Hello, Team-BHP

Imran.Syed · 27th September 2012, 14:31

Well, a mildly detailed intro of myself.

I am Imran Syed (didn’t my username make it obvious), and I natively belong to Hyderabad, INDIA.

I was brought up in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Middle East), and did my 10th from a cbse school in the kingdom. Summing it up, I spent almost 16 years of my life there.
And like all normal growing up children, I loved playing games, on PC, with whatever graphics of the time, and I don’t know what exactly got me to car-racing or driving oriented games (Sims.). I think however, this was the time my seeds of love for wheels got sowed in me.

Fast forward a bit, it was not until the past 2 years when I shifted to Mumbai, and learnt to drive. My father, a strictly law-abiding citizen didn’t allow me drive till I was legally mature enough. Well, I still don’t have a valid Indian driving license though. They shifted the minimum age to 19, not my fault na.

So, cars, well, to start with, the first car I ever realized or got to know about was a 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. It had a 305cu in, 5.0L V8 engine mated to a 3(!!)-speed transmission. Yes the car is very much alive and functioning but the best thing about the car is the pick-up. It used to give me some of my greatest adrenaline rush on the slightest touch of the accelerator. So much torque, so much power, I miss those golden days I spent in the kingdom. (I use to drive only on open spaces and almost forgotten –about roads).
Then came a lot of cars, all family oriented and mostly sedans, which I don’t feel are worth talking about because they were there for a very short time. My father used to change them yearly.

And the latest addition, my second most loved and driven car, ladies and gentlemen, the Nissan Maxima. (rebadged Infiniti I35 in Middle East). That machine is a Ferrari and a BMW for the middle class, perfect blend of power and luxury, for a fraction of the price. But, I am not the one interested in interior luxuries, duh; it’s all about the bhp to me. So, a 3.0L, Inline-6, was all that under the hood. Doesn’t look like a very fancy engine right? Well, it produces, a mighty, TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY BHPs on stock mil, not even with a stock replacement filter. And to put all those bhps on the ground, 294! Nm of torque. The perfectly tuned suspension, the handling and the road grip, they were the best for its class. It’s simply the best car I have driven till now, and we bought it used from a friend, for a very unholy and unbelievable cheap price. It’s been driving my family since 2 years and 80k kms now. I miss this one too.
I know you guys think this is already kind of long, but a bit more.

My 10th got over and I bid adieu to the maxima, the caprice and the Saudi lifestyle. Enter Mumbai, and the Indian car scene. Well, at first, I was surprised, the cars were really under-powered and over-rated here, like a sonata or a camry was a luxury car in contrast to Saudi, where they both are used as taxis. But I was an innocent 10th passed boy then

, and now so much things have cleared up. Inflation, growth, taxes, my whole thinking has changed in these two years, and you know how it is, experience taught me a lot of things

Currently, I drive a stock 1.6L Baleno Vxi. Now this car needs no introduction, you BHPians obviously know a lot about it. And, according to me, it’s one of the most underrated car in the Indian car market. Good for me, power came cheap. So now, I am thinking to mod it. will be discussing bout it later somewhere else.

Like I said, it’s been 2 years since I moved to Mumbai, and 2 years since I first read threads on team bhp, (a small thanks to Google India) and honestly, It’s been redlining my life ever since.

Hope to have a pleasant and learning experience here.
Thanks for reading guys.

ecenandu · 27th September 2012, 21:16

Hey welcome to the club mate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

Well, I still don’t have a valid Indian driving license though. They shifted the minimum age to 19, not my fault na.

When did they change the legal age to 19 ?

rohit choudhary · 27th September 2012, 21:56

Welcome to the forum Imran
btw just noticed your avatar-are you a swedish house mafia fan??

Imran.Syed · 27th September 2012, 22:02

Quote:

Hey welcome to the club mate.

thanks!

Quote:

When did they change the legal age to 19 ?

even I dont know that. the driving school guy told you have to complete the 18 years and not just turn 18.

ecenandu · 28th September 2012, 00:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

even I dont know that. the driving school guy told you have to complete the 18 years and not just turn 18.

That is total crap, please go to another driving school. May be you could try Maruti's driving school, I heard they are good. I got my learners licence the very next week I turned 18.

prateekm · 28th September 2012, 00:16

Hi Imran, welcome to TBHP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

Well, I still don’t have a valid Indian driving license though. They shifted the minimum age to 19, not my fault na.

Hey, you can get a license the day you turn 18

And since you already know to drive (assuming from your statement that you drive a Baleno), just go to the nearest RTO (Tardeo, Andheri, Wadala) and get a learner license by giving a simple written test. After 30 days, go back and they will ask you to drive around and you will get a permanent license. Quite simple, no need of any driving class help to get a license done.

pganapathy · 28th September 2012, 01:03

Welcome to TBHP Imran. Like some others have said, the age for getting a licence has not been changed from 18 to 19. It may just be an attempt by the driving school to get you to take lessons for a long time.

Am sure you will enjoy your time on TBHP and also learn a lot, just as I am sure you can teach us a few things.

