[WindRide]

Hi,
My parents are settled in Palakkad town in Kerala.
My father wants to buy a 2nd hand Ambassador. These are the reasons why he feels Ambassador is the best bet:
1. should comfortably seat 6 adults (parents, 2 sons, 2 DILs and kids) during drives of 4-6 hours duration around Palakkad - once every 3/4 months.
2. dependable.
2. cheap to maintain - labour and spares.
3. He plans to have this around for a considerable period of time. So resale is not an issue.
4. Since the running will be low (just the planned long drives with the whole family and occassional run abouts for my parents), he might even consider using it as a private taxi on ad-hoc basis.
4. Exclusivity - he does not want to seen driving "yet another" jap car.

Budget is max 1.5 lacs. We all love amby and wish to get one.
1. What are the chances of getting a "good" condition diesel amby for the above budget? What engine choices?
2. If not amby, which other car will satisfy his conditions? All modern sedans can set 5 adults and not 6 (?).

Thanks,
WR

[GTO]

I'd say, if you up your budget by a little, a used Indigo (a.k.a. "modern" ambassador) will fall right into your lap. Far more modern, powerful, great backseat and better to drive. I would highly recommend an Indigo to your folks over an Ambassador.

[AirWind]

Unless he up's his budget by 2x he cant get a good Indigo and that wouldnt seat 6 per his expectations (the amby's front bench can seat 3 with the hand gear lever).

Look around in Coimbatore (TN 37/38 license) for a well maintained 1.8 or 2 litre Isuzu dieseled Amby's or even trekkers, must fit your budget but may not seat 6 as it has floor shift and bucket seats up front. Dont buy the Matador engined Ambys or the diesel'd Fiats, there are next to scrap.

If you want a KL vehicle, better stick to a Mahindra, it meets all your requirements with a little compromise on comfort.

[McLaren Rulez]

This is a difficult call but try and get a Maruti Versa. It is reliable, cheap to maintain and seats six. Spares aren't a problem since the Versa is still in production but do double check this aspect. Second hand versions are dirt cheap too. The difficulty will be in finding one though.

If you can't get a Versa, buy an Omni. It'll do the job very well although its not too safe and pretty uncomfortable in the hot Palakkad weather. But if you can live with that, this will be a decent option.

Try and steer clear of Ambys. They're just too old and you'll be much happier with a more modern car. Plus, Ambys aren't reliable. They are simple to fix yes, but they do breakdown often. A Maruti will be far more reliable.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by AirWind

Unless he up's his budget by 2x he cant get a good Indigo and that wouldnt seat 6 per his expectations (the amby's front bench can seat 3 with the hand gear lever).

Ambi with column mounted gearlever will be very difficult to find and will be very old. I think the ambis with column mounted levers were made till 1990-91, though I may be wrong.

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Try and steer clear of Ambys. They're just too old and you'll be much happier with a more modern car. Plus, Ambys aren't reliable. They are simple to fix yes, but they do breakdown often. A Maruti will be far more reliable.

Cannot agree to this, we had Ambassadors for ages in our family and they were quite reliable. IMO it all depends on the maintenance of the car.

[thegame]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

This is a difficult call but try and get a Maruti Versa. It is reliable, cheap to maintain and seats six. Spares aren't a problem since the Versa is still in production but do double check this aspect. Second hand versions are dirt cheap too. The difficulty will be in finding one though.

If you can't get a Versa, buy an Omni. It'll do the job very well although its not too safe and pretty uncomfortable in the hot Palakkad weather. But if you can live with that, this will be a decent option.

Try and steer clear of Ambys. They're just too old and you'll be much happier with a more modern car. Plus, Ambys aren't reliable. They are simple to fix yes, but they do breakdown often. A Maruti will be far more reliable.

+ 1 to this. A Versa in decent condition will fit your requirements like a T. Though a Jap car, there are not many on the road. So exclusivity shouldn't be a problem.

Given the options we have today buying a used Amby makes sense only if you have a "desire" to own an Amby. Otherwise there are better practical options.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Try and steer clear of Ambys. They're just too old and you'll be much happier with a more modern car. Plus, Ambys aren't reliable. They are simple to fix yes, but they do breakdown often. A Maruti will be far more reliable.

I don't know how far this is true, I'm an Amby owner and have driven by Amby over 12k km's without a single breakdown, and have gone places where other cars would have broken down.

[nairanupg]

Musicmanaman has a valid point there...
Everytime i travel to calcutta on business the Amby takes me around. Stuck up a friendship of sorts with a few drivers and they are unanimous in their verdict that; the thing is rock solid. but again Amby in todays day an age is a very emotional decision. Dnt knw how practical it would be; besides who would sell you a good condition Amby that does not make you spend a lot of your time fixing up things with the mechanic. People hold on to the Amby still if they can. It still commands respect on the road man.
Suggest you go for a good condition Indigo XL. an easier vehicle to find and a modern engine to boot.

[McLaren Rulez]

Sure a well maintained Amby might be reliable but when buying used, that's not worth the risk. Do you really expect Amby owners to use anyone but roadside mechanics to fix their car? And if the mechanic messed up, it'll be a perennial headache. Besides, Maruti's USP is reliable dependable transport.

[WindRide]

After much discussions, looks like it will be an Amby and nothing else. Blame it on nostalgia and a royal presence on road. We are going by heart, no doubt.

There are recommendations for the Indigo. Don't see how it can seat 6 adults (the most important criterio of all. Father had ruled out a used Premier Padmini due to this issue).

Yes, getting hold of a well-maintained, column mounted gearlever model (i can dream right?!) is going to be a big task.

@AirWind - Yes, Coimbatore would be a good hunting ground for ambys. Palakkad being a border town, running a TN amby should not have issues. How about Trichur ? Heard there is a good 2nd-hand market there?

Also we had a mechanic saying ambys come in matador, BMC and Isuzu -based engines. We have never heard of BMC-ed Amby. Is he pulling a fast one?

Can someone help me with a ballpark figure for a used Amby based for various number of years of usage?

[manikjeet]

i would suggest look at the contessa also as they both share same engine and can seat 4 people easily at the rear and two in the front and i know it may sound a little out of place but the contessa is modern car compare to an amby

other option for both the cars is

buy a petrol contessa/ amby petrol (will come very cheapmay be 25-50k) buy the 2400cc turbo isuzu engine(around 35K) and then plant it in

suggest you buy the vehicle at state government auctions

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by WindRide

After much discussions, looks like it will be an Amby and nothing else. Blame it on nostalgia and a royal presence on road. We are going by heart, no doubt...

...this brings back memories of our first car, a used petrol Amby.

Originally Posted by WindRide

...Also we had a mechanic saying ambys come in matador, BMC and Isuzu -based engines. We have never heard of BMC-ed Amby. Is he pulling a fast one?...

The mechanic is right...there used to be Ambys with BMC engines. They were supposed to be more fuel-efficient than the Matador engine. Avoid the Matador-engined Ambys...though the power is higher, the wear and tear especially on the clutch is more, since they are not matched for each other.

Of course, your best bet now would be to look for an Amby with Isuzu engine in it (endorsed in RC also).

[dmaheshkumar]

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