[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

we are probably the world's most innovative nation when it comes to re-cycling, re-using and re-jigging things to eke out just that little bit more from it. Our inherent "jugaad" plays a key role in this.

I agree - and I am sure everybody else does, as well!!

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Spurious oil dealers have a crude method/methods of "purifying" it after which they mix it into new oil, and sell the adulterated oil.

That's why I never prefer 'oil from the barrel' - give me a sealed can any day. But I am told there are spurious oil sold with look-alike cans as well

Originally Posted by GTO

Once a car clocks more than 1,50,000 - 200,000 kms (irrespective of the number of owners), it will find few takers amongst private buyers. From there on, only commercial users (taxis etc.) looking for a cheap deal are interested.

That's a good observation. Something similar was told to me, when I recently replaced my tyres. The shop owner told me - candidly - that my old tyres will be sold to taxi / cab drivers. All the more reason to avoid traveling by such cabs/taxis...

And, GTO, thanks for the interesting thread. I remember the days when I was driving an M800 and my friend was using an Astra - we used to kid him that he was traveling 'club class'!

Originally Posted by NOS Power

So my safe guess is that most dealerships (new or second hand) do the same but obviously make a handsome profit.

I sold my M800 (about 5 / 6 years old) with just about 30+ kms on the odo for Rs. 70,000/- in 2005. There was a ready buyer waiting with the dealer - and, in front of me the dealer made a cool Rs. 10,000/- on the spot. He told me the car was headed to the adjacent district.

So, all the more reasons why forums like ours should help buyers / sellers to get a fair deal for themselves by eliminating middle men!!

[Gooney]

Originally Posted by Jayabusa

Let's keep aside the really old cars for a moment. About 9-10 years back you could see Zens, Zens and Zens on the road. Similarly, you get to see the new cars available in the market on the roads. But where to did the hordes of Zens and other popular cars of those times disappear? To villages? To other cities? Or got dispersed all over India? Where?

The Zens are still here and almost in same numbers they earlier were - its just that others cars have increased exponentially and hence spotting a Zen is rarer. 10 years back, 7 of the 10 cars on roads would be either a Santro, an 800, an Omni or a Zen, but now we have so many different cars.

I wanted to buy a 2001 gen 1 Zen (VXi) in Banagalore, in 2009, which was immaculately maintained and the owner quoted 1.65 lakhs. There is a huge demand for the Gen1 Zens and I presume they are very much on roads.

However I do agree that there could be some amount of migration to Tier II cities and rural areas.

[Kavish11]

In my opinion a lot of people who are passionate about cars add their cars to their collection and do not scrap them. Some such personalities that i have read about are
Delhi-based Diljeet Titus, who has a museum of vintage and classic cars in Delhi; Mr. Saloo Choudhary of Kolkata also has a fleet of vintage cars.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by Gooney

I wanted to buy a 2001 gen 1 Zen (VXi) in Banagalore, in 2009, which was immaculately maintained and the owner quoted 1.65 lakhs. There is a huge demand for the Gen1 Zens and I presume they are very much on roads.

This is what is intriguing - there is a demand for such cars, but not many seen on the road. And, if it wasn't the Zen which you opted, what was the final car you landed with?

BTW, I love your signature (reminded myself to say so on the thread dedicated for the 'best signatures'.....)

Originally Posted by Kavish11

In my opinion a lot of people who are passionate about cars add their cars to their collection and do not scrap them.

Welcome abroad, Kavish. How old is the 'old ambassador'?

We are actually talking about what happens to the 'rest of the cars' - i.e. those which are not collected or are left to wither away in yards / garages...

it is actually like this - old bike / scooter can be actually junked. Catch hold of any kabaddiwallah, he will buy it on wieght. You can watch them dismantling it and breaking the chassis and the engine apart. A couple of years ago, my colleague and I junked his "priya" scooter - for Rs. 5000/- (just for the record, the buy-back offer which we got from the dealer was just Rs. 3,000/=!. May be the scooter was worth its weight in steel!!)

[GTO]

Originally Posted by NOS Power

For the record old cars like the 1st gen maruti's or tata's etc. are sold at a good premium in the small towns, simply because the people there mostly cannot afford the current gen new cars. So the second hand market is thriving on these very old cars.

It isn't only about affordability, but also one of simplicity. If you live in a small town which doesn't even have stable electricity, what are the chances of a workshop equipped to handle ECU / electrically complicated cars?

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

Something similar was told to me, when I recently replaced my tyres. The shop owner told me - candidly - that my old tyres will be sold to taxi / cab drivers.