Imran.Syed · 28th September 2012, 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by rohit choudhary

Welcome to the forum Imran
btw just noticed your avatar-are you a swedish house mafia fan??

Thanks! brp, you have no idea how much i love SHM, you listen to them too? by the way, they are coming to mumbai in november. do i already see a teambhp meet round the corner?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecenandu

That is total crap, please go to another driving school. May be you could try Maruti's driving school, I heard they are good. I got my learners licence the very next week I turned 18.

Well, I went to the local ones in my area. I really didn't know about the maruti one. Will google and contact them and let you know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by prateekm

Hi Imran, welcome to TBHP.

Hey, you can get a license the day you turn 18

And since you already know to drive (assuming from your statement that you drive a Baleno), just go to the nearest RTO (Tardeo, Andheri, Wadala) and get a learner license by giving a simple written test. After 30 days, go back and they will ask you to drive around and you will get a permanent license. Quite simple, no need of any driving class help to get a license done.

Thanks! You wouldnt believe me, but the day I turned 18, first thing I did was take my documents and rush to the local driving school. they turned me down, and it was useless talking further to any of them.
About going to RTO directly, well I'll give it a try to it too. I will let you know if it works out.
plus slightly off topic, dont you think most of the car-crazy people around the world learn to drive at a very tender age. I started when I was 7.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Welcome to TBHP Imran. Like some others have said, the age for getting a licence has not been changed from 18 to 19. It may just be an attempt by the driving school to get you to take lessons for a long time.

Am sure you will enjoy your time on TBHP and also learn a lot, just as I am sure you can teach us a few things.

Thanks! I actually took lessons from the same school. (my parents didn't think I was ready for Indian roads yet, they were extra-cautious

)
I am currently more of a learner, but I will be my best to help out in any way possible.

pganapathy · 28th September 2012, 08:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

Thanks! You wouldnt believe me, but the day I turned 18, first thing I did was take my documents and rush to the local driving school. they turned me down, and it was useless talking further to any of them.
About going to RTO directly, well I'll give it a try to it too. I will let you know if it works out.
plus slightly off topic, dont you think most of the car-crazy people around the world learn to drive at a very tender age. I started when I was 7.
Thanks! I actually took lessons from the same school. (my parents didn't think I was ready for Indian roads yet, they were extra-cautious

)
I am currently more of a learner, but I will be my best to help out in any way possible.

Learning to drive at a young age is almost entirely the function of a parent or another elder caring enough to teach you. I learnt at 13 and my bro at 11 (we are two years apart) as our mother made the effort to teach us.

The advantage of going through a driving school is that the wheels are greased for you. You just show up and the rto does not really seem to bother with much. You have to do all the requisite things but they don't seem overly concerned with how you do it. This is the sad state of affairs in our country which explains our poor driving skills and manners on the road as a nation.

Please be extra careful while driving in India. Bombay at least has some degree of road sense and manners. Still it is not like driving in Saudi Arabia where people obligatorily and sensibly obey one and all traffic laws

rohit choudhary · 28th September 2012, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

Thanks! brp, you have no idea how much i love SHM, you listen to them too? by the way, they are coming to mumbai in november.

going for the one in delhi

btw afrojack and steve aoki are also coming here for sunburn noida and then sunburn goa..this is going to be an amazing year

Imran.Syed · 29th September 2012, 21:25

Learning to drive at a young age is almost entirely the function of a parent or another elder caring enough to teach you. I learnt at 13 and my bro at 11 (we are two years apart) as our mother made the effort to teach us.

Quote:

The advantage of going through a driving school is that the wheels are greased for you. You just show up and the rto does not really seem to bother with much. You have to do all the requisite things but they don't seem overly concerned with how you do it. This is the sad state of affairs in our country which explains our poor driving skills and manners on the road as a nation.

True that. someone even recommended me to down a 500 in the examiners pocket. he did that, and passed. Well, what this thing does is unleash some very stupid drives on the road, hence what you said. The guy who recommended me this, scratches his car almost on a daily basis. and this saddens me, cause its a danger to that guy, and the people on the road too.

[QOUTE]Please be extra careful while driving in India. Bombay at least has some degree of road sense and manners. Still it is not like driving in Saudi Arabia where people obligatorily and sensibly obey one and all traffic laws[/quote]
Thanks. you seem to know a lot about saudi arabia. Well, there's a very basic thing the government did, heavy fines. like, caught not wearing seatbelts: 3000 rupees fine. Caught speeding: 10000 bucks. driving without a license: jail, and comparing to india only 300 bucks fine here for not a carrying your license. that too if you get caught.

bejoy · 30th September 2012, 21:12

Hey Imran, welcome to the forum..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

even I dont know that. the driving school guy told you have to complete the 18 years and not just turn 18.

Just to get things straight, when you say you turned 18, did you mean you completed 17 and running on 18?

Viswam · 1st October 2012, 09:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

Well, a mildly detailed intro of myself.

Like I said, it’s been 2 years since I moved to Mumbai, and 2 years since I first read threads on team bhp, (a small thanks to Google India) and honestly, It’s been redlining my life ever since.

Hope to have a pleasant and learning experience here.
Thanks for reading guys.

