[silverado]

Hello guys!

I own a NANO and a Premier padmini 1993 Petrol.
Though im lucky i do not have to travel to office by car ( Mumbai has good network of buses ) but im worried about my padmini.

So i have a simple plan

Use nano in summer ( AC + decent FE - 14-15kpl in city with AC )
Use padmini on short trips in rains.

Lets see how it works out for me.

[ar@v1nd]

^^ just curious...if you already have a Nano, then why do u need the padmini? Short trips in the rain ? Isnt the nano cheaper and more comfortable to run ?

I guess you're keeping the padmini for nostalgia

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

^^ just curious...if you already have a Nano, then why do u need the padmini? Short trips in the rain ? Isnt the nano cheaper and more comfortable to run ?

My guess, the Padmini has got more space, and driving it is altogether a different experience.
The way it runs in an unhurried manner, and the way it turns, the way you change gears, they all make it an interesting experience.

[MileCruncher]

@Hellmet: You might want to get LPG kit retrofitted in your beat as the LPG Beat has now been launched and the diesel is on its way!

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by hellmet

One month down the line from May20th, I'm car pooling with two other colleagues. Let's see how this pans out eventually.

Car pooling is a great idea & a good solution to your problem. I did it for 3+ years with a colleague, till he changed residence to another part of town - we used to use our cars on alternate days. BTW how is the arrangement with your colleagues ? Fuel-cost sharing or the 3 of you using your respective cars alternatively ?

Apart from savings in fuel/money, there are other advantages to car-pooling that I saw from my experience :
1) Company during the drive. Also useful when stuck with a flat tyre or other mechanical problems.
2) Safety - in these days of mugging etc (though mostly in B'lore, but will soon come to other cities too)
3) Some respite from driving, especially in the B2B traffic of our cities.
4) And ofcourse you see your city in an entirely new light when you are a passenger. When you drive, the idea is to reach the destination and we don't "see" much. But as a passenger, we look around and observe.

[Gansan]

^^ I know of two colleagues who "bike pool" to office! Each one brings his bike on alternate days!

[<Badguy>]

Originally Posted by ar@v1nd

^^ just curious...if you already have a Nano, then why do u need the padmini? Short trips in the rain ? Isnt the nano cheaper and more comfortable to run ?

I guess you're keeping the padmini for nostalgia

Slightly off-topic
More than nostalagia Padmini is one car which can run even if it's engine gets completely submerged in rain water.
Beleive me or not, many cars cannot take the bashing of Mumbai rain. When the cloud burst happened in Mumbai all cars were submerged in rain and refused to start but padmini's used as taxi started within few hours after rain stopped.
Nano or for that matter any other car though cheaper and comfortable may not be having trust which is enjoyed by padmini only that it will cruise through the waterlogged streets of Mumbai.

[honda_dude]

one option would be converting to CNG. Even i have a daily commute of 25 kms to my workplace so that makes it 50 kms round trip. initially i used to take my petrol swift to work which gave a mileage of around 8-9 kmpl. not to blame the car i floored it on every occassion. i got my 2009 hyundai accent coverted to cng. i get a mileage of around 14 km per kg now with cng costing around 31 per kg. so effectively my running cost is around 2rs per km. although the pickup has reduced but i am ok with that. i know that some might argue that warranty gets void but whats the use of warranty when u cannot drive your car with peace of mind.

believe me earlier i used to switch off my car at signals but now i keep my ac on with full blast even when i have to wait at signals for over 3 mins.

just a suggestion though.

Cheers

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^ I know of two colleagues who "bike pool" to office! Each one brings his bike on alternate days!

this is legendary I have never even heard about this let alone seen it. Why would anybody 'bike pool'? To save money? If so, then its the height of misery. If it is for negotiating the traffic, then what easier way to negotiate traffic then to drive the bike yourself. I am sorry, but the way I see it, this is taking it too far. However, thanks for making up my day

[gaurav_chopra04]

Allow me to make a point here. My office was 45kms from my place and I used to travel 90+ kms every day. Initially, I took 800 and it used to cost me 6k every month only for fuel. Within 2 week, 2 of my office colleagues (gals, 1 lived just 5 mins from my house and other about 4-5 kms away) asked me for pool and though I was not very keen (I like my space), I agreed. The gals were having terrible time commuting by cab every day which was costing each of them over 10k per month. Now, I only shared fuel cost and nothing else, so that made it 2k per person.

