[Amartya]

One of the best threads in the Long Term Ownership Reviews section. Some very important points made with a lovely dose of humour. Thanks for all your efforts, appreciate it.

Since you;ve sold the Bolero, I was wondering what car can fill the void. For the money you got for the Bolero, a Fusion+ diesel should be available. Since you already own a Ford, do you think this makes sense? I thought about this car as it has a greater ground clearance than any other hatchback, and it shares parts (critical ones) with the Fiesta (and now the iKon and the forthcoming Figo).

It'll be loads more comfortable and fun to drive than the Bolero.

[ramzsys]

An ode to the bolero:

The bolero in many ways was useful to me,

1) You get to sit in the same height as that of Scorpio owning relatives(who never deign to see the ground after selling their grounds in the real estate boom).

2) Sometimes i relieve off my wickedness by driving as close as possible to expensive car / SUV owners and scare them(or at least assume that they got scared): the squarish design an advantage.

3) Everyone in road runs away when i brake: to describe it, the UV does a nose diving action and bounces back which in a way that only a bolero owner can relish: "its a bolero thing...."

4) You can passively take revenge on any of the family members by asking them to sit in the rear jumper seat and drive over a speed-breaker.

5) Sometime i do get the feel as if i am commanding a Diesel Locomotive. I am not skeptical about the engine sound here team-bhpians, maybe i am referring to the torque.

My fellow bolero owning countrymen do some other value adding adventures like fitting ultra-loud roots horn and play it according to the tune from their ICE, take undeclared slalom tests, fit extra headlamps and charge the on-comer with six halogen lights and so on.

@amartya: Yes the used fusion TDCi is an excellent vehicle, a perfect successor to my ride, but the 'computer in the engine' makes it not so friendly to my mechanic.
His version of CRDi tech: "they put a big cover and hide the engine area so that none can see any minor glitches which may later worsen into a full engine job".

I live in a semi-urban area, and i am afraid of the long term issues of the low displacement, high mileage run CRDi engines.

I'm now eying on the the 2.0L diesel lancer...

[deepfusion]

@ramzsys

Very nice review.

As to Fusion diesel, It is a no-nonsence car, with comfort levels that would in all likelihood make addicted to the car, so much so, that you would want another one for yourself. The ride quality, though on the stiffer side, is still pliant, and very driver friendly.

I myself have deviated from buying Honda City again, which has that great love and passion for the speed breakers, and just rushes to kiss every one of them.

[evo]

Great reading ramzsys, so whats the latest? Did you get your lancer as yet?

[JustCause]

This is by far the most comprehensive thread as far as second hand car buying experience is concerned. You have described almost all 'hot' sellers in low to mid range price while being unbiased. I am also on the lookout for a used car & your thread comes by just as I was aimlessly sitting at the computer. Ramzsys, you have the panache & the perseverance of buying & living with a used automobile. 5 Stars

[Akash.D]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

1)What is this oil dipstick stuff? What to conclude ifoil spills out from it? Local Mech says something about compression.

Alas, I am a decade late but here is my take on this matter .

There are two types of piston rings : compression rings and oil rings. The former is exposed to the hot gases and corrosive atmosphere of the combustion chamber and is responsible for sealing the engine cylinder from the crankcase. The oil ring sits below the compression ring and it scrapes and redirects the oil spilled on the engine cylinder liner from the sump below (also through the gudgeon pin for lubrication).

When there the compression ring doesn't seal the engine properly the hot, high pressure gases get leaked into the crankcase resulting in loss of cylinder pressure (compression) and power output. Now the crankcase is filled with engine oil which gets spilled through the open dipstick port due to the leaking high pressure, high temperature gases from the cylinder above it. In other words, if oil spills from the dipstick hole, it might mean damaged piston rings.

Similarly, if the oil ring has gone kaput, the engine oil gets into the combustion chamber and results in white smoke in the exhaust.

However, this is true for only 4 stroke engines. The 2 stroke engines have been designed to burn engine oil in the combustion chamber which is evidenced by the blue exhaust smoke.