Team-BHP - New entrant from Pune

A big Hello to all esteemed members of the forum. I am Siddhartha and I hail from Pune. I work with the Indian Armed Forces and as such have been moving around the whole country for last two decades or so. In the last two decades or so I got an opportunity to operate a couple of really fast warbirds and also do a lot of technical evaluations of these awesome machines.

Before I move forward, I need to acknowledge the fact that over the years I have gained so much of know-how about automotive stuff and have been successful in replicating many a DIYs. Car detailing was my favorite topic back then and it did lead to a lot of pampering for my SX4. And then as the responsibilities grew and job profiles changed, car and bike loving activities did take a bit of a back seat leading to my confession next.

I must also confess that this is my second ID on teambhp (request the moderators to please pardon the offence). I do not have access to the mail id i used to create that ID anymore and though i have followed the forum closely over the years, I did not really access that ID(Created in 2006). I pray that the mods would excuse me for this. Now, I am at a stage wherein I do have some time to be more active on this forum and therefore this new ID.

In the past I have owned a Swift, then an SX4 (The third to reach Leh, as informed to me on this forum in my incomplete travelogue), and now a Ciaz and Kwid (Better half loves this car). I just sold off my 8 year old Ciaz to Cars24 two days back. Also, I have booked a Tata Safari XZA+ on 30 Jan and can hardly wait to get my hands on it.

The decision to book the Safari was taken after multiple test drives of the car and its rivals. A big contributory factor was the hours of reading up about the car on this forum. And now the wait which seems endless even though its just 10 days now. Any heads up on the practical time lines to get a Royal Blue colored one XZA+ 7-seater would help ease the agony of waiting.

Looking forwards to years of healthy and continued interaction on the forum.:)

Hello Siddhartha, welcome to Team-BHP, or should I say welcome back!

First of all, and if I may, I'd like to thank you for your services towards our Nation :) It's not very often that I come across an Indian Armed Forces personnel but when I do, my heart just fills with nothing else but respect and gratitude.

Apart from automobiles, I have quite an interest in aviation. All the mind, engineering and physics that go behind these crazy machines is just fascinating. I'd certainly like to read about your 2-decade experience with the warbirds that you've mentioned.

Also, congratulations on booking the Safari! I can relate to the impatient waiting that you're talking about. I remember waiting for my GT 650 more than three years ago. Each day felt like a year! In fact, I turn into a restless kid even today whenever I order some parts for my motorcycle and have to wait for them to arrive :D

It's good to have you on board, Siddhartha.

Cheers,
Utkarsh

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtkarshC (Post 5494181)

Thanks Utkarsh for the kind words. Will definitely share my experiences on these machines I operate(d) in due course of time.
At present the itch to get my new car and plans of pampering it with ceramic/ ppf some basic accessories etc are hogging my mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYBOYSID (Post 5493634)

A big Hello to you too Sir!!!
This is your namesake here, and yes, even I am from Pune!!!
It is a great pleasure to see you in this forum. I have always been curious as to what the Indian Armed Forces personnel want in a car and what kind of machines do they prefer.
It would be great to have some insights from you.

Cheers
Siddharth

Hello
I guess we guys in the armed forces have a wide spread of choices as far as vehicles go. There are few of us who have lifestyle vehicles like the Thar and modified MM540s etc. There are a other few with pre worshipped Beemers and mercs. Most of us though are seen with mainstream cars from the Maruti Tata M&M and Hyundai stables.
In my particular case, the first vehicle was a Pulsar 150. Had good fun with it. Was known around for the ability to pull of a few stoppies n wheelies. It did a good 16000km in its first year of ownership. Next I got an SX4 just as it was launched. Loved the car. It took me all over the country. It was the third sx4 in Leh. As i grew up and responsibilities increased, I got a Ciaz. Ciaz has travelled a lot in the North, South and western parts of the country. As on date I am waiting for my Safari and meanwhile using my Dominar as a daily commuter.
To sum it up I don't think we can generalise choices of Armed Forces guys. Each of us though aligned to the same task is a different individual. Aspirations exist and are often constrained by moolah. Travel patterns depend on where we are and what we are doing. So its a tradeoff between various factors which decides the set of wheels we own.
Life’s Good
Cheers :)