डर के आगे जीत हैं Don't be afraid to own a German Luxury Car!
Date of Purchase - 15 August 2023
Total spend till date: ₹3,65,188 (#1 to #14) still less than a Alto LXi Petrol (3.94 Lakh On Road Pune)
Price: ₹2,10,000 + Civic valued at ₹1,15,000 on OLX Autos (C Class from Shiva Motors, C200 CDI 5AT OM611 engine, 2003, 1st Owner, Classic Variant, 1,03,155 km. Civic: 2006, 74.5k km, 3rd Owner, Manual Transmission, S Variant purchased on 2 Nov 2016 for ₹2.5 Lakh + Aveo U-VA valued at ₹90,000)
1. TPMS - JK Smart Tyre Aluminum: ₹6,000 (by Kulkarni Tyres)
2. Tyres - JK Zephyr 205/65R15 V Rated: ₹20,800 (by Kulkarni Tyres)
3. Graphene Coating: ₹18,000 including next 2 yearly boosters (by Gleaming Cars)
1. Basic Wash
2. Sanding - removes scratches
3. Clay - to remove stuck particles
4. 3-types of compounding (rubbing) - cutting, heavy-cutting and gloss
5. 3-types of polishing - to finish up the cutting
6. Supaguard hydrophobic liquid - does not let water droplets form
7. Re-washing
8. IPA (ispopropyl alchohol) - to remove any residue from above steps - if sample path of graphene shows small bubbles are getting formed then all earlier steps have been done correctly
9. Graphene Coat - to give hardness and protection to the paint
10. Nano-Ceramic specifically for windshield
4. Front Shock Absorbers - TRW: ₹18,500 (by Babubhai Garage)
5. Front Stabilizer Links: ₹4,200 (by Babubhai Garage)
6. Front Strut Kit: ₹2,400 (by Babubhai Garage)
7. Brake Disc Skimming: ₹1,200 (by Babubhai Garage)
8. Labor Charges for 4, 5, 6 & 7: ₹4,500 (by Babubhai Garage)
9. Parking Sensors: ₹2,400 (by Car Cupid)
10. Sun Control Film - Motohunger - SF70 Model: ₹13,000 (by Car Cupid)
11. Insurance - 3rd Party: ₹9,400
12. Green Tax - 5 Years: ₹13,558 = 2,500 for Passing + 10,058 Late Fees + 1,000 Agent Fees (by Shri Swami Samarth Auto)
13. Turbo Control Valve: ₹13,300 = 12,500 for Part + 800 for Fitting (by Service on wheels | Car Doctors)
14. Speakers - Carbon 165 CO coaxial + Carbon 165 component speakers + Fitting: ₹19,500 (by Vendor of N S Automobiles)
15. Inner Door Handles Set of 4: ₹6,000 (from Amazon.in)
16. Central Cup Holder Cover: ₹2,400 (from germanpurje.com)
Fuel Log:
21.62 lit @ 1,03,169 km
27 lit @ 1,03,441 km
60.5 lit @ 1,03,856 km
8.9 lit @ 1,04,427 km
Thought Experiment #1. How much progress happened between a 2003 vs 2013 entry level Merc? (a diesel one, so that it would also be the cheapest Merc to run)
GLA (2013) vs C Class (2003)
GLA 200 CDI Sport vs C200 CDI Classic vs Audi A4 1.8 T Multitronic
Length: GLA - 14 feet 6 inch (4417 mm), C Class - 14 feet 10 inch (4526 mm), difference 4 inch [A4 4586 mm = 15 feet 1 inch]
Width: GLA - 5 feet 11 inch (1804 mm), C Class - 5 feet 8 inch (1728 mm), 3 inch wider [A4 1772 mm = 5 feet 10 inch]
Height: GLA - 4 feet 11 inch (1494 mm), C Class - 4 feet 8 inch (1426 mm), 3 inch taller [A4 1427 mm = 4 feet 8 inch]
Wheelbase: GLA - 2699 mm, C Class - 2715 mm
Kerb Weight: GLA - 1585 kg, C Class - 1505 kg
Power: GLA - 134 bhp @ 3600, C Class - 116 bhp @ 4200
Torque: GLA - 300 Nm @ 1600, C Class - 250 Nm @ 1400-2600
Power-to-Weight Ratio: GLA - 84.5 bhp/ton, C Class - 77 bhp/ton (9% difference)
Torque-to-Weight Ratio: GLA - 189 Nm/ton, C Class - 166 Nm/ton (12% difference)
Thought Experiment #2. How much improvement did Daimler achieve between 2 generations of the C Class?
