Zen and the art of buying a car - 4

When people ask me what I do, I usually tell them that I am a software engineer at heart. And then there is usually a moment of timelessness, as we respectively see who blinks first.  I am sure that this predicament is not mine alone, and that I have a whole tribe of my own out there, who too must be struggling to convey what exactly they do - how they add value to the world that they are robbing. 

And then sometime ago, I attended a software engineering conference, where a very respected software engineer, several years my senior in the field, and a million times more accomplished, famous and wealthier, had this to say - “When people ask me what I do for a living, I have now got a proper reply. Here it is. I tell them - ‘My grandfather was a horse-thief, my father was a used-car dealer, and I, am a software engineer.’ “

So, coming back to my car chronicle, I had this old car to sell, and new car to buy.

Enter - Used-car dealer Krishna!

For the sake of brevity, lets call him Used-car Krishna! Here was a pure, unadulterated Krishna!

He purred like as if he had nothing but my highest interest in his heart. He would take care of the whole thing. Sell the old car. Show me a range of new cars. Get me the best prices. Arrange any finance I need. And also fill my refrigerator up, as a freebie. All at no extra cost. Their dealership had been serving the society for more than five decades now. And this used-car Krishna who was now my trusted-advisor was a second or third generation person from that family of Used-car  Krishnas!

Krishna asked me how many kilometers my current car has done. 60 K, said I. He then examined the papers of my current car, his face taking on the look of Don Bradman facing a ball, and deciding how best to hit it for a six. He then put on his most trust-inspiring expression and gave me four options, one straight, and three crooked. We could go for the straight option of course, except that I would not get as good a  price. I would be foregoing some 20 or 30K. I chose to go straight. And then he was so quick on the kill that he was willing to sign a cheque straightaway, which made me wonder if I had been made a lemon.

And then he smoothly switched gears, and got onto discussing how he could help with arranging finance for my new car purchase. He sang such a melodious number! I came away thinking that I could be getting a fascinating deal where I had to pay just 6 % interest.

And before I could say Henry-Ford, Used-car Krishna had landed in my house in the evening. He brought along some snake-oil salesmen from a new car dealer, and two new cars (one purposely made to look dull compared to the other, higher priced option). He also brought along a finance man, who he said would meet me next day, with all paper work done, and a few signatures from me on the cross marks on the forms, well the loan would be done, and the new car could be mine!

But being a software engineer, I am trained to do V & V - verification and validation. And so I went to my Accountant Krishna and asked him about financing options, and told him the deal offered by Used-car Krishna.

Accountant Krishna had recently purchased a new car himself and so was fresh with battle wounds. About the deal offered by Used-car Krishna, he lifted an eyebrow and hid a smirk, and asked me a few questions on the detailed terms, for which I had no answers. He wanted to know how the loan offering was structured. Interest on diminishing balance or not, cut off to the day or month, how the repayment EMI was accounted for, how  the loading of principal and interest was divided over time, whether there was a penalty for pre-closure etc.  Seeing me bewildered, he gave me a small lecture on hidden costs in such deals.

And then he told me about the discounts that could be expected. He advised me that I should break up the transaction completely, so that I did not let the banker, the Used-car dealer, the new car dealer, the insurer, and the accessories suppliers, to gang up as one front. I should deal with each separately, look them in the eye, and get a better deal from each of them, individually.

And to think that I had been thinking that this was a simple straight-through-processing type done deal. Ho hum!

                                         - To be continued -

Zen and the art of buying a car - 3

Krishna81 had his foot on the pedal when God took the key off his car. This was one evening last month, at Bangalore. In his office.

He was rushed to a hospital, and I and my better half took the early morning flight next morning to Bangalore. The cab sent by the travel agency was a Toyota Corolla. We rushed to the hospital. Nice, new hospital, on the way to the new airport. No crowds. Excellent facilities. Polite doctors. Efficient service. Bright ambience. All that Krishna81 would have liked. I suspect he was gone, but his body was still struggling in the ICU. The ailment was diagnosed as a brain hemorrhage and they were taking one more CT Scan when we walked in to the hospital.

