good motoring
City-run cars are a better buy
H.Kishie Singh

For years I have told friends that if you have to buy a used car, buy one driven in Chandigarh. Chandigarh has wide, open and well-paved roads—or at least used to have these till this year’s rainy season. The wide roads made sure that the car did not pick up nicks and dents. With plenty of parking spaces, the car was always safe and you would not find bashed up bumpers or too many scratches.

Even if the owner was lax in maintaining the car, the vehicle stayed in good shape. The tyres had an unusually long life. They were spared from cuts and bruises and were in reasonably good condition even if they were not rotated regularly. Lack of potholes made sure the steering and suspension did not collapse from wear and tear. All said and done, the car stayed in top shape.

An ideal car to buy even if it was three or four years old. It is all these attributes that make Chandigarh cars a target for car thieves. This year, till date, 690 cars have been stolen. July saw 45 cars being stolen. Compare this with last year when a total of 370 cars were stolen. Needless to say, most of these stolen cars are untraced.

Luxury cars in the Rs 10-20 lakh range are the most targeted vehicles. These cars are easy to sell for around Rs 5 lakh if the car is sold complete. The car lifters are also adept at forging new registration papers, which makes it safe for the new owner. Low-priced cars are hardly targeted. An Alto worth Rs 2 lakh will sell for about Rs 50,000. Why take a risk for such a small amount?

One of the reasons most cars are untraced is that the stolen car is ‘cannibalised’. Within hours of being stolen, the car is stripped of its essential parts. The doors, seats, the bonnet and the rear deck lid are removed. These items are bolted on and all it takes is a spanner to remove them. They also don’t have the manufacturers’ number. So they are virtually impossible to trace.

The focus next is on the engine. It is removed and the battery, alternator, radiator, headlights, instruments and other items, which are in demand as spares, are taken out. Overnight the car vanishes. If you have filed an FIR, the cops do not hesitate to give you a "no-trace" report. Then you start the paper work with the insurance company.

There are any number of anti-theft devices to fit in your car. Some of the more sophisticated ones will relay information about a break-in into your car on your mobile phone. By pressing a few keys you can immobilise the car. It will also lock the doors and windows. So that the ‘baddie’ is trapped in the car.

The City Beautiful, which has a lot of plus points, is bound to have some negative points also. Car theft is one of these.

Happy motoring.