[mercedised]

@Suman: Could you post the cost of new ECU for 3.0 DICOR, also other consumables like belts (or all those things you have changed) and routine service costs including fuel filter, oil filter costs. Please!!

[suman]

105k kms & 4.75 years down the road, I guess its time for me to say -

We had Joy we had FUN
We had Seasons in the Sun
But like all good things in life
Perhaps its time to now move on.......

Siggghhhh, parting company with a faithful companion is never easy but I guess its right round the corner. Our plans to buy a new vehicle are probably going to be firmed up in the next one week & then the time will come to find a new home for our Safari :(

The Beast, clicked on my way to work yesterday morning -










What is life without The Beast going to be all about? Well, we will miss it for sure & its never going to be the same for us, be it my daily commute, be it the future trips to Leh, be it sailing through waterlogged streets, be it gently pushing DTC buses & Call center cabs into their correct lanes, be it contemptuously eating up potholes & be it the sofa provided for quick naps on the way to school. But, cest la vie & I hope the new owners, as & when we find them, will take good care & treat The Beast with the respect it deserves.

Thank you, our trusted friend, its been a great journey with you

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by suman

Siggghhhh, parting company with a faithful companion is never easy but I guess its right round the corner. Our plans to buy a new vehicle are probably going to be firmed up in the next one week & then the time will come to find a new home for our Safari :(

OMG, it happened? So soon? And by the way you say it, it seems like you do not know the new owner yet. Have you given it to a used car showroom?

Originally Posted by suman

What is life without The Beast going to be all about? Well, we will miss it for sure & its never going to be the same for us, be it my daily commute, be it the future trips to Leh, be it sailing through waterlogged streets, be it gently pushing DTC buses & Call center cabs into their correct lanes, be it contemptuously eating up potholes & be it the sofa provided for quick naps on the way to school. But, cest la vie & I hope the new owners, as & when we find them, will take good care & treat The Beast with the respect it deserves.

Once an SUV, always an SUV.
But what next? I know it is not the Aria, Fortuner, Yeti, Endy, Captiva, Pajero, Scorpio, Safari. Am I correct?

Your next SUV will be a BIG surprise, to all of us.

Any shortlisting done so far?

[Maverick79]

Congratulations for completing 100k on the Beast Suman.
Its really very fast. In just 4.5 years, that too as a second vehicle.
By the way, what are you up to now. Another beast or you have plans for a Luxury sedan?

Good luck in parting away from your beast and all the best for your new purchase experience.
Your experience with safari gave me a lot of inspiration to buy the Merlin in my near future.

[suman]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

And by the way you say it, it seems like you do not know the new owner yet. Have you given it to a used car showroom?

Nah, a couple of people have shown interest on the Classifieds but no offers or anything yet. Need to find a home soon as the new vehicle is coming in this week & parking space is at a premium these days!

Originally Posted by Maverick79

By the way, what are you up to now. Another beast or you have plans for a Luxury sedan?

You may not believe this but its an X1 - another of my "heart"felt decisions. For more on that, check here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans...ml#post2444007

Originally Posted by Maverick79

Good luck in parting away from your beast and all the best for your new purchase experience.
Your experience with safari gave me a lot of inspiration to buy the Merlin in my near future.

Thanks man! I just hope the rear of the Merlin looks better in flesh than in the pics that I've seen so far. But I have no doubt that it will be a SUV to reckon with as they are spending a lot of time pre-launch & that makes me think that it will be a big improvement over the current crop as far as quality & refinement is concerned (the Aria has already shown the way).

[mercedised]

@suman: What's the update? Have you sold the car or still enjoying her companion.

[suman]

Originally Posted by mercedised

@suman: What's the update? Have you sold the car or still enjoying her companion.

Preliminary discussions over, hope to close the deal this week. And now for an update on below -

Originally Posted by suman

• Went for a "gentlemanly" off-road meet organized by Doc (SS_Traveller) - noticed a thump-thump noise when climbing steep slopes in 4L. No noise on plain ground or in 4H. Thought it could be the 4x4 gear box mounting. Had Autolinks check it out subsequently - they found mountings to be OK & diagnosed it as coming from within. Here's the best part - no one stocks 4x4 gearbox parts & TML only replace the entire gear box!!! So, I've asked them to hold off opening up the 4x4 gear box at this point since its really not causing any problems

Since I was selling the vehicle, I thought it was only fair that I get a thorough examination, diagnosis & repair done - last thing I wanted was for the new owner to face any issues with the 4x4 mechanism in the middle of nowhere! So I called up Autolinks & had a long chat with their Director. The apprehensions expressed earlier about availability of parts were still very much a reality but, for old times sake, he agreed to have the 4x4 gearbox opened up. If it was a bearing or something similar, chances were it would be available. If it was something big, like say a shaft or something, and was not available, then we would be in for a lot of grief - to the extent of even having to scour Mayapuri for a transfer case from which we'd get the required parts & build it up! Man, was I saying my prayers

The Beast was sent in on Monday, gearbox was opened up on Tuesday & the diagnosis was fairly simple - the 4x4 gearbox housing had broken as had the bearing that comes with it. The housing was readily available but the bearing & oil seal took a while & it was Thursday evening before they were found. Since there was a long weekend coming up, two of Autolinks most experienced 4x4 technicians worked overnight on Thursday & the vehicle was returned back on Friday evening. Apart from the above, the steering column was opened up & components were greased, 4x4 hubs were tightened & greased & I heaved a huge sigh if relief as I could now sell without any qualms - the vehicle was fighting fit! Total cost for peace of kind - Rs 11,330.

Autolinks also diagnosed a sound that was heard only on full left or right lock while in 4x4 mode as coming from the front right axle. However, this is not something that is likely to cause any operational issues whatsoever so I have been advised to let it be at this point in time.

[suman]

And thus, on the 17th of August 2011, I drove The Beast to my Office for the last time & parked it in the Basement with the odo reading 105,684 kms -


A fellow bhpian picked up the vehicle; I had corresponded with him but had not had the pleasure of meeting him earlier. I probably sold for about 25k less than what I would have got in the market had I hung around but I knew I was giving it to a couple who would take good care & I was OK with the lower sale price. He's owned a 3 liter Dicor earlier & I'm sure he will give our erstwhile proud possession the RESPECT it rightly deserves. Our family will always cherish the fond memories of Ladakh....and Corbett....and Kasauli and the daily no-nonsense rides in the NCR - its been a wonderful 58 months of ownership & WE WILL MISS The Beast.

The new owners are planning to drive it to Leh & I, for one, am looking forward to seeing pictures of it conquering that terrain a second time around - though it will bring back a strong feeling of nostalgia

Have a great life with your new owners my friend - its been an unforgettable journey with you

[n.devdath]

Well, I guess that is a happy ending to your relationship with the Safari for quite a long time then.
The icing on the cake is a TBHPian who has owned a Safari earlier picking it up .
Would you mind disclosing the price you sold it for? You could send me a PM as well in case you want to keep it private.

Have you begun your X1 ownership thread yet?

[condor]

Suman da, so the old faithful has finally made it's way to it's new home. Let's wish the new owners a happy ownership, and more joyous, trouble-free travels.

Guess it's time to lock this thread too ?

[SS-Traveller]

Before this thread gets locked as condor suggests, let me express my commiserations to you, Suman, on the final parting with your trusty Safari. Good you sold it to another Team-BHP member, and this forum collectively vows to take the new owner to task if he does not take good care of your old faithful.

[.anshuman]

Note from Support: Closing the thread. Thanks for sharing the ownership experience