Afternoon, around 1:30 pm, when I was standing outside the ICU, the vital signs in his body ceased. It was the holy day of Tai-Poosham. He had been absorbed in the radiance of his Master, Skanda Ramana.

We cremated him the next day.

The day after, I consigned a portion of his ashes in a place where three holy rivers meet, the Kaveri Sangama in Srirangapattinam. The drive from Bangalore to the Kaveri Sangama takes little less than  two hours. We went in the Toyota Corolla cab. A beautiful car. Cabbie Krishna had bought this second-hand, when it had done some 60000 kms. He told me that the quality was quite superb. No problems to talk about. And the car did some 9 kms per liter in the city and around 11 or 12 on the highways.

I got back to Chennai for a couple of days, and then flew back to Bangalore for the final rites.

The cab receiving me this time, was a Toyota Innova. Ribbon and all…It was a brand new cab. Cabbie Krishna told me that this was the first trip of the cab.

What a lovely car. The inside is to be seen to be believed. Business Class luxury. Seven people can sit comfortably. No need to elbow each other. Space. Lots of it.

But is it a personal car? Looks too big for a personal car. Looks quite like the engine of one of the Japanese superfast trains, detached from the coaches (kind of looks like a first part with second part missing). A long machine. But the fact is that it is only as long as the sedan, Toyota Corolla. It just looks longer.

Cabbie Krishna was all praise for the Innova. I asked him all sorts of questions, but net-net, he gave a big thumbs-up for the machine.

Krishna81 had made a date with me a few weeks before he passed on. He wanted me to take him in my car, to Tiruvannamalai on Feb 2^nd, from Chennai. And I had agreed. He booked a room for our stay there. And now he was no more. But then, on the very  date that he had chosen, I had the duty and privilege of carrying a portion of his ashes to Tiruvannamalai! Oh the ways of Krishna!

Tiruvannamalai is around five hours drive from Bangalore. This time, I went with a friend of mine, in his car. A Honda City.

My friend had clocked around 80 thousand kms in his car.  But the car was none the worse for it. We cruised on our way from Bangalore, leaving at around 6 AM or so, and stopped for a quick breakfast at Hosur. The first half of the route was on the highway and so the going was real smooth. And then you take off to the right and the roads start going back in time, but they are not bad. There was one stretch of a few kms that was bad. The car took the rough with the smooth. When we were some twenty kms of so from Tiruvannamalai, and doing a steady 110 Kmph, a Hyundai Getz overtook us at quite a clip. There was a whole family in the car. The driver must have been doing 130 kmph or so, when a few cows came charging on to the road, right in front of the car. And there, ahead of us, we saw the Getz brake. Fumes rose from the road as the driver stepped on the brakes. But wonder of wonders, the car braked beautifully, no swerving, no skidding…The cows survived. The family survived. The car survived. Good car, good driver, great brakes…

We reached Tiruvannamalai before 11 AM, with Krishna81 traveling with us in the Honda City. I consigned his ashes in the holy waters of one of the sacred tanks at the foothills of Arunachala, and then my friend and I checked into the room at Sri Ramanashramam that Krishna81 had booked. After spending some time there, we left back for Bangalore at around 3 PM, and reached by 8 PM.

Overall: It was a dream of a drive. Smooth as silk. Ten hours on the road and no muscle ache or stiffness to talk about. And the car had given some 17 kms or so per liter of petrol.

And so it was, that within the customary thirteen days rites that were consequent to the demise of Krishna81, I was given a good experience of three cars that were all on my shortlist. Thanks to Krishna81!

Meanwhile, back home in Chennai, my old Diesel awaited to be sold.

