My Tata Nano: A New Journey Begins

[ss80]

Hi All,

After having sold my 800 few days back, I was restless and just could not be without a car. I wanted a used car that had the following things

1. Maruti/Hyundai
2. Less than 10yrs old
3. No LPG kits etc
4. 4cylinder engine (no 3, 2 etc)
5. Ample legroom & headroom
6. AC & PS

Only a wagonR or Santro could meet my requirements. Unlike the previous experiences, this time I interacted with a few spare parts shop keepers, dealers and got to know about these 2 cars

1. Santro - ruled out
The reason being, cost of spares are high and for the money I had I could only get a old model Santro. Usually 10+ yrs old cars tend to have higher maintenance cost (my previous car was 24yrs old, so you know where I am coming from). Xing is simply out of my budget.

2. WagonR - no good options available. Even if something is available, it would be a 2002model with 2 or 3 owners, again it would end up becoming a never ending restoration. So had to drop that as well.

I discussed with Varun, about all the confusion I was going through. Nano was set as the last option to chose, if I had nothing else. I realised within a day that only a Nano seems to be a practical choice for the following reasons

Pros
1. Space - More than wagonR type1(nothing more to say)
2. Less aged cars @ less than a lakh price
3. Cheap spares
4. Less driven cars plenty on olx etc
5. AC+fog lamps+spoiler+2power windows+heater+booster brakes+cable brake shift - all of this in LX models - again falls within my budget.

Cons:
I have driven a Nano long back and I dint ike it
Sound - rickshaw type, the biggest deal breaker for Nano
Cheap car image - a 15yr old wagonR still gains more respect than any Nano
No power steering
A symbol of cost cutting excellence - evident in so many areas

So how did I meet the Silver Nano
I saw a ad in Olx and called up the owner. He advised me to come & meet him near HSBC B.G Road, a good 1hr went in traffic before I reached the spot. I waited for him next to a coffee day. After 5mins the guy comes with the car, I test drove and I realised that Nano is one of the most underrated cars in India.

All the myths I had believed were busted instantly, here are the facts
1. Ac is a bone chiller
2. No need for Power steering
3. Spacious - acres of space, compare to 800, zen, alto, eon etc
4. The ride quality is not that jarring as mentioned in many reviews
5. It is like a Activa fitted with Pulsar 200 engine, 0- 60kmph is peppy and feels good.
6. The rickshaw type sound is heard only outside, inside everything is normal.
the list goes on & on.......

Finally discussed price and paid the money, initiated name transfer procedure immediately.

The details:
TATA NANO LX
2010 model
I will be the 3rd owner
Comprehensive Insurance
recently serviced, full service history available, last bill was 8990/- a lot of parts have been changed for wear & tear issues
next service is 8k kms away.
The guy gave me with nearly 3/4th tank of fuel too
Bonnet, 2 bumpers have been repainted and not so good. I will have to redo them later.
Lots of scratches on car, but still looks good enough to be used everyday.
55/60w bulbs doing a okayish job as of now.

Few pics, more info later on...

 

[ss80]

Re: My Nano - a new journey begins

Completed 196kms in first 12hrs of ownership. Loving every bit of it. Highway manners are really good, its not that sluggish or slow. I had been to Shoolagiri in TN about 80kms from Bangalore, on highway with 3 adults and AC, car was easily cruising at about 80 - 90kmph and driving is effortless. As for the sound of the car, I switch on AC & up the windows :)

A lot of basic parts needs to be put in car like
Mud flaps, new foot mats, ac vents are lose, Central locking, cleaning of Interiors, tyre replacement all 4, but priority is front 2, those puny 135R12 tyres cant hold the car while braking hard.

 

[drdoddapaneni]

Re: My Nano - a new journey begins

Congratulations for your car.Nano is definitely one of the underrated cars in India.I guess the 1 lakhcheap car image destroyed it.Otherwise we would have sees many nano's on the road than we are seeing now.

