22nd November 2011, 13:51
| #361 |
| BHPian  Join Date: May 2008 Location: maximum city
Posts: 63
Thanked: 30 Times
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27th November 2011, 21:55
| #362 |
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16th December 2011, 08:56
| #363 |
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| Post Photographs Of Your Present/Past/Future Vehicles Here PRESENT Now, I have my Linea [2009] and Suzuki Fiero [2001].    PAST I had owned Maruti Suzuki Versa [2004] prior to my Linea. I had driven her for 50 k km in 5.5 years.  This was my first car: Maruti Suzuki Omni [1992]. I had driven her for 92 k km in 12 years. Here is a photograph of Omni with my wife and my daughter.  Prior to my Suzuki Fiero, I was riding Hero Honda CD 100 for about 15 years. My wife was lucky enough to get 50 Hero Honda shares allotted at Rs 10 at par and was allotted the bike under 10% quota reserved for shareholders! There was a waiting period of about 10 months at that time. Later, those shares were sold for more than Rs 100 each. That was a real double bonanza!  My daughters posing with my Hero Honda. I had owned Priya earlier. Seen here was my son with my Priya.  This was my first scooter: Vijay Deluxe. Here are two pics with my daughter.   FUTURE I have decided to keep driving my Linea for some more years as I am fully happy with her. I don't have any plans for upgrading my car in the near future. However, my son has booked Royal Enfield Desert Storm with a waiting period of 4 to 6 months in Bangalore. He is likely to get the bike in the first quarter of 2012.  I am toying with the idea of riding to Leh in Desert Storm in the near future.  Now, the floor is open for others. Last edited by J.Ravi : 16th December 2011 at 09:03. |
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23rd December 2011, 01:01
| #364 |
| BHPian  | Re: Your Previous cars. J.Ravi, You got nice collection of your car photos. Interesting thing is how did you manage to park the NEW car something like very close to the wall. I appreciate that  . -Ravi |
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27th December 2011, 22:54
| #365 |
| Newbie  Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rohtak,Faridabad
Posts: 14
Thanked: 26 Times
| Re: Your Previous cars. 1991-2004 - Maruti Suzuki 800 2000- till date - Fiat Uno (not planning to sell it off for next 5 years, its really good as a city car) 2005-2011 - Ford Ikon 1.8D Zxi (Sold it because of a nice deal when we had no intentions to, kept it scratchless) 2010-2011 - Honda City S iVTEC (Switching to a new beast - Mahindra XUV5OO) 2011 - Ford Figo TITANIUM 2012 Jan - getting our XUV5OO |
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28th December 2011, 07:56
| #366 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Kochi
Posts: 121
Thanked: 196 Times
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28th December 2011, 09:24
| #367 |
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6th March 2012, 00:36
| #368 | |
| BHPian  | Re: Your Previous cars. Quote:
It's up for sale now. Debating weather trade it for a new POLO Highline or New Swift ZXi. Has to be a Petrol Powered Vehicle. | |
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6th March 2012, 02:57
| #369 |
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6th March 2012, 12:34
| #370 |
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6th March 2012, 17:21
| #371 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 579
Thanked: 743 Times
| Re: Your Previous cars. 2006 - Poor MBA passout with big dreams relocates to Mumbai and buys a '98 Opel Astra. And gets poorer in the process ! Apart of course from extreme parking woes in his Bandra apartment 2007 - Resolves not to have any such parking issues any further - downgrades to Palio 1.6 Stile. Pimped up with bling lights, racing stripes, looks a million bucks, resale values ~1/10 of the looks. Fun'nest car till date 2008 - Goes practical and buys the extremely functional Swift Dzire for parents. 16 kmpl diesel on Kolkata roads helps Dad save his pension for a few years. No niggles or rattles and contrary to most reports on T-bhp, the rear seat is extremely comfortable - if you have a short driver. 2009- Gets married and needs to buy a second car for obvious reasons. Chooses the no nonsense NHC preworshipped - which proves to be just that, no nonsense. No niggles, no noises,no issues. Only it takes the no nonsense bit further and doesnt tolerate any nonsense from the driver's side either ( read pedal to the metal to no result). Of course the NHC also fails on one more count - wifey resolves to only drive automatic  2010- With Gurgaon's extremely sophisticated mass transportation system, am left with no choice but to buy an automatic - so Hyundai i10 Kappa2 Sportz AT it is. Poor AT box and FE mar the ownership experience but surprisingly, this is my weapon of choice to make my daily chaotic trip to Cybercity - you really cant exhibit boy racer mode between 10-25 kmph max speed through the larger half of my journey . Or maybe I'm just growing old ! |
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13th March 2012, 16:09
| #372 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: cochin
Posts: 1,277
Thanked: 1,227 Times
