. The Laura was also a superb deal at 13.8 OTR.
We just got delivery of the X1 on 22nd Jan.
Superb cars, superb choices.

[sharninder]

My father used to have a Yezdi when I was born, an Enfield after that and a Bajaj scooter after that. No idea why he went from an Enfield to a scooter. I think because a motorcycle was for some reason considered "reckless" and dangerous and family made him get a scooter instead, which people assumed to be safer

Our first car was a Suzuki 800 delux, an 800 (or 1000?) Maruti after that, and Esteem, a Ford Ikon and then a Honda city. He recently sold the Honda city and has a Baleno Automatic now.

[alexpaul]

Aah , this thread surely brought back some good old memories .

Dad started with Vijay Super Scooter(2nd hand) , however the scooter was scrapped after an accident

Grandparents made him to buy Rajdoot motorcycle (again 2nd hand). Rode on it for close to a decade . I too enjoyed riding as a pillion to school,tuition's,family outings etc. Used to maintain it daily very religiously . Dad liked the bike so much that he was in tears while selling it. ( Reason for selling:- My younger brother was born then and grandparents were adamant on buying a car for safety reasons)

Out of frustration Dad booked a Mahindra Commander 4WD which had a waiting period of 2 months. He was expecting we all will fall in line and ask him to buy a kinetic honda /hero honda splendour for immediate travel. However the plan backfired and on recommendation from the dealer , he converted the Commander booking to Mahindra Armada (2wd)instead .
Waited for close to a month and finally he got hands on Mahindra Armada which he drove for next 5 years and then sold it .
Brought Maruti Omni and used it for next 5 years .
Brought Hyundai santro (Gen1 facelit model) and used for 3 years . Sold it after I learned driving on it .
There was a break in between owning a vehicle as his office was within walking distance.
Then Brought a Wagon-R (2nd hand) 2005 model and used it for approx 4 years. Transferred the vehicle to native place for personal travel .

Brought a new Wagon-R (2013) and still driving around in it.