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Hello Team-BHPians,

At last, after many attempts that never seemed to end, I am here. I would like to thank GTO and all moderators of Team-BHP for approving my request to join this outstanding forum.

I am a male, 35 years old and originally from Kerala. I have been a resident of Bangalore for the past 10 years, working in the field of computer network security. I got introduced to Team-BHP in late 2008 when my urge to own a car began. After much research and considering a lot of information available on the forum, I bought my first car - a Swift VXI - in 2009. That was a gem of a vehicle and stayed with me till 2015. Meanwhile, I have also been using a Zen LX 2004 (My uncle's car) extensively for my office commute. That car is still with my family and it recently completed a 1700km trip to Vadodara from Kerala without breaking a sweat - speaks loads about that car's reliability even after 13 years. In 2015, I felt the need to own a bigger and better car. Again, Team-BHP came to my rescue. After all research and deliberations, I decided to swim against the tide and bought a Fiat Linea Tjet Emotion on December 2015 and gave away my dear Swift in the process. While I had a strong urge to buy one Honda City instead, I decided to go for the supposedly better build quality of Fiat and break out from the herd mentality. Now I feel that was one of my best decisions ever.

Come 2017 and my better half started expressing her desire to drive and thus our search for an automatic car began. Combined that with my secret desire for a sleeper hothatch, getting a VW Polo GT TSI was a no brainer. On second week of September, the gorgeous Candy White vehicle got parked in our parking lot. Owning two turbocharged petrol beasts, I decided to try once again to join the forum with my current handle and voila! It worked!!

Apart from interest in vehicles, I am an avid collector of multi tools, especially rare Victorinox knives. Got a collection of 50 plus multitools and counting. I have a small collection of flashlights as well.

Looking forward to having a great time and interacting with the extremely knowledgeable members here.

Cheers!!

Welcome to Team-BHP. Most of the enthusiasts I've met from Kerala are very passionate about their rides. The modification scene there is awesome as well. So much so that KL's tagline must be changed to "mods own country!"

The Swift is one of my all time favourites.

Wow! It's a different ball game all together to drive a 13 year old car across the country. I'm sure proper maintenance has been a key to it. Looking forward to know more about this car.

Nice to meet a fellow Fiat-ian. The Tjet is a gem of an engine. Whenever I am stressed, I simply hop into my car and go for a short drive. This engine helps calm me down. It is a good highway car as well.

Man, GT TSI for the city and Tjet for the highways... What more does one want?

Interesting, I've known the Victorinox brand from their classic "Swiss Army knives" as well as their kitchen knives. Have a couple of them and they are dependable and last very long. Could you share some pictures of the rare ones that you have?

Lastly, please go through the rules of the forum once.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I know what you mean. Places in Kerala like Kochi, Trissur and Thiruvananthapuram are well known for vehicle mods and awesome ICE installations. On the contrary, what I like is to add functional improvements and keep the stock look (read without any bling) of my cars. The only mod I did on my Swift was a wheel upgrade to 15" alloys. Zen was kept stock except adding tubeless tires and a Pioneer HU (being the basic version, it didn't come with any ICE). Linea is kept completely stock. For my Polo GT TSI, I have already installed the GTI armrest and now considering a reverse parking camera. You know what I found out? A good waist pouch can be utilized as a seat back storage space (shouldn't load any hard objects though) for long drives.



That is the idea :) It is currently serving the purpose of transporting my parents in my hometown. The ground clearance comes in really handy on Kerala roads.

Here is a quick shot of some models not stashed inside. Most of them are either limited editions, discontinued models or official issues of military forces of some countries. For example, the first one (top left) is a Black Oxide finish Victorinox Swisstool Spirit, which is the standard issue for Dutch Armed forces. You can see the Dutch forces insignia embossed on the sheath.