[Ace F355]

Thanks guys for your supporting words. I really appreciate it. Honestly, like I said before I have no intentions to sell off this car, but I know cops will start harassing the owners on daily basis as time passes by. It is a good incentive for them anyway, since the fine is large, I have no doubt in my mind that they will start milking the situation to maximum.

The stress of playing the guess-game all the time while on road, who is going to stop me next and how do I deal with it? will soon become too much to handle soon for car owners like me.

Anyway, with a very heavy heart, I have decided to put up the advertisement in TBHP Classifieds (link). Please feel free to forward it to someone who might be interested.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Anyway, with a very heavy heart, I have decided to put up the advertisement in TBHP Classifieds (link). Please feel free to forward it to someone who might be interested.

Hey Eric/ringo starr, stop complaining already and buy this thing for your wife!

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Anyway, with a very heavy heart, I have decided to put up the advertisement in TBHP Classifieds (link). Please feel free to forward it to someone who might be interested.

Ah, sad to see it go. You had it for roughly 3 years I guess. Diesels for common man are doomed in our country. Many of the states have passed legislation to prevent these NCR reject 10-yo diesels being registered there. Hope you find a loving home for it, and then a worthy replacement

[roy_libran]

A petition is definitely required to claim a "refund+interest+compensation" to those owners that have been affected by the retrospective impact of this order.

Why should owners who purchased a diesel PRIOR to this order, in full compliance to laws at that point in time, have to pay out of their pocket for this change in law, that led to a 33% reduction in the lifetime of the vehicle in NCR and a corresponding loss in resale value?
Owners who chose to buy a diesel AFTER this order, definitely did so in full cognizance of the current reality, however unfair it might seem.

Neither challenging the decision here, nor discussing it's merit or demerit, but my focus is on the financial loss element induced.

[venks]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Anyway, with a very heavy heart, I have decided to put up the advertisement in TBHP Classifieds (link). Please feel free to forward it to someone who might be interested.

Hi Ace


Are you still interested in selling Atlantis?! The classified link does not work as the advertisement is removed.


Thanks

[pamidi]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Anyway, with a very heavy heart, I have decided to put up the advertisement in TBHP Classifieds (link). Please feel free to forward it to someone who might be interested.

Are you still looking to sell Atlantis? It seems like the classified link has expired.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by venks

Hi Ace
Are you still interested in selling Atlantis?! The classified link does not work as the advertisement is removed.
Thanks

Originally Posted by pamidi

Are you still looking to sell Atlantis? It seems like the classified link has expired.

Thanks for the inquiries folks and my apologies for the delayed response.

Atlantis found a new loving home within first week of my posting the advert on TBHP Classifieds. All paper work is completed from my end including the NOC issuance from Delhi RTO and it's re-registration process is already started.

I won't be able to explain the feeling I had when I was dropping the car to Agarwal Packers and Movers on March 28th enroute to it's new home. It was like saying goodbye to a trusty old friend that you won't see again! But Alas! Oh well, as they say, never say never...

Here is one last pic that I clicked


Now, moving on, the good news is, I have found an (apt!) replacement for Atlantis. Its big, its red, its American and above all, it is a 4x4 Manual Transmission!





This car was on my radar for quite some time and I was chasing this seller for long. I finalized the purchase on same day Gajraj went away. The car is awesome and I believe it would be a good companion in my on & off-road adventures. Stay tuned for more updates as I will post as and when time permits.

Cheers and a good bye Hurrrrrahhhh to Atlantis a.k.a Gajraj. I am hopeful I will see him sometime in future, kicking some dirt and roaring to glory.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Now, moving on, the good news is, I have found an (apt!) replacement for Atlantis. Its big, its red, its American and above all, it is a 4x4 Manual Transmission!

Welcome to the Endeavour Club Ace..!!

A 2.2 Titanium 4WD MT is indeed a rare find and am sure you will love it to bits both off the road and on it.

