Buying an autorickshaw

blaen101

Hi,
Im thinking of travelling to india this summer, buying an autorickshaw and then driving it round the country for a few weeks before selling it again. Iv read the article about the guys who drove the great trunk road on one, they seemed to have a lot of trouble buying one, has anybody managed to do it more easily then them? how much do they cost?

Thanks
Simon

vtrravikumar

I think thats gonna cost a lot ... with all the permits and stuff..

A cool idea though to be travelling in a auto rickshaw...

Pros :
Airy
wont need a AC


Cons :
Not too safe as not fully covered.
To fragile for indian Highways.

machadinha

<cross-posted>

No idea, except it won't be easy I'm pretty sure.

Try this for inspiration: buying a 2nd hand autorickshaw

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iloveindia1234

Buy a second hand cheap car and travel instead of travelling in a rickshaw. It's not easy to drive a rickshaw because it's very uncomfortable for long distances. You may have severe back pain and on the indian highways, driving a rickshaw is very dangerous.
And you have to go through all the trouble of getting permit etc. A second hand Maruthi 800 car would cost below 100000 INR. That would be a better option if you would like travelling on your own.

blaen101

thanks, do u know how easy it is to register one in your name if you dont live in india? maybe hiring one would be a better option, is that possible?

Indizen

See http://www.bajajauto.com/1024/vehicl...eelerindex.asp

Bajaj and Mahindra are the two main manufacturers.
Contact the nearest Bajaj dealer.
I don't think a permit would be required for private use of the vehicle, except that nobody uses an "auto" as a car in India!

vtrravikumar

I knew one of my school friend whose parent used a Private auto rickshaw as their conveyance... the only thing would be you might have to change the colours from yellow/black to something else

try this site
http://www.pimpmyshaw.com/

vtrravikumar

you can go for a Nano instead


Click here for Nano

Indizen

Nano is still several months away from being readily available.
And the autorickshaw never really caught on as a vehicle for private, non-commercial use in India.

machadinha

It is, however, one hell of a cool proposition

Nick-H

Autos are pretty good at nipping in and out of the city traffic, but they are uncomfortable and unstable, ie they fall over if your corner a bit too fast. Longer journeys in an auto are exhausting even if you are not driving.

People do use them as private vehicles here, painted some other colour than yellow, but surprisingly few (or unsurprising, really).

The cost of a new one is, I think, about Rs.150,000. Buying and registering a vehicle is a nightmare for a non-resident. Check other threads on the site; people seem to manage it with bikes.

Driving in India is very, very hard work. I have not even taken on proper highway driving yet!

Another aspect is you'll stick out like a sore thumb to every traffic policeman on the road.

Frankly, given the dangerous nature of the vehicle, combined with the state of the roads and (I presume) your lack of experience of driving in India --- there is a genuine chance that you would not come back alive.

File it away under great, but crazy ideas!

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vtrravikumar

Well said Nick...

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Richeek

And as someone said, very unsteady. I have two cousins who used to drive auto-rickshaws and they say most have at least one accident within 2-3 years as a result of their auto tipping over. And, of course, bad roads and road surfaces being relaid all over the country will make it a tough task. Another thing, their top speed isn't all that high.

Nick-H

I've seen an auto tipped over, by a couple of guys messing around near my house --- and one of them was an auto driver, so he should have known what he was doing.

It really didn't look to be going very fast, either!

edwardseco

I have gone "turtle" twice in one, I recommend heavy clothing if not leather. The main dificulty as Nick mentions is a lack of power and speed. If you have to do large hills forget it, go another route, had that happen. The worst is that you don't have maneuverability to avoid oncoming traffic. This can easily be fatal. There is some medium distance auto travel but not long distance for this reason I believe (aside from the slow, slow travel)..