How our Dad's car purchases made us avid car enthusiasts

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.

BHPian RahulNagaraj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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?

Here's what GTO had to add to this matter:

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!

Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to add to this matter:

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.

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