[RahulNagaraj]

This Father's Day, taking the opportunity to start a new thread about how my dad's car purchases over the years have impacted my enthusiasm for cars.

My dad has owned a fair share of cars over the many years, starting off with a Maruti 800 and now driving a Kia Seltos since 2019. Some of the other cars he has owned, also include a Maruti Zen, Maruti Esteem, Ford Ikon, 2011 Skoda Superb, Toyota Corolla and a BMW X1 - safe to say he is a driving enthusiast himself.

But, the two most memorable cars for me were a Maruti WagonR and the Skoda Superb. The Maruti WagonR was our beater car, during his Superb & X1 ownership. The WagonR might not sound that interesting, but it was the car I learnt to drive in. Being the beater car at home, I had free access to use it whenever; to learn & improve my driving skills, before I could get my hands on the main car at home. It was a fun city car which surprisingly held its own, during my first few highway drives as well.

It was also the car which became mine after I started driving regularly. This meant learning to keep it in good condition via maintenance & routine services.

The Skoda Superb was the first big car of my dad I got permission to drive. A car which he was very particular about, due to its temperamental nature. I was probably the only other person to drive that car, apart from my dad.

What about you, what was your father's car that still stands out to you?

[ashis89]

I was fascinated by automobiles since I was a toddler. And the craze continued as I grew up. My father was aware of this and so he took me out with him for long rides/drives or after a tiring day of work. That he would allow me to clean the car or bike, increased my bond with the vehicles. When he felt I was ready, he taught me riding. And then driving. I got the best 18th birthday gift - a DL application and my own bank account!

When he felt it was safe, he gave me his bike or car for use. If I damaged his bike with my antics, he would scold, then repair the bike but didn't stop lending it to me. Rather he would use the bike or car as incentives to motive me whenever possible (which worked!). If he could afford and felt reasonable, he did indulge me. Else he explained and taught me.


On father's day, I just can't thank him enough for my journey with automobiles. Even today, he keeps commenting on my driving style and we chat about car maintenance.

[CentreOfGravity]

Fantastic thread idea

After my dad learnt to drive, he bought a used Maruti 800 when I was two years old. At that time, I hated the car – simply because it had no AC! Toddler me couldn't stand the heat when the car was parked under the sun even for five minutes. A year later, in 2009, he sold the 800 and bought a brand new i20. I still remember how excited three-year-old I was! The steering wheel really fascinated me in the sense that it turned so fluidly compared to that of the 800, whose steering wasn't power assisted. That was the turning point – quite literally. I was curious about the i20 and all that it had over the 800. And you could imagine how happy I was when I discovered what 'air conditioning' was! Today, if I'm a car enthusiast, it's only because of her. We kept the i20 for 13 years, until we sold her two years back in exchange for a 2022 Honda City.

Selling the i20 was painful. Considering that we had the i20 since I was three, I got very emotional the night before selling her. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to drive the i20 since I was 16 at the time of selling her. Nevertheless, she will always hold a special place in my heart. I will forever be indebted to our i20 because she played no small part in igniting my interest and enthusiasm towards cars, and more importantly, to my dad for supporting my enthusiasm and letting me nurture my passion.



Wishing all the cool dads out there a very Happy Father's Day!

[arnav17]

What a Great Idea


My interest for cars had been there from childhood thanks to both my parents, who were car enthusiasts at that time. I could name each and every car on the roads back in 2011 and my parents had to keep taking me to used car showrooms on my insistence to see all the cars there and name them one by one.

The love of cars started with my dads Aquamarine blue Maruti esteem, which we have extremely few pics of. It was his pride, washed it himself daily, and maintained it immaculately. The Esteem was sold in 2008, when we got our Tata Safari 2.2 VTT Dicor. This 2.2 VTT Dicor used to be my favorite line, and I remember that my dad and myself had constructed many songs about the Safari. We used to cheer every time we saw a Safari on the road and enjoy the sight. The Safari is his pride and it being only 6 months younger than me, it has always been like my younger brother. Now even though he is thinking of selling it, he knows that I wont let him do so .

