The "Auto" graphy of my First Car

Like Mahatma Gandhi's autobigraphy is titled "The Story of My Experiments with Truth", this blog may be called an "auto" graphy with the title "The Story of My Experiences with my First Car" My first car was actually a second hand car. In 1980s when I bought it, the term used car was not in vogue. It was a black Fiat , produced perhaps in late 1960s and was one of the last batch with doors on both sides opening from front to rear , fit to be graded as a vintage car. Though called second hand, I am sure it must have passed through several hands as the RC book showed may owner names. To avoid being cheated by touts dealing in used cars , I took the help of a friend to test drive and certify its health and roadworthiness. The price was settled at Rs 18,000. I did not know driving and my firend volunteered to teach me driving .As good leaarner I picked up the rudiments correctly and in quick time and within a week my friend was satisfied that I could drive on main roads without him by my side. I got my two wheeler driving licence upgraded to driving automobles, thanks to some over friendly RTO agents . The only thing I could not get over was taking my left foot off the clutch pedal while driving. This habit resulted in a comic episode when I could not drive the car up the small gradiant of the Gharware bridge in Deccan Gymkhana area in Pune.The car started sliding down backwards and both my daughter and son gotting trying hard to push it up the bridge.. Like most proud owners of newly acquired cars with limited driving skills and even less knowledge of automobiles and traffic rules, I was not deterred from taking the family on frequent round rips from home to home city without parking anywhere . This is because I could not for my life master parking in narrow parking space between two vehicles. In my opinion, parking needs different skill sets and training. The car showed great propensity to consume petrol in tens of litres frequently as well an insatiable thirst for water in its radiator. My ascribed this to age of the vehicle and need for an overhaul of the engine. Then one day it happened what I dreaded not to happen in my driving life. Taking a practice drive alone one afternoon close to my home, the "Leftist" leanings of my car resulted in its hitting the barbed wire fencing off the road and it stalled with engine running. I left the car on a "as is where is" basis, walked back home and phoned up a nearby garage. The car was towed home with its left side mauled beyond recognition of what might it have looked like earlier. An estimate of charges for removing dents, straigtening and painting was submitted to me by the garage man. He gave me the option to consider reconditioning of the engine and other major work like brakes,suspension system etc right then since the car needed all these items too attended. My wife on her part suggested body repainting of the colour of the car with something other than black as she was convinced that black colour was the reason of the accident. I was firm in asking the mechanic to repair only the effects of the accident and that I would take up other items later in due course. Nonetheless, I asked him for a tentative quote for all the repair work including engine recondtioning etc . He mentioned something of the order of the price I had paid for buying the car. Next day I visited the garage to see if the work has been taken up. I did not find my car . When asked about it, the mechanic showed a heap of parts of an automobile engine spread on a tarpaulin sheet saying they have been dismantled from the engine of my car for repair/replacement and refitting . When I remostrated that he had no business to start these major jobs without my consent, he said that since he had no immediate work on hand for such major repairs he had better started the work on my car. After all one day or other I had to get the same done. I protested threatening to report to the police and insisted that he gave me the car back with engine refitted . He agreed to do that and quoted refitting charges payable by me! I had to agree to an astronomical figure for all the work except body repainting . For my misfortune all this happened when the DoorDarshan was featuring a comedy serial Waghle ki Duniya . The main character was one Mr. Waghle who was the victim of cheating at the hands of others. Many of my friends who knew my story of my first car called me Mr. Waghle