Welcome to the team mate ! Just 18 and already driving for 10 years, thats great. To top it, a keen and observant young man and a sensible brain behind wheel.

Wish you lots of action-filled and safe driving years ahead. May you saga of obtaining DL culminate early !

Akshay1234 · 1st October 2012, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imran.Syed

even I dont know that. the driving school guy told you have to complete the 18 years and not just turn 18.

LOL find a different driving school. When you turn 18 you are completing 18 years.

Imran.Syed · 3rd October 2012, 13:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234

LOL find a different driving school. When you turn 18 you are completing 18 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejoy

Hey Imran, welcome to the forum..

Just to get things straight, when you say you turned 18, did you mean you completed 17 and running on 18?

bejoy, hope you got your answer there.

OFF TOPIC: anyone here knows a good place for ICE modification in Mumbai? Have to upgrade a fortuners ICE. completely from HU to amp to speakers. any idea guys?

27th September 2012, 14:31	#1
Imran.Syed BHPian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: YYZ Posts: 55 Thanked: 445 Times	Hello, Team-BHP Well, a mildly detailed intro of myself. I am Imran Syed (didn’t my username make it obvious), and I natively belong to Hyderabad, INDIA. I was brought up in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Middle East), and did my 10th from a cbse school in the kingdom. Summing it up, I spent almost 16 years of my life there. And like all normal growing up children, I loved playing games, on PC, with whatever graphics of the time, and I don’t know what exactly got me to car-racing or driving oriented games (Sims.). I think however, this was the time my seeds of love for wheels got sowed in me. Fast forward a bit, it was not until the past 2 years when I shifted to Mumbai, and learnt to drive. My father, a strictly law-abiding citizen didn’t allow me drive till I was legally mature enough. Well, I still don’t have a valid Indian driving license though. They shifted the minimum age to 19, not my fault na. So, cars, well, to start with, the first car I ever realized or got to know about was a 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. It had a 305cu in, 5.0L V8 engine mated to a 3(!!)-speed transmission. Yes the car is very much alive and functioning but the best thing about the car is the pick-up. It used to give me some of my greatest adrenaline rush on the slightest touch of the accelerator. So much torque, so much power, I miss those golden days I spent in the kingdom. (I use to drive only on open spaces and almost forgotten –about roads). Then came a lot of cars, all family oriented and mostly sedans, which I don’t feel are worth talking about because they were there for a very short time. My father used to change them yearly. And the latest addition, my second most loved and driven car, ladies and gentlemen, the Nissan Maxima. (rebadged Infiniti I35 in Middle East). That machine is a Ferrari and a BMW for the middle class, perfect blend of power and luxury, for a fraction of the price. But, I am not the one interested in interior luxuries, duh; it’s all about the bhp to me. So, a 3.0L, Inline-6, was all that under the hood. Doesn’t look like a very fancy engine right? Well, it produces, a mighty, TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY BHPs on stock mil, not even with a stock replacement filter. And to put all those bhps on the ground, 294! Nm of torque. The perfectly tuned suspension, the handling and the road grip, they were the best for its class. It’s simply the best car I have driven till now, and we bought it used from a friend, for a very unholy and unbelievable cheap price. It’s been driving my family since 2 years and 80k kms now. I miss this one too. I know you guys think this is already kind of long, but a bit more. My 10th got over and I bid adieu to the maxima, the caprice and the Saudi lifestyle. Enter Mumbai, and the Indian car scene. Well, at first, I was surprised, the cars were really under-powered and over-rated here, like a sonata or a camry was a luxury car in contrast to Saudi, where they both are used as taxis. But I was an innocent 10th passed boy then , and now so much things have cleared up. Inflation, growth, taxes, my whole thinking has changed in these two years, and you know how it is, experience taught me a lot of things Currently, I drive a stock 1.6L Baleno Vxi. Now this car needs no introduction, you BHPians obviously know a lot about it. And, according to me, it’s one of the most underrated car in the Indian car market. Good for me, power came cheap. So now, I am thinking to mod it. will be discussing bout it later somewhere else. Like I said, it’s been 2 years since I moved to Mumbai, and 2 years since I first read threads on team bhp, (a small thanks to Google India) and honestly, It’s been redlining my life ever since. Hope to have a pleasant and learning experience here. Thanks for reading guys. Last edited by GTO : 27th September 2012 at 20:29. Reason: PM coming up
	(3) Thanks

27th September 2012, 21:56	#3
rohit choudhary BHPian Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Pune Posts: 77 Thanked: 261 Times	Re: Hello, Team-BHP Welcome to the forum Imran btw just noticed your avatar-are you a swedish house mafia fan??
	() Thanks

28th September 2012, 01:03	#7
pganapathy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Bangalore,Coorg Posts: 1,088 Thanked: 766 Times	Re: Hello, Team-BHP Welcome to TBHP Imran. Like some others have said, the age for getting a licence has not been changed from 18 to 19. It may just be an attempt by the driving school to get you to take lessons for a long time. Am sure you will enjoy your time on TBHP and also learn a lot, just as I am sure you can teach us a few things.
	() Thanks