[mustysekhon]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

my goodness!! this is an absolute disaster!!



This in turn shatters my dream of driving a Thar up to Leh. Never going to happen is it, especially with the inconsistent quality of Thars being churned out.



I am stuck! Would some of you who have travelled down this path please suggest an alternative 4x4 that a 'salaried' person could get hold of for 6 to 7L that will take him from Bangalore to Leh and back in one piece? That was my plan for this year and for the next it was a Bangalore to Bangkok adventure (if that is actually possible, not exactly sure).



Please please help!! I'm hitting mid-life and not able to find a suitable vehicle from my crisis!!

Gypsy King off the shelf - brand new and contrary to what anyone tells you, the one currently in production is Army Specs. I bought mine in Blore for 7.2 including road tax & insurance and no complaints. It's 18 months old and only part replaced in warranty is headlight assembly. Budget another 25k to trade in tyres and get All Terrain ones. Headlight tube upgrade from 65/55 and horn / relays. It's trouble free and the best service network.

[Thar4x4]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

my goodness!! this is an absolute disaster!!

thank goodness I saw this thread in time. I was almost about to drop some money on a 2nd hand Thar. Logic being that the first owner would have gone through the misery of sorting out these niggles and irritants and I would just smoothly inherit a rectified vehicle.

But reading everyone's posts and seeing the misery they have gone through, it is clear that the only reason that someone is selling a Thar is because it is absolute rubbish and they just want to get rid of a reminder of a shattered dream. This in turn shatters my dream of driving a Thar up to Leh. Never going to happen is it, especially with the inconsistent quality of Thars being churned out.

I am stuck! Would some of you who have travelled down this path please suggest an alternative 4x4 that a 'salaried' person could get hold of for 6 to 7L that will take him from Bangalore to Leh and back in one piece? That was my plan for this year and for the next it was a Bangalore to Bangkok adventure (if that is actually possible, not exactly sure).

Please please help!! I'm hitting mid-life and not able to find a suitable vehicle from my crisis!!

Feathered and THARred
Shireesh

I am salaried person, I purchased my Thar CRDe Rocky Beige AC 1.2 yrs back and enjoying every moment with it. Yes there were some frustrating moments but that was my fault of expecting more than what it is offered/made for.

If you consider it as a Jeep and not a SUV then you are good to go with it for lifetime. I made my mind at the time of purchase, considered it a Jeep but then tried to modified it for comfort and failed , got frustrated and attempted to sell 2 times in ownership of just 14 months but only one thing pulled me back is emotional attachment my family and I have bound with it.

Believe me my Thar have zero issues compared to other main stream vehicles, I raised brake issue and they fixed it under warranty so I am happy with service as well. I open bonnet only ones or twice in months to check all fluids, other than that nothing needs personal attention.

I am paying hefty EMI for my Thar so totally understand your concern, my advice will be to get hold of good pre owned Thar CRDe around 6.5 L (6.5 was last good offer I got)

There is 50-50 chance of getting hold on good vehicle as there are two types of buyer, one who will use it for off-roading and other who will use just as other vehicle (which I do). So try to get well maintained vehicle from later category as there are lots of them in market. If you don't want to take chance and still want Thar you know the option.

Hope my experience will help you in your selection process.

Thanks,
Vishal

[shireeshjacobs]

Originally Posted by TuxDiesel

One more alternative that you can think of is a second hand pajero. One of my colleague bought a 5 year old second hand 4x4. It does the job. If you read some of the excursions forums, they perform quite well and at times better than the jeeps on off road conditions.

As sjcherian and many others mentioned, it is a choice made not by plain reason. In my humble opinion, Thar as of now seems to be the only jeep that is available which doesn't burn a hole in a salaried person's pocket and a established network of service centres to take care of basic maintenance.

Hi. How much did your friend pay for his pajero? I can't find anything less than 10L for a 2007 2008 version with around 100k to 150k on the clock. That's why I ruled it out.

[sjcherian]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

Hi SJCherian,

I am tempted for sure. Always been. I did read your ownership post also in great detail.

As you say this is something you don't think about too much and you just appreciate the vehicle for what it is and don't focus on what its not.

How much did you spend on your vehicle if you don't mind me asking? Altnernatively, in your opinion how much do you think I should spend on a 2nd hand Thar CRDE 4x4 (say 2011 or 2012)?

Also, what is the mileage you are currently getting in Chennai city traffic? What is your annual maintenance cost like?

Thanks
Shireesh

Whatever you pay for the used Thar will be too much if you rationalise it and you will be told this by everyone.