C Class W204 (2007) vs C Class W203 (2003)
W204 C220 CDI vs W203 C200 CDI vs Audi A4 1.8 T Multitronic
Length: W204 - 15 feet 0 inch (4581 mm), W203 - 14 feet 10 inch (4526 mm), difference - 2 inch [my A4 4586 mm = 15 feet 1 inch]
Width: W204 - 5 feet 10 inch (1770 mm), W203 - 5 feet 8 inch (1728 mm), difference - 2 inch [A4 1772 mm = 5 feet 10 inch]
Height: W204 - 4 feet 9 inch (1450 mm), W203 - 4 feet 8 inch (1426 mm), difference - 1 inch
Wheelbase: W204 - 2760 mm, W203 - 2715 mm
Kerb Weight: W204 - 1585 kg, W203 - 1505 kg
Power: W204 - 170 bhp @ 3700, W203 - 116 bhp @ 4200
Torque: W204 - 410 Nm @ 2000, W203 - 250 Nm @ 1400-2600
Power-to-Weight Ratio: W204 - 107 bhp/ton, W203 - 77 bhp/ton (28% difference)
Torque-to-Weight Ratio: W204 - 259 Nm/ton, W203 - 166 Nm/ton (36% difference)
Thought experiment #3. How a mid-size luxury SUV changed preferences of luxury car buyers in India forever?
Audi Q5 (2013) vs C Class (2003)
Q5 2.0 TDI vs C200 CDI Classic vs Audi A4 1.8 T Multitronic
Length: Q5 - 15 feet 2 inch (4629 mm), C Class - 14 feet 10 inch (4526 mm), difference - 4 inch [my A4 4586 mm = 15 feet 1 inch]
Width: Q5 - 6 feet 3 inch (1898 mm), C Class - 5 feet 8 inch (1728 mm), difference - 8 inch
Height: Q5 - 5 feet 5 inch (1653 mm), C Class - 4 feet 8 inch (1426 mm), difference - 9 inch
Wheelbase: Q5 - 2807 mm, C Class - 2715 mm
Kerb Weight: Q5 - 1740 kg, C Class - 1505 kg
Power: Q5 - 168 bhp @ 4200, C Class - 116 bhp @ 4200
Torque: Q5 - 350 Nm @ 1750-2500, C Class - 250 Nm @ 1400-2600
Power-to-Weight Ratio: Q5 - 96.5 bhp/ton, C Class - 77 bhp/ton (20% difference)
Torque-to-Weight Ratio: Q5 - 201 Nm/ton, C Class - 166 Nm/ton (17% difference)
Thought experiment #4. How does it compare to the car I gave in exchange for it?
Civic (2006) vs C Class (2003)
Civic 1.8 S MT vs C200 CDI Classic vs Audi A4 1.8 T Multitronic
Length: Civic - 14 feet 11 inch (4545 mm), C Class - 14 feet 10 inch (4526 mm), difference - 1 inch [my A4 4586 mm = 15 feet 1 inch]
Width: Civic - 5 feet 9 inch (1750 mm), C Class - 5 feet 8 inch (1728 mm), difference - 1 inch
Height: Civic - 4 feet 9 inch (1450 mm), C Class - 4 feet 8 inch (1426 mm), difference - 1 inch
Wheelbase: Civic - 2700 mm, C Class - 2715 mm
Kerb Weight: Civic - 1210 kg, C Class - 1505 kg
Power: Civic - 130 bhp @ 6300, C Class - 116 bhp @ 4200
Torque: Civic - 172 Nm @ 4300, C Class - 250 Nm @ 1400-2600
Power-to-Weight Ratio: Civic - 107 bhp/ton, C Class - 77 bhp/ton (28% difference)
Torque-to-Weight Ratio: Civic - 142 Nm/ton, C Class - 166 Nm/ton (17% difference)
Thought experiment #5. How does it compare to the car I almost bought instead?
3 Series (2007) vs C Class (2003)
BMW 320i vs C200 CDI Classic
Length: 3 Series - 14 feet 10 inch (4531 mm), C Class - 14 feet 10 inch (4526 mm), difference - 0 inch!
Width: 3 Series - 5 feet 11.5 inch (1817 mm), C Class - 5 feet 8 inch (1728 mm), difference - 3.5 inch
Height: 3 Series - 4 feet 8 inch (1421 mm), C Class - 4 feet 8 inch (1426 mm), difference - 0 inch!
Wheelbase: 3 Series - 2760 mm, C Class - 2715 mm
Kerb Weight: 3 Series - 1390 kg, C Class - 1505 kg
Power: 3 Series - 156 bhp @ 6400, C Class - 116 bhp @ 4200
Torque: 3 Series - 200 Nm @ 3600, C Class - 250 Nm @ 1400-2600
Power-to-Weight Ratio: 3 Series - 112 bhp/ton, C Class - 77 bhp/ton (31% difference)
Torque-to-Weight Ratio: 3 Series - 143 Nm/ton, C Class - 166 Nm/ton (16% difference)
Tyres Installed: JK Zephy V Rated - Batch 3423
