[TheHelix0202]

Brilliant thread! That Beemer looks so darn delicious in that Sunset Orange.

You’ve basically got a dream garage right there. Only thing that’s missing (that I’d personally add) is a nice motorcycle or two…..or three.

[subie_socal]

Really nice set of wheels from each category.

Beemer in that orange shade looks gorgeous and unique in the sea of uninspiring white- black (no offense to the people who like/own them )

[abirnale]

Finally finished reading through your thread Robi - I must say, this is an amazing dream garage for someone who appreciates the car and the utility it has - a special one for the special occasion! You are a perfect example of an enthusiast who loves his cars, does meaningful and worthy modifications and yet doesn’t stay tangled in those cars. I had hard time coping up with my first car given away… heck still the recent last car evokes some emotions. The way you have maintained this relationship with your cars is just amazing.

Wishing you many more happy (s)miles on these trio. And my best wishes - I am confident of seeing that dream car of yours in your garage sooner than later Looking forward to more updates on your garage and many more drives together.

Here is a picture from archives to add to your thread:





Thanks again for this brilliant thread.

[Porcupine]

Amazing thread! That's truly an enthusiast's garage. An amazingly curated collection you have there sir! Enjoy the miles in good health!

[XDriver]

Hi Robi, that is some garage you have there. Well though out and perfect in my opinion. A fast sports sedan, a hot hatch and a rugged stylish off road 4X4! Thanks for posting your thoughts on them. A true petrol head !! The price of M340i has gone up by over 5 lacs. Have you had any issues with bumper scraping any of the steep inclines we face in city and overall ground clearance issues with the M340i ?

Enjoy your awesome machines !!

[ramji_or]

That's a tasteful and thoughtful selection of vehicles! I would love to know the shortlist you had before narrowing down to each one of these vehicles.

[kiku007]

That's an awesome garage. Thanks for sharing a crisp report with great pictures. Loved it. Wish you many more happy miles with your cars.

May I ask if you could share a picture of the three cars together?

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Since last 25 years, I have been driving petrol cars (Zen, Alto Vxi, Ford Ikon 1.3 , Ford Fiesta 1.6) and since 2010 I have been a fan of turbo petrol cars. I will always stick to petrol and eventually move to full EV as the infrastructure improves. I will never buy a diesel car.

Some of my past ownership threads include the Laura 1.8 TSI and the Polo GT TSI.

I could relate to that. I've only owned petrol cars and I look forward to getting an EV at some point.

I've owned the Ikon 1.3L, Fiesta 1.6L and wanted to get the Polo, Jetta or Laura/Octavia with TSi engines but I never did. All of them were great cars from a FTD perspective.

P.S: Do you have a thing for sleeper cars?

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Yogi..Reeturaj

That's a pretty sorted garage to me Robi. Nice crisp writeup too...

Thank you Reetu. Will definitely meet up sometime soon.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

As I mentioned before, I always enjoy taking photos of robimahanta's cars..

Thanks a lot AD for the lovely pics. I am pretty sure you have better pictures of my car than what I have .

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

What a 3 car review Robi. Super clear, crisp and it gives people a hint of what goes inside your head..

Thanks KJ. The Thar duplicate key is indeed a cheap and useful hack. Looking forward to seeing you in more drives with us.

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Your 340i blows my mind off, but it's the GTi that tugs the heart!..

It was great meeting you at Arka. Will definitely catch up whenever you are in Bangalore. I love your detailed Thar ownership thread.

Originally Posted by megazoid

Nice garage. Ownership apart, it is the round robin usage that is great to see..

Thanks Megazoid. We should restart our short driving loops soon.

Originally Posted by SolidSnake

What a garage!
Is the ride quality significantly worse compared to 18 inchers? Also, is the ground clearance fine for Bangalore roads?

Thanks. I haven't had any ground clearance issues except for the rare unscientific speed breaker. Having said that I am driving alone 95% of the time and I am extremely careful over bad roads and speed humps.

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Brilliant thread! Only thing that’s missing (that I’d personally add) is a nice motorcycle or two…..or three.

Thanks. Not into motorcycles at all. So I doubt it will ever join the garage.

Originally Posted by subie_socal

Really nice set of wheels from each category.

Thanks a lot

Originally Posted by abirnale

Finally finished reading through your thread Robi - I must say, this is an amazing dream garage for someone who appreciates the car and the utility it has..

Thanks Avi. You guys pushed me to start a thread for regular updates. Looking forward to many more drives with your 7OO and the gang.

Originally Posted by Porcupine

Amazing thread! That's truly an enthusiast's garage. An amazingly curated collection..

Thank you

Originally Posted by XDriver

Hi Robi, that is some garage you have there. Well though out and perfect in my opinion. A fast sports sedan, a hot hatch and a rugged stylish off road 4X4! Thanks for posting your thoughts on them. A true petrol head !! The price of M340i has gone up by over 5 lacs. Have you had any issues with bumper scraping any of the steep inclines we face in city and overall ground clearance issues with the M340i ?
Enjoy your awesome machines !!

