I am very attached to my 2008 Maruti Esteem VXI and have loved her like a family member. If it was an easy decision for me, I’d have taken it by now.
BHPian AaronRhitzz recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
I am looking for advice on how to best deal with my old car.
Hello all.
I write this with a very heavy heart as I have come to the realisation that maybe it is now time to bid farewell to my 2008 Esteem VXI. Ours was definitely one of the last ones, as we brought her home late in December of 2007. The RC expired in Jan’23 and I feel like I have since been fighting a losing battle.
My wish was to retain the car as I am very attached to it. This was not my father’s first car by a stretch, but it was the first I remember bringing home. I have loved her like my family member, learnt to drive and crash a car with her, grown up with her, and even went through a period of mental hell with her as one of my only solace. All this inspired me to keep her around even after she was no longer usable on the road and we had gotten a new car. She is still mechanically very sound; barely 70k kms have been clocked. The engine still runs good, she responds well to driving inputs. Basic parts (spark plugs, injectors, etc. which are anyway changed in cars after 30-40k) being changed will do her wonders. The condition of the body is not the best but it won’t take much to make her as good as new again.
For context, ever since the expiration, the car has not seen any major roads. She is left to idle twice a week for 12-15 mins each time; air and fuel was topped up a couple of times by taking it to the fuel station 500 meters away from my home. Obviously, the “idling process” is missed here and there, which results in the battery getting drained and requiring a recharge/jump-start. As time has gone by the leniency for missing days has also reduced. Have followed a routine of 3-4 days gap between “idling” events, but now missing even 1 day can drain the battery. I re-park it once a month and maybe take it for a short spin inside the society, once in a while. Owing to this lowest of the lowest possible running, she’s gradually losing her ability to stay in running condition, which is understandable. In the past almost 2 years, the battery had to be changed completely once and required a recharge 5-6 times.
The major issues I am facing in keeping the car around for a long time:
1. Dedicated parking space not available
We have one allocated parking space, which is being used for Nexon. The Esteem is being kept in a rented bay in the society itself.
I have looked into purchasing an additional parking space, but all flats have been sold out and it’s not looking good to be able to do this. Even if it were possible to get one or to maybe move the Nexon to the rented space and use my own parking to store Esteem, I have concerns regarding the long-term storage conditions, which leads me to my next point;
2. How long is too long?
The vision was to keep the car around and restore it down the line via a full professional restoration. The shortest realistic time frame I can visualize for that is after 5-10 years. This obviously depends on multiple factors that are dependent on my progress in life both personally and professionally.
In my view, leaving the car stranded in one place, unused, will harm it more than preserve it. Even if I were to follow these commonly recommended steps – disconnecting the battery, precautions against rodents, regular service, etc. But again, how viable is this in the long run? These precautions are for when one wants to store a car for a few months, not years.
3. Un-drivability
The biggest deterrent to my plans it seems is the fact that it is no longer legal to drive the car. Let’s say I was able to get through this phase and get it fully restored. Even so, she would still be standing in one place. Maybe in a better condition than now, but not really able to do anything. Just a showpiece. Then again, who’s to say what the condition of the car will be after 5 years? How easy or difficult the restoration will be is anyone’s guess at this point.
Part of me doesn’t want that for the car. I want her to be able to move and run. But the law doesn’t allow me and probably, still won’t in the future. Another factor is that this approach will always demand my time and effort. Since she won’t be driven, I will need to keep her mechanicals up and running all the time. Maybe I can care for that easily, later in life but I cannot commit to those duties right now.
The questions that I have:
- Is this at all a realistic project to embark on? Or am I just getting stuck in my whims?
- Is re-registration still possible? From what I have been able to gather, it was maybe possible before the RC expired, but definitely not after. Yes, that’s on me as I didn’t perform my due diligence back then. But is it still possible for me to try for this and if so, what do I need to do?
