[SatanicVerses]

Hello fellow BHP-ians,

I’ve been a fan for many years and have been a silent but avid reader of various suggestions, reviews, shared user experiences, modifications on the cars. After taking much help over the years, felt compelled to join the community to learn as well as to share. I’m 44+ yrs, in the mist of mid-life reflections (don’t read this as crisis) . I accidentally landed in the Renewable Energy field in 2004, and have stayed in the industry thereon. Have good exposure to Solar, Wind power, Floating Solar and exposure to other aspects like Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), EV charging, off-shore wind. Quite happy that now people know what I do for a living, since Renewable Energy/ Climate change is a big thing today.

I 've followed Team-BHP from when I owned a Royal Enfield, 1988 edition classic 350cc from 2009 to 2015, when a biking friend introduced me to the forum. I’d been a member briefly, but my ID probably got scrubbed due to inactivity. I also owned a Hero-Honda Splendour from 2002 to 2005. I’ve been a car fan from when we could own cars due to the ability to do long family trips.

I’ve owned 3 cars so far:

1. Hyundai Santro (Petrol) - 1998 to 2015 (initial knock down versions that were imported). Drove it for about 135,000 kms before giving it for scrapping.

2. Fiat Linea (Diesel) – 2009 to 2019 (a car a bit ahead of it’s time and beaten by poor dealership support). Drove it for ~215,000 kms before selling it when I moved from Delhi to Mumbai. Interesting to mention that I drove it 194,000 kms in the first 5 years of ownership (it was not a taxi, in case you’re shocked), after which I used it more for errands near the house and a backup for my Skoda when it was in service etc.

3. Skoda Rapid (Diesel) – 2015 till now. Have driven it 175,000+ kms and still going.

As you may have deduced, I’m more of an own it all the way kind of guy, with lots and lots of running. I come from a defence family, and somehow the tradition of regular shifting continues even in my civil life. So we’ve lived in 12 states till date, and driven a whole lot of the transfers and shifts, apart from holidays. Over the next posts, I’ll try to recount a few snippets of my experiences in terms of long term ownership of these cars.

I’ve been a Toyota fan for long and have wanted to buy an Innova from 2008 when I first took one from my uncle out on a drive from Delhi to Jaipur and back, but somehow the stars have not aligned, either in terms of budget, or availability. In 2008, it was out of budget, so I upgraded from Hyundai Santro to Fiat Linea. By 2014/15, I was a big fan of Automatic gearboxes, due to my extensive travels to Europe and Japan. Got a lot of driving experiences through rental cars (Hertz, Europecar etc.) in various countries. I waited all of of 2014 and most of 2015 for the Innova to come in an AT version for diesel, but it didn’t. Tried exploring Corolla petrol, Skoda Octavia, and bunch of options in AT, but our heart was set on the Innova AT, so after much waiting, I gave up and exchanged my Santro for the Skoda Rapid AT. No regrets, the VW family has the smoothest gearbox and an amazing joy for riding, and I’ve enjoyed all my family trips going up north to places like Ludhiana, Mussoorie, down all the way south to Cochin.

However, it is time to finally own an Innova, and I’ve been tracking the release of the Hycross since 2023. After closed booking windows and a long wait, I’ve settled on a Hycross Hybrid ZXO, booked early Aug 2024 and counting days to get delivery. Been reading reviews on ownership experiences, accessory choices and other items for more than a year like an excited child.

Super excited to meet you all and hope to help share some interesting bits from my end. My next post, I should probably put pictures of my cars through the last 20-25 years.

Best
Satanic

[UtkarshC]

Hello Satanic, welcome to Team-BHP!

First, I'd like to congratulate you on finally getting an Innova. Cheers to that. And second, I read the number of kilometres you said you did on your Linea in the first 5 years of ownership twice

I see that all your cars so far have done at least 1 lakh km. So, I am curious to know about the odo of the Royal Enfield that you had.

I am looking forward to your next post and hearing more about your car journey and travel stories

It is good to have you on-board, Satanic. Welcome, once again.

Cheers,
Utkarsh

[Roy.S]

Welcome aboard!
Interesting handle, is it a reference to the book? Either way its one of TBhp's unique usernames.