My love for bikes started with my mom's Hero Honda Street, on which I was dropped to school everyday. Then came the Access, my aunts Activa and my uncles RX100, which became my favorites.

Will share some pics soon

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, Rahul .

My Dad was a car guy. Not that he knew a lot about cars, but he always loved owning & driving nice cars. He had some American cars (Chevrolet etc.) in the 50s & 60s. In the 70s, he bought a pre-worshipped W111 Mercedes. I also remember a Standard Herald (maybe a convertible?). In the 80s, he got a souped-up Ambassador in a custom metallic green shade from National Garage (they used to sell a lot of customised Ambassadors & Contessas back in the day). Later, he agreed & supported my choices - 1993 Yamaha RX100, 1996 Esteem (Octavia vRS of its time), 1997 Classic, 2003 City Vtec etc.

Took him for a spin in the W111 decades later - link to thread (Dad meets his ol' flame : The Mercedes W111).

Wishing all the petrolhead Dads a Happy Father's Day!

[Samba]

My dad is a total car guy. He has been a Fiat fan since when he started driving. The cars he majorly drove were his first car a Fiat1100 Select, followed by a Padmini and then a Uno.

His influence on our car buying decisions-

When I was going to buy my first car in Bangalore, an Alto STD, he made me buy the Alto Lx which had the AC.

When we were looking to buy a Dzire, he was inclined towards the Etios.

He persisted in selling our Altok10. He never accepted that car as a replacement for the Fiat Uno. In less than a couple of years he sold the k10 and bought a Figo TDCI and he was happy.

When I was looking to buy an Ecosport, he chose the Duster and I added an Awd to it!

When I was looking to buy the Jimny, he chose the Thar! But after a few rides on the road and a few off the road, now he loves the Jimny!

His influence on me?

He taught me both driving and riding.
And till now he enjoys fast driving. We frequently hit the highways together and have fun! But safety is always a priority.

Let this picture talk about his influence on the driving part!



& this is what my today's FaceBook memory shows from 2018!

[Maky]

Thanks for this thread on Father's day.

I miss my father very much. Even though a few years have passed since, but still Father's day is one of the more harder days of the year.
Absolutely we are impressed upon by our parents, Dad's especially so when it comes to materialistic purchases I feel, and our vehicle choice more than anything else in that regard.

My father was always into technology. At which he always preferred the best. Whether it was the Sony electronics at home or the first Maruti Esteem model in our garage in the 90s, If you had an Esteem in that period you had to be someone of means and taste. He bought the best he could afford and I've strived to do the same, although to tell the truth I do often go over the budget unlike him : )







We went through a fairly lean period the ~15 years prior, so given the aspirational cost associated and equally what it is as a build, I'm very certain he would have loved this Technological Tank if he was still with us.
The numberplate of the car is his day and month of birth : )

[suhaas307]

My father is the reason why I am a car enthusiast today!

When I was younger, he noticed my interest in automobiles and would actively encourage it by subscribing to various automobile magazines, including Business Standard Motoring, Autocar India, Overdrive and Top Gear. I would religiously read them cover to cover and he would sometimes quiz me.

When he travelled abroad on business, he would bring back with him a few “international” automobile magazines he’d picked up at airports, and that widened my perspective on international automotive markets even further.

He would routinely purchase car-based PC games and walk me through it.

He would often sit with me and discuss specs and details about cars and offer his knowledge on the subject as well.

He even helped me acquire my first car (2015 Polo GT TSI) by assisting with the downpayment.

While his enthusiasm for cars has dwindled over time for various reasons, he has always encouraged me to keep going.

I owe a lot to my father, and I doubt I can ever repay the due.

Happy Fathers’ Day to him!

[cityslicker86]

I owe my passion for cars to my father's career in HM-Mitsubishi, especially his multiple trips to Mitsubishi HQ in Japan for the Lancer, Cedia, Pajero and Outlander projects. He would bring back catalogues that I would spend hours reading and day-dreaming.

I still remember the Mitsubishi Catalogue in 1996-97 which had many cars including Debonair, Charisma, Gallant, Eclipse, Lancer, Pajero, Pajero Rookie, Delica, Mirage, Fuso trucks and many more. He would bring back scale-models and posters and I would be in dream land.

