[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Improperly built apartment parking spaces:


And the unevenly placed pillars/columns that you see in my building is something that I've seen in many apartment complexes near Tambaram, including a few built by supposed tier 1 builders!

This is prevalent in Chennai due to many builders use the 1 ground or 2 ground plots to build apartments of size 4 to 8 with Ground + 2 floors taking advantage of the the relaxed building rules. So they will leave the ground floor for stair case + lift/bore well motor and parking which will double up as play area also when cars are not parked

In earlier days (till 1990s), the individual houses were built at least in 1 ground (2400 sq ft) plot with space for parking and garden even inside city area. Sad thing is these small apartments is also replicated now inside Chennai too with many individual houses getting redeveloped through joint ventures, even by reputed builders, as the next Generation wants to split the property and take their share.

I decided against the apartments and opted for a duplex row house just 7 years ago in the outskirts which is built in a 600 sq.ft plot but has a stilt parking. However it can fit only 4.3m car at max touching the wall and gate and with any car the width is so less, only driver side door can be safely opened. It was all good when my i10 is the only car. But this is the primary deciding factor for the car selection when I decided to upgrade early this year. I considered Seltos initially but settled for Kushaq after the parking test as it is few mm less and I can park without touching one of them. Only saving solace is the road width is 30 feet so I can take the car out even if there are cars parked in the opposite and but will be tight when cars parked in the next houses.

So if I have to upgrade to a bigger car, I have to earn enough to first upgrade to a bigger independent house and then think about a car. This is a 'Blessing in disguise' I must say, whenever there is a temptation in the mind on seeing a new bigger car

[RGK]

The minimum size of an automobile parking spot in Chennai is 2.5 m (8'2") broad and 5 m (16'4") long, according to CMDA regulations. The issue is the extra clearance area required to turn/reverse the car and park, which the apartment builders do not comply to.

All of the dead end streets are now clogged with cars.

On the busy 2nd Main Road, RA Puram Chennai, I happened to see a parking lot that was being rented out to car owners. The area is large enough to fit around 30-40 cars.

[black.beauty]

My apartment in Bangalore has similar issues and it's not even built before 2015 as many in the comments. This was constructed in 2018. Yet, the pillars are poorly placed, its impossible to take turns and get in and get out of the parking with a car bigger than 4.5 m. I currently own XUV300 but that too because anything beyond that would be difficult to fit. Tomorrow if I need to upgrade, I need to check for the car width (not above 1.85m), car turning radius (not above 5.5m) and length not beyond 4.5 meters. So in other words, my parking decides the car I can buy.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by locusjag

They don't really have many options in the automotive market, not unless they're prepared to park in the street or to shell out upwards of 1 crore INR on what I call snobbish residential options.

I was with you till I read this statement. Really don't understand the logic or the bitterness towards properly designed properties that adhere to the building codes. I hope you do realize that providing enough parking (including for visitors) is mandated by law.

Originally Posted by poloman

If you are buying a new apartment, beware of shrewd early movers who gobble up all the prime parking spots in collusion with the builder and his chamchas.

Originally Posted by Arun_S

In my own flat, my neighbour even though has the smallest house in the building got the best parking lot.
Worst part when he gobbled up the slot, he didn't have a car.

You call it shrewdness, I call it long-term vision. One might buy an apartment only once or twice in their lifetime but will own multiple automobiles. Even if you think just in terms of an investment POV, it is very important as it will increase the resale value and salability.

[Sachin V.W.]

Originally Posted by poloman

If you are buying a new apartment, beware of shrewd early movers who gobble up all the prime parking spots in collusion with the builder and his chamchas. In my apartment we have an excess of parking lots per resident. But when allocation was complete, some gobbled up prime parking spaces where you can park even 4 cars and some were left with dead spaces where you can't even park a two wheeler. There is no transparency in the allocation of parking lots in most apartments.