 

[Nanofreak]

Re: My Nano - a new journey begins

Completed 196kms in first 12hrs of ownership. Loving every bit of it. Highway manners are really good, its not that sluggish or slow. I had been to Shoolagiri in TN about 80kms from Bangalore, on highway with 3 adults and AC, car was easily cruising at about 80 - 90kmph and driving is effortless. As for the sound of the car, I switch on AC & up the windows :)

A lot of basic parts needs to be put in car like
Mud flaps, new foot mats, ac vents are lose, Central locking, cleaning of Interiors, tyre replacement all 4, but priority is front 2, those puny 135R12 tyres cant hold the car while braking hard.

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Hi Anand,

Congrats on your pretty clean Nano, not very high mileage, am sure you will be inspired by Saishibu's Nano for decent mods.

regards
vinod

 

[shrijit303]

Re: My Nano - a new journey begins

the Silver nano rocks!.The car is much better than the 800.

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
Congratulations on your Tata Nano. Very good practical car , Inside city it will be very easy to handle.

 

[ss80]

ICE installed








Installed the same ICE I had in my 800. Got a new plank though.
Mdf wood type. Yet to fit the amplifier and woofer, not very comfortable to keep the amp below carpet or under seat.

 

[linkin]

Congrats for your Nano. Am a continuous visitor of your M800 thread, hope you start with this Nano. Happy miles ahead.

 

[ss80]

Thanks a lot for all the support guys. Few more updates.

New 2tyres for front - MRF 135/70R12 tubeless & alignment done. We cant fit a wider tyre at front on stock rims as the tyres will rub against the brake hose support (while taking full u turns). Hence staying stock is safe.

New tyres packed in plastic - love the smell of new rubber :)






Alignment going on




The drum brakes are now visible, planning to paint it when I get alloys.


The old & new disc horns. I prefer using a single horn, as the dual ones are way too loud and only add to noise pollution + many a times, kids and elderly people on road get scared when you honk with loud horns (pulsar, swift etc). So decided not to use the old disc and horn relay (although I have one extra at home)

 

[AppU]

Congrats Anand,

Nano is a Good Choice, Wish you millions of Happy miles with cute Nano

 

[generalmax]

Congratulations ! Considering its a first generation car and you being the third owner,you would have got this car with a good price,which that leaves lots of scope for up-gradation in the form of funds.

 

[ss80]

Thanks Vinod & General Max Sir.

Update:
Been about 600+ kms since I bought the car and I am getting a mileage of roughly 19kmpl. 250kms for every 13ltrs of fuel = 19.23kmpl with 30% AC on.
Mileage is good mainly due to my off peak driving times.




Car is good, I will share a 1000kms update pretty soon.

 

[scorpking]

Hi Anand,

Congrats on your new car! How much it costed you?
Apart from its sound outside, it is a good city car.. Good mileage and space Enjoy your Nano ride!!

 

[ss80]

Today I was part of a Nano meet in Bangalore. Here's a snapshot & the thread link.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/automotive-meets/23325-successful-nano-meet-bangalore-sep-19-2015-a.html#post463096

 

[ss80]

The 17th day & 1000kms update

So finally I completed 1000kms yesterday. That's quite some usage compared to my previous 800.

Observations so far:

Things that have changed compared to day 1.

1. The braking has improved thanks to new tyres, but still leaves a huge scope for improvement
2. Cleaned Blower recently hence air flow is better even in 1speed
3. The car is more predictable than before as I am getting used to the boat kind of movements on uneven roads
4. For every 12ltrs of fuel I consistently travel about 250kms mainly due to off peak hour and highway usage. 20.83kmpl approx
5. The seats and carpet need cleaning due to excessive dust accumulation
6. There is one thing I have noticed, since I start early morning everyday, I give it a 2mins idling before I move the car. This helps big time in reducing the vibrations. Also even in day time once car is parked for more than a few hours I give it a decent time (about 90secs) of idling. Fuel spent in idling is way better than a jerky drive.
7. The plank although looks good, really takes away all the useful space behind seat.


Immediate mods in plan:
1. Headlamp upgrade to 100/90 wiring kit and bulbs
2. an extra hole is required on top of the windshield washer tank, currently it takes more than 3mins to fill the tiny tank as it takes time for the air to pass out.
3. If possible to make the boot openable like in Mahindra Verito Vibe. Will have to speak to tinker again to get this done. The rear panel is held to the chassy with the help of 4 x 10size bolts and nuts.