Once he visited Proton factory in Indonesia and brought back catalogues of Proton Satria-GTi and I spent an entire week drooling over those photos. He the brought Mattel toy cars (Hot Wheels) and I learnt about American muscle cars like Mustang, Camaro and others

The highlight of that stage of my life was the first Auto Expo in Delhi which was covered by Auto India, the premier car magazine in India. It was full of pictures.

And then there was the contest between Lancer and City in 1996, with each company trying to out-do the other. I would follow the monthly sales figures closely and even count the number of Lancers and Citys I saw on the road to have an imaginary contest between the two!. Sadly, Mitsubishi brand could not keep and and Lancer faded away.

Unfortunately we did not own a proper car until 2006 (we owned a used company provided Ambassador on which I learnt driving. It had column shift gears!). We bought the Swift in 2006 and I discovered the joy of driving. However, I was advised to drive sedately like my Dad and never drove another car until my Dad bought a Verna in 2014. Therefore, my driving style is like my Dad's - Slow and steady.

I eventually got into Market Research focusing on Indian Automobile market and got hooked on to Team-Bhp there on. Life was fun! I made a career in Market Research with a focus on Automobile sector. Even worked in Nissan India until I got sort of 'disillusioned' by Indian Auto scene and changed industries for better career prospects. However, at heart, I am still the 12 year old boy who drolled over catalogues. I still spend time in parking lots and observe all the cars (my wife has surrendered to this 'pagalpan' and has learnt to live with it.

I am grateful to my father and forever will be, for nurturing the passion for automobile in my life. My life would have been so dull without it. He continues to inspire me and will always do for the rest of my life.

[iliketurtles]

I have to be honest and swim a bit against the tide here.

I think within each young boy lies the seed of rebellion. I watered that seed religiously, and have over the years watched it take full bloom.

My dad was never into cars. Don't get me wrong, he took pretty good care of our cars from what I remember (except one, which I shall get into shortly). But he always saw it as a means to safely shuttle us from point A to point B. No more, no less.

In a span of some 10 or so years, we worked our way through 2-3 cars in the family. But the problem was that it was always a FIAT (a Premier Padmini), and it was always white. Perhaps that is was inspired me to experiment wildly with colours on my own cars, and buy anything, except white. I now identify it with unending dourness, and a play-safe mentality I never want to take.

My most memorable moment in one of those white not-a-FIAT's was when we clambered in for our weekly ritual of heading to the same damn restaurant we did every week, to order the same few items we ordered every time (at least I experimented a little, dad always ordered his thali and relished it, to his credit).

Having settled in for the ride, we set off for Destination Same-Old-Same-Old, only to be greeted by a huge CLANG and scraping sound just as we were halfway down the compound's driveway. Of course, all of us and a slightly curious crowd of onlookers gathered to see what had happened.

The damned clamps holding the exhaust had rusted and given up the fight, and the bloody thing was half on the floor, and half linked to the car. It was the only instance of any kind of neglect reflecting on my dad's part with the car, and I'm not sure it was even on him. It was just reflective of the car's build quality and the area we lived in, where some sea salt hang heavy in the air. But it just reinforced in my young mind that playing safe had no upside, and to just do what you want, because sh*t will go sideways real quick anyways, no matter how safe you play it.

One of my happier car moments with my dad was when we were shopping for a new car in about 2000-01, and we passed up on the FIAT Uno. I was thrilled, until we then zeroed in on a FIAT Palio in (you guessed it) white, despite my protestations to go for a GTX in that lovely lime green.

That Palio was a lovely car, if slightly niggly. But long story short, my dad showed me the template of how not to be when it comes to all things automotive, and while I happily walk his path in all ways of life, it will not be so when it comes to motoring. My inner rebel will not stand for it.

[RD150]

Wonderful thread!!

Many will agree that at some point of time in their life, we always wanted to be like our dad. For me my dad has been my biggest inspiration and role model. His first bike was a suzuki ax 100, and his first car was a humble 800.For me those were the best vehicles on sale my dad was the best rider/ driver. . But he had keen interest in automobiles. I still remember his smiling face when he drove my Polo for the first time. He was like " this is something else". To answer the question yes, his liking for automobiles made be a auto buff as well.

