[dsuman]

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post5288721

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post5289690

The above pictures and links shall give you a fair idea. The car is in a Vijayawada Police Station and the Police have cleared the vehicle to be taken away if required since there was no 3rd party involved

Background: This is a Mahindra Quanto bought in May 2013. I used it for 8 years, 1,30,000 kms and sold it off to my cousin in September 2021. The car met with an accident on 31 March. My cousin and family are ok now. My cousin was lazy enough to neglect taking insurance. Now he wants to salvage the car, repair it and use it.

Since for Automobiles I am the go to person in my Family, my cousin reached out to me.

My suggestions and warnings:

1. The A Pillar and roof are damaged. Not advisable to restore it. Sell the working parts to a Garage.
2. The shape cannot be restored to factory original. Hell we dont even know if the car will travel in straight line.
3. We don't know what problems the engine and related components will show.
4. Buy an old Jeep body and put in Quanto Engine and Gearbox and use it.
5. Convert Quanto to Open top and use it just like a Jeep.

His Rational is
1. Its his first car.
2. He lost his mother in that car so he wants to keep it as a memory.
3. His family will never allow him to buy any other car in his lifetime but he understands the importance of carrying his family in a 4 wheeler than multiple 2 wheelers.
4. He treats Quanto with extreme respect. He still believes and says "It was Quanto which saved his family from Death. If it had not been a high vehicle, all of them would have perished". If I had not sold him my Quanto he would have bought a swift for which he had paid an advance and cancelled.
5. He is a farmer and wants to atleast use the car for carrying Farm Produce etc. He also owns a Tent House Supply Business so it can be put to use there as well.

I have told him it will be best we leave the car to Rest In Peace but he wants to bring it back to life.

So guys what are the possibilities assuming he will use it on Rural Roads and in his Farmlands/Tent House Supplies.

Also the car is still on my name so once the car is restored can it be registered on my Cousin's name albeit with modifications. I was contemplating canceling registration but now its a new dilemma for me.

[Kosfactor]

Salvage whatever that can be from this vehicle , remaining parts can be either taken from another damaged vehicle or new parts can be ordered.

You can restore the frame as well as the body with parts or you can buy the bare body and frame separately, either used or new. Utility vehicles especially from Mahindra will never be condemned, some one or the other will renew it and use them.

Once repaired properly it will drive like any other vehicle , noone will know the difference.

[Maverick5490]

Rather than a memory, it will be a grim reminder of what happened. The damage is way too much and not worth bringing the vehicle back to life.

[IshaanIan]

I am sorry but having read about the accident from all your posts and your statement about him not even taking insurance, I feel that your cousin should ideally be banned from driving itself. Sounds like an extremely careless and negligent person from whatever I have read. Or atleast someone who does not fully appreciate what it means to drive a vehicle, share the road appropriately with other users and transport people responsibly. I mean is it not criminal to be roaming around without insurance?

As for restoring the Quanto, it looks to be impossible from the photos but you will be surprised what a good independent garage can do so perhaps if one is hell-bent on using it, take it to the most reputed independent garage in your part of the country and have them sort it out.

[batish]

I'd suggest to sell it off. It's already 9 years old and now in dilapated condition. The amount he'll spent on restoring it, he can probably buy a pre-owned similar vehicle. Due to 10 year rule he can find ample of well maintained cars in excellent condition in Delhi NCR.

If he decides to get everything done from ASC the figure will run into six digits easily. Still the structure could not be trusted. Whatever his ideas are, I think they are not worth it.

He is acting emotionally since it is his first car. If he gets work done from a garage chances are he'll probably spend half the time after repair at garage itself. Even after repairs it won't be the same especially safety wise, squeaks and rattles would be endless.

Keeping a vehicle which took near and dear one's life, doesn't seem like a good idea.

[anjan_c2007]

Since you are based in Vijaywada there should be a Mahindra dealer there. Dealers have a good networking with other dealers for the same company especially in the vicinity. You can show photographs of the Quanto to the dealer and talk to him about resurrecting the machine. If he says it will be OK and if the budget suits your cousin the Quanto can be shifted to the Mahindra dealer's premises. He can be requested to source spares either from his dealership or from neighbouring dealers possibly including Chennai (where there are better chances to procure body panels and other spares). There could be a chance that a full spare body is also available though in some repairable condition. The Quanto can be surely brought back to life and since your cousin is too attached to it, let him explore all options.

[ajmat]

Dont even go there! Whatever emerges will be unsafe and cost far more money.

Whatever you spend as a memory would be better spent in a charitable gesture in the name of your cousins mother - sponsoring a child or renovating a school. Those have perpetuity, the rebuilt Quote might be dead on arrival!