And after your tyres go completely bald, they'll retread it a couple of times.

Originally Posted by Kavish11

Delhi-based Diljeet Titus, who has a museum of vintage and classic cars in Delhi; Mr. Saloo Choudhary of Kolkata also has a fleet of vintage cars.

We aren't discussing vintage cars here. Diljeet Titus wouldn't be collecting Peugeot 309s, Ford Escorts and Rover Montegos right? Or 18 year old Tata Sumos?

[vb-saan]

I have a Dec 1996 Yezdi Roadking - maybe the last Yezdi sold in Thrissur, Kerala! At that time itself it was a rarity, and people there used to know me because of my mobike . Once the showroom (or paper godown) got closed I used to get it serviced at the trusted Antony's workshop.

After I moved to Singapore the machine was hardly used, and rust started creeping in, and thats when my friend Mathew agreed to keep it at his place, and offered to do routine maintenance.

And in last Jan, when I went to India, I got to see this pleasant surprise(see attached pic). Mathew and his dad (who has a history of being Yezdi lover), managed to give a whole new life to the roadking! See attached pics.

[NST440]

Its a nice thread , exactly i had the same question in mind, but since we ve got many answers to that i just feel like asking, many times i see around my city and on Team Bhp too that some people just wont give up there old vehicles and try the best to restore it, or sometimes not resrore but just repair the vehicle and keep it in working condition.

I just wanna know what is the fun of driving a premiere padmini when you have a fortuner in front of you and a Audi Q7 wanting a side from you on the road?
I ve seen that its not the case that people cant afford, i know few friends who have the money but dont know , something in there mind just dont let em quit the scrap vehicles. Further i understand the importance of the word ' vintage' but calling an amby, a Fiat PP, contessa etc a vintage seems like pushing things too hard.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by NST440

and on Team Bhp too that some people just wont give up there old vehicles and try the best to restore it

I'm part of that group and will explain why : Sentimental Value. I've spent 6X the book value of my Jeep on its restoration and repair in the last 5 years. Why? Because she was my first personal vehicle (gift from Dad) and has stuck with me through my college days. Way too many happy memories associated with the Jeep. Of course, just the fact that they don't build the Classic anymore, and the SWB' offroad capability, make it that much more special. I'm not thinking of selling her anytime too soon.

Further i understand the importance of the word ' vintage' but calling an amby, a Fiat PP, contessa etc a vintage seems like pushing things too hard.

Well, Rudra drives a '59 Ambassador so technically, you could classify it as a vintage. Read through his thread to know why nuts like us hold on to our old jalopies.

[NST440]

Ya that sentimental part holds good and i too wish i had a vehicle so old i felt attached to, my bad.
I think earlier not everybody used to own a car, infact i guess earlier people didnt bother much about owning one, but things ve changed drastically, thats where the proportion of new cars overpowers the bad cars.
Sometimes i feel lik goin to good old 90s when everything was so simple yet beautiful & subtle where a stereo & AC in car made it a Luxury vehicle.

Gone, Long gone are the days of frolic n fun
Gone are the days without the settin of the Sun....

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by GTO

Once a car clocks more than 1,50,000 - 200,000 kms (irrespective of the number of owners), it will find few takers amongst private buyers. From there on, only commercial users (taxis etc.) looking for a cheap deal are interested. Couple more years of abuse and the car is stripped / scrapped / sold for parts. Can't blame them. Finding parts for a 10 - 15 year old car can get difficult. And 10 - 15 year old cars require a complete body & mechanical overhaul...the cost of which far exceeds its book value.

I don't know why, but after reading the above comment, I had a sinking feeling inside me

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Mathew and his dad (who has a history of being Yezdi lover), managed to give a whole new life to the roadking!

God bless Mathew, his dad and you! Those pictures speak volumes of the love and affection showered on the bike!!

Originally Posted by NST440

I just wanna know what is the fun of driving a premiere padmini when you have a fortuner in front of you and a Audi Q7 wanting a side from you on the road?

I am yet to travel in an Audi (Merc is the most expensive car I was offerred a drive in - so far ) - I didn't feel like getting behind the wheel. I was offerred the keys of a BMW, but I have declined (think too many gizmos in them is a put off).

But, every time I get a chance to travel in an Fiat 1100, I am always itching to get behind the wheel. No luck so far - my friend doesn't allow anybody else to drive it - he says we don't know how to properly shift the steering mounted gear lever.... may be he is right!!

