[arnav17]

Hello BHPians,

Trust all is well. Posting this on behalf of BHPian hondasamarth12 as he is still not very experienced with posting on Team-BHP, which he admits .
The following are in his words :

We have a Tata Sumo Gold, 2013 model owned by my grandfather, and it has done roughly around 75000 km. After his passing, the car has been used, but not as much as before and there are many issues which have developed. Requesting BHPians to comment on the following issues:

1) Left headlight working only on low beam.
2) Engine head gone.
3) Only 3 cylinders firing.
4) Wheel alignment not working because the link rod is bent.
5) Gear bush connecter has cracked resulting in crazy vibrations on the gear lever.
6) Only High mounted stop lamp comes on.
7) A/C compressor has rusted and leaks gas. Gas lasts only 3-4 months, so the A/C practically doesn't work.
8) None of the dashboard lights light up like A/C switch light, speedo light etc.
9) Idles very rough and RPMs keep fluctuating.
10) The radiator fan runs non-stop as soon as the car is started.
11) Both front right and rear suspensions have gone for a toss.
12) Engine oil pump is failing.
13) Engine oil sump has a small crack/hole and car leaks oil.
14) Car vibrates a lot when lifting off from a stop, making it irritating in stop and go traffic.
15) Front engine cover or guard is broken and dangling.
16) The drain part of the roof has rusted and cracked.
17) Steering rack has gone for a toss and requires rotation multiple times and effort for even simple U-turns.
18) Emits black smoke whenever you use the engines might while overtaking etc.
19) The windows leak because the beading is gone.

The car is still used for short runs and is still in running condition despite the above problems. Request BHPians to help me choose one of the following options:

a) Sell it. It's gone too far.
b) Get repairs done and bring it back to running condition on a minimal budget.

Thanks to all in advance.

[condor]

Too much work on that. Looks like bad maintenance work at which ever garage the Sumo goes to. My Sumo Victa TCIC ran butter smooth till I sold it prematurely @ 7yrs / 78k km. And after that the last update was it had done 2L and going good.

This Gold is now no longer gold. It is too much work and money to get it back into shape - especially wont meet the minimal budget criteria. And selling it wont get much. Considering it is not a mainstream family car, it may be better to let it go for what ever it fetches. Do make sure of the transfer formalities to avoid hassles in future.

[Rajeev1]

Arnav / Hondasamarth12 - The moot point is whether you want to retain the vehicle and keep using it for the next 5-10 years and I am assuming that you have the resources, garage space etc. to retain it. Based on my assumption I have voted "get in repaired"

- Sumo is an iconic vehicle and you maybe owning a piece of history 10 years down the line.
- Parts are easy to come by and the vehicle is cheap to fix (compared to more modern cars)
- Value of money running this after a refurb as compared to going for a newer vehicle

Cheers!

[MT_Hyderabad]

Sell it, will help someone.

I would have decided to sell it halfway while writing this post.

These are just present issues, reoccurrence and new issues will be further adding insult to injury.

[greenhorn]

I think the key question is
1. does someone want it badly
2. does that someone deserve it?

From your description, it sounds like whoever has been using it has skimped on basic maintenance and more or less trashed it. Generally I am a fan of keeping older cars running, but In this case I am getting the feeling that it doesn't have a good home to go to.
Whoever has it, can't/won't fix it, and old tatas tend to need repairs every 6 months or so. (check my indica ownership thread). Even if you restore it, I am getting the feeling that its gonna get run to the ground. Unlike the qualis, Sumo fans are few and far in between.

My question is Why are you even thinking of keeping it? If you have a sentimental attachment, and a bottomless pit of money to keep it running, then yes. Else no.

[for_cars1]

Age wise and mileage wise, it doesn't sound too old. However condition wise, it sounds horrible and needs ICU level treatment with less chance of getting restored to an optimal condition.
Doesn't make sense to spend on an old vehicle. It will be a money pit.