                                                            - To be continued -

Zen and the art of buying a car - 2

Krishna came in many forms to counsel me on the art of buying a car.  

There was a Chevrolet Tavera cab that I chanced to hire one day, and I thought I’d check if that Big-mass-of-engineering could fit into the parking area in my home. For if the Tavera could fit, so would a Scorpio or an Innova. And so I asked the cab driver, who was actually Krishna, to try and park in that space, and I found that he could.

And as Cabbie Krishna chatted with me, he realized that I seemed to be leaning towards buying a Scorpio, and he BUTted in straightaway. “Sir, car is good sir. No doubt sir. But Sir, Scorpio used mostly by flag-people sir…not by family type people sir…you yourself think sir…”, said he…and I say, he was quite right. Most of the Scorpios seem to be flag bearing, like chariots out of Mahabharata war. I pictured Krishna saying to me, “Yonder, you see that dazzling chariot Arjuna, with a white top, and a flag bearing the picture of a Cobra…That is the car of the mighty warrior Duryodhana…And that one, that glorious silver chariot, with the flag having a palm tree…That is the car of the greatest of warriors, Bhishma Pitamaha…And that there…” etc.

And I  pictured my Scorpio with a flag bearing the mighty ape…

How about a Toyota Innova then?

Cabbie Krishna approved. “Excellent option, sir” he said, breathing easier, and then went his way, for he had other fares to handle.

Krishna also came in the form of a dear well wisher of mine, a family elder, who was all of eighty one years young. Lets call him Krishna81. Now Krishna81 was quite a youth at heart, wore bright clothes, and always turned out pretty tip-top. He was quite a gizmo enthusiast as well, and so did a lot of research on my behalf and would call me every other day and advice me on this car and that. He was worried that I may put down my weapons, and opt to continue with my current diesel dodderer. And that he said would be the absolutely wrong thing to do. “What for has God given you a decent income? You should know how to put it to proper use…” he advised. And then again, he was worried that I may decide to dive deeper than needed, and he cautioned - “No! Don’t be tempted to spend that few dollars more. Stick to your budget and get the best  you can get for that. And be prepared to sell, three years down the line… and buy a new one… Don’t be over-attached to any car and hold on to it for more than three years… Cars are just getting better and better! A whole new world is upon us now! You should know how to enjoy!” he told me…

And as I dilly-dallied, hummed-and-hawed, he kind of gave up on me, and went ahead and booked a new car for himself! A Skoda! He chose a certain model, went to the dealership, and decided on a higher model, went across to a bank, negotiated a good loan, and signed the papers, all in one day. And he called me and told me “You are the first person I am telling this to. I have just booked a Skoda. It is a beauty. I have got a decent deal from the bank. Am not worried too much about servicing the loan. Interest rate is ok. Market is not bad, and I have some money in Mutual Funds which will give me returns that are much higher than the loan interest rate…”

Vettu onnu, tundu rendu - as they say in Tamil. One swift strike of the sword, and cut into two pieces! Krishna81 had showed me how a war has to be fought!

But…

Sadly, Krishna81 did not live to enjoy his new car. A week later, God recalled him from this earth. But he had shown me the way, and continued to show me the way in mysterious ways…As we shall see…

                                                              …To be continued….

Zen and the art of buying a car - 1

To buy a car in India in these times is a case study fit for analysis using the rules of Bhagavad Gita. Looking at the formidable array of options, each of which is driven by armed salesmen gunning for you, is to stare in the face of battle, with hope fast turning into deep despair. One almost feels like putting down one’s weapons, and saying “Krishna! Why do I need a new car? Why cant I put up with my old diesel dodderer? Fie on the devil of desire! Fie on vanity! No, I shall not go for a new car!”…

Then the Master would speak: “Be not a nincompoop, my friend, for this does not befit you. Abandon this weak-heartedness and arise! You feel anxious for that which should cause no anxiety! Forge ahead in the road of life! Evaluate your options! Make your choice! Go!”…

It was in this kind of mood, that I managed to lift my head to evaluate options. My four year old Diesel was on its last wheels…suffering variously from cough, arthritis, gas and many more diseases…the fact that almost all of its parts had been transplanted in the last few years didn’t seem to help either…It ran all right…but gave no commitment…

And so a new car it had to be, and I walked into the battlefield.

