I was hunting for an used car - see
posts here.
2 Sundays back and I was still looking for a car, and then I get a call from the Vasant Kunj FirstChoice guys saying "Sir, there is a Baleno Lxi 2006. You will like it."
I say "Ok..will come down in an hour". Then following the routine that I have established over the last couple of Sundays, I set out by 2 pm to see the car. I carry my cheque book around as well, having gotten sapped and tired by the Delhi heat day in day out, I was on the verge of putting my money down on bullock cart with four wheels if it had an AC.
There is a black colour Baleno which I am given to test drive. First thing I do, is switch on the AC. Perfect! the car is reasonably cooled in 4 minutes in that 2 pm heat. Strike one.
I roll it out. and in third gear, at around 4000 rpm it has hit a ton. Strike two.
There is no noise from anywhere. Strike three.
It is black. Strike four. any colour as long as it is in black. Samurai's old Baleno shot beautifully by Rudra
here and
here had anyways removed all doubts from my mind as to the beauty of this car. And I had always wanted a low slung car.
After hehawing for an hour I finally decide this is it- there can always be problems with cars, and I had anyways rejected a lot of cars, all the tension I was going through was only normal because this was a big expense. Once I figured that out, and was sure it was not some third sense warning me against this particular car, I went back to the yard to check the car in detail, and got one of the First Choice guys to make a note of things I wanted to be fixed before I took delivery.
Needed new tyres. Needed new front bumper. Needed left rear tail lamp. Needed paint touch up. Full interior vacuuming and cleaning. AC gas filling.
Gave Rs. 25k advance and cut from there.
Last Sunday went back to First Choice, this time at 1 pm. They still had not washed the car/vacuumed it. Touch up was still happening in some places. At least tail lamp had been replaced, and some new tyres were there. But they surely didn't need to call me at 1 pm so confidently that all was done.
It took me till 5 pm that I was finally done from there and took delivery of the car. Ripped it till a ton on the empty Vasant Kunj stretch, reached the first petrol pump and filled fuel. And I was ready to go!
This is my first sedan. This is my first time in Delhi. This is my first time in life without a fixed assured parking slot. (Kailash Hills as an area is pathetic for parking.)
I went straight to Elegant at Lajpat Nagar, and fitted an autocop gearlock for Rs. 1100, as these were pre-engine immobiliser cars. Got the remote for central locking replaced for Rs. 700 (Nippon).
The next morning I promptly, as the first thing in the morning, scratched the car while reversing it out. The boot..it is so painful to reverse a sedan!
Car has been driven for 120 km since I got it. I have a feeling that the battery might need to be replaced. Sometimes I get the feeling that cranking of the starter motor is not as sharp as it should be. And once at night, with the lights on, I tried starting the car, and the lights started dimming and it would not crank. I switched off the light, and started the car. Have filled the battery with battery water since then, but I do not have peace of mind.
My new tyres (given by First Choice) seem to be Winter Snow tyres. They are Bridgestone Blizzaks. All google searches tell me that they are awesome for snow
. It was 40 C last i checked the weather reports.
Life seems good now though. Tracy Chapman's baby I got a fast car keeps running through my mind.