What do you chaps think of the new Mahindra Bolero?

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mundaire
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Post by mundaire » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:48 pm

OT - but I'll bite ;)

Owned an Opel Astra for years and I thought it was quite nice, though a tad underpowered... Especially loved the window controls, probably one of the most ergonomically designed set of window controls on any car to ever hit Indian roads! When I was posted in Mumbai (2001-02), drove it down to Pune several times, and 140 Kmph on the expressway felt like 80 Kmph does on an Esteem (my other car in those days)... good road holding and very stable!

Am afraid all GM & Ford cars seem to have rotten resale value though... they depreciate like a rock sinking to the bottom!! :P

Cheers!
Abhijeet
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Post by mundaire » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:50 pm

BTW, the Opel Astra was sold by GM under the Vauxhall badge in the UK...
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Post by Sakobav » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:24 pm

One of my favourite radio channels is National Public Radio (NPR) in US and a show named click clack http://www.cartalk.com/ hosted by two car garage owners in Boston, brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi. They both are MIT graduates!..Its fun listening to these guys and their advises from marriage counseling to car issues. Check them out

Getting to Abhijeet’s point “ on GM and Ford “ resale values.. Click clack guys some time back were and probably are one of the most despised guys in Detroit because of their critics of American cars, especially the gas guzzlers Suburban, Hummer, SUVs. But since middle 90s, the US cars have really stepped up in terms of reliability and other features. They are cheaper to maintain because their parts are readily available ( can be scavenged from junk yards) and familiarity of the mechanics and owners. Equivalent of that in India is what mechanics in North call “jugaad”, they can retool a part if required. ( there is a better English for jugaad so pitch in).
I am really against driving above 100 km/hr in India no matter which road, especially that game of chicken with on coming traffic while over taking on 2 lane highway and narrow bridges or culverts.
In winter up north, the Fog ( or is it Smog) is a killer these days, never have I seen or driven in this thick a fog and this is from someone who lived in Minnesota and drove in heavy snow/blizzards (only once) through Wisconsin in extreme whiteout conditions. I could not find Radisson hotel near Delhi airport even though we were standing right in front of it!

Not knowing the budget which Mack The Knife has, I am all for Bolero, soup it up to tank grade with Fog lights, etc, rough ride is good for digestion system , exercises some of the other unknown body muscles, and getting late remember that famous safe sign “better late than never”. Parting remark has any plowed fields with mahindra or any tractor. You will start appreciating the rides..our farmer mates on the board can atest to that.

rgds
Navdeep

PS due to halloween look what they have in top 10 scariest cars
1986 Suzuki Samurai aka Gypsy
Scary for: Drivers

Rolling over is fine if you've got personal knowledge of Knuckles Goldberg's wrongdoings and you're heading into the witness protection program. Rolling over at 70 miles per hour on asphalt, when you're swerving to avoid an errant chipmunk? Not so good. These cars were cheap, so they were purchased mostly by young drivers — the people most likely to end up hanging from the seat belt with four wheels in the air. Scarier still, the Samurai wasn't that much worse than other SUVs of the era.

1987 Ford Festiva
Scary for: Drivers

Take a good look at this car. Kind of small, wouldn't you say? Now imagine yourself in a Festiva surrounded by amphetamine-snacking tractor-trailer drivers. Going 75 miles per hour. At night. In the rain. Scared yet? We sure are. We once got in trouble for saying this car came right from the factory with a funeral wreath on the grille

1973 Volkswagen Microbus
Scary for: Drivers

Here's a scary idea: Design a car so the occupants' legs are the very first line of defense in a frontal crash. Then add poor stability. Shaped like a pizza box standing on end, the Microbus blew around on the highway like Calista Flockhart in a wind tunnel. Drivers never had time to worry about these issues, though; they were too busy trying to keep themselves warm in the chilly Bus.

mehulkamdar

Re: What do you chaps think of the new Mahindra Bolero?

Post by mehulkamdar » Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:12 pm

The last car my father had before I left India was an Opel Astra, not a bad thing at all. It was a bit of a gas guzzler compared to the Esteem that he had before it, but I was never able to do much better than 80-90 Kph driving it on NH 41 and 45 from Madras, traffic being the reason.

I had a Maruti Gypsy a long time ago and it wasn't bad at all. We used to own a property in Kodaikanal and I drove it there several times. This was long before the newer Mahindra models came out or the Ford/GM/Hyundai/Toyota etc stuff was available.

Drive a Focus SVT 2 door over here and just love it - a little car with a 2.3 l 151 BHp engine goes like stink. It is also cheap to run over here and I have driven all the way to Mark's place near St Louis on a single tank (10 gal) of gas. Of course, there is no question of resale price in the US but I am surprised that Ford and GM products do not command resale in India.

