[00nuts001]

Hi All,
Thought of adding some spice to my introduction. I will introduce myself, and lets see if you could guess my latest pride!

Age - 36
Height - 5ft 7 In
Weight - 100 Kgs (reduced from 108 in 2 months)
Married, with one wife .. oops! i mean one 5 yr old daughter (big enough to promise me a Mahindra XUV500 or a Toyota Fortuner when she grows up).
Profession - part of senior management in a leading airline in India.
Hobbies - Musician by heart, body, soul, lungs, voice. Have made a few songs on my own. will post links later. Have also given music to all my airline's aircraft.
Hometown - Lucknow
Current resident - Gurgaon

Two wheelers
Pre-owned Luna (with a single seat!) (Rs 1000)
Pre-owned TVS 50 XL (Rs 2000)
New Yamaha RX-100
 all three sold off now

Four wheelers
Pre-owned Fiat 1100 D Premier Padmini(1996-1998) pearl white: except for the battery drainage, no major issues faced till the tome i sold the vehicle away. I learnt driving on this (and my Dad's Fiat 1100 D PP) vehicle. I still feel it best to learn on a heavy manual steering vehicle, then graduate to the pwr steered lighter vehicles. Spent my growing years on this and have lots of experiences on this (including being chased by military men in the night when i went for a date: they couldnt catch me with a Gypsy!). Used to love this one, and polished it every week. the shine took many hearts away. ICE was a basic local cassette player and speakers in the aft.

Pre-owned '92 Maruti 800 (1998-2008) Silver: the first time I drove this, I couldnt even feel the steering resistance. Didn’t even realize the power this vehicle had till my boss drove it one day and floored the pedal. What torque & pickup as compared to my Fiat! Drove it in the harshest of conditions. This was my second home on wheels. Every week off was spent with my GF from morning till evening in the vehicle (don’t let your imaginations run wild, those were different times!) met with one major accident (My bad: drove right into a lamp post when turning around to keep a water bottle on the rear seat) damaging the RH front end completely, including radiator , windshield and axle. Got the color changed to metallic grey. ICE was a Philips Cassette Player, with 2 speakers in the aft, 2 tweeters on the dash in front, and 2 custom boxed speakers underneath the dashboard, one on each side. Never had the money for any add-ons (jab waqt tha, to paise nahi, ab paise hain to waqt nahi!). The car broke down several times, and was asking for frequent maintenance by the time I disposed it off. But no complaints till the end!

New Alto VXI (2007 till date) (maroon) : when you get your own vehicle, it’s a proud moment. I had left my Maruti in LKO when I shifted to GGN in 2007. For the first few months (minus wife and daughter) I drove on the bike, but with family moving in, I had to buy a vehicle. Not much of budget, so finally decided to go in for a top end Alto rather than a basic Wagon-R, even though the appeal of CNG fitted Wagon R was strong. The day I bought this vehicle, it was drizzling. I remember frequently peeking on my vehicle from my 8th floor flat after parking it in the open for the first day (parking space was till then occupied by a neighbor).
ICE - Invested a Sony Explode CD player with 2 forward and 2 rear speakers (I guess 6”), A JBL 1200 W Bass tube which ate into the rear boot section, and a 2 channel Sony Amplifier fitted under the front passenger seat: A big mistake, since Gurgaon roads are rivers during monsoons, and one such river got into my vehicle and junked the Amp. I later changed the location of the new 4 Ch Amp to behind the rear seats. The sound quality I get from this setup is still amazing! I might be hallucinating, but I feel that with windows down, the sound insulation of the music is good: not much can be heard outside. But with the windows down, its just th opposite – I can be heard on my 3rd floor flat as per my wife (and yes, I changed my house).
I also invested in two front power windows and a central locking with relay switch to close out open (front) windows once we lock the car with remote: this investment I still vouch for. I Got 3M sunfilm on the windows and rear – again a good investment. Seat covers were beige colored normal fabric pull ons – just solved the purpose.
I have always driven this machine with a heavy right foot, and suffered in terms of fuel efficiency: 13-14 with 100% AC, stop and go traffic with fast sprints in between, or even on the highway with speeds of 100 standard.
My underdog alto has never let me down, and I reciprocate by giving it a good care. I ensure I get it serviced every 3 months. . Though I regret not keeping her exteriors in tune to her engine: the mad traffic and my driving style has left her mildly scarred. I’m just waiting to decide whether to keep her or let her go.