[nitkel]

First, the car is heavily damaged and the accident has already resulted in the loss of one family member.
Secondly, even if restored it will have questionable safety.
So rather than staying on as a "memory", this car has all the potential to become the "grim reaper" instead.
It's served it's purpose and now it's time to scrap it. Please convince your cousin to leave aside all the emotions and to make a rational decision.

[ninjatalli]

9 year old vehicle with nearly 150,000 kms on the odometer. In a huge accident that was heavily and structurally damaged. With family member(s) brutally hit & lost in that accident. With a driver who oversped, didn't renew his insurance, didn't get his passengers to follow rules and wear seatbelts.

That is a recipe for disaster. I have no idea on the financial hit your cousin is going to take to get this car back to a running state but he would probably get a used Quanto with an additional lakh thrown in over the repair cost (or a decent similar sized used car/van). Given his requirements are basic (/Farm work related), several other vehicles will suit his requirements. Please give him the right advice and do not let him put his and his family members again in trouble. As far as I can see, you rightfully can lead him on making safer decisions than just answering his immediate automobile queries.

[libranof1987]

Please don't repair this car. It doesn't look repairable anyway - everything seems to need to be replaced, including the chassis. A nine year old car, and at your cost? Not even if you have a million bucks just lying there.

Instead, advise your cousin to channel the energy and money into something productive. If nothing else, charity in the memory of his mother.

[aargee]

I'm reminded of an old hearsay about an incident from 90s on restoring a totaled vehicle. Pls allow me to share it

Man from distant neighborhood buys a gleaming used Rx100, keeps commuting on it. One day meets with an accident; it was collision with truck (details unknown), bike nearly totaled, but he survives miraculously. Feels sentiment that the bike saved his life; pumps in fresh parts, gives a new life to Rx & keep riding.

He meets with another accident; this time, bike survived near unscathed, he passes away. The Rx was collecting dust in Police custody for over 2 years; friends who used to commute that way kept lamenting that there're no takers for that poor Rx & even made jokes that the Rx is jailed for murdering the owner.

Years later got to know through a casual conversation that the 1st owner who sold the Rx had met with an accident & recovered unscathed & the bike was nearly totaled!!

[Saint_Krish]

You can salvage the engine and put it in a small truck so that he can drive it around with the farm produce, fertilizer etc. It can be some sort of old jeep like you said or some custom body on an old chasis.
Please do not advice him to repair this mangled car and get it back on the road.
Just because it has sentimental value, maybe just try to give the heart of the vehicle a new life.

[Raghu M]

That's an unfortunate incident. Very sad to see someone in that situation. Coming to your question, if I were the person, I wouldn't look back once at the car. I was in a similar situation (everyone safe after the impact) but felt weak just looking at my car again. I didn't want to even touch it.

The car is pretty badly damaged but there are ace FNGs that can bring it back to life (duration of at least 2 months to procure all parts etc.). Since the person will not be allowed to by another car because of this incident, it looks logical to repair this one. BUT, if the family is really that worried, they would be under pressure every time the chap is behind the wheel. My advice would be - sell of whatever can be salvaged, wait for a while, let things settle down and then there can be a discussion of a new car. Time heals everything, this phase should pass.

[BharathXUV700]

My recommendation also would be to advice your cousin to let go of emotions and part with the vehicle. Its badly damaged and getting it back to running condition will surely cost more than buying a good used example.

Also, for future reference, please do not sell a vehicle and not get the name transferred to the buyers name (even if it is to a close family member or friend). You should thank your stars that the accident did not involve anything more serious or else you would have been caught up in unneccessary hurdles.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by dsuman

My suggestions and warnings:

1. The A Pillar and roof are damaged. Not advisable to restore it. Sell the working parts to a Garage.
2. The shape cannot be restored to factory original. Hell we dont even know if the car will travel in straight line.
3. We don't know what problems the engine and related components will show.
4. Buy an old Jeep body and put in Quanto Engine and Gearbox and use it.
5. Convert Quanto to Open top and use it just like a Jeep.

The Quanto being a body on frame construction, you could procure a complete body and a complete frame (chassis), to assemble the car again and use it safely. The frame needs to be new, and would cost you over 1 lakh INR (https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-fram..._2wd-33070974/). Total repair cost would probably be upward of 3 lakh INR. However, you can pick up a good used Quanto for a lot less from Delhi (for under 2 lakh INR) (https://www.olx.in/delhi_g4058659/cars_c84/q-quanto) including transfer of registration and cost of transporting it back home. Or, even cheaper, get a de-registered Quanto from Delhi-NCR, and transfer / graft the registration, engine & chassis numbers of the current car to the other car.