Cheers,

Mehul

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Post by Mack The Knife » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:16 pm

Abhijeet,

I, unfortunately or fortunately, do not give a fig about resale value or even that particular Indian penchant for fuel economy. Well, upto a limit. I cannot afford to keep a car that gives 5 and 6 kms per litre.

Mehul, I like the sound of your little runabout but in the U.S.? One of my vivid memories of my one and only visit to the U.S. in '81 was driving on those highways in a great big Oldsmobile station wagon and still feel the car get unsteady when a truck passed by. Not to forget the clack-clack on those cement roads.

Incidentally, my favourite car to date was an ugly old Volvo 244 GL. Once took it up to 180 kmph on the Thane-Bombay road when I saw a long clear stretch :mrgreen: but after 5 minutes or so the car started to jerk and the engine switched off. I had run out of petrol. Berk! :roll: :mrgreen:

Just for the record, my wife drives a 1.6 litre Opel Corsa Swing (not an Astra) and 150 kmph on the Mysorebahn is a breeze....literally. :mrgreen: Incidentally, contrary to Abhijeet's 'steady as a rock at 140 kmph experience in the Astra', there was some unsteadiness at 150 kmph on the Corsa. So now I don't take it over 120-130 kmph. Never did find the brakes too hot in that car, if you will pardon the pun.

Mack The Knife

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Post by mundaire » Sat Oct 21, 2006 12:50 am

Navdeep, Mehul, Mack The Knife,

Just got back after my Diwali rounds (which incidentally ended with half a bottle of an excellent single malt from the isle of sky - forget the name - but nectar all the same :mrgreen: ) Will have something to say about the Gypsy and the Astra tommorow - besides splitting the thread to another more appropriate heading (if I can think of one...) :lol:

Cheers!
Abhijeet
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Re: What do you chaps think of the new Mahindra Bolero?

Post by eljefe » Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:25 am

Mack The Knife Bana";p="4789 wrote:
80 kmph will have me nodding at the wheel. I could have murdered that Asif for me making me drive at 60 to 70 kmph during our trip. :evil: :mrgreen:

Mack The Knife
next time you're in noida, i promise you 150 on our noidabahn in my optra.promise.
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Post by Mack The Knife » Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:33 am

That may happen as early as this coming December, if I visit the dragon-in-law. However, I really couldn't be bothered about setting the NOIDA Land Speed Record. Speed in an unfamiliar area in an unfamiliar car isn't my cup of Earl Gray.

Mack The Knife

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Post by mehulkamdar » Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:23 pm

Mack The Knife,

The link to the US Ford Focus. This is for the latest model http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/focus/ Deepak and Grumpy have both seen my car. They would tell you what it is like.

The new version is not available in SVT (2.3 litre version) yet. Mine is a 2 door which I prefer because it gives better performance.

Cheers!

Mehul

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Re: What do you chaps think of the new Mahindra Bolero?

Post by Mack The Knife » Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:58 pm

Mine is a 2 door which I prefer because it gives better performance.
Really? Well, come Monday and I will have the rear doors welded on my 800. Should I leave the hatch as is?

:wink: :mrgreen:

mehulkamdar

Re: What do you chaps think of the new Mahindra Bolero?

Post by mehulkamdar » Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:18 am

Mack The Knife,

Don't think I need to explain this - due to two less doors, the body of the car is more rigid and needs less reinforcing material, bringing the overall weight down by almost 100 lbs compared to a 4 door. With a little car, it does make a big difference especially in fuel economy and in acceleration.

You need to get rid of the 800 and buy the Bolero that you want asap. What are yu doing with that little dinky car?

Mehul

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Re: What do you chaps think of the new Mahindra Bolero?

Post by Mack The Knife » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:59 pm

Don't think I need to explain this...
Never ever assume anything of the sort where cars and I are concerned. I had no idea one could reduce the weight by as much as 100lbs.
You need to get rid of the 800 and buy the Bolero that you want asap.
I don't want that POS (sorry Dev! ;) ). What I do want is a Hummer and free gas. :twisted:

Mack The Knife

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Post by dev » Wed Nov 15, 2006 2:45 pm

Oye you are hurting almost religious sentiments by gawd ;-). Actually don't buy it, get yourself a Mini Pajero from Mumbai that is sold used for 1 year at ten lakhs or so. Get a diesel and then beat it into a hummer config . Now are we all happy? Errr... I also know Sunil Shetty's cousin and if you are up to it...shall we get a used Hummer huh...huh...huh. ;-)

Regards,

Dev
Mack The Knife Bana";p="5289 wrote:
Don't think I need to explain this...
Never ever assume anything of the sort where cars and I are concerned. I had no idea one could reduce the weight by as much as 100lbs.
You need to get rid of the 800 and buy the Bolero that you want asap.
I don't want that POS (sorry Dev! ;) ). What I do want is a Hummer and free gas. :twisted:

Mack The Knife
To ride, to speak up, to shoot straight.

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