India Travel Forum

hi there
me and my husband going to travel for 6 month in India and Nepal. we want to buy a 4x4 in Dehli and travel to the north and then into Nepal.
does anybody have information about buying and traveling with a car? all the information I could find were about bikes. I know its a bit crazy to drive in India by yourself, but how crazy is it? thanks for any info!!!

I'm not sure where you're from so I don't know what kind of driving conditions you're used to. I'd suggest putting a little bit of info about yourself on your homepage. I drove in Delhi last February. It was definitely crazy and you have to get used to drving on the left side of the road and people driving close enough to touch. I seriously think there were only inches between me and the cars on either side. Everything you've heard about driving in India is true, but it's definitely possible and quite an experience.

Personally I would not choose to drive in India.

On one trip there we had a car and a driver for very little cost and this was a much better option. I do not recall a day without seeing at least one road traffic accident on the roadside and was glad to be a passenger. The style of driving can be described as exuberant!

There are many ways of experiencing India by the wonderful trains etc, so maybe your plan is worth reconsidering.

There is one real advantage to being a passenger in a car in India (more so in the city). It is possible to enjoy the sights out the left side, the right side and the rear without having to spend much time looking out the front! This is important because what is happening out the front is not encouraging. It has been described as "a getaway driver's convention" by an India blogger. Think part chariot race, part high speed fair ground ride, motorized anarchy. If you really want to do it right, you've got to it with your horn held in the ON position at ALL times and ignore ALL signs. Dealing with traffic in India has left many a traveler
re thinking their lack of belief in a higher power. How crazy? Very. Good Luck. Happy Travels.
Hats off to Laurel for driving in Delhi.

Hi - first you may find that buying a good 4 x 4 is not inexpensive. You would need to find information about registering the vehicle - and as a foreginer, the registering will not be too easy to do. Insurance is expensive and not very helpful either (especially since most people don't carry insurance.) There will also be repairs and fixing the many dents you will surely get to consider. It is quite common to get bumped by other vehicles.

As everyone has mentioned it can be pretty treacherous to drive yourself. In the cities, it is a nightmare. And on highways you will find people driving too slowly or too fast, with no brakelights, trucks stopped in the middle for some odd reason, etc., etc. There are hardly any "lanes" and no one follows traffic rules. Signs are also poor and many are not in English. Getting around is so inexpensive that it is hardly worth the hassle of driving.

On the other hand, if you absolutely want to do it this way, nothing is impossible. You just have to do the research.

Happy Travels!

Hi - I agree with all the above - the process of buying and registering a car will be a huge (HUGE) hassle, and driving in India is treacherous - even more so traveling through mountains toward Nepal, where roads can be surprising at best and deadly at worst. Other drivers, road conditions generally, mountain roads landsliding out from under you and way, way down into ravines...

The driving isn't so much crazy as every-man-for-himself. There is a method to it, which is: try not to kill anything while trying harder not to die. It works out more than you'd think, but if you didn't learn to drive in Asia, I wouldn't start with a trip like this.

It would certainly be an adventure, though. In your reasearch, include potential problems with foreign travelers crossing the border, especially since buying and registering a car "correctly" would probably take longer than you'll be willing to spend, since you've only got 6 months...

Best with it, though, and definitely post pictures if you do it.

You may actually find it cheaper and hassle free to rent a car on long term basis with driver. You should be able to negotiate a flat rate of around INR1500 per day with fuel and drivers allowance, if you assure the car agency of a 6 month rental period.

For buying a used car, check the classifieds of any Delhi local paper. You will not get a good condition Scorpio or Innova, Tavera used 4WD less than INR 400,000 - INR 500,000. There is no guarantee that it will be in good condition either.

But go ahead if you want some adventure!