Now, there were many times I felt I needed to leave early or go some place else after office but I found myself restricted. Whenever I have to leave early or take off, I had to tell the ladies in advance, so that they can make arrangements for themselves. And most importantly, one of the gals who lived near my place, used to be late every day and I had to wait every day from 5 to 15 mins in the mornings. And the same gal made sure that I also wait in the evening for at least 15-30 mins. In short, I felt I was being taken for granted. But, only thing I was happy about, which I told them before the pool was that I will drive the way I want and I don’t like anyone interfering in the same. We continued this for 5 months.

Soon, I upgraded to cedia and the fuel cost went all the way up to 10k per month and maintenance cost were no less. I pooled for 2 months and found that it was taking me more time to commute in cedia because I was extra careful driving it and it couldn’t make its way in traffic the way 800 can. So, I asked if we can come a bit early and skip the rush hour but the gals refused. I tried pool for a week and found that I was way too stressed by the driving more than 3.5 hours every day and then working 8-9 hours. Finally, I asked the gals to make their own arrangements and I started going in early and started leaving on time. That made sure that I reach office in 1 hour and get back home in 1 hour = less peak hour traffic = less stress and more FE. And most importantly, ripping that delhi gurgaon expressway in less traffic was too much FUN.

I cannot deny the fact that the cost advantage in pooling is much more than in commuting alone. In fact, the money I used to get from the ladies, in a form used to go extra in my Mutual fund account. But I still maintain the fact that if I can, I will always prefer to commute alone with no restrictions and have my own privacy.

Since, I was not to work for more than 2 years, I used to drive. when I will know its permanent, I will shift to a nearer place.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

this is legendary I have never even heard about this let alone seen it. Why would anybody 'bike pool'? To save money? If so, then its the height of misery. If it is for negotiating the traffic, then what easier way to negotiate traffic then to drive the bike yourself. I am sorry, but the way I see it, this is taking it too far. However, thanks for making up my day

Know what they bike pool with? Both of them have a CD Dawn each!

It is obviously to save money, as they are neighbors. But I will not call it the height of misery and look down on anybody. To each his own.

Or did you mean miserliness, perhaps?

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Know what they bike pool with? Both of them have a CD Dawn each!

It is obviously to save money, as they are neighbors. But I will not call it the height of misery and look down on anybody. To each his own.

Or did you mean miserliness, perhaps?

No no! I don't look down upon them at all. To each his own; I completely agree. In fact, each one should behave the way his pocket points him to.

However, if you are using a vehicle, whose basic purpose is to give you comfort and convenience, you better use it freely/ Isn't it? And my experience thus far suggests that in more cases than not, its not money that governs such decisions. Its the fact that one is very reluctant to spend money, even when money is not scarce for them.

Anyway, I am absolutely not here to criticize anybody; just that you made my day

[Gansan]

^^I did speak to them once about the comfort factor, as both of them are hefty guys. But they were not bothered - the way they see it, they spend only half the money for fuel, and their rides, tyres etc will last twice as long! And that makes them feel good, so why not?

[ar@v1nd]

Originally Posted by <Badguy>

Slightly off-topic
More than nostalagia Padmini is one car which can run even if it's engine gets completely submerged in rain water.
Beleive me or not, many cars cannot take the bashing of Mumbai rain. When the cloud burst happened in Mumbai all cars were submerged in rain and refused to start but padmini's used as taxi started within few hours after rain stopped.
Nano or for that matter any other car though cheaper and comfortable may not be having trust which is enjoyed by padmini only that it will cruise through the waterlogged streets of Mumbai.

That's some interesting info !! Thanks

[Equus]

Probably offtopic - is there a nice writeup on the cons of LPG?

Understand the challenges on the availability aspects, but CNG is not an option in BLR. So folks who are stuck with petrol guzzlers are seriously considering LPG kits.

I have a 10 yr old Santro that runs about 40 kms per day. Should I consider moving to LPG now? Or rather look for a new/used LPG/Diesel instead?
Appreciate the suggestions..