[akaush]

Hi All,

I am Ajay, 28 yrs, married, software product manager in a Singapore based company. I am about to shift back to India, hopefully Pune/Delhi.

I have never really bought a car by myself. In Singapore its too costly to buy one and when I am in US I just rent one. I shall be shifting to India in mid June and will buy my first car almost immediately. I have been following team-bhp and kind of zeroing in on a few options.

1. Scorpio AT - ( i just like SUV's)
2. ANHC AT - (my wife likes it)
3. SX-4 AT - (distant third)
4. Corolla Altis - ( a little costly for me, might have to finance above 12L)

In about a year I want to buy another SUV MT around 20L so that I can go for some serious offroading. The first car can then be used by my wife i guess.

I have worked on software for different automotive companies and really understand a lot about features on cars and trucks. I also have pretty good knowledge of powertrain on most vehicles, including heavy construction equipment (having worked for Caterpillar).

During my college and early career days i have done a lot of bike rides on my Caliber, almost no place spared in maharashtra, karnataka and Kerala.

Anyways, I am happy to be finally on team-bhp. I hope I can get some valuable suggestions and contribute to some of the threads.



Thanks for Reading

-Ajay

[jkdas]

Another TeamBHPian who can be valuable to the community coz of his experience with automobiles

Welcome to Team-BHP.

Why not Scorpio AT 4x4 ?

[mallumowgli]

Welcome, Ajay, to team-bhp. Have a good time

@jkdas : Having worked for Caterpillar, he might find Scorpio 4X4 a slight downsizing!!

[Repsol]

Welcome onboard Ajay !

[akaush]

Thanks for your suggestions.

I'd love a Scorpio 4X4, provided my wife allows me to take it. Plus I know that in about a year from now, I will surely have budget for a much bigger SUV. (20 - 25 L range).
So I am just trying to escape the temptation of Scorpio 4 X 4, try a Honda City AT first, which is in the good books of my wife and she'd not mind driving it once I upgrade to a SUV. B.t.w I am still evaluating if Scorpio AT 4X4 is worth its price. I know within 10-15L bracket Scorpio 4X4 AT is still one of the best Indian SUV options. I'd probably go for a test drive and look at the timing and speeds for gear changes both on highway and city traffic to see how smooth the transition is and if everything is coupled right. (same test with City AT before I buy it)

I somehow have a feeling that many car manufacturers are now going to try and tap this SUV market in next 2 - 5 years time, specially after looking at the overbooking for Fortuner. Hyundai Santa Fe is something I am waiting for. I wish Hyundai are spot on for pricing and features for Santa-Fe. Honda CRV is one of my favorites, however Honda has messed it up in India. In the states fully loaded CRV 4WD EX-L costs $26K and pricing in India is exactly double. Plus version in India is outdated I guess, its time for them to make CRV's inside India, get it priced right and get into competition.

I would be interested in real long drives every couple of months and reliability / torque is a must. (have you done Guwahati - Tezpur - Bhalukpong - Bomdilla - Tawang in Arunachal?) Its better than Manali - Kyelang - Leh route. Loads of places to visit already on my wish list, can't really wait to get started.

-Ajay