- Based on my conditions, the car will be left unattended, at some point, for a long time. If storage is an option, what all are the best practices to ensure the survival of my car? Will the storage process harm the car so much that it is 10 times more difficult to restore it later on? Also what all issues I might face in the storage process? For background, current parking is in the basement of a society.
- Should I just sell it for scrap and bid farewell? Logic tells me that this is the least cumbersome way. I also don’t want to put the car through so much pain. Some of you may reject this sentiment, but I believe that cars can feel. I don’t want to harm that which I love so much, just so I can fulfill my fantasies.
- Is donation an option? I looked at some vintage car museums and had the idea that maybe I could donate the car to them. But they probably won’t look at Esteem as “Vintage” until after 20 years and I also don’t want to see my car cut up and used to form a gimmicky car-bench. I’d much rather see her be disposed of fully and respectfully.
I understand that to some this might seem like a non-issue. But, I just wanted to reach out to people who in some way or other have experienced and share my unexplainable and illogical obsession with cars. If it were an easy decision for me, I’d have taken it by now. Maybe coming from others will help me face reality better and measure all the possible options I have. Any and all advice will be appreciated.
Thanks and Cheers!
PS: I have attached some pictures of my beauty. The rear bumper got damaged a couple of years back. Again, tried sourcing the spare from any and everywhere but couldn’t find one. This is also something to bear in mind, manufacturing of spares for Esteem was shut down around 2018 in India. Sourcing spare parts will also be a task as the years go by.
Here’s what BHPian GTO had to say about the matter:
Considering practical aspects, best for you to sell the Esteem off. Cars worth keeping for decades in the family heirloom as those truly special ones = say, a classic car, limited edition 4×4 offroader, a timeless luxury car (Mercedes W124, W126) or sporty one (BMW E46)….and even Indian icons like the SS80 Maruti or Padmini.
But an Esteem? No way. And I say this as someone who owned an Esteem for 12 years. It’s an economy sedan that was just a passing model, wasn’t iconic and didn’t have a major impact on the Indian Car Scene.
Time to let go, buddy. It’s just going to become a drag on your resources and offer no advantages / value.
Here’s what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:
That car looks to be in pretty good shape. Had it not been for the 15 year rule and the car having crossed this already, would have suggested to drive it out of Delhi and give it away to someone who would keep it for as long as it possible. Or worst case, use it for parts. Have heard of groups in diff places who still have the old Marutis – 800, Zen, Esteem, Baleno. I know this is not a nice thing to say about a car you like, but situation doesnt give too many options.
It is already auto-de-registered, so it cant be transferred. If you take it out of your house, it will be impounded and sent to scrap facility.
Here’s what BHPian self_driven had to say about the matter:
Lack of secure parking seems to be the biggest problem here. Even without RC, you can restore it and drive inside the society once in a while, but an old car in that parking spot will soon become a playground for vandals. Also, how good is a showpiece that you can’t see parked in front of your porch?
So there are only two scenarios where it makes sense to hold on to it:
- You intend to have/move to a place with a secure parking spot (like a villa or bungalow or farm area far from town) in 3-5 years, or
- Cost of restoration doesn’t bother you, plus, parking rent and general upkeep of the vehicle is an insignificant part of your income.
Here’s what BHPian samsag12 had to say about the matter:
In my opinion you should let it go with only option remaining in your case being “Scrapping it”. Regulations are very strict and its not worth wasting your time & effort on what will be a one sided battle.
You’ve already missed an opportunity to get NOC which would have made Esteem legally eligible for a second life outside NCR region.
Aftermarket parts are available in Tier II, Tier III cities, where these are still plying, but of substandard quality & not worth spending money on. Ask me, I own 3 age old Suzuki offerings including a market dud (if you can call it), all out of production units, a huge chunk of my car maintenance budget is eaten up by these trio.
Sell it & move on, better to cherish memories of something that appeared Presentable in its heydays rather than experiencing it sinking in ground.
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