Thank you. Yes the pricing hike has been insane the last year or so. Even in the last six months since I bought the Thar, the price has gone up by a lac or so. The 340i almost same like any other G20 with just a 10mm additional drop (with stiffer damping). I haven't had any GC issues.

Originally Posted by ramji_or

That's a tasteful and thoughtful selection of vehicles! I would love to know the shortlist you had before narrowing down to each one of these vehicles.

Thank you. Actually, I didn't have too many cars to shortlist from. It was just the GTI or Cooper S. For the M340i, it was M2C or used M3. Finally, Thar was just the Thar, there isn't any suitable petrol 4x4 as a competition.

Originally Posted by kiku007

That's an awesome garage..
May I ask if you could share a picture of the three cars together?

P.S: Do you have a thing for sleeper cars?

Thanks Kiku. Always wanted all three together in a pic but it has never really happened. Will definitely share it whenever it happens. Glad to know your choice of cars too. And yes I do love sleeper cars. (orange BMW isn't actually sleeper but I didn't have any other colour option at that time).

[ramji_or]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Thank you. Actually, I didn't have too many cars to shortlist from. It was just the GTI or Cooper S. For the M340i, it was M2C or used M3. Finally, Thar was just the Thar, there isn't any suitable petrol 4x4 as a competition.

Good picks again from those tempting choices.

Heart would have beaten faster at the sight of that M3 but would have been too uncomfortable for those long family trips. M340i suits this garage much better as it can serve as a luxury family car as well as the fast sports sedan when you want it to be.

[Santoshbhat]

That is one fantastic garage Robi. Some of the best enthusiasts' cars sold in India .

The GTI was a great buy at that price and what a time to pick it up. There is never going to be a hatchback like that on offer ever again anywhere near that price. I remember you were contemplating buying a Macan Turbo some time back. The M340i + Thar is such a winning combination in place of the Macan.

Great choice of cars, tasteful mods and a very good write up. A treat for us enthusiasts, thank you. Like many here, eagerly looking forward to what's next in Robi's garage

[sambhav.jain]

50th M Anniversary BMW roundrels. Just a fancy gimmick.

Attachment 2321968

Great thread robi!! You really own a dream garage. I have a feeling your next car is going to be a V8 turbo (maybe Italian ) Amazing pictures too!!

Where did you source the 50th Anniversary bmw logos from?

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

That is one fantastic garage Robi. Some of the best enthusiasts' cars sold in India..

Thanks Santosh. We both followed a similar path of upgrade from Laura Tsi days. Loved your detailed GTI review. I was really lucky to get the GTI for a great price.
The next addition to the garage will take a few years and hopefully I can get something special (probably the last IC car for me).

Originally Posted by sambhav.jain

Great thread robi!! You really own a dream garage. I have a feeling your next car is going to be a V8 turbo (maybe Italian )Where did you source the 50th Anniversary bmw logos from?

Thanks Sambhav. V8 Italian sounds a little far fetched for me.

I got the logo’s from BMW India.

[robimahanta]

Minor Update (Thar)

Thar has a dearth of luggage space and since I am driving alone most of the time, I was contemplating removing the rear seats to get a near flat cargo space. Then I came across some rear seat tumble/fold options which seemed like a better option. BHPian Soumobakshi and a few others from the Thar Bengaluru group had already done it and so I decided to try it out too.

The stock situation when the rear seats are folded


The rear seat screws with added (welded) handles/bars for easy removal


Two hinges installed at the front base of the rear seat over the stock mechanism


The rear seat tumbled against the front seats, giving an almost flat cargo area
Covered the seat base with upholstery (velcro) to make it look clean


The additional bungee cords which can be used for support and fixed as one desires. The seat base upholstery was not fixed in this picture.



Finally, easily carrying four 19 inch alloys with tyres for the BMW

[robimahanta]

Minor Update (M340i)

Like I mentioned earlier, I have two sets of tyres and alloys. 18 inch 790M with Michelin PS4 RFT and 19 inch 792M with Pirelli P Zero RFT. I switched my stock tpms sensors and valves from the 18 to 19. Now My 18’s were without tpms. I wanted both the sets to be easily swappable, so started looking for TPMS options. BMW OEM TPMS is atrociously priced and they make a fuss about calibrating two sets for the same car.

I tried my luck with pre-programmed 433Mhz TPMS sensors from Tirerack.com. A good friend carried it from US and it works like a charm with the OEM tpms system. Each sensor comes with a metal valve and the build quality is as good as OEM.

The 433Mhz sensor and valve. Has to preprogrammed for the car model and year while placing the order.


The packaging of the sensors. Made in Germany.




Just set the tire size in the idrive and after the re calibration process, you are good to go. Ignore the pressure values in the pic as the tyre store filled it on the higher side and I ll reduce/adjust as needed.

[sambhav.jain]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Thanks Sambhav. V8 Italian sounds a little far fetched for me.

I got the logo’s from BMW India.

Haha just a little!! A nice 4.4L V8 M5 competition then

Where the logos available over the counter or you had to order them? Price? Part number?

Thanks!!