[cefiljoseph]

Hello all,

Hope everyone enjoyed the (Holi)days!

I am writing this thread to harness the collective wisdom of our community to decide on how to simplify the garage we have at home. We currently have four cars most of which are ageing. We put our best efforts into maintaining them but we aren't getting enough opportunities to use the cars which in some cases cause problems. Here are the cars we have and their respective concerns.

Current Cars with their contexts

2013 Fortuner AT 4x2 - Bought new in 2013 and immaculately maintaned at Toyota. It is the official family car at home in Kerala. Everyone at home loves it. Even in its 11th year, it costs peanuts to keep it running with just the dealership and not even once had to visit a shop other than for annual service. Still as good as new. The constraint her is - absolutely not selling it. This is decided and set in stone.

2007 Mercedes E-klasse W211 E280 CDI (15-year old Mercedes E280 CDI W211 Review | Buying & Ownership | Curiosity meets the forbidden fruit) - Arguably the most desirable car of the bunch. It was a lifelong dream to get a star as I have mentioned in the detailed thread. My dad got it when I was working in Mumbai and we user it there, largely maintained in Mercedes and lately in Wagenwerkz, Mumbai. Last year I joined a programme in Mohali for higher studies and consequently took her home to Kerala. (Dieselhead Dream: Mumbai to Kerala in a Mercedes E280 CDI (W211)). Post homecoming, we have done even more of preventative work from M Star Motors in Kochi. However, since I and not home and my dad doesn't get the time to use the car, she has been throwing an error or two lately. This is one of the primary reasons we are looking to simplify the garage. Despite painstakingly maintaining the car to the best of our abilities, we are not able to use it and hence it's not a good use of our time and money. Still better than almost every car in the country. As much as I believe that this is perhaps the best Mercedes one can buy today in India, keeping it parked is not serving it right.

2017 Maruti Dzire AMT VXi - It's the car my mother drives and she doesn't drive any other car despite me telling her to and even making her drive the car. Interestingly, we booked the car right on the day it was launched in Kerala without even test driving it and it was the first Dzire of the current gen to be delivered in our district if not the state. This is the only car I don't like at home. Credit where its due, it is reliable, comfortable and economical basically everything an average person looks for in a car. However, in my eyes it is a boring car and I have been asking my mother to sell it since I can remember. Being her first car, she likes it so much which I understand. My only concern is the AMT module going kaput as it is nearing 7 years.

2005 E120 Toyota Corolla 1.8 (Life with a 9th Generation Toyota Corolla (E120) | Ownership Review | Coco's Adventures) - My favourite car owing to the fact that it is my first car. Still remember how I moved into this empty apartment in Mumbai and was living out of a suitcase, Coco was among the first things I got. There wasn't even a chair in my apartment so the only time I 'sat' in a chair was when I drove Coco back then. Having this shining corolla in the parking made life exponentially better and keeps me always happy. Requires quite a bit of upkeep. Currently stays in Mumbai. Whenever my dad is there in Mumbai which is usually like a week every month, he uses it. I have preventively fixed almost everything with it. Have done many road trips (Drop & Disappear | Four friends on a road-trip to the Sahyadris)and it is a favourite for me and anyone who has travelled in it. Definitely has a charm to it which I haven't seen with any other car. It's not a logical car to keep running considering the fuel economy paired with my driving plus the prices of spares which is even higher than Mercedes sometimes when taken relative to the cars current value. However, being maintained by me, I don't mind the costs at all considering the value I derive from Coco. Selling this would be utterly stupid in my opinion for two big reasons.First, I haven't seen such well made car ever, even the W124 which everyone raves about would be ranked a notch lower than the 9th gen corolla. It even has better interiors than the C-classes and E-classes of the time. Second, despite it being maintained well, it would fetch practically next to nothing if sold today. Would be the worst deal for me in the history of deals


Having these four cars have created a need for serious commitment for the cars. It means keeping track of tyres for every car and in case of W211 the tyre sensors as well. That is 16+4 tyres to watch out, 4 insurance renewals in a year. 4 fast tags to top-up. 8 pollution renewals in a year, other investments like detailing, parking, washing and all the miscellaneous expenses that comes with it.

Moreover, the average car is 13 years old and while I trust the cars, the risk of governments pulling a fast one on us cannot be avoided however unlikely it may be. Hence, we are considering selling one or two cars from the lot and maybe replacing it. We also have a 2013 RE Classic 500 and 2010 Honda Aviator to run errands which further brings down the usage of these cars for running the daily errands.


Options I can think of

1. The most straightforward option - Sell W211. Although it's been a dream car, not driving it isn't doing justice to the car and causing niggles as it sits. This was not the case when I was there and used to drive her every other day if not every day.

2. Exchange W211 for an older Merc which doesn't require to be used everyday but more on a weekly basis. Thinking of a W123/W124. We did test drive some of these when buying the W211 but my father didn't like these owing to the difficulty in driving them and the lack of speed/comfort relative to a modern car. My family also doesn't like these classics.

3. Exchange W211 and Dzire for a Jimny - This is one of the rare instances where we like a car that is on sale currently. My family also likes it. The salesman are trying every trick in the book to sell it with discounts and whatnot. It's a great fit. It is definitely not as powerful as the W211 yet unlocks a new dimension for us and everyone loves the car in family.

4. Do nothing - suck it up. Keep the show running. Wait until I finish my programme and be back in the workforce/start a business which will almost certainly happen in the coming year. I can take care of W211 along with Coco. It will take a big hit on my finances but I practically go to work for my cars to have a good life (hehe) so I don't mind. The rational part of me however knows that it's a stupid decision.