As much as I try to, I cannot give any other reason to change my vehicle except that I wanted a bigger vehicle! I have always yearned for the best, and once I put my mind on something, I will go all out to achieve it.
My trip from my office to residence and v.v. (appr 23 Kms in all) is “my-time” time) I enjoy my music, ponder over various points, introspect on recent events, come up with some new lyrics / tunes, or simply race the closest competitors on the road. The last point is something I do quite frequently, especially if someone by-passes me.

My search started almost a year ago, with a budget of appr 10L (majority was expected on loan: never realized my CIBIL score would play spoilsport, more on that later). Initially I was searching for a new SUV. Thus started my TDs.

Tata Safari – The turning radius was a big let down. Also, the loaded versions were 12L +.I Couldn’t afford it even if I wanted to.

Mahindra Xylo – well feature laden, but the body roll was more than my Alto. Kept it as a maybe.

Mahindra Scorpio – I did not test drive it till about 2 months ago, but had made up my mind based on the reviews I read on TBHP as well as recommendations of some associates owning it.

Then it happened: my loan applications started getting rejected – bank after bank after bank! This was since some of my cheques had bounced when I had shifted base from LKO to GGN. While I had cleared off the outstandings long back, but it had marred my CIBIL score.

Had to shelve the first attempt of owning a new machine, until Dec 2011.

For one year, I made sure I cleared all my credit cards even before the bills came, cleared off all my loans, and started afresh. An agent who got in touch with me on the phone (never met him, but will never forget him : Nikhil) made sure my loan part was taken care.

The ray of light prompted me to imbibe on the TD journey once again.

The second round starts!

Mahindra Scorpio – great Pickup, amazing road presence, nice handling. Body roll liveable for front passengers, not so for mid row, with the third row very difficult. Another deterrent – the SA pointing out that speeds beyond 120 not recommended at all. I tried it till 130 – not confidence inspiring at all. Further, the gizmos came with the top end variants only – another pocket burner. But the impulse for an SUV prevailed.

SX4 – Good feel, nice grip on the road, but IMHO lacked the punch. Also, the looks were dated. No major revamp since launch. Liked the GC and boot space. The seats were very comfortable, as if encompassing you when you sit.

Hyundai Verna Fluidic – till date, I feel nothing in it’s class or a few notches up compares to it’s looks. The prowling stance, the mean looking lamps, all add to it’s glory. The MID feature blew me away, as did the dog’s ears (ORVMS). Con’s – the rock-a-bye motion. At high speeds, the rear passengers were almost killed.

Swift Dzire 2012 Petrol – why not? The first TD for Gurgaon done by yours truly. Maruti Sales team is one of the best, if not the best. Rohan Motors at Sec 56, Gurgaon, have a great team, and a very pressing Astt Manager (can’t remember the name though). The new Dzire petrol just did not seem powerful to me. Guess I should’ve TD’d the diesel.

Honda City – with the price cut, there has been a dramatic spurt in these arrow shaped vehicles. That’s where the problem is: very common now. Even in TBHP, I find initial ownerships and TDs full of City’s, but not so many in the long term ownership reviews. The front end looks great. The rear is not particularly to my liking. But then I don’t like the new Jetta’s tail cluster either! The seats – as comfortable as the SX4. the instrument panel – looks great in the new blue. Lots of information. The cruise control – guess it saves fuel and lots of leg aches on the highway.

During all this, I was bitten by the pre-owned bug.

TD’ed the foll:

Skoda Octavia 2005 (70K+) – too old. Spare parts would be an issue.
Ford Endeavor – 3 of them! 2007-08 (appr 50K each) – The Torque got me wondering if the speedo’s conked off! What power! What looks! Worries – 11.5L + lack of braking power + rear seats.

Toyota Camry AT 2006 (70K+) – My first AT drive. Too good. Lots of toys to play around. Engine seemed decent, but can I be sure? Mileage – 6 KMPL petrol!!!

Chevrolet Cruze 2008 (40K+) missed opportunity. This was sold off before I said ok to it. The title “diesel rocket” is quite apt.

Skoda Superb 2007 AT (60K+) – a nice buy, with sunroof, MID et al. average – 8KMPL Diesel. Ummmmmmm????


So tell me folks, what’s it gonna be?

[DevilsCry]

Haha nice spicy intro

I liked it. As for your next car, you already bought a XXXX. Well yes, I read your post on another thread before stumbling on your intro thread so I was robbed of chance to guess your next car

I too had started learning on a Padmini. I have quite less driving experience (less than 1000km) and yet I drive any car flawlessly whenever I get chance. I can see whoever learnt their driving in 800 don't drive any car perfectly. Gearshift is never at perfect RPM. Thank you Padmini for making me a precise driver for life!