The choices…I start with a look at sedans…First stop Maruti…Want to look at the new SX4…”Men! They are back!” scream three pretty girls in the Ad for SX4. A real good looking car. Theatre seats in the back, raised above the front seat…Lots of pluses, but few “buts”…But “one”, fuel efficiency…But “two”, back seat design…Meant for seating two comfortably. But the third will have to sit on a high hump in the middle…Next stop, Honda….

And then the voices take over…

“Going for a Honda City? Why not a Toyota Corolla? For your profile Corolla is better. Hold it, go for the new Honda Civic…Looks much better…In which case, have you looked at Skoda as an option? Top models, man…If you can wait a few months, Toyota is coming up with a new model for Corolla…And Fiat is coming out with a new model for India…For car styling and interiors, Japan has to bow to Europe! Fiat, excellent sir! Volkswagon also coming with top models sir! Btw, have you looked at Renault option? The new Mahindra Logan? Don’t like its looks? Well, the interiors are really nice and large. And the diesel option makes it very economical. You must look at Diesel! And if you are considering Diesel, Ford Fiesta is an option, a good option. No need to hesitate for diesel sir. Nowadays Diesel engines don’t have earlier type of maintenance problems. Maximum 50 paise per kilometer on maintenance sir…Or Hyundai Verna sir…Made here only…Korean technology is as good nowadays sir! Look at the Santro on a highway sir! Overtakes all other cars, just zips past, sir!

Not looking at Tata sir? Tata highly improved sir. New Indigo is value for money sir….Mitsubiishi also, new model, cedia…Not heard sir? They don’t advertize much sir, but car is good sir” …

“Best is Bollero Sir! Ghat road car sir! Rough use! Rough use! Wont feel it sir! Better than Innova and all! On Indian roads, best buy sir! And they are continuously improving…Drive for ten hours sir! And you will get down and still feel supple enough to play  a set of tennis! Best buy sir! Shall I ask dealer to give you test drive? Try Sir!”

And as I stood, unable to decide, the voices asked - “Err…sir….what price range sir…”..and as I mentioned a rough ballpark, they said “For little more sir, you can get excellent SUV sir. Toyota Innova sir, fantastic buy sir. And Scorpio…What a car sir! You must test drive sir…”

And I thought, why not?

                                           … To be continued …

A great human

Baba Amte (बाबा आमटे) has passed on.

He was a true Bharat Ratna. A man who became a Gandhian, and was given the title “Abhayasadhak” (The fearless aspirant) by the Mahatma. A man and family who have done so much for leprosy afflicted humans, and for poverty ridden tribals. And continue to do so. A man who,  in his eighties, shifted to the banks of Narmada, to join the “Narmada Bachao Andolan” (Save Narmada movement). A man so fearless that he once permitted bacilli from a leprosy patient to be injected into him as a part of an experiment.  A man, whom the world could not but help acknowledge, and confer numerous awards, all of which he utilized not for his person, but for his cause.

He died on Feb 9, 2008, in Anandvan, one of the Ashrams he created. An Ashram that now houses around 5000 residents - leprosy afflicted and other disadvantaged people.

Nobel Peace prize is poorer, for it was not conferred on him.  

They dont make them like him any more.

Living on…

This time around
When death snatched
A person
Oh so close to my heart
I did not lose cheer
And even sang
A lot of old melodies
As I drove back
After consigning
A portion of his ashes
In the holy waters
Where three rivers meet.

The songs
They just kept coming.

He loves music.