Team-BHP - Mahindra Classic 4x4

@ GTO,
Sir,
I have a confession!

I saw her first in 1996.
I had just out of College and inexperienced.

Fell in love with her the moment I saw her.

Thought about her, day and night.

Dreamt of taking her where no man had dared to go before.
Visons of both of us going into the sunset, the silhoutte visible from a distance.

Friends gave me a wierd look and kept quite when I told them. They were supportive and I knew they would stand by me if needed.

Gathering up all my courage armed with her Photo, I asked dad whether we can bring her home.

One look at her and he says "No! What, you want her to eat us out of our home? What will people think?"

I was forced to abandon my dream to be with her. Reluctantly I threw the book with her photo onto the attic.

But I vowed that once I start earning and have the money, I will bring her home no matter what it maybe. After all, it had to be lifetime bondage.

But fate decided otherwise.

A few years later, I heard she is no more!

With despair in my heart, I was jumping the ropes of career from one to another for a long time.

But I could never forget her.

Images of her came to mind occasionally. I forcefully pushed them aside, What's the use? She's dead and gone! Nothing will bring her back to life.

As they say, time is a great healer.
I had slowly started to forget her, or that's what I thought!

A couple of years back, a sleepless night stirred the thoughts again.

I had forgotten the power of the Internet. I switched on my laptop and connected to the net.

I typed in her name on google and Surprise!

I FOUND HER AGAIN!

Images of her started appearing like magic.

Discovered that she had found a good home and her pictures were all over a particular place.
I Wanted to see who took the best care of her, she was my first love and I wanted her to be happy.

Started visiting the place, which was a abode of marvels, regularly, many times burning the midnight oil to catch a glimpse of her again and again in various angles.

Exploring the shrine again and again, I discovered her sisters, ansectors, smaller cousins, far-off relatives and others who shared her anatomy, food habits and illness, etc.,

I also discovered many Lovers like me, searching for their loved ones, some united with their loved ones, Some sharing their honeymoons and problems, hoping for a lsitening ear and a helping hand.

I wanted to be one of them, interact with the passionate lovers (especially those who was in close relationship with my loved one), seek their advice and share my thoughts and experiences.

My desire to be along with the one I love is what I wish for, yet it seems a dream. Anyway, dreams are meant to be realised.

I tried many times to get into the hallowed premises, but was turned down many times (9 times to be exact).

After nearly eighteen months, seeing that I was determined to get in, they let me in, but they told me that I would be tested no less than 25 times to prove myself worthy.

After nearly a month, I get my place firmly assured.

My Prose is a tribute to my First love and a doctrine of passing the tests.

P.S: I must admit that I got crazy because when I saw her for the first time, she was Topless!

For the uninitiated,
to cut a long story short, it was the MAHNDRA CLASSIC which drove me up the wall and the primary reason to join the Best ever Automotive forum, TEAM-BHP!
Especially it was GTO's Classic that did the trick, hence the post here.
The previous post with the C&B Mag Cover and test report is the first photo I had of the Classic.
This is my first non-moderated post. I AM A BHPian now!

@ Gto
Now i know the reason behind the name and why people revere you so much!

After going through this thread all i can say is it has rekindled my dreams of a jeep. The first jeep i remember are from my dad's office, He was a govt official and he had more than his share jeeps before upgrading to the Amby.
We were posted to few coastal places in Ap, and boy were the drives down to beach fun or what!
Will post a couple of pics of my dad's old jeep. There were even week nd trips with family and other colleagues in jeeps and i vividly remember one time when the jeeps speed limiter broke down and the horn wire got attached or some thing we were like searching for a mechanic for 25 km with the horn blasting, I was in my 4 or 5th then!

And i guess i got bitten by your post now. My mind says car and heart roars jeep!!:D

All Classic Owners,

A couple of days back while passing through the market in my town (Udaipur), I saw a short wheel base jeep standing topless along with the esteems and swifts with a yellow colored tag "FOR SALE" written in black. I applied breaks took a U - turn and stopped in front of a shoddy - small office of a used car dealer. Asked him about the jeep and he said its a 1998 / 99 Classic and the seller is demanding 1.75 lacs. I checked out the car, the ODO shows 30000 some kilometers. The dealer says it has done 1.3 lac kilometers. It is black in color and seems to be in a good shape. The instrument cluster is exactly the same as in GTO's jeep. Started the car after heating it twice and there she goes. There was no black smoke and it was sounding smooth. The 4wheel drive lever was very much present and the dealer said it works fine. The last owner has sparingly used the 4wheel drive.

