[vredesbyrd]

Restore it. If you could put aside some extra funding, there's this shady mod shop in Ludhiana (from a youtuber's channel) who've put in an Isuzu 2.5L an a 6 speed torque converter in a Gypsy.

There are endless possibility as long as you could keep it away from NGT's disgusting eyes.

[apachelongbow]

Here is an idea. Why not restore only the body, the interior and the chassis and then convert this into an EV?

[asit.kulkarni93]

Recently a friend contacted me when he saw his dad’s ex-Tata Safari. It was given to him by his office (late 90s to mid 2000s) and once the lease was over, the car was sold. My friend grew up with the car and was thinking of gifting it to his dad on his retirement in 2023. The idea sounds lovely but to start off these Tata cars were far from reliable in their stock form. The car right now is 250 kms away from Pune and the current owner has done tons of jugaad to keep it running. Keeping the financials aside, this car would be nothing more than a show piece at home. The last MT they had home was sold off in 2008. I doubt he will be comfortable using a MT vehicle now. My friend has thankfully given up on the Safari but he is on the look out for other cars owned by his dad. I have asked him to stick to global Japanese or German products only. Nothing beyond that. I would suggest you scrap the Estate too.

[Nilesh5417]

If it was a Sierra - maybe, just maybe a yes. Or maybe even then no in that condition. You don't need to scrap it, it already is.

Besides you don't seem to have any attachment , it isn't a collector's car and Estate was never a great car even when it was launched. So you really aren't going to enjoy it even if you restore it. If you just need a beater car, you got many options in that 3.5lakhs that will run reliably. Let it go i say.

[IP_Man]

Even if you put life in to this monster, will it be practical to drive/park such a big long car in today's chaotic traffic?

After owning full size SUV, I'm in firm belief that Indian roads and parking places are designed for small cars only.

[sudanmohit]

Voted scrapping

Actually it all depends on what you want to do with it after restoration. If its an emotional attachment angle, then nobody can argue against it. Emotional decisions have their own reasons and it's like a supreme court verdict. But the history of giving it away is not in favour of emotional part.

Other than that, i can't think of any other reason to put any money or effort to restore it. It won't land up in a vintage car collection or a daily commute car. So even if you restore it, it'll possibly just lie in your garage .

So my vote for scrapping it now

[EvilZombie]

Voted to scrap it.

You did mention in one of the posts that you are already retaining 2 other cars purely for emotional attachment. Adding one more to the list will only end up increasing your load of upkeep and maintenance. They also require a lot of time and care, and even after all of that, you may not really enjoy driving this one. Having a well maintained 30 year old car is a delicious proposition and can be very tempting, but do take into consideration how much time and money you can invest to look after her.

[akkosetto]

The vehicle does seem to be in a bad condition, to make it road legal without shelling out significant sum would be extremely difficult.

However, an Estate is unique enough vehicle and I understand the reasoning behind not scrapping it either.

How about a slightly unconventional approach (assuming you have enough space) -

1. Sell engine and drivetrain for scrap
2. Do a restoration of shell alone and repurpose the vehicle to something like a Garden shed / Billiards table / Swimming pool / Water tank / Bed / Gaming simulator etc.

There are lot of examples online and some shop doing welding / upholstery should be able to help with that.

[Aviator_guy]

Scrap, scrap, scrap! Given that the car was not paid attention to for a long time, was left in the open battering elements and you don't have real need to drive it around. Honestly, I do not find a solid reason to spend lakhs of money on something which you could live without for so long. Tata estate was not any great iconic model anyway so just doesn't justify the expense now to make it into a showpiece.

[W.A.G.7]

Sentimental value or not, the car is already beyond repair. As much as I can see, restoring it would be only a waste of your hard earned money. Just deregister it and scrap it; and move on. That thing is already dead, you won’t be able to do anything about it. I voted for scrapping the car.

[Shonith]

It all comes down to you. How you feel about it. You may get a lot of suggestions and advice but ultimately it's how you feel about the car and its future. Money may come and go, cars may come and go. But this Tata Estate do you want to keep it or let it go.

[messershtig]

First the opinion you're looking for - No. That's because you're not in love with it and cost is the deciding factor. Restoring it to original specs will still only yield a car which has reliability issues which were common in Tata cars back then.That is a lot of money to just reach that point .
If you can afford to, I'd suggest a sleeper resto-mod - something like an E-Class 4Matic estate or RS4. With the space and practicality of an estate, it will be a great touring car. All the advantages of having a Tata Estate - which to me looks amazing - with none of the disadvantages of the old model. Of course, a resto-mod will be more expensive. Phasing it could give you something to love for years to come (provided the laws allow retaining such old cars). I'd start with the bones, get good rust proofing and electrical reliability before the interiors and the engine.

[midazolam]

Since you are emotionally connected with it, I’d suggest you to try to restore it. But as suggested by others, should be done in steps. It will look great once restored and can be used as an when you visit you ancestral place.

[lemedico]

Email Tata motors, maybe they'd like to take it up and do it?

[Gurkeerat Singh]

Rightfully pointed out by fellow members; you’ve to acknowledge the fact that it’s gonna cost you a whole lot of time and money. You should love the car a lot in order to bare with those two. If of course you do it then be certain that the results are going to be awesome!