| Chariots Owned Through the Ages – fond and not so fond memories Eons ago I owned an Amby. A Honda City is my present means of locomotion. What has the journey been like? I decided to take a drive through the winding lanes of memory, reminiscing about the various cars I owned over the years. I regret that not being a photography buff I have very few pics of my earlier vehicles. The handful that exist (pretty smudged and jaded) are being put up. I would love to read from fellow BHPians about the machines that they possessed in the past (down to the present) and their brief fond/unhappy take on each car. Pics (if any) would also be welcome. My first car was an Amby (2nd hand of course) – bought in 1984 (November) - and if memory serves me right, a 1980 model. ‘Twas a kind of Bottle Green originally – I can still remember the registration number – KLM 1074. (I guess it is a bit like one’s first love – it is etched into memory). My friends used to joke about KLM Flight 1074 taking off and landing. I kept it for around six years; the car traversed through my bachelorhood into marriage onto the first addition to the family. It changed colour twice from the original green to a light (milky?) grey and finally to a gleaming black when it was parted with – and also had the engine re-bored once along with an extensive patchwork job. I remember getting fog lamps fixed (those big flat, ribbed, yellow ones) and a blower added (an a/c was way beyond one’s budget at the time) – and yes, a pair of Roots horns (Bosch was out of reach of my purse too). Likes – 1) Spacious and comfortable (for its time). 2) Fairly cheap to maintain. 3) Easy to repair (any little roadside workshop would do, in case of breakdowns – which mercifully were far and few between). Dislikes – 1) Portly and ponderous, it would show signs of uneasiness once over the 80/90mark. (The Fiats/Premiers of the day were considered much more zippy) 2) Pretty thirsty (being the original petrol engine). I remember folks getting Matador or Isuzu diesel engines fixed to Ambassadors those days. I wasn’t in the habit of measuring FE then but I guess it would have been 7 to 8 kmpl in town and 10 on the highway. 3) Horrendous quality (all round) – especially in the light of today’s cars – rust, omnipresent rattles etc etc. In 1991 the Amby changed hands and I went in for a second hand, white, 1987 (I think), “original shape” Maruthi 800. I forget the regn number – it was originally a Tamil Nadu regn – I bought it during my brief Comibatore stint - which later was changed to a Kerala one when I shifted back to God’s Own. The seats were specially done up – Koyas Coimbatore I was told – and were a garish red with black stripes (the one major peeve about the car). My first A/C vehicle!!! - and I got a special kick driving around in summer with the tiny unit on full blast (didn’t cool me too much sadly). I kept it for a couple of years – it was in good shape and I had no major hassles until I sold it in 1993 (for a marginal plus over the purchase price) Likes – 1) The design. 2) The pep in the engine (esp after the sluggish Amby). 3) The total ease of driving (again a huge contrast from the Amby) 4) FE (not measured but I guess was in the region of 12/13 in town) Dislikes – 1) Lack of space – tiny boot. 2) Feeble A/C unit. The ’93 purchase was a 1989 model “new shape”, white Maruthi 800 – number forgotten. The previous owner was something of a car enthusiast and had made certain modifications (that later proved to be rather disastrous for me) on the vehicle: spacers, protrusions from the wheel arches etc. The car was with me for just over a year before I decided to get rid of it. Rust had started showing its ugly head on all the modified areas. And the car did give me a spot of bother on trips. Overall it was just barely passable and I palmed it off rather hurriedly (for just about the purchase price). Likes – 1) FE (I guess it gave around 12 in town) Dislikes 1) More visits to the w/shop than ever before. 1994 was when I went in for a blue Maruthi Omni of 1988 vintage (KDE 2032). The seats had an atrocious fur like covering and so did the dashboard. The vehicle was in decent shape and I did some memorable trips; it was spacious enough to carry all the stuff that a family with 2 small children needed to take around. The rear portion (luggage area) also had the advantage of doubling up as a loo for the tiny tots, where the potty could positioned in comfort during journey breaks . Large plastic cans filled with water was also lugged around with ease for the purpose.It had a factory fitted A/C (I understand Maruthi discontinued that version pretty quickly). The Omni stuck around for over a year till some quirk in me make me sell it. Likes – 1) Space. 2) Manoeuvrability in the narrow confines of Cochin. 3) Ease of driving. Dislikes – 1) Stability issues on the highway – and a niggling feeling of insecurity. 