My question(s) to all classic owners:
1) It is worth the price (1.75 lacs)?
2) Are spare parts for the XD3P engine still available?
3) Can a non turbo / turbo Di engine be plonked on it while retaining the 4 wheel drive? - I am asking this as the car has already done 1.3 lac kilometers and will require an overhaul sooner.
4) Is it viable to smoothly own a decade old vehicle in 2011?

PS: Moderators, please move this post on a different thread if does not fit in here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auto Motive (Post 2331628)

Asked him about the jeep and he said its a 1998 / 99 Classic and the seller is demanding 1.75 lacs. I checked out the car, the ODO shows 30000 some kilometers.

Can you share pictures? There are way too many fakes around, thus it would help to confirm that it's a real Classic.

Quote:

1) It is worth the price (1.75 lacs)?

There's no fixed price for Classics. I've seen sales going as low as 1.5 lakhs to as high as 5 lakhs. If you want my personal opinion, yes, 1.75 is an excellent price for a Classic.

Quote:

2) Are spare parts for the XD3P engine still available?

Yes

Quote:

3) Can a non turbo / turbo Di engine be plonked on it while retaining the 4 wheel drive? - I am asking this as the car has already done 1.3 lac kilometers and will require an overhaul sooner.

Don't waste your time. Overhaul the same engine and be happy.

Quote:

4) Is it viable to smoothly own a decade old vehicle in 2011?

No. Jeeps require attention, whether new or old. Don't expect a "Maruti" style of ownership. If niggles bother you, buy a Gypsy instead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 38207)

The air-conditioner has made it very practical for use in the city, but practicality and Mahindra Classic were not supposed to go together.

* Black glasses, a cd player/boom box and a chilling air-conditioner combine to protect you from external elements.

GTO,

Could you please let me know more about installing AC and music system??
I own A same Classic. And would love to use it daily if it has an AC in it because temperature in Raipur goes to 48 Degrees:eek: at times.

Please let me know what have you done with your spoke wheel as I see your latest tyre is with alloy. I am very much in hope of keeping my spoke wheel on. If there is an alternative, do let me know.

Thanks!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen (Post 38234)

For some reason Goa is full of Classic. This guy had a big fight with his wife/girlfriend. Don't ask me how do I know. I was standing on the other side, watching everything.

Woaah, what a beautiful jeep...in paradise! I've had a jeep on my mind for a long time and that pic has sealed it for me.

GTO,

this post of yours is the reason I stumbled upon Team-BHP. I was sitting on my laptop in Madrid, having just decided that i was going to move back to India. There were 2 toys that I knew I wanted once I came back. The Enfield Classic 500 was in my garage soon after. But the Jeep still eludes me...

A search in google for 'Mahindra Classic' brought me to this page. Everytime I read it, I get goose bumps! 18 months of searching and still no luck getting a quality used Jeep.

My local Mahindra dealer in nasik tells me that the Classic is still made for the army and he can me one on order for around 4L. I have been waiting for a couple of months for him to show me a vehicle but at this point I'm sold and and ready to go down there 1st thing in the morning and order one, even though I have never driven an actual Classic. I guess 18 months of waiting does that to you...and ya, reading your article for the nth time sealed the final nail in the coffin.

Can you give me the engine and transmission specs of the original classic so I can compare with this 'army spec' that he's talking about. And what was the on road price back then? Any idea if the other dealerships also make the classic available on order?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zappex (Post 2450839)

How practical are you finding the jeep now days with the traffic and all? The last I heard you were using it without the AC right?

It's no longer my daily driver (that role belongs to the Honda). On week days, my Jeep comes out of the garage only once. Usage is more on the weekends and / or for off-roading.

Yup, I got rid of the air-con, doors & stereo for now. Am liking the back to basics feeling of the Jeep. This might change soon, or never. The best part about a Jeep is that you can highly customise it to your mood. For instance, the top will go off in the winter.

Quote:

Have dropped you a PM.

I don't answer automotive queries via PM because this forum's primary purpose is the free, public exchange of information (so that other readers benefit too).

If you have your heart set on a Jeep, buy the Thar & kit it out with an air-conditioner. Way more practical and you will be able to use it on a daily basis.