Keep watching tbhp and other classifieds prices vary anywhere from 4.5l to 8l depending on accesories etc. Fix your budget.

My mileage varies based on speed, AC usage and amount of time engine on at signals. Pls check my thread for a fuelly link which has every single fill up done with notes. Avg is around 10.5kmpl for mostly city drives.

Maintenance cost has been negligible so far. Will need to check logs and post.

[Thar4x4]

Engine coolant level below low after around 3000 km.

Today morning I observed the engine coolant level when vehicle was not started and engine was switched off for more than 12 hours. The level is below low which was topped up in third servicing which happened before approx 3000 km. There is no leak or spill in engine bay. Coolant container cap is intact as well.

I use my Thar daily in Pune traffic and has used for long rides on last 2 weekends.

Is this normal to go coolant level down after 3000 or so km?

Thanks,
Vishal

[Rajith]

Originally Posted by Thar4x4

Engine coolant level below low after around 3000 km.

Is this normal to go coolant level down after 3000 or so km?

Thanks,
Vishal

I have never topped up coolant in last 26000kms. Check hose leak near the water jacker, under the engine cover or any minute leakages in radiator fins.

[Karamvir30]

Hello everybody, read the whole thread & here comes my piece of concern,driven almost 14000 kms in my Thar CRDe in about a year,My A.C. has suddenly stopped cooling,have'nt been to the service station yet,but any suggestions to fix it.
Thanks!

[Thar4x4]

Originally Posted by Karamvir30

Hello everybody, read the whole thread & here comes my piece of concern,driven almost 14000 kms in my Thar CRDe in about a year,My A.C. has suddenly stopped cooling,have'nt been to the service station yet,but any suggestions to fix it.
Thanks!

The issue might be with condenser, same happened with my friend's Thar. The part cost bomb, if you are still under warranty rush immediately to service centre.

[kicksperliter]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

my goodness!! this is an absolute disaster!!

But reading everyone's posts and seeing the misery they have gone through, it is clear that the only reason that someone is selling a Thar is because it is absolute rubbish and they just want to get rid of a reminder of a shattered dream. This in turn shatters my dream of driving a Thar up to Leh. Never going to happen is it, especially with the inconsistent quality of Thars being churned out.

I am stuck! Would some of you who have travelled down this path please suggest an alternative 4x4 that a 'salaried' person could get hold of for 6 to 7L that will take him from Bangalore to Leh and back in one piece? That was my plan for this year and for the next it was a Bangalore to Bangkok adventure (if that is actually possible, not exactly sure).


Feathered and THARred
Shireesh

Hi Shireesh,

I would not completely agree with your comment on absolute disaster. So far, my Thar CRDe has completed close to 22000 kms on its ODO. I have participating in many Major Offroading events too. So far other than brakes upgrade, I haven't had any major troublesome issue with my Thar. I have i20 CRDE as well, but Thar has been my Daily drive.

I have not had any issues in driving to Leh. I just got once serviced in Srinagar. That's it. I came back without any issues.

I would take the privilege to say so, because I did Bangalore - Leh

Check out this thread: 7939 Kms, 2 Different Routes, 10 States and 1 Thar 4x4

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3230645

Coming to your Bangkok road trip. The drive is possible as I have done this route. I can help you with route planning if you need any assistance. The Major Bottleneck is Nagaland (The ROADS are unpredictable). Every year atleast for 4 months there are NO ROADS literally. You need ARMY support during your traverse through Arunachal/Nagaland, without which it's IMPOSSIBLE.

BURMA is another major issue. The DRUG Cartels (I can tell you why). These guys should be a concern for you as their army is larger than Burmese army itself. Getting permits is not an easy task AT ALL.

Attached is the route map I had been on. While returning I did ship my vehicle back to Chennai through container and flew back to Bangalore from Singapore.



You can ping me anytime for details, as posting here would not be right.

[shireeshjacobs]

Originally Posted by kicksperliter

Hi Shireesh,

I would not completely agree with your comment on absolute disaster. So far, my Thar CRDe has completed close to 22000 kms on its ODO. I have participating in many Major Offroading events too. So far other than brakes upgrade, I haven't had any major troublesome issue with my Thar. I have i20 CRDE as well, but Thar has been my Daily drive.

I have not had any issues in driving to Leh. I just got once serviced in Srinagar. That's it. I came back without any issues.

