2015 overview

They say, the way to enlightenment is by reading books or by traveling. You can say the year was good if you have read more books or visited more places. 2015 for me was special in many ways. This year started with a late night birthday party at Monkey Bar. Danced till I was tired and I knew something exiting was in store for this year. Started the year with a small trip to Hyderabad, followed by a trip to mettupalyam and Ooty. Visited Coimbatore for few days. Attended a naturalist training course followed by a trip to Hampi and a trek in Tadiyandamol. Concluded the year by trekking Balladrayana Durga hill and a road trip to Gokarna. The year was peppered with lots of birding session. Read Batman Begins and Dark knight Returns. As a cherry on the top, we were blessed with a little angel. Its really nice to be with someone who supports my passion for travel. All this was possible because of Shyla who does not stop me from going out while she manages things at home. Looking forward to 2016 with more books and travel plans. I'm sure it will be exciting with the little one around. 

Honda Amaze | Petrol EX Varient : Ownership Review

"If you drive a Honda, seldom you'll switch your brand during your next upgrade" a good friend of mine who is driving a Honda from past 20 years said this to me. I was contemplating on buying a car from past one year and had set my eyes on Volkswagen Polo. Even when I was handing over the purchase order, I was not sure if I should take it back and go to VW dealer. My mind said Honda but my heart was set on VW. It is not easy when this is your first car and also a major investment for the first time. To begin with, I was not sure if I should be investing 7 Lakhs on a car. But in country like India where inflation is high, its worth the investment because in next 1 year the same car may cost another 1 Lakh extra. Its better to pay the extra 1 Lakh as interest and enjoy the car.


I took test drive of Brio, Swift, Polo (Both Petrol & Diesel), Felt Brio had too much glass and the gears were stiff, VW people had an air. When I called them for a test drive, they asked me to come half way as my house was far away. They even asked how much my salary was to confirm if I could afford the car. What bullshit. For every question of mine was met with "Its German Engineering" statement. So far the best service experience I had was at Maruti. They spoke my local language, not too intrusive nor distant. They came to my house three times with three different models. They handed over the keys and just allowed me to experience the car to my hearts content. For a second I felt I should just go ahead and buy a swift. But the looks were outdated and I like the old model better then the new one.

I wanted the title of this blog post to be "How Volkswagen sold me a Honda". No doubt VW has some good cars but they also have some worst dealers.  With all the recent VW scandal 'm happy with my decision to buy Honda.

Let me go ahead with the likes and dislike about the car so that any one reading this can make an informed decision:

Dislikes: 

1. Build Quality. It is always nice to hear the reassuring thud when you close the door which is missing is this car.

2. Rubber housing around the windows. When the windows are half open and you drive on a rough road, windows shake and make noise. (I did not face this issue on test car)

3. Rear window can be opened upto 90%, not a major issue.

4. Panel Gaps.

5. You can see the wires when you bend and look below the steering.  They could have used some clever engineering hacks to at least clamp the wires.

6. Buy an S Variant instead of going for E or EX variant. I made a mistake picking up the EX variant. If you can afford, go for the model that has an ABS.

7. Option to use the key only on driver side. Hence I had to install a remote lock.

8. OEM Horn: Stopped working in the very first month

Likes:

1. iVTEC Engine: Single most reason to pick a Honda. Recently took the car out to Ooty and it just handled the curves beautifully without slowing down to catch a breath.

2. Handling: With short turning radius and stiff suspension you will feel confident handing the car. Just responds the way you want it to.

3. Mileage: 17 - 18 KM/Liter on highway with AC

4. Its Spacious.

5. I like the way the steering is designed. You just feel like holding it.

6. OEM front speakers are very good. Do not change the front speakers

7. I'm satisfied with the OEM tires and 165mm width. May change them to Michelin XM 2 during my next upgrade

Despite cost cutting being evident, its a good car to own if you live in a big city. Its almost two years and this is a late post. I have heard that the Honda has increased the base price as the model became popular. When I purchased, interest rates were very high but the interest now is slightly less. On a side note, i would like to add that I drove Hundai Xcent and was impressed with the power and the build quality. It was a brief 5 minute ride and it is difficult to judge a car in such a short span of time.

Cost of Car (On Road): Rs 6,75,760/- (I have not included the interest that I'm paying.)
Remote Lock + Mud flaps + Rear Speakers: Rs 8,300/-
2 Din Honda OEM Head unit: Rs 4000 + Rs 500 as fitting charges
Under Body Coating: Rs 3596/-
Fabric Seat Covers: Rs 3400/-
Better Horn: Rs 1200/-

Total Cost: Rs 6,96,756/-

Savings for not going to next model is Rs 26,976/-
But you will get a seat height adjuster, Steering audio controls, No need to cut wires to get the remote lock and wheel covers.


First Service cost : Free
Second Service cost: Free + Rs 1268/- Cost of Engine oil
Third Service: Rs 1413/-
Fourth Service Rs 2183/-
Replaced a broken mirror which costed: Rs 2504/-

If you notice the service bills are rising steadily. I do not own any other cars to know if the service charges are reasonable. Company had recalled my car to find out if the braking fluid distribution unit was defective. It turned to be OK and they gave a free wash when I left the car for inspection. I'll keep updating this post as and when some thing interesting happens with my car.

Inheritance Tax

We require re-introduction of inheritance tax. Inheritance tax was known as an estate duty in India but was abolished by the Rajiv Gandhi Govt. This is being levied in the US, UK, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland and Germany. This will bring down the legal disputes on property. This will lower inequality and will boost government revenue.

Non existence of inheritance tax/estate duty has resulted in wealth accumulation, increase in property value and the most dangerous one, unwanted legal case. This legal cases has slowed down our judiciary and decreased the progress of people involved in the case.

I would strongly recommend people to have minimum property that is essential for there survival. People deciding to invest in property to safeguard there bloodline are brewing a situation which may break their children. They will surely fail at a latter point of there life. Instead, if you have money, please invest on books, travel and education.

Netherent

I wanted to write about this from a very long time but could find time only today. Internet is such a democratic medium, Uninterrupted access to first hand knowledge irrespective of where you are from. Of-course there will be some exception if you are from China or North Korea. Internet is being used, abused & misused in all possible ways. Its funny how patients google there prescription to check if the doctor is right. We just have a new breed of generation who know it all. On the side note, I believe,  future is for people who has the capability to manage the information which is readily available. I have few friends who call me up for advise/suggestions and argue with me with the same points that I have posted on the internet. My opinions online has more value then the opinions I give them in person. And I had to coin a new term for this characteristic. Hence the term Netherent (adjective) is a characteristic attribute for a person who is more inclined to arrive at a decision based on content available on internet. 

If a person is Netherent and not careful, there are limitless possibilities for social engineering. 

Even on my worst day, i still want to smile.

This post is a call for people to be happy no matter what. Happiness is contagious, so spread it. Never let them see you fail. Too often people use Breakdowns in their life as a reason to play victim.

NO ONE wants to hear you crying.  Breakdowns remind you, that you've been ignoring the warning signs! Breakdowns are a blessing, a opportunity to take a honest look at how you have been operating. A slap in the face to WAKE the HELL UP!

Don't let it get you down, break you, or make you give up. Celebrate! Dance! Be excited! You are now aware of what didn't work, So now you can shift into what does work. Breakdowns are a setup for a BREAKTHROUGH. You come out stronger and wiser than before.

Put your best outfit on! Put a smile on your face! Forgive yourself! Then get ready to crush your breakdown! Let loose with positivity! Radiate a new air of confidence! Seize the day... Kill it!