Hi everybody,
My name is Jeroen Dorrestein. I'm Dutch, married to Frances who's from Barbados, West Indies. We have just moved to Delhi and we will be here for a number of years. I work in the telecom Industry.
The last three years we lived in Kansas City, USA. Before that the Netherlands and the UK. I have been a life long car enthusiast. Currently I don't own any cars in India (yet). My company provides me with an Innova and driver, so I can get around. We've been living in a hotel in Gurgaon for the last eight weeks, but hope to move to the Westend, Delhi in a couple of weeks and get properly settled in.
I own several cars and at present they're all in storage in the Netherlands, or still on their way from the USA to the Netherlands.
My real treasure is a 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider. I have owned it for about 15 years. It is beautifully restored and I can claim to have each and every part of it taken to bits in those fifteen years. I used to be a very active member of the Dutch Alfa Romeo Spider Register. (
http://www.alfaspider.com). I used to be a member of the technical committee and of the event committee. Organized the rallies and fixed the cars that broke down on the way. These are old, Italian cars and we drive them hard. So they break down a lot. One of the most memorable drives was a tour to the polar circle, in the winter, top down, at -26oC.
Next is my Mercedes W123-200. I've owned it for about 8 years. It is in very good condition and all of the maintenance and repair work I carry out myself. The W123 series is probably the most and easiest recognizable Mercedes sedan. All over the world you will still find them. Many people use them as their daily runner and to date; in Germany you will find W123 taxis with a few zillion miles on the clock. Mine is the very basic 2.0 liter petrol version.
Whilst I was based in the USA I bought a 2002 Jaguar XJR. Straight of Ebay. First time I bought a car, without having seen it! Only pictures and a few calls with the owner. Turned out to be the best car I've ever owned.This is the 4.0 liter, V8 Supercharged version. This model is also known as the X308. All subsequent XJ models grew bigger and fatter. This is really the last very sleek Jaguar look! Loverly car. I used it as my daily drive. Drove it for close to 45000 miles in three years. It is absolutely cram packed with electronics. So I got myself all the diagnostics software to go with it. Do all maintenance and repair myself. I haven't had any major issues with it though.
I did put ceramic brake pads on it. This is a heavy car and I have a, lets call it, enthusiastic driving style, which also means heavy on the brakes. I was getting tired of always having dirty rims. With the ceramic pads this is a thing of the past and I can really recommended it. We joined the Heart of America Jaguar Club of which I have also been the treasurer and webmaster for the last two years.
We also owned a 1998 Jeep Cherokee whilst in the USA. They are really cheap, indestructible and very easy to maintain. Always wanted to have one. Very basic design. Somebody broke out his etch-a-sketch. Cars don't come much more boxy then the Jeep Cherokee! In the States there is a car part shop on every corner and they will stock each and every imaginable part for American cars. Jaguar parts are a little bit more difficult to come by.
Also, winters can be pretty severe in Kansas City. Year before last we had more than 3 feet of snow for several weeks. The Jaguar is rear wheel driven and has close to 400BHP. Pretty useless, if not to say lethal, on snow. The Jeep Cherokee just ploughs through it. Put snow tires on it too. Nothing could stop it. Just kept on going. Upon leaving the States I sold the Jeep and the Jaguar is on it's way to the Netherlands as we speak. It should be arriving in Rotterdam next week or so.
Have a look here for
http://jeroendorrestein.com/Frances%...oens_toys.html
I have owned BMW's, Audi's, Volkswagens, Fiats and various other brands. My wife has owned a long host of cars, several Volkswagen Polo, several Ford Fiesta and a Ford Focus in the USA. Currently we also have a 2000 Ford Fiesta in the Netherlands.
I haven't decided what I will do car wise in Delhi yet. Certainly this site is a welcome and interesting place as it will help me make up my mind. I have been looking at maybe getting a Royal Enfield Motorcycle. Probably would go for an old one, so I have something to tinker.
Some of my other hobbies are photography and aviation. I'll certainly be doing a lot of photography here in India. I got my Pilot License whilst in the USA. So I'm also exploring opportunities here in India to do some more flying, which is proving difficult so far
Jeroen