I would take the privilege to say so, because I did Bangalore - Leh

Check out this thread: 7939 Kms, 2 Different Routes, 10 States and 1 Thar 4x4

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3230645

Coming to your Bangkok road trip. The drive is possible as I have done this route. I can help you with route planning if you need any assistance. The Major Bottleneck is Nagaland (The ROADS are unpredictable). Every year atleast for 4 months there are NO ROADS literally. You need ARMY support during your traverse through Arunachal/Nagaland, without which it's IMPOSSIBLE.

BURMA is another major issue. The DRUG Cartels (I can tell you why). These guys should be a concern for you as their army is larger than Burmese army itself. Getting permits is not an easy task AT ALL.

Attached is the route map I had been on. While returning I did ship my vehicle back to Chennai through container and flew back to Bangalore from Singapore.

Attachment 1221228

You can ping me anytime for details, as posting here would not be right.

Hi Kicksperliter,

Boy am I glad to see your post!! First for the relatively trouble free journey to Leh and back with 22k on the odo.

2nd for the Thailand trip!! That is pretty neat. I will definitely ping you to get full details of that trip. Do you have a log of the thailand trip? would love to read it.

I am going to sell my polo in the next two weeks and hopefully will start scouting around for a good used Thar.

Wife is pushing for a new W4 XUV 500 - not sure if that can do what the Thar can offroad. It will definitely be easier to drive on an expedition trip though

Shireesh

[Thar4x4]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

I am going to sell my polo in the next two weeks and hopefully will start scouting around for a good used Thar.

Wife is pushing for a new W4 XUV 500 - not sure if that can do what the Thar can offroad. It will definitely be easier to drive on an expedition trip though

Shireesh

Hey,
Selling Polo and buying Thar is not good decision at all. Not sure if you have another family vehicle in garage or not so I think you should keep one family vehicle and then Thar as second vehicle in garage.

I did same while buying my Thar, I have Estilo for family stuffs and use Thar for recreational purpose only.

Thanks,
Vishal.

[shireeshjacobs]

Hey Thar4x4,

Yep I agree. I have an i20 petrol as well which is my wife's ride. So that will remain the sensible option

So i'm free to find something for myself for now.

[akshay4587]

My Thar,3.2 Months and 4300kms old,squeaks and creaks a lot.
I suspect the sound to be from leaf springs,how do i eliminate it?
Do not have plans for CFL for now.

[Avigo71]

Originally Posted by shireeshjacobs

Hi Kicksperliter,



Boy am I glad to see your post!! First for the relatively trouble free journey to Leh and back with 22k on the odo.



2nd for the Thailand trip!! That is pretty neat. I will definitely ping you to get full details of that trip. Do you have a log of the thailand trip? would love to read it.



I am going to sell my polo in the next two weeks and hopefully will start scouting around for a good used Thar.



Wife is pushing for a new W4 XUV 500 - not sure if that can do what the Thar can offroad. It will definitely be easier to drive on an expedition trip though



Shireesh

Hi there,
I strongly advice you to NOT buy a second hand Thar. The new version (post September 2013) is far far superior to the ones available in the second hand market. If you are not in a hurry then wait for the new upgraded one which I believe will be available sometime this year. And any which way to buy a second hand off Roader is just an invitation to innumerable problems on all fronts.

I am a huge fan of the Thar and and also agree that Mahindra has not done a great job in fineness or after sales in most places. But If you are in mumbai, I definitely swear by NBS Reay road (mr. Sudhir Karkal).

I am just back from a gruelling mumbai ,Chandigarh, Mukhtsar, Chandigarh, Simla, Narkhanda, Chandigarh , Rishikesh, Agra, Jaipur, Mumbai journey! I did nothing but fill diesel on the entire trip. Over here I unfortunately agree that with Mahindra, you should just be a bit lucky with your fortunes. A Toyota, Hyundai, Maruti etc are statistically more safe 'to not break down'. I philosophically suggest to pray hard and take any journey. Nothing will go wrong! Otherwise , there is a saying in "Oneness" ( my spiritual University), that " What you fear is what you get!"

Having said all this I do not think that the Thar should be your only vehicle unless you are a bachelor. If at all you still want it to be your only vehicle then please check my posts in the "Hard top" & other threads. If you do up the Thar is this way then it really is a different ball game.

I don't know what your budget is , but buying the new Scorpio 4x4 ( to be launched soon) and then doing it up in a brute way from Mahindra Customisation is not a bad idea at all! It will take all the rough with the smooth that Indian roads have to offer..

[desertfox]

Often when I start my Thar in the morning there is a turbo whinning noise, much like a jet engine whinning. what could this be ?