So, what are the planned mods on this one and what have you named it?

Mod note: Please do NOT use acronyms (e.g. ANHC, T-Fort, ANHV) when referring to cars. You are ONLY permitted to use the full Make & Model name for cars.
This will make our content useful, searchable & easy-to-understand for experts & newbies alike.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Welcome to the Endy Club Ace..!!

Thanks. It was hard to look away from Toyota's fuss-free ownership and into Ford's largely unknown territory. However, this being a variant that I was searching for so long, I could't let this rare chance pass.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

A 2.2 Titanium 4WD MT is indeed a rare find and am sure you will love it to bits both off the road and on it.

2.2 4WD MT was never available in Titanium trim, only in Trend. In fact, if I understand it right, globally now this particular engine + gearbox combo is available with Endeavour/Everest in South Africa only, that too with XLS trim (base variant), XLT variants there come with AT gearbox only. And I doubt we will ever see the new bi-turbo 2 litre engine mated to any MT gearbox.

For me, manual transmission was the biggest lure for this car. I just hope all those sensors and wiring inside the Ford don't give me any headache in longer run!

Therefore, in hindsight buying a Trend variant is a good thing for someone like me who is used to Toyota simplicity. I don't actually need fancy things like sunroof, powered 3rd row seats, automatic parallel park etc; so Trend is a simpler car relatively speaking. I will miss the additional airbags from Titanium though!

With the limited time I have had with the car, one thing is clear to me. Despite its gadgetry, Endeavour is not as hardcore off-roader as Gajraj. But as a vehicle overall, it is a massive leap forward when it comes to comfort, NVH levels, interiors, suspension tune etc.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

So, what are the planned mods on this one and what have you named it?

It will be a project car for quite some time in future, but right now I plan to spend a bit more time to understand the shortcomings of the vehicle first.

From my initial vehicle impressions, first thing first the footsteps have to go! They are a massive hindrance in our off-road conditions; so they will be replaced with proper rock sliders soon. Stock suspension is perfect for now, but I do need the added clearance because of longer wheelbase, so will put in ARB once stock suspension wears out. Our dusty off-road conditions warrant addition of snorkel as well, which will also provide me added water wading depth as side bonus. I am trying to get hold of Rhino4x4 guys for their front bullbar which is way more discreet than offerings from ARB or Ironman4x4. Let's see what happens there. Winch will be added once I finalize the barwork.

I am wary about the weight though, as it is I am tipping ~2250kg and with limited horses from 2.2 lump, I do not want to add too much fat onto the vehicle. There are ECM remaps available for the engine, but I am not getting into that at the moment.

As far as the name goes, nothing cast in stone but let's call the Endeavour Lal Ghoda (Red Stallion) for now!

I will write proper ownership review for the Endeavour soon once I spend more time with vehicle, but let's not dilute this thread with chatter on Blue Oval.

Posting a few more memories of Gajraj from past month, seems like I still can't get enough of them!

With my backup choice of replacement, little Suzuki was once a cult, and is now a Classic!


Toyota Twins... enjoying winters!


With it's elder brothers!




With another gem from Ford's stable!



Mods, since Atlantis is sold now, you may lock this thread. Cheers and thanks a ton guys.

[Gujarati]

As the title states I have been toying with the idea of buying a used Fortuner in India for some adventures for me (when I visit India) and road trips for my parents who still live in India.

I have started to visit India more regularly about once a year and it would be awesome to have a vehicle in India.
Obviously I do not want to spend crazy amount of money to buy and maintain a new vehicle that will see very minimal use.

Feel free to say it is a stupid idea, it is just better to rent etc advice. Vehicle will stay in Gujarat so if I buy it will need to be either around Gujarat or be brought to Gujarat.

Interested in knowing if that is a good idea? How many miles is ok? What should I expect to pay? Any other things to keep in mind?

Thank you for your help.

