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BHPian PatchyBoy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I owned a first-batch Linea T-Jet (MY 2010). I took care of her like a child. Clocked 1.3 L Kms on that & she never failed me. What a gem of a car!! With age catching up and spine-related issues, my DIY days were behind me. After moving to Goa, I simply couldn't care for her any longer. There are no authorized service centres or trustworthy & knowledgeable FNGs for the Fiat here. With a heavy heart, decided to sell her.
The day before she was sold
Final goodbye
Started looking for a replacement. Was torn between new or used. Did not want to take out a loan & also did not want to plonk a big pile of cash for a car. My drives have reduced a lot & I only needed a car to take us for the occasional outings, shopping & hospital visits. Only requirement, it has to be some kind of AT. My budget was 15 L max. I was looking at cars like the new Exter AMT & the Kiger CVT. Then a very close friend from Kolkata came home for a vacation. Was chatting with him about the car. He spontaneously decided that I should have his VW Virtus GT. One year old. Done 12000 km.
Asking price
The plan was for me to drive (with the missus, of course) to Bangalore, hand over the T-Jet to the buyer, fly to Kolkata & drive the Virtus back to Goa. But once we got to Bangalore, my wife had a fall & hurt herself. My friend immediately decided to drive down to Bangalore & hand the Virtus over to me. Two days later, he was in Bangalore with the car.
Drove the car from Bangalore to Goa yesterday. Here are my first long-drive impressions of the car -
Was surprised by how frugal the car is (this is from Nelamangala to Hubli - 100% 4/6 lane highway) -
All-in-all - A good filler for the Jet. Cannot be considered a replacement, though. The Jet's shoes are way too big for this one to fill
PS: KA govt guys ought to be loaded in a KSRTC basic bus & driven up & down the roads between the border & Ramnagar - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
PPS: Will drive to the KA border & back one of these days, in the daytime, just to experience the Virtus in the ghats in a relaxed way
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