When I booked my flat in late 2003 in Pune and I paid cash upfront for stilt parking slot, builder promised me that he would give me priority to select the parking slot of my choice. Building's outer structure was near completion in early 2005 and I got the parking allotment letter by post. I visited the building and found it was a very small parking slot which was very tight. I visited builder's office and made a scene. That time, I had no immediate plans nor money for car. They asked me which car I'm planning and I roaringly said , "it is a second hand Tata Safari. Show me how can I park Safari in that parking slot ??" They immediately re-alloted slot as per my choice and I got the revised allotment letter there itself. Fast forward to August 2006 when I shifted in that flat with my first ever car new Swift VXi, it was comfortable space for Swift plus two 2 wheelers. The smaller slot which was alloted to me earlier, was taken by another member and he bought new WagonR somewhere in October. On his first day of new car, he scratched it when he was trying to park the car in that slot and it was his 2nd car so he was quite experienced. I felt bad for him but was also relieved for myself as that time I was fairly newbi car owner. Later we came to know that the smaller parking slot was not even a parking place but it was actual pathway for the 2 wheelers !

While purchasing a flat and parking slot, one need to double check all details as builders makes fool of people easily.

[hareshjethwani]

Even the best of the builders here in Chennai do not offer logical/proper parking spaces in apartments. In my apartment I was particular about the parking I wanted but was late so opted for one covered and one open parking even though I was entitled for two covered ones. The builder was offering car parks one behind the other(covered) so refused and opted for the open slot.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

You call it shrewdness, I call it long-term vision. One might buy an apartment only once or twice in their lifetime but will own multiple automobiles. Even if you think just in terms of an investment POV, it is very important as it will increase the resale value and salability.

I don't mind if the parking lots are distributed in a transparent and equitable manner like auctioning or lottery system. But most people use bribing and collective bargaining in groups during early stages of allotment process and many are left with worst of the lot.

I have a decent 18 ft x10 ft parking lot. But there is a pillar bang opposite while turning. Parking Polo is manageable. But I am highly doubtful that my new Innova will fit in. So may have to manage some how.

Planning to build an independent house soon. So don't want to end up in such scenarios again even though there is enough space on the road to park at least one car. First requirement will be to park two cars one big one like Innova and a hatchback with in the premises. This will need around 350- 400sqft of area in the stilt floor.

[clementw]

Originally Posted by locusjag

The impact of real estate market on the automotive market:
It would be amiss of us at this juncture to not look at how the real estate market affects our automotive choices - choices we get and the choices we make.

Having moved into a new apartment and being fortunate enough to get a covered car parking slot from the builder, I can share my bit to this. Our builder is the Tamilnadu Housing Board, a state government entity that builds affordable housing for people. Now this building has less than half the number of flats as covered parking slots and the others are open slots allotted by lot.

These slots are technically 2.5m x 5m which is the specified dimension for parking. Now while the builder has tried to stick to the dimensions on best effort basis, some parking slots require higher level driving skills if the vehicle is not a small car. Also precision parking is essential unless the owner is ready for collateral damage to his car and that of others.

So home buyers please factor in your car and the available parking before buying, and always plan for an upgrade or additional car else it will be too costly.

P.S My car is a Tata Nexon sub 4m but I have no place for my TVS wego as the building has no 2 wheeler slots and so is squeezed with the car.

[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by RGK

On the busy 2nd Main Road, RA Puram Chennai, I happened to see a parking lot that was being rented out to car owners. The area is large enough to fit around 30-40 cars.

There's also an open parking lot on one of the smaller roads that runs parallel to TTK road, near Alwarpet.

There are two on Greenways Road, one a covered car parking with space for 100+ cars under the MRTS station, another open car/college bus park near the police station (might be the one that you mentioned), and yet another open car/bus park less than a km away, near Boat Club Road.

I'm not sure how the parking situation is in other parts of Chennai or in other cities, but considering that nearly all MRTS stations in Chennai have a covered car parking and there were 3 other car parks I found, all in a 2km radius of each other, I'm sure there may be alternative parking solutions if the apartment doesn't come with them/has hard-to-use ones.

Some people even park their luxury cars in these MRTS stations. I've seen an S-class, multiple other Mercs and Volvos, and luxury SUVs parked in one - all at the same time!

I, for one, would consider paying for this comfortable + safe parking for a luxury car than write it off altogether because it may be difficult to fit in my apartment's parking space. It would also help keep it away from envious neighbours' eyes (if that's an issue).