[sid_hilldriver]

Gajraj will surely be missed. It had a huge fanbase here on the forum as well as on(off) the road. Many happy miles with your new powerhorse Ace.

[Gujarati]

Originally Posted by Gujarati

As the title states I have been toying with the idea of buying a used Fortuner in India for some adventures for me (when I visit India) and road trips for my parents who still live in India.

I have started to visit India more regularly about once a year and it would be awesome to have a vehicle in India.
Obviously I do not want to spend crazy amount of money to buy and maintain a new vehicle that will see very minimal use.

Feel free to say it is a stupid idea, it is just better to rent etc advice. Vehicle will stay in Gujarat so if I buy it will need to be either around Gujarat or be brought to Gujarat.

Interested in knowing if that is a good idea? How many miles is ok? What should I expect to pay? Any other things to keep in mind?

Thank you for your help.

Not sure this is really relevant thread for my question but I am hopeful. This was merged by the mods.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by Gujarati

As the title states I have been toying with the idea of buying a used Fortuner in India for some adventures for me (when I visit India) and road trips for my parents who still live in India.

Hi Gujarati

The vehicle choice is good, if you can live with a stock vehicle ride (which is very bouncy given its a ladder on frame construction). For a occasionally used car, I won't recommend a lot of modifications either. It is as reliable as a wooden stove and regular maintenance costs are fair too.

Originally Posted by Gujarati

I have started to visit India more regularly about once a year and it would be awesome to have a vehicle in India.
Obviously I do not want to spend crazy amount of money to buy and maintain a new vehicle that will see very minimal use.

Gujarat isn't Delhi NCR. Pick up a well maintained 1st gen Fortuner from 2009-10 and you should be set.

Originally Posted by Gujarati

Feel free to say it is a stupid idea, it is just better to rent etc advice. Vehicle will stay in Gujarat so if I buy it will need to be either around Gujarat or be brought to Gujarat.

No idea is stupid. Whether it is worth pursuing or not, depends on how much the vehicle will be used. If you have family here in India, they can continue to use the vehicle in your absence and it will be immediately available for your use once you arrive. If no one else to use the vehicle in your absence, you are better off renting vehicles on your arrival IMO.

Originally Posted by Gujarati

Interested in knowing if that is a good idea? How many miles is ok? What should I expect to pay? Any other things to keep in mind?

Miles - depends on the maintenance history. My car was 225k on the odo with probably being the most off-road used (abused in the eyes of many! ) vehicle of its type and yet had no rattles, no squeaks or anything out of place really. So, if the vehicle is maintained well, miles are irreverent to a large extent in this case.

Price - again, depends. No two deals will be same in pre-owned market. What I would suggest is, you should be prepared to pay a bit extra to get a better maintained vehicle compared to a lousy one.

Originally Posted by Gujarati

Thank you for your help.

No worries, and good luck for your search.

EDIT: Now that I am online, let me add a few of recent adventures of Gajraj a.k.a Atlantis. The beast continues to live the same old life in the hands of new and proud owner in Goa. Man, do I miss this car so much or what!!!

[Gujarati]

Thank you for the info. All makes sense. I would miss a vehicle like yours as well if I had to sell it. Especially if I have had as many memories attached to it as you.

[AVR]

Originally Posted by Gujarati

As the title states I have been toying with the idea of buying a used Fortuner in India for some adventures for me (when I visit India) and road trips for my parents who still live in India.


Feel free to say it is a stupid idea, it is just better to rent etc advice. Vehicle will stay in Gujarat so if I buy it will need to be either around Gujarat or be brought to Gujarat.

A used Fortuner is a good idea in Gujarat since a lot of them only see good roads but usually have an altered odo but that's easy to verify from the dealer. A friend was looking recently so we had found a few good Fortuners but he eventually went with a Pajero Sport in his budget. If you are actively looking I'll pass on the info to you. PM me.

P.S. not a dealer but we usually help friends through our offroad club in finding good 4wds!

Adi