P.S. - replacing these with with any other new car is not an option. I don't see any value in new cars without spending like I don't know a crore or something which is insane. Not to mention the fact that cars except the Dzire are icons in their own rights and can't really be replaced with their modern counterparts without taking a hit in quality or financially or mostly both. Moreover, in the last few years, I have also grown to realise that time is the most important resource we have and what we must be optimising things for. Even tho we can afford the maintenance, we are finding it increasingly hard to get the time to take care of all the cars. Furthermore, having fewer cars mean the cars we have receive better attention and thus is return stays for even longer. After all peace of mind is the biggest luxury

These are the cars with their respective contexts and the options I have thought about. Would love to hear your thoughts

[OpenRoads]

Congratulations on owning such nice cars. It seems you have loved and cared for these cars with all your heart. But in my view your post can be summarized to 'Problem of plenty'. You have the means and resources but do not have the need.

So here's my thought.
1. Upgrade your mother's car with something she would be able to relate with the Swift dezire however it shouldn't be big and cumbersome. Automatic for sure but compact and easy to drive with latest bells and whistle (Honda city CVT?).

2. The rest of the three seems to be doing well. So take your pick and sell the rest. Hoping the Fortuner will survive.

[padmrajravi]

I would sell the Corolla and Dzire to get a Jimny AT. You mom will be happy with JImny AT for her local commutes. It is as narrow as the Dzire with a better driver view and better AT. The Corolla is special, but you already have another Toyota that will survive the apocalypse. Does not make sense to keep the Corolla. This would leave you with the Fortuner for long drives, Jimny as mom's city car and the Mercedes as a fun project car.

[Haze]

Originally Posted by cefiljoseph

Hello all,

Last year I joined a programme in Mohali for higher studies

Was this an MBA program from ISB Mohali? Would you mind posting reviews about this either here or in https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ba-thread.html (The Indian / Foreign MBA thread)

Anyways, I think the dzire has to stay. If someone likes what they have, you dont need to tell them to get rid of it just because you dont like it.
You like the Corolla so it has to stay, but your mom likes the Dzire, so it can be sold? What kind of double standards are these?

Sell the E class IMO. Too old.

[cefiljoseph]

Originally Posted by Haze

Was this an MBA program from ISB Mohali? Would you mind posting reviews about this either here or in https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ba-thread.html (The Indian / Foreign MBA thread)

Hello, thank you for the response. I am pursuing this programme called Technology Leaders Fellowship at Plaksha University in Mohali. I'll definitely write about it perhaps once the programme is over so I can provide a better perspective! Thank you for that suggestion.

Originally Posted by Haze

Anyways, I think the dzire has to stay. If someone likes what they have, you dont need to tell them to get rid of it just because you dont like it.
You like the Corolla so it has to stay, but your mom likes the Dzire, so it can be sold? What kind of double standards are these?

Sell the E class IMO. Too old.

I would like to clarify here. Both of us love the corolla and Dzire respectively. However, the reason I didn't suggest selling corolla is simply because it will fetch practically nothing today and won't aid in another purchase. Hence why I said it's a terrible deal. Dzire on the other hand practically sells for close to its MRP being a Maruti. No double standards here, I just laid out some feasible options I could think of. I understand how dear cars are to people.

Thanks for the engagement and suggestion. Selling the Benz is the top consideration as you have suggested

[IshaanIan]

Can the DZire and Corolla be replaced with an automatic S-Cross? Not much of a deal to be had in the used market since cars are only 3 years old but the thing is it offers all the space, ease of driving and visibility as well as reliability that one can wish for. Yet to see such a no nonsense vfm product get launched since, and I regret not buying one new a couple of years ago when they were about to discontinue it and the salesman offered me a 1.5 lac discount just on my first visit to the showroom

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by cefiljoseph

1. The most straightforward option - Sell W211. Although it's been a dream car, not driving it isn't doing justice to the car and causing niggles as it sits. This was not the case when I was there and used to drive her every other day if not every day.

With as heavy a heart as yours, I'd recommend you axe the Merc. She's old and needs caring, which you're unable to do right now. Plus she's not the kind of car your mom wants to drive around & your dad doesn't have time on his side. Times with her were great while it lasted, but its time to let go.

2. Exchange W211 for an older Merc which doesn't require to be used everyday but more on a weekly basis. Thinking of a W123/W124. We did test drive some of these when buying the W211 but my father didn't like these owing to the difficulty in driving them and the lack of speed/comfort relative to a modern car. My family also doesn't like these classics.

Sell the 211 now and pick up a 123/124 once you're done with your studies - not immediately.

3. Exchange W211 and Dzire for a Jimny - This is one of the rare instances where we like a car that is on sale currently. My family also likes it. The salesman are trying every trick in the book to sell it with discounts and whatnot. It's a great fit. It is definitely not as powerful as the W211 yet unlocks a new dimension for us and everyone loves the car in family.

This makes the most sense. I'd never recommend the Jimny as anyone's primary ride - the Ertiga engine + 4AT combo is just too mediocre. However, in your case the Jimny will be just perfect. Size is manageable, performance isn't really a key criterion, you're already familiar with Maruti in your area and you can choose to enjoy the 4*4 shall the need/itch arise sometime later!

Wishing you all the best!

[Cliff9091]

Hey Cefil,

As much as I love maintaining older cars and keeping them running, but garage re-jig's are always take a practical approach. The is 7 years old but is as reliable if not cheaper to run than the Toyota Fortuner. Coco should always remain in your garage, she is your first set of wheels. The W211, past her prime and a of lot niggles that you may not be able to address properly as you are away from home.

My 2 cents
Dispose the W211, finish your studies and pick up a modern Mercedes.