Here’s the view from my the roof deck of my hotel today in Bongaigaon
That big red sign is a Mahindra car and truck dealership. The 3 brands that have dominated (so far) have been Mahindra, Suzuki and the trucks, Tata.
So I go and check it out.
There’s a broken Mahindra being pushed back into the lot when I arrive. The driver is laughing loudly about something. I pocket the camera and help out
The dealership. Pay particular attention to that truck up front with the little balloons. It’s a Mahindra Bolero with an 8′ deck. It’s slightly cool, with that 50’s looking Dodge pickup windshield
I go into the showroom
And am approached by an Indian car salesman. He was actually pretty nice, not sleazy at all, very professional. I had a minor epiphany about how a car or truck purchase here is a much more important event than it would be for us westerners and so perhaps much more respect is involved. A good experience.
I ask about the Bolero out front and asked for a price sheet if he had one
I ask about bed lengths. They mark the 8′ and 9′ versions. The price is $13,111 Canadian for the 8 footer
I go back and check the reviews. Glowing. Here’s one. From that:
the Bolero still strikes a chord with customers in the deep hinterland who swear by its tough-as-nails character and the fact that it’s easy to repair anywhere – reasons that have made it such a popular brand. Its sturdy build and body-on-frame chassis makes it well-suited to rural areas where badly broken roads and deep potholes would make soft roaders and crossovers wince. And frankly there is still no direct substitute for it
Perfect.
Then the specs and features Here. Well it’s not quick, 3 cylinders being maybe the issue. But you can paddle-shift your way to 100 kph in 21 seconds if you go with that available option.
So why did I go through that exercise. Because I have a bunch of choices ahead of me, one of which I will choose by or in Calcutta.