1) Decide NOW: If you want your first 4 wheeler – reliable, cost-effective, comfortable (compared to 2-wheeler J ), easy to drive, etc. then go for Maruti 800. Don’t read any more reviews. You will never regret. This is what my 5 year old M800 made me feel about it.
2) Why M800? : Cheap, Proven (is in the market for many years), easy to drive (no need for power steering), low maintenance (you can repair this car anywhere from Rs. 10/- (ten only) to Rs. 3000/-), good mileage (15 KMPL in city and 18 KMPL on highways), any mechanic can service it, easy spare parts availability, cheap spare parts, easy to maneuver, has good re-sale value (but I never feel like selling it even if I buy a Benz), can get into narrow streets, no need to bother about the scratches by auto, cycle, scooter, etc as it is cheap to fix.
3) How much? I bought a simple M800 without AC model (and then fitted AC) for Rs. 2.78 lakhs (on road including AC and Central Lock) in Sep 2001. (But now it is just Rs. 2.5 lakhs or so L ) I saved few thousands by fitting AC in an non-AC model. But I didn’t realize that AC model had 5 gears - gear box and mine had only 4 gears – gear box. Since I was driving in City 95% of my time, I guess it didn’t really matter (as we couldn’t use 5th gear – to save fuel).
4) Minimum Repair Cost: I spent Rs. 10/- for changing a fuse (including labour).
5) Other Repair Cost: When an Auto hit my car rear bumper, the rear bumper came out and I spent Rs. 75 to fix it (Rs. 25 for the welding (to fix a screw), Rs. 50 for the labour and screws)
6) Annual Maintenance Cost: I regularly give my car for service and the “free” service cost was about Rs. 300/- (for oil change, etc) and paid service cost was about Rs. 2400/-(including labour). On an average I was spending between Rs. 2400/- to Rs. 4000/- per annum for “Preventive Maintenance” (means you change/repaid the damaged parts before it damages other good parts) which is negligible compared to other cars. This does not include changing battery once in 3 years (battery costs around Rs. 2100/- or so)
7) My Expensive Repair: Once I met with an accident (you should be prepared for this in your life) and the entire repair took Rs. 6800/- including painting front door. Most of the items in that were covered by my Insurance and I paid only around Rs. 2000 (for plastic items, etc) from my pocket.
8) Best City Car: I was using it 95% of the time only for my office commute. Hence I was feeling comfortable with this. I was able to drive like an auto driver and reach my place quickly. Also I didn’t bother much about the scratches etc as they were not that expensive to fix it. Since I didn’t travel long distances with this, I can’t comment about its suitability for long distance.
9) Long Distance: I’ve not used my M800 much for long distance. But from my two or three long distance experiences with this car, I found it very uncomfortable (I’m able to make this statement after I bought a sedan and took it for long distance). But it will be better than traveling by bus J (everything is relative in life – isn’t it?)
10) Other Thoughts: Sometimes I felt that I should have gone for a Santro or Wagon R. They were just Rs. 1 lakh more than this M800 when I bought. But I console myself saying that “There were two options I had : Option (A) M800 + 4 years free petrol (assuming I spend around Rs. 2000 per month app= Rs. 25, 000 per year) or Option (B) Santro / WagonR + NO free petrol for 4 years. I choose the first one.”
11) Upgrade: We all upgrade things for many reasons (like comfort, status, etc). I also upgraded my car to a sedan. But I never felt like selling my M800. I still use it for my chores (I’m not able to use any 2-wheelers and so donated them to my relatives). Also I made my wife learn this car and she started using it daily to commute to her office. First few days I bothered about my wife driving it – not because of the car, but because of her safety. Once she completed 2 months driving, I totally forgot about that. I learnt that she also did some MAJOR repair for Rs. 50/- (for fixing the bumper – hit by auto – common in Chennai J )
12) FINAL CONCLUSION : Best beginners car and value for each & every rupee you paid for it.