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by anshuman_b

A slightly off topic question.
What can be minimum acceptable dimension of parking space?
Considering this can fit a proper 5 seater car/suv.

Just for comfort : 5.5M length by 3M width is a comfortable size if you have a straightforward access to the parking. If you have to turn - width needs to be more / have to reverse it in.

I'm facing this dilemma myself : Despite having ample number of slots, we're kind of constrained by size of the vehicle keeping in mind day to day convenience.

[Kairalee]

While on this topic, I'd like to request BHPians to give me some advice on the ideal width of the gate for my parking slot (independent house). The road in front is 16 feet wide. I currently can fit in a gate (excluding pillars) with a maximum of 12 feet width if I do not cut down a small tree right outside my property. The parking area by itself is 15 feet wide and 30 feet long, but the gate can be only 12 feet wide max due to the tree outside.
I own a 2008 CRV and a 2011 Polo.
Will these dimensions allow me to turn these cars into the parking area comfortably, given the road is only 16 feet wide?
Thanks in advance.

[Gansan]

A lot of middle class people, when they built their independent homes during 60's and 70's, did not even fix a gate wide enough to allow a car inside. Though there will be lot of space inside, because homes were built on 1-2 ground (2400-4800 sqft) plots. That they might one day own a car never occurred to them, cars were a luxury. Those days if anyone owned a scooter or motorbike he was well heeled. Anyone owning a car was rich. My father too did not provide a wide gate. But when I bought my first used car during 1993, I simply knocked down the compound wall and fitted a big gate.

I bought my own apartment in our own (then) suburb during 1992. It was an economy kind of project by a big Chennai based builder of that time (ALSA). I bought a compact 2 bhk, and my apartment and a Maruti 800 cost the same price at the time. Well, the 800 may have been slightly less, but not much! I paid a total sum 0f Rs 225k for the apartment! It was a project on a plot of land bigger than 1 acre, and the builder intended to build a total of 6-7 blocks. Four of them were actually built but then the company went into receivership. Naturally they had not provided parking spots, because buyers of those apartments were not expected to own cars, at least not the majority of them. There were lanes inside the complex between the blocks, and those few who owned cars parked them by the side of those lanes, which were wide enough. As the years progressed more and more people bought cars and multiple two wheelers. The association simply appropriated the vacant spaces which were meant for additional residential blocks and cleared them as parking lots. That solved the problem, it would have been unthinkable if those additional blocks were actually built.

In the year 2000 my dad's house and that of two neighbors on either side were demolished and developed into apartments, where I currently reside. At that time a 1200 sqft 3 bhk cost about 9 lakhs. There are a total of 16 apartments in two blocks. The builder provided parking for 10 cars and about 20 two wheelers, again the thought process was not everyone will own cars.

Fortunately till now that has been true, because some of the apartments are occupied by very senior citizens whose children live elsewhere/abroad, they don't own cars, and there are only about 7-8 cars at any given time. As secretary of the complex I ensure the two remaining spots remain vacant, since occasionally some of the elderly occupants will be visited by their sons or daughters who will come by car and those cars have to be accommodated inside at night. Since ours is a main road, street parking is not an option. The parking spots inside are not owned by anybody, they are common. There is an understanding that if anyone wants to own two cars, one will be parked somewhere else, they can't demand the empty parking slots. Many people from nearby complexes approach me and offer to hire the slots for a good rent, but the answer is always no. A tricky situation will arise if more than ten families own cars, but fortunately it has not arisen so far.

[Akshay6988]

When we started looking for our new car, the previous apartment we were staying in, didn't have dedicated parkings. Most of the open spaces were occupied by two wheelers and rare 1 or 2 car. Moreover the parking space and it's approach was also tight one, Alto i10 could make it easy but CSUV had to do n point turns to park and very less space to open the doors ! At the same time my sister and I started WFH so the flat itself became crowded. We shifted to a 3BHK house with ample parking in front, where I park my Creta, two scoots and a bicycle.
PS : there's still some space remaining to park a small hatchback
So yeah parking space definitely affects upgrading home, atleast for us did !