2) Ineffective A/C unit. The 1995 purchase of a white Premier 118 NE (again number forgotten) has got to be my worst decision in car purchase to date. I think I was floored by the extra fittings in the form of attractive fog lamps, horns etc and a decent stereo system. It stayed with me for 2 years, underwent a change in colour to a slightly crude brown (the paint jobs of our desi workshops those days were a bit iffy at times) and major surgery in the form of extensive tinkering, suspension and patchwork. It was a moody one and gave me endless trouble on the highway breaking down off and on. The low point was a trip from Calicut to Cochin when suddenly (near Angamaly) it stopped and refused to move, like a recalcitrant mule. It was all the more embarrassing since I had a largish contingent of elderly relatives with me. We had to hire a cab and complete the rest of the journey while the car was towed back to Cochin. Likes – Virtually none – except maybe the fact that it had fairly comfortable seats. Dislikes – 1 to 100) Far too many to list. End 1997 was when I got my first (and last) company car in the form of a brand new (again a first for me), white Tata Sumo (KL 7 P 1107). It has been to date my only diesel vehicle as well. I got it fitted with a power steering and A/C a few months down the line and it ran like clockwork over the next three years of my use. I travelled the length and breadth of Kerala (and beyond), over different types of terrain through 3 monsoons – massive potholes, flooded city lanes and nonexistent estate roads . The big boss of my company jocularly used to refer to it as my mobile office. A real workhorse, it went through one colour change as I was (and am still) not fond of white – got it changed to a kind of steel grey. I never checked the FE and have no clue what it gave. Likes – 1) Space 2) Ruggedness 3) Reliability Dislikes (not too many) – 1) A bit shaky at high speeds on the highway. 2) And maybe the looks (I was keen on a Sierra but the company felt the Sumo to be more user friendly). At the turn of the century I got myself a new maroon Hyundai Santro (well actually a little past the turn – August 2000). I can’t recollect the regn number. It was a peppy car, excellent to use in the city (the FE was not too good though). I kept it only for about 11 months before I began to salivate at the sight of attractive sedans waltzing into the market. In retrospect though, I think I was a mite hasty in selling it. Likes – 1) Pep 2) Ease of use in town 3) High seating. Dislikes (pretty minor) 1)Bumpy ride 2)FE not to desired levels – this was the time I started maintaining a log and filling full tank to full tank. It gave me 9/10 kms in town (with A/C on always) and around 12/13 on the highway. In 2001 (Oct) I bought a new silver Opel Corsa (number forgotten) – my first brush with German engineering. It was a pretty good car – solid but a trifle cramped. Did a few long trips with the family. Somehow I sensed that it would not be a good long term prospect and in any case the car market had changed beyond recognition with more drool-worthy models stirring one’s desires. I ran the car for a mere 15000 kms before I switched. Likes – 1) A feeling of solidity 2)Nice interiors Dislikes- 1) Not very comfortable to drive on long cruises. 2) FE was not good – about 8 in town. 3) Cramped rear seats. May 2003 saw me buy a new silver Honda City (KL 7 AM 9048). It was a superb car overall. I kept it for 3 years (25000 kms) before selling it. The only reason to sell it was this desire for an automatic. (By then the bumper to bumper pot-holed roads had taken their toll on driving pleasure and I made up my mind to switch.) It was a spacious, capable sedan and good looking to boot. FE was acceptable – about 9 in town and 14/15 on the highway. Likes – 1) Looks 2) Space and comfort 3) Reliability Dislikes – 1) The low slung design was pretty unforgiving on the ‘by now beginning to creak joints and back’ . The aged (late) pater also found ingress/egress a challenge.Being happy with the Honda, the decision on the next car was simple (apart from being the only AT option at that price point). In May 2006 the new Honda CVT came home (warm silver) and has been with me to date – 60000kms and running. It has proved to be a competent all rounder – easy in town and adequate on the occasional highway trip that I make. Likes – 1) Driving is a breeze (even my daughter enjoys taking it for spins) – the steering is light and easy. 2) Spacious enough (although the OHC had more space to let me sprawl while driving as is my wont). 3) FE is adequate – 8.5/9 in town and 12/13 on the highway. 4) So far been reasonable on maintenance – but dark clouds gather ahead in the form of steering rattle which I am told will cost around 40 k for replacement. Temporary surgery in the form of additional bushes has been conducted which will hopefully carry it on for another year or so. Dislikes- 1) That blind spot at the A pillar (a huge peeve – I have had a few narrow misses relating to the two wheeler kind). 2) Loud thuds while going over rough roads. 3) Slightly stiff ride. I am undecided on how much longer to keep the car – I will probably hold on for another couple of years by which time the brood should fly the nest – and then downsize to some comfortable AT hatch, which I hope will hit the market by then. Some pics of my locomotives of the past -- |
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11th May 2012, 20:32
| #373 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Maratha Country
Posts: 289
Thanked: 252 Times
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11th May 2012, 20:57
| #374 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: coimbatore
Posts: 253
Thanked: 251 Times
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11th May 2012, 21:04
| #375 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto / Kurukshetra
Posts: 677
Thanked: 168 Times
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