Every one in India will remember their first view of the Maruti 800, I still remember seeing the ss80 model in 1984 at Choolaimedu in Chennai and being astounded when I was 17 years old! I also remember that Sunil Gavskar got into trouble for jumping the queue to get one and that Gen A S Vaidya was shot dead in one. I also remember going for my honeymoon in one.
Lets cut the nostalgic bullshit and talk cars, man.
The maruti 800 is the worlds best no nonsense shortest wheelbase four door car, period. Absolutely no competition. The nano may be new but at the cost of appearing anti national I say that does not stand a bats chance in hell of beating the maruti on longevity and reliability.
The m800 is a drivers car and after about 18 years of driving, and trying out bigger cars includng the honda city, optra, ford fusion, palio, corsa, santro, etc.etc. I still don’t get that seat in the pants feel that I find in the dinky maruti. It is the closest to driving a bike on four wheels.
I have used about 5 maruti 800s of mine and relatives and have found the following common problems:
drive shaft konks out frequently, especially over bad roads and needs frequent changes.
rear leaf suspension would fall flat soon, especially if the car has been used in impromptu rallies.
the radiator coil leaks in older models and if not attended to properly and early, will lead to the pressure operated thermostat valve not opening properly leading to overheating leading to gasket failure leading to .....
the A/C is there just to fool you, don’t for a second believe it will keep you cool, you are better off with the hot breeze blowing fast from outside the window.
dont open the radiator when hot, it will spray hot green goo all over the corporation bus passengers and you could get whacked.
if the cars been used near the sea side, it might rain on the inside and you have to open an umbrella over the back seat.
use MRF ZVTS tyres or some other soft tyres for a good ride, using JK tyres is equivalent to using stone cart wheels. however, JK tyres might even outlast the car.
you can repair the car anywhere, I have repaired it on ooty hillsides, near Mahabalipuram beach, at auroville (by a potter).
- if the battery is loose, a kick on the tyre or a bang on the bonnet will set it alright.
I love the car to bits and will buy the last Maruti 800 sold in India in March, god and my finances willing.