[SanjayDalal]

Hello Friends, admitted to this wonderful group last week. I have been referring to this website for the past couple of years, when searching for some travel related queries, I stumbled upon this website .Since then I have been a regular browser.
Driving is my passion but not in traffic . I love to get out of the city for long early morning runs primarily in the winter months.
I have been driving for past 15 years, starting off with (second hand) Premier Padmini, then (third hand ) Maruti 800.

Current there are 3 Cars in my Garage :
1) Eight years ago brought my first new car a Maruti Wagon R VXI.
2) Three years ago brought a (new) Ford Fiesta 1.6SXI ,
3) Christmas 2014 , a (new) Hyundai Eon Magna +.

I use the Ford for long runs, while the Wagon R was for short distance local running. But after 8 years on Mumbai Suburbs potholed roads, there are too many rattles (inspite of front shocks being changed). So this car is now basically 'retired' and I will be driving it once a week for 10-15km at a stretch just to keep engine & battery in shape. The New Eon, will do all local running now.
All maintenance done only by Authorised Service Centers.
My past trips:
I have driven to Goa three times, (this coming March will be the 4th time).
Once to Saputara(Gujarat) , Ahmedabad (once), Mahableshwar (twice). Lavasa (6/7 times), Lonavala (lost count), and a couple of trips to Pune .
I do not commute to work and most of my driving (90 %) is for pleasure. Covered around 70,000km (total) ,on the cars brought new.

[dark.knight]

Quite an interesting range of cars you have driven so far. All of them have different driving characteristics and purposes.

One of the advantages of living in Mumbai I guess is having so many good highway getaway choices to Goa/Guj/Western Ghats. The Fiesta is the car among the lot to do the longer runs isn't it? Is it the 1st gen Fiesta with the HPS? In that case its a lot more fun to steer.

Congrats on becoming a BHPian. A write-up on Lavasa has been rare to find, maybe you can add that to the travelogue section.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by SanjayDalal

Hello Friends, admitted to this wonderful group last week. ...

Welcome. Guess we have quite something to look forward to. When are the travelogues coming?

Question - Why don't you sell the Wagon R?

[SanjayDalal]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Quite an interesting range of cars you have driven so far. All of them have different driving characteristics and purposes.

One of the advantages of living in Mumbai I guess is having so many good highway getaway choices to Goa/Guj/Western Ghats. The Fiesta is the car among the lot to do the longer runs isn't it? Is it the 1st gen Fiesta with the HPS? In that case its a lot more fun to steer.

Congrats on becoming a BHPian. A write-up on Lavasa has been rare to find, maybe you can add that to the travelogue section.

Thank you for your msg. It good to be part of this community.

My Fiesta has HPS (Hydraulic Power Steering). It is the 1st gen, but with refreshed sparkling headlights. A point of interest: The New Fiesta had been just launched about the time I brought it. For about a 1.5 to 2 lakhs more I could have brought the base version of the new Fiesta, instead of the top of the line old Fiesta but after reading a lot on the handling characteristics , (including Team BHP-at that point I was not a member) I finally decided to buy the old model!

It is really good to drive on the ghat sections. In fact it is enjoyable to drive on most roads preferably with sparse traffic. Usually I prefer to head out of Mumbai latest by 5am . That way you get to avoid most traffic and get out of the city.
Regarding Lavasa , it has been more then a year since I have driven there. I will certainly put it up on the Travelogue section if you wish the next time I do a run. At least on two occasions , it just was a long day trip . Leave Mumbai 5.00am, stop for breakfast on the Mumbai Pune expressway. Reach Lavasa between 12 - 1pm.
We have lunch wander around a bit, and then by late evening , back home for dinner!.
On other occasions, (whenever some discounts were being offered , booked a hotel -which are expensive, stayed overnight and left for Mumbai next day after lunch. ) For me it is just a 250 km one way drive .

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Welcome. Guess we have quite something to look forward to. When are the travelogues coming?

Question - Why don't you sell the Wagon R?

Hi!, Thanks for the welcome
Why don't you sell the Wagon R . Very good question
I am not selling it for the following reasons:
1) I got an insultingly low exchange offer from Spectra Maruti. This, in spite of the fact the car has a full service history from their own Service Center. I has initially planned to buy a Celerio Automatic, by trading this in. I got so angry that I drove straight to the Hyundai Showroom. I will submit a new car report after the first service is done.
2) My younger daughter has tears in her eyes when I told her I would be selling it!
3) I now plan to use it during the monsoons, during heavy rains within the city.
4) It has always been serviced by the Auth. Service Center and NEVER EVER let me down while on the road, and last , but not the least
6) This was the very first new car I have purchased . So there is a sentimental attachment!