Alas, I never had my chance to drive an 800 which is the most iconic Indian car. After Padmini, I graduated to a 1995 Esteem and then to a Figo only some months ago. I'm already looking for a new car by this year end. Just waiting for luck to strike so that I can get a Ford Mondeo-like car in 8 lac.

[drmohitg]

Welcome to the Forum. Its so good to see more and more people from the NCR joining and recently there have been many.

This has to be one of the best intro posts I have come across on the forum. By the end of it I was almost sure it will be a Ford Endy since you have a small family, wanted a bigger better car to start with and most importantly mentioned about your daughter buying you a Fortuner.

So how come you ended up with the "you know what" ( yes I know what you bought ). Nevertheless a good choice. Congratulations.

[rajeev k]

New Alto VXI (2007 till date) (maroon)

Production of Alto Vxi was stopped by Maruti much before 2007. Was it spre owned Vxi or is it an Lxi in wine red colour?

So tell me folks, what’s it gonna be?

I guess, Skoda laura.

I also invested in two front power windows and a central locking with relay switch to close out open (front) windows once we lock the car with remote: this investment I still vouch for.

Can you clarify more on the relay switch for window open / close further.

[00nuts001]

Drmohitg - i realized i had goofed up minutes after this post was approved. too late for me on that.....will let you know why i ended up with what i did on a later date. Thanks! Will meet up sometime

DevilsCry - my first few posts man! need time to realize how posts work! Nothing beats the smell of a Fiat / PP..... and the purr of its engine in the 2nd gear as you pull on it hard, and it responds!
are you looking at pre-owned otpions, or new?

RajeevK -
you're right, my bad, an LXI. got confused with a Swift my BIL has just bought, a '08 VXI.
Skoda Laura's way outta my reach man... for now! Havent tried it yet!

[Sugeeta]

Welcome 00nuts001 (quite a binary inclination to the name).
Good to see more and more people joining in from NCR.

I'll take inspiration from you ask my kids which set of wheels they will buy me when they grow up.

[DevilsCry]

Originally Posted by 00nuts001

Nothing beats the smell of a Fiat / PP..... and the purr of its engine in the 2nd gear as you pull on it hard, and it responds!

Indeed!
But alas I lost my love for the Fiat as soon I got the Esteem. It was several generations ahead of the Fiat in every aspect so it was hard to still appreciate the Fiat. Even today, I find Esteem to be better than my Figo though my Esteem is no more in working condition since last 2 years.

Originally Posted by 00nuts001

are you looking at pre-owned otpions, or new?

New because I had been hunting for Esteem's replacement since 2005 and observed that no 2nd hand car was suitable mainly due to reliability, service costs and spare parts (for example Ford Ikon and Mitsubishi Lancer & Cedia). And now in 2012, technology has changed so much in terms of reliability, spare parts and service costs that it simply doesn't make sense to go for a 2nd hand car. Even on T-BHP, you can see loads of members who always had bought 2nd hand cars but are now buying only new cars these days.

One example is GTO who bought a new Nissan Sunny while all his old cars had been 2nd hand like Merc C-Class, Esteem, Lancer and City.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by 00nuts001

my bad, an LXI. got confused with a Swift my BIL has just bought, a '08 VXI.

Then change it in your profile also where it is shown as Vxi.

[00nuts001]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Then change it in your profile also where it is Vxi.

Done that in the profile. will change it in the post as soon as i learn to. Thanks.

BTW, the auto roll op relay switch wosrks like this.

You turn off the engine with your windows rolled down. you remote lock the vehicle and the window glasses roll up automatically one by one. that costs around 2-3K if im not wrong(only the switch: the remaining power window thing was separate). its an R & D company product (Rajat Deep, I think). surprisingly, they offer paid services promplty at your doorstep. had faced 3 issues with it.
Once had to call them up when Carnation had unwired the whole thing when changing my AC radiator, and couldnt wire it back. These guys did it for Rs. 250.
at the same time, i was having a niggling rattle in one of thepower window switch, which their service engineer replaced at Rs 90.

The third time was last year when the front passenger side window jammed. Had to change a part which cost around 1500.

Otherwise no complaints. In fact. my new ride does not have it, and it is sorely missed. cant install it without cutting wires / voiding warranty.

Thanks.

[00nuts001]

Well, to let the cat out of the bag, its a Honda City V MT. Will post my opinion in a separate thread. Thanks all for the interest! Hope it wasn't boring.

[Arun Venugopal]

That was an interesting read buddy! good intro

[00nuts001]

Thanks mate! Glad you liked it :-)