Originally Posted by GTO

I've spent 6X the book value of my Jeep on its restoration and repair in the last 5 years.

Of course, just the fact that they don't build the Classic anymore, and the SWB' offroad capability, make it that much more special.

May the Jeep and its master live long and continue their happy association.....

One more person echoing my feelings - the passing years improve the various aspects of the build quality and passenger / pedestrian safety of today's gen automobiles, but with the craze for changing models (more of that below), how many people really develop a relationship with their car / bike?

Originally Posted by rrsteer

I don't know why, but after reading the above comment, I had a sinking feeling inside me

Cheer up, rrsteer. I am sure you'll find at least a few passionate owners and some cars (and bikes) will continue to shine with their ancient glory.....



Here are some interesting facts which was told (think it appeared in Business Today last month) -

Sale of used cars last year was more than 1.5 million!! (Now that there are 2nd / 3rd / 4th hand vehicles being traded, 'used' appears to be word to aptly describe this market!)

Value of used car market by 2014-15 is estimated to reach at Rs. 50,000 crore! If they add the value made by scrapping / junking old cars, wonder what this figure will be?!

[vrprabhu]

Seeing the bikes / cars / buses / autos et al, adorned with various hues of marigold flowers yesterday, prompted me to think of this - why do we perform 'pooja' for the vehicles? Ok, you buy a new vehicle and you don't want anything to happen to it or to you - understandable that you pray for the gods to be on your side....

But, once the vehicle is old, people don't even care to replace oil, change fused bulbs, fix broken mirrors, run with bald tyres - the list is endless. Come Dusserra (Ayudha Pooja in TN), all the vehicles are cleaned (washed is the correct term) and adorned with flowers, vermillon and sandalwood paste is smeared (and nimbu beneath the wheels), and what not.

What is the purpose of this pooja? - saying thanks to god for taking care of the vehicles and the people who travel in them?? or, saying sorry to vehicle, because the owner did not take proper care and will make it up ???

To get back to our original topic -

The above sight of decked up vehicles brought a news item to my mind.

The UK government had introduced a 'scrappage' scheme - last year, I think.

It was something like this : owners of vehicles more than 10 years old get an incentive to trade in their vehicle for new ones - GBP 1000 incentive from the Govt. and GBP 1000 from the dealer. 2000 sterling pounds is like Rs. 1,50,000/-! So for vehicles in the range of 8000 ~ 10000 GBP, that is a cool 20% discount!!

What happens to these old cars traded in? Scrapped, of course. Most probably a metal ball - scrap metal input for processing industries.

Now, instead of junking a 10 year old BMW, Audi or Jag, can't it be shipped to country like ours? Wouldn't it fetch atleast Rs. 5,00,000/- here? And we will have plenty of 'status' cars on our road....

[vrprabhu]

Read a news item yesterday.

GM (Chrysler's) iconic brand "Pontiac" has been laid to rest - she was 84 years old.....

At least, the city whose name it took will live on!

My condolences to our mod - GTO.... May be some one will gift him a memorabilia of Pontiac GTO?? Or, will his garage expand from a 'quartet' to a 'penta' (guess the total capacity of his present cars add up to 6L, but there is nothing wrong in adding a hotrod to his collection, is there)? And, oh, I am sure he will keep the iconic brand flying high!

What'll happen to the GTO tag, BTW. I mean the car, of course!

Will we ever get to see another 6000+CC car from GM?? I think the last 6L Pontiac was actually made in Australia circa 2004, and it still was a muscle car despite its evolvement.

One more addition to the list of vanishing breeds.....

[Max]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Some cars are lying with there proud owners for years. I have seen some cars in nearby society. There is one Amby, one fiat & one esteem lying there for years now. No body has driven them for years now. All tires are flat & cars are full of dust. I guess people should scrap car immediately if they are not using it anymore. Its a wastage if it is lying at one place for years. One Yezdi was there in my building for years in same condition. But recently scrapped now due to parking space issue

parking space in mumbai buildings now sells anywhere between 2lakhs to 40lakhs. Mine cost me 7 Lakhs.

[mmxylorider]

Knowing Indian manufacturers have been mass producing cars for well over 2-3 decades, I've always wondered where do those vehicles end up after their useful life is over ?

Consider this - Fiat Uno was a highly popular car, but how many are actually seen on roads these days ? Same for other noticeable cars like Tata Sierra, Estate, Ford escort etc.

We know salvage yards, junk yards exist in other countries and feature countlessly on the info channels, do such facilities exist in India?