[Maverick79]

That was a great Intro Mr.Sinha.

You got the passion for Automobiles and also have the talent to express it so well.

Eager to see your varied and rich experiences and wonderfully entertaning threads in future.

Happy Motoring!

[specialist1968]

Welcome to the forum. Nice description of Team BHP (and true to the core). Wish one day you will own an Cessna.

[BlackPearl]

Welcome to the forum. I am from Kolkata too and currently in NJ. I can relate to each and every thing that you have mentioned except the flying experience. I wanted to do that too and did a lot of enquiries but then chickened out :-D

[mr.sinha]

Thanks to everybody for finding my writeup interesting, and for warmly welcoming me to the forum. I look forward to many such interactions with you all.

Originally Posted by athanedar

During my stint in US, I had bought a 1999 Lexus RX 300 with 96K on the ODO but it still was like new.
Enjoyed the drives thorougly in beloved Lexus

Yes, these Lexus cars are like those Energizer battery ads (keeps going & going & going...). The RX300s are actually much more in demand than the sedans because of the bigger space at the back and the excellent car-like ride that they offer. I was negotiating at a Lexus dealership for a 2000 RX300 with 125,000 miles on the odo before I purchased my current ride. The dealer didn't budge a single cent from his quote. And the vehicle was itself in excellent condition, I must say.

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

BTW your intro is incomplete as the pics of Disco and your experience with the Cessna is missing .

Cheers

Thanks MC.
I simply can't locate my Disco pics. It must be in one of those innumerable pen drives that I had, which I am sure is lying in some unopened packing box from my India move.
I will post my Cessna experience soon.

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

Mr. Sinha. You have an awe inspiring history of owning cars and bikes.

From you writing style it is quite evident that you are a fan of LR Defender.
Do u have any plans to own one in near future?

Ah, the LR Defender. I think thats the most handsome looking vehicle on the face of the earth. Unfortunately they don't sell the Defender in the USA, otherwise I'd have bought that in a heartbeat. Now I hear that either Tata is going to kill the Defender or bring out a redesigned one (why, oh why, do they have to change a good thing?). I was hoping against hope that Tata would actually start marketing the Defender in India one day. Someone please give me one of those '60s Defenders with the spare tire mounted flat on the front hood and a jerrican of petrol mounted on the back, and I'll be all set to compete in the Dakar rally !!!

Originally Posted by sheelz

Welcome Sir,

Good to see one more aviator. Sir, do you have a SPL or CPL. Hows been you flying experience. I'm sure its the best that can happen to anybody. This I 'm saying after having 1000 hours of flying and I still want to add more.

Have a pleasant stay here

Happy Landings Sir

Sirjee, in front of you, my experience as an aviator is like a baby learning to walk. I have hardly done 50 hours of flight time. I am working towards a Private Pilot License. I guess I could get the Sport PL now, but Commercial PL requires 200-250+ hrs, which would be beyond my reach at the moment.
I am sure you already have that with your kind of experience. Are you aiming for a Transport PL now?

Originally Posted by condor

Welcome, Mr.Sinha. Lovely intro there, but was more like an intro of the cars you have had - and quite "appropriate" for an automotive forum.

Some lovely cars there in your line-up. Have liked the later Volvo's, though the one you had was par for it's times. The Maxima I have tried (friend had one) and I quite liked it, though I went for a V6 Accord instead. What can any one say about the Beemer or the Landy ? Though the Landy's FE was atrocious - may be just better than a 350 ? The Lexus's are another class by themselves, though I once again (when I had the chance) went with the competition - a 3.2 TL

Welcome to TBHP. Hope you enjoy your journey here. And looking forward to those travelogues that I guess you will be adding up on.

Drive Safe !

The Acura 3.2 TL is really a great car. The later version, which is simply called the TL has improved even more, and I feel that the new TL, and even to a certain extent, it's small brother, the TSX, (I have driven both, and also the older Integra) come closest to giving you the type of road handling and attitude that you see in a BMW. Unfortunately Acuras, though they give a great value for money, are quite under-appreciated in the US. I honestly feel the Acura is more of a driver's car than it's equivalent Lexus model.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Welcome to the forum. I am from Kolkata too and currently in NJ. I can relate to each and every thing that you have mentioned except the flying experience. I wanted to do that too and did a lot of enquiries but then chickened out :-D

BP Sir, I see you are in Morristown, and that town has it's own airport. I take my flying lessons at nearby Caldwell, and my instructor keeps telling me not to fly into Morristown airspace. So, what are you waiting for? Just follow your heart and don't tell your wife/g.f. & mother when you enroll, and you will be fine Just kidding. I understand your predicament.


Here is a pic of one of my training aircrafts.

[ch.nathan]

Wow!!! That's the best intro I have read so far in this forum. Welcome Mr.Sinha.

Rating this thread 5 stars. Do we already have any 5-star rated intro in the forum?

[Dieseldunk]

Great way to introduce oneself and seems that T-BHP was your homing destination.
Welcome sir and do share some aerial pics if possible.
On the other hand you always have a way out form the innumerable traffic snarls of our metros.

