New pinch

LET'S TORQUE

I've never bought a brand new vehicle in my life. Nor have my parents, come to think of it. From what I remember, the first family car was a red second-hand Standard Herald.

This was followed by a Mark II Ambassador, a Premier Padmini, a Fiat 1100, a hard-top Gypsy and a second generation Honda City "� all second-hand. My first motorcycle was a beat-up Hero Honda CD100 SS, whose petrol tank I think I filled only once in almost three years of college-going.

My second bike was a 1985 RD350, bought off a friend of my uncle's, and whose tank I filled once every hour or so. As you can see, I've never been inside a vehicle showroom for anything other than to pick up a test car "� until a couple of months ago.

I was in Delhi, taking a day's break between road trips, and I was staying with old and dear family friends. Over breakfast, discussion came around to their Indica, which they had bought when the car was launched, and its current lamentable condition. They wanted a new car and asked me for suggestions. Based on their inputs, I recommended the Swift. Since everyone seemed to be at a loose end, we jumped into the old banger and drove to the nearest Maruti showroom.

Both diesel and petrol Swifts were test-driven extensively, calculations were done and the petrol was decided upon. I hammered out a pretty good deal with the True Value section on the Indica and, with the discounts already being offered, the final on-road price was a near-bargain. I also managed to squeeze some extras out of the miserly salesperson, including VXi wheel covers.

The net result was that barely eight hours after first setting foot in the showroom, I found myself at the delivery centre, a very hefty demand draft in hand, and after an exchange satisfactory to both parties, I drove away in a spanking new, fully registered Swift LXi. Even though it wasn't my car, I think I felt almost as happy as the new owners. There's something to be said for living vicariously, after all.

pablo@business-standard.com