[Jeroen]

My dad was not interested in cars at all. He could not care less. For him cars were transportation pods.

He was very happy when I got my drivers license. It meant I could drive him and my mum everywhere. It also meant I could get more involved in which car he bought.

He was completely A-technical. Twice he wrecked an engine by continuing to drive it with the low oil pressure light on.

But he did enjoy driving his cars. He was very much the day tripper. Going to places for no other reason he had not been there yet. My mum and my sisters were not that keen on those trips and preferred to stay home. So it was usually just my dad and me. Nice memories. Now and then the two of us went on a little overnight trip. Usually Germany. In those days that was quite rare. My friends were very jealous.

I grew up in the 60s. In the Netherlands cars were just beginning to become affordable for most folks. My dad was a very successful lawyer, so money wasn’t a concern. He just did not care. We had several Autounion DKWs, a VW1600, VW K70 and from there on several Audi 80/100. Quess where I stepped in!

The K70 was a very nice car for its time. Pretty powerful and luxurious. At the time my dad was handling a case for one of the VW Group Executives in Germany. When he told him he had bought a K70, the guy told him he should have waited a bit. There were some issues with the early K70s. Notably the paint which just came off! About 6 month later VW gave my dad a brand new K70 in exchange. He did like the K70. My dad was almost as tall as me. (1,93m). And he liked to drive his car with hit hat on! In those days gentlemen still wore hats. So I told him, for your next car let’s get something even bigger! So we got an Audi and never looked back.

When my wife, son and I moved back from the UK to the Netherlands in the late 80s we needed a car. My dad gave us his Audi100. We had to find a new car for him. And for my mum, who only just got her driving license. (She was in her early 60s). My parents were of the generation when women did not drive yet. But my dad’s health was declining and she wanted to be able, to drive herself. She got a DL for an automatic. Which also meant the car had to be an automatic. They got a Volvo 340. My dad could still wear his hat. And it wasnt too big a car for my mum to handle.

Jeroen

[Rohitthebest]

Superb thread!

And yes, at some point of time we all wanted to be our own Dads or at least match their styles. I for one am sure still like that. As I still can't carry a Suit the way my Dad does it at 82 years. The way he will start his Hero Honda CD100 in just one kick that too it looked simply effortless from his side. His shoes never lost their shine even after riding the bike 40 KMs a day, no gear lever mark on them (dunno how he managed that).
He never owned a car but had a company provided Jeep that he drove to rural areas. That's where my love towards Jeep like vehicles started and guess I am going to fulfil that dream now.
He has ridden all my bikes to date, my KTM 390 and Harley Davidson Street 750 both.
Currently an Ather electric too he enjoyed on a very short ride inside the colony campus.

[Apex1815]

Actually my case is slightly opposite and different.

Here I am father and my Six years old son is slowly developing the taste for Heavy Earthmoving Machinery since I work with one of the manufacturer of Construction & Mining Equipment.

My son knows the name of many type of Earthmoving Machines which otherwise only professionals would know. I have started taking him to the Asia's largest Construction Equipment Exhibition "EXCON" which happens in Bangalore every alternate year and my company exhibits a wide range of Construction class Excavators, Bulldozers, Motor Graders etc in EXCON.

I also take him to the other stalls like Caterpillar, JCB, Hyundai, Schwing Stetter etc where my ex-colleagues are working. This way I am giving him an exposure to the world of Earthmoving Machinery.

[GTI]

Absolutely.
When I was little I lived in the US.
At that time, my dad owned a beautiful, sleek Acura 3.2TL. It had a thumping 3.2 liter Vtec V6 with 225hp (excellent numbers for early 2000s America). He bought the car in 2003, in a gorgeous grey that had not yet been introduced in any car in the US. It was a big grey land barge of a sedan that I loved to the death.

I loved that car, and if I ever go back, I'll be buying a used one.
Unfortunately, I do not have any photos because all of the photos taken of that car were on an old Sony camera

Here are some photos from the web to show you guys what it looked like