[sswaroop]

Originally Posted by anshuman_b

A slightly off topic question.
What can be minimum acceptable dimension of parking space?
Considering this can fit a proper 5 seater car/suv.

5.5-6 meters by 3 meters. This size will be sufficient to easily park Innovas or even vehicles like Kia Carnival. For planning a parking space, the future upgrades to cars should be considered.

[locusjag]

I had initiated this thread in March of this year.

Quick summary of post #1 on this thread:
* My brother in law (BIL) sought an upgrade from his used 2008 Swift, which he had purchased in 2011.
* The car is largely fine, he's just bored with it.
* We found that cars have grown big with the passing years and that only hatchbacks from the 2000s can be parked in his apartment's allotted parking slot.
* His allotted parking slot is 3.9m, in which the ~3.6m long Swift is parked and a scooter is parked across its rear-end

The starting point of the thread is here, for reference - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post5122667 (Case Study - How parking space affects upgrading)

October 2022 Update:
* The Swift's compressor is giving up. As this unit is said to be an imported one, fixing it will cost ~55K. We've confirmed this with our FNG and a couple of Maruti service centers.
* The car's tyres are super old at this time (I don't want to shock you) and will need ~20K for new tyres.
* Why should he keep an unsafe 2008 car that's worth 2 lacs in 2022 and spend ~75K on its upkeep? So I tried my sales pitch on BIL, sending him ads of used automatic transmission cars.
* BIL has remained bored with driving the Swift on highways. So he has shown interest in a 2016 Amaze AT (with the good old reliable Honda 5 speed torque converter, not the CVT). I had to sell him the concept of an AT over an MT, so that either he or sis can drive it. If it's an MT, it's game over for her driving aspirations. I'm glad that he saw the sense in that.

Test drive #1 by my mechanic:
I'd asked Spinny to bring the Amaze to my FNG's location so that my mechanic can evaluate it. He took it for a spin, looked at the car inside and out and confirmed that it's all good - no mechanical faults, odometer tampering, flooding, accidents etc.

I checked and saw that the front 2 tyres and the battery were circa 2021. The rear tyres were from the 37th week of 2016 and will need changing.

Honda record check:
We accessed the car's service records through Honda and again - it was all clean. The car had been serviced annually and they also confirmed that it hadn't been repaired by them for accidents or flooding.

Parking test at home:
Since the first generation Amaze comes in at 3990 mm of length, which is 90 mm more than BIL's allotted parking space's length, we requested a 2nd test drive, but this time we just wanted to park the car and see how it works out. And it turns out that it's possible to park the scooter behind the car and still leave enough space behind for a person to walk through - this will ensure no fights with the other residents.


The booking experience:
I called the sales rep up to confirm our desire to buy it - if he reduces the price a bit for us. He said flat out that none of their cars come with discounts since these come with a 1 year warranty and other safety nets. I tried as much as I could, but couldn't arrive at a conclusion with them. Eventually, I dropped the idea. The listed price of 5.52 lacs was fixed.

I didn't want this beautiful torque converter AT to slip by us; I badly want my sis to be able to drive in real world conditions, so an AT is a must. And I won't permit her family to get an AMT or a DCT. And why look at CVTs when we have the best bird in hand - a 5 speed torque converter mated to an IVTEC?! I simply went for the deal and said I'll book it.

Spinny sent me a SMS with a link and with it, I paid 10K via Gpay to Spinny on Saturday. I sent them my BIL's PAN and Aadhar by WhatsApp. Everything happened so fast and efficiently.

The sale transaction experience:
Spinny said we had 3 days to complete full payment. We sent them a token amount of Rs.13 and called up our sales rep to confirm receipt. He sent a screenshot from his company-supplied tab. Basically, the small test amount sent by us had been received and they needed us to pay the remaining, upon subtracting 13 bucks. We did it via IMPS.

They then called us up and said we had to take delivery too within the same 3 day period, since their inventory is in a crowded rented mall parking lot. We were surprised as we meant to check our panjaangam (the almanac that we consult to check for good/bad days, timings etc.) to decide a delivery date. But disappointment gave way to excitement eventually and we headed over the next day for the pick-up.