Cheers
Prasad

[Speed Pujari]

Welcome again Mr. Sinha. Seems you are hobbyist photographer as well. Would love to see some shots of Lexus from your Pentax K-5, the 31mm and the DA 50-200mm lenses.

[Shome]

Welcome Mr. Sinha. An amazing introduction. Ford Fusion! After Disco, thats a little sedate . Hope to see many more posts from you in the future.

[sheelz]

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

Sirjee, in front of you, my experience as an aviator is like a baby learning to walk. I have hardly done 50 hours of flight time. I am working towards a Private Pilot License. I guess I could get the Sport PL now, but Commercial PL requires 200-250+ hrs, which would be beyond my reach at the moment.
I am sure you already have that with your kind of experience. Are you aiming for a Transport PL now?

Sir please don't call me Sir, you are elder to me.
I' m not a transport pilot. I am in the IAF as a Fighter Pilot. Those hours are on Fighters.

Regards

[noopster]

To be honest, with a pedestrian handle like mr. sinha (no offence!), I wasn't expecting much. But you blew me away with that write-up. Awesome stuff!

Man- what a collection of cars you've had. This is one thing I badly miss about never having lived in the US.

Look forward to your Canada drive TL and many more threads. Welcome!

[kalpeshc]

Amazing honest writeup. If this is just your introduction, I'm really looking forward to see your other posts in the various sections. Welcome to TBHP.

[Kartik Krishnan]

Congratulations! And welcome aboard, the introduction was very informative.
It's nice to see a man who appreciates all his cars.

[smoghe]

Welcome aboard Mr. Sinha!

Awesome introduction. If you had simply listed out your cars/ bike your choice would have baffled me. But the detailed reasoning and discussion behind each buy explains your choices very well.

Would love to hear more about your flying experience. I've always had that in my "To-Do" list.

[k_nitin_r]

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

1. 1995 TOYOTA COROLLA. My first car purchase in the US, and the only car I bought brand-new.

5. 1998 VOLVO S70. This time I thought I would save some money and buy a really old car (this was 6 years old then). But unfortunately, my money-saving plan really backfired.

I have never tried my luck with a used automobile yet but it would be a good idea to avoid anything over 4 years old. That's when the replacement of spares begins to set in.

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

4. 2002 NISSAN MAXIMA.

The insurance on a Nissan Maxima is higher than other sedans in UAE. Is it the same in the US?

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

Tata Safari perhaps (which btw is on my future 'to own' list)

You might want to take a look at the Tata Sumo Grande (soon to be renamed to "Tata Grande"). It has a rather decent look from the rear. I have an acquaintance with an orange Grande.

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

9. Back in India, I spent a few months in Kolkata where I took a few lessons and learnt to drive the stick (all my previous cars were automatic).

I learned to drive a manual transmission when I moved to India too.

[mr.sinha]

Originally Posted by ch.nathan

Wow!!! That's the best intro I have read so far in this forum. Welcome Mr.Sinha.

Rating this thread 5 stars. Do we already have any 5-star rated intro in the forum?

Thank you very much. I am truly honored.

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

Welcome again Mr. Sinha. Seems you are hobbyist photographer as well. Would love to see some shots of Lexus from your Pentax K-5, the 31mm and the DA 50-200mm lenses.

Thanks B. I was kinda wondering where you were lurking. BTW, if you remember, you actually introduced me to T-BHP back in Bangalore. Hope you are enjoying your Linea very much. I will try to post some more pics of my current ride soon.

Originally Posted by Shome

Welcome Mr. Sinha. An amazing introduction. Ford Fusion! After Disco, thats a little sedate . Hope to see many more posts from you in the future.

Actually the Fusion was not sedate at all. I have a Bullet-driving friend in Bangalore who also has a Getz (a zippy car by itself), but each time he took the wheel of my Fusion for one of those long drives, he thought he had transformed into Michael Schumacher. It was scary for the other occupants of course, so much so that the rest of us would draw straws to decide who got to sit in the back with eyes closed and praying.

Originally Posted by sheelz

Sir please don't call me Sir, you are elder to me.
I' m not a transport pilot. I am in the IAF as a Fighter Pilot. Those hours are on Fighters.

Regards

My respect for you has gone up even more. Thank you for doing your part in protecting our country.

Originally Posted by noopster

To be honest, with a pedestrian handle like mr. sinha (no offence!), I wasn't expecting much. But you blew me away with that write-up. Awesome stuff!

Man- what a collection of cars you've had. This is one thing I badly miss about never having lived in the US.

Look forward to your Canada drive TL and many more threads. Welcome!

No offence taken. Actually I was thinking of "FATBOY" as handle (after the legendary Harley - I am not fat :-) ), but now I am reserving it to name my future mystery vehicle purchase (unless someone in the forum has already claimed this name).

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

The insurance on a Nissan Maxima is higher than other sedans in UAE. Is it the same in the US?

Not really. I found it to be at par with other cars in the segment. Even after the two thefts for which my insurance paid, they did not increase my premium since it was not driver fault.