The logical option is to sell it off in as-is condition for peace of mind.

[saikishor]

I would suggest to scrap the vehicle. Too many headaches to deal with in current state and it is an old Tata afterall. Wouldn't suggest selling as the new owner would have to deal with too much and also the usual ownership transfer shenanigans. 3 cylinders firing, engine head work, those electrical issues, allignment. Too much work. Scrap it and make peace with it.

[NomadSK]

With this condition of the mechanicals, I would envisage the tyres and brakes are also not maintained in healthy condition, hence it’s highly unsafe to drive such car on public roads, don’t drive it even for short runs for the safety of others on the road !

Sell it to some enthusiast who can bring it to safe life, else just scrap it. Not worth so much of headache.

[GTO]

The Sumo is a 30-year old design now! Too old, too outdated and this particular example clearly needs a lot of work. Its lived its life with your friend, now only one thing to do = SELL.

[Oppanna]

Let me ask you 2 questions first to understand better

1. Are you emotionally attached to the vehicle?

2. Are you OK to sell It for whatever price it fetches?


If I were you, I would have restored it and kept it as a runner. Sumo is a good vehicle provided it is maintained well.

These days you hardly find a good running Sumo on the road. I am pretty sure that a competent garage will be able to bring it back to glory and keep it running.

[ike]

Unless you have a strong reason/justification to spend money on it, I'd suggest selling the car. Engine, suspension & rust will need substantive time, money & effort to restore. It's clear that the car is not running much which means there really isn't a use case for the car to be restored & retained.

[PrasannaDhana]

As an ex owner of a pristine Tata Sumo Gold 3.0L, here is why I think a Sumo gold is not a good car

1. It's cramped. Pathetic middle row legroom. Driver seat is also a cramped area.

2. Interiors are extremely cheap and utilitarian

3. That 3.0L 85 bhp diesel is very unrefined and returns pathetic fuel efficiency

4. The ride comfort is nothing to talk about

5. It's a brick aerodynamically and is not suited for highway speeds. The engine runs out of breath at 120 kmph


Today, even a perfectly working Sumo Gold is a bad choice. The OP's car seems like something that needs to be disposed off, asap.


I have had over two dozen cars in last 2 decades, only a few of them I didn't enjoy owning. One of them is this-

[Venkatesh.C]

If you can keep it for its vintage, restore it, not matter the costs. Else sell it

[Newtown]

Originally Posted by arnav17

a) Sell it. It's gone too far.
b) Get repairs done and bring it back to running condition on a minimal budget.

1. If not an entire engine rebuild, valves, seals & other gaskets.
2. Engine mounts
3. New AC compressor
4. Tie rods, sway bars, shocks

You could get her back on the road IF:

1. The engine is inspected and does not need more than valves, seals and gaskets
2. RUST - This you will need to elaborate on. Have your checked the frame and other pat of the body? No matter how good everything is, don't bother doing anything if the rust has spread too much. You need to determine this.

Else I would say 1.5 to 2 lakhs and it could be on the road if you want it for sentimental value .

[anjan_c2007]

Not voted though, as I can sense people's sentiments attached with their family heirlooms. If you have such an attachment full of sentiments for your grandfather's Sumo, you can go ahead to get it back on wheels, fully cured. Spares and repairs are easy to come by as most present generation mechanics know the Sumo in and out. If any mechanic with about 10-20 years in the trade has not repaired a Sumo, he may need a reorientation training.

The flip side is that it's a Tata from its early years in business and more niggles are bound to come up sooner or later. Hence, if there are no sentiments attached you can sell it off, though to develop the art of selling old Tata cars , we may require a new thread for elaborate discussions. The marketing savvy and street smart approaches do not work, because per se its an old Tata. Hence the seller has to be very patient and cool after advertising it online, on a used car platform. Offers like Rs 10K to 50K abound and swarm our mailbox. These are mostly posted by unscruplous traders, and need to be taken with many pinches of salt.