The Delivery experience:
Spinny's inventory is yummy to look at for an enthusiast like me. Their 500 car inventory is spread over 3 multi-level car parking floors in Vadapalani's Forum mall. Our gleaming Amaze stood ready to be taken away amidst a sea of gleaming cars.

They explained that the car comes with the following:
1) 1 year engine + transmission warranty
2) 3 month bumper to bumper warranty
3) 1 year roadside assistance

Nice!

Since most used car dealers switch to old tyres and dying batteries during delivery, I did a quick check and confirmed to myself that Spinny wasn't playing dirty games with tyres and batteries. If they are doing anything with major parts...there is the warranty's safety net. So it's okay.

We took some pics, they gave us a nifty bag with 2 air pillows, a Rs.500 petrol coupon at an IOCL bunk nearby, a tissue dispenser with a premium look and feel and that was it - we were off.


Initial impressions of the car:
* This was a 2016 August manufactured unit, registered only in 2017 March. Legally, it is a 5 year old car. That's how I'm going to call it henceforth.
* The car is small enough to be squeezed through narrows streets in Nanganallur and it feels solid enough to be taken out on highway trips. It's the best of both worlds at this budget.
* The 5 speed automatic torque converter transmission is delectable in city traffic. From a crawl, when you press the accelerator, it does rear a bit like a horse; of course, it doesn't lift up, but you do get pushed back in the seat and can feel a wee bit of a lift happening. After the 2nd gear is past, it's smooth sailing.
* The 1.2 litre IVTEC engine does make its small size felt if you try pressing the accelerator hard, getting off of traffic stops. Relaxed acceleration is the way to go with it.
* The engine + transmission combo is definitely an upgrade over the outgoing Swift. It feels so much more younger and livelier.
* The car comes with ABS, no airbags. Heck, this is the most I could coax my BIL into paying...so this is what we got. It's still safer than his outgoing 2008 Swift.
* There are electrically adjustable ORVMs. This is an upgrade over the Swift.
* There is a remote locking key. This is an upgrade over the Swift.
* The humongous 400 litre boot is a superb upgrade over the Swift's 235 litre boot. My sister remarked that she was sold on the boot alone.
* The seats have Honda original leather covers all around. The steering wheel, likewise, has a stitched cover that retains its freshness.
* There are speakers at the front and behind the rear headrests. There's a nice surround sound feel. Definitely an upgrade!

Cons:
* The interior parts haven't aged well in the Amaze. The 2008 Swift's original switches are better than this 5 year old Amaze's switches.
* There is no illumination for the gear shifter or anywhere below the center console. Even the overhead cabin light is positioned between the 1st and 2nd rows. We need some aftermarket lighting in there pronto!
* Ground clearance is going to be a problem. Its wheelbase is 2405 mm, while the Swift had a 2390 mm wheelbase. Moreover its unladen GC is 165 mm, while the Swift's was 170 mm. I'm thinking about Polyurethane spacers (e.g., Rogerabs branded ones). I'm not yet sure if tyres with tall sidewalls can be fitted or not.

Parting thoughts:
We live in a world where car ownership is getting to be a crime. The climate change activists are increasingly out in force, hitting us enthusiasts while hypocritically supporting stubble burning farmers and obnoxiously slashing SUV tyres in London. I am sure they're coming for us. There is no space for us enthusiasts to have a nuanced discussion about anything with this bunch. Even the Supreme Court has backed their stance only, with the NGT ruling in the NCR.

I am convinced that the ongoing legal destruction of economic value that's happening in the NCR and in Kolkata recently is going to spread.

It doesn't make sense to spend tens of lakhs on cars anymore, knowing that all that hard earned money is going to subsidize destructive behavior by farmers and everyone else on the planet. And why do so when you can get gems like this humble little 2016 Amaze AT off of Spinny?

Two other relatives in the family want automatics from Spinny now. I'm currently talking to the same sales rep on their behalf, for a Crysta AT and a Brezza AT. I am the car consultant in the family.

The 2008 Swift is being picked up by Olx Auto for 2 lacs. BIL had bought it for 3.75 lacs back in 2011. It has retained its value very well!

All in all, this has been a welcome change for the family and there are smiles all around.