Problems With Maruti 800?

[pissa]

Disclaimer - I'm starting the topic on pure informative basis, and do not wish to offend anyone owning a Maruti.

Guys, What are the biggest problems with the Maruti? Anyone you know generally advises against it, however what are the significant reasons as to not even think of buying a brand new Maruti 800, but going for ancient starlets etc. (as most people tend to do, well not really, a lot of people do buy Maruti's as you can see by the number of Maruti's you see by just stepping outside!, but for most the first preference is an old small Jap car)

as far as I know the issues are....

1. Image - You don't get the enough respect driving around in a Maruti (Even the valet parking attendants sulk when they see a maruti approaching!!

2. It's unique ability to look worn out as if you've used it for 10 years, after using it for just couple of months (even the KE-XXXX stuff looks really old! - Anyone know why this happens? )

3. Comfort - I haven't been in a Maruti for a while, but I assume the ride must be hard on the back!!!

4. Space - Or rather, the lack of it...

Pros...

1. Economical

2. Small - easy to navigate in traffic

Anything else? Do they also develop certain technical/mechanical problems after being used for a while?

Keep adding....

[Pericles]

My biggest problem is the lack of space. But thats just me.

[Supra_Natural]

Disclaimer - I'm starting the topic on pure informative basis, and do not wish to offend anyone owning a Maruti.

Guys, What are the biggest problems with the Maruti? Anyone you know generally advises against it, however what are the significant reasons as to not even think of buying a brand new Maruti 800, but going for ancient starlets etc. (as most people tend to do, well not really, a lot of people do buy Maruti's as you can see by the number of Maruti's you see by just stepping outside!, but for most the first preference is an old small Jap car)

as far as I know the issues are....

1. Image - You don't get the enough respect driving around in a Maruti (Even the valet parking attendants sulk when they see a maruti approaching!!

2. It's unique ability to look worn out as if you've used it for 10 years, after using it for just couple of months (even the KE-XXXX stuff looks really old! - Anyone know why this happens? )

3. Comfort - I haven't been in a Maruti for a while, but I assume the ride must be hard on the back!!!

4. Space - Or rather, the lack of it...

Pros...

1. Economical

2. Small - easy to navigate in traffic

Anything else? Do they also develop certain technical/mechanical problems after being used for a while?

Keep adding....

errm, I've ridden in about two, but never driven one..... but my impressions of the car

Pros (in addition to the above)

reasonably quick for such a tiny engine (because it weighs next to nothing, however IMO my 38 Year old VW can give it a run for it's money..) and the engine is fairly eager too.

cheap to maintain, and parts are inexpensive and generally freely available..

Cons

Safety features - zero, if you have a crash in one of these, chances are that you're going to get hurt pretty badly.

Its also not very well built, in order to keep costs down, the materials used are NOT the best, and they are not very sturdy, which is why even cars that are a couple of monhs old start looking tired..

Ride - Crap...

and most of all, its O-L-D.... dont forget that this is basically the 1984 Suzuki Alto, minus the build quality of the japs, so the design is basically 23 years old!!!

in india it sells for the equivalent of about 400,000 SLR, at which price you can just about see the point.. but at current SL prices, you're DEFINITELY better off with the above mentioned old toyotas, or if you MUST have a Brand New car, saving up for the Alto.... which is rather better.

[Stingray]

Of course the 800 ride quality, looks, space all suck BUT...i guess it is the cheapest brand new car in the SL market and according to some news article the agents sell about 250 marutis a month.

Pros- fairly quick, easy to navigate and i guess not much expensive to maintain.

My office uses a couple of new maruti zens, power steering, power mirrors, good ac and even has a factory fitted reverse camera. Drove it a few times and cant complain much( Yet, u wont get the feel of a jap vehicle)

I visit india often and must say that gone are the days the roads are flooded with ambassodors and 800's, its the newer japenese, korean and european cars. I guess the outdated models are shipped over here..Sri Lanka the dumping ground...

[alfaQ]

well, we happen to own a maruti 800.

and its absolute RUBBISH! ride is bumpy and too uncomfortable especially with those horrid seats! driving position is messed up, build quality is of no use, lack of space both in the front and back and yes, no saftey whtsoever! its very unhealthy to drive that car for long distances, u end up having back problems, ur mentally stressed and tired with driving that car. ppl think its small and nippy to drive it around the streets of colombo, but for me, its a lot of hard work driving that damn thing. its very stressful to drive that thing around.

the only pro for me abt that car is, the fuel economy and the availability of parts of cheap. then again, the parts have to be replaced quite often if ur a hard driver of the car. very unsteady and prone to break an arm of some sort on these sl roads.

gone are the days where the cost of new maruti's in india equal to SLR 400,000. with the value of the indian rupee on the rise to the sl rupee today, the value of the maruti is more. as for newer jap and european cars appearing on the indian roads, we are all aware of the how jap companies like toyota, honda and european companies like mercedes and now bmw have set up assembly plants in india, thus offering those cars to the locals for really affordable prices! india has become a very rich country unlike some of its neighbours, who are too busy with problems within themselves.....

Cheers!

[Kim]

gone are the days where the cost of new maruti's in india equal to SLR 400,000. with the value of the indian rupee on the rise to the sl rupee today, the value of the maruti is more. as for newer jap and european cars appearing on the indian roads, we are all aware of the how jap companies like toyota, honda and european companies like mercedes and now bmw have set up assembly plants in india, thus offering those cars to the locals for really affordable prices! india has become a very rich country unlike some of its neighbours, who are too busy with problems within themselves.....

Well SAID!!!

[mazdaspeed]

well, we happen to own a maruti 800.

and its absolute RUBBISH!

Well said ……

I’ve had the unfortunate experience of driving the SHIT bucket…. Well I crashed it… cost abt 80K to repair ( Luck it was a company car- ( I generally don’t hack company properties but this was right royal shit car……)

My question is – We all agree that the Maruti is CRAP +++ well why don’t people go for the MICRO – It’s SL and I personally feel that the quality is equitant to the Maruti if not better….

Driving is not easy here in SL- Maruti has made it worse…. As we get all sorts of jokers buying maruti’s and hogging the road… ( This is a general opinion of mine- I know there are good drivers who drive Maruti’s out there- Pls do not feel offended…)

Seriously we need to get this load of rubbish off the roads… Y not help a Sri Lankan guy come up rather than Indian crap ??

[Sha7]

I have only one word to say about Maruthi's

MARUTHI = SHIT

[Pericles]

I have only one word to say about Maruthi's

MARUTHI = SHIT

Pls don't do one word post like this. Be specific about what u dislike. Otherwise its not very helpful.

[Sha7]

Pls don't do one word post like this. Be specific about what u dislike. Otherwise its not very helpful.

Actually I don't have anything to say at all...

Take a maruthi and drive. Then you will also tell the word...

[Ripper]

i'd say the governments have to take responsability

people would rather go for newer technology and a better car if not for stupid taxes. At least medium-low displacement cards should be on a much reduced tax rate...

thanks to those m o r o n s we have these kinda dated vehicles plying our road ruining everybody's lives

I also agree that most of the maruti drivers are road hogs... same goes for cherry QQ and simillar types...

they go on the right side lane at 30kmph and wont budge a bit even if you honk them...

I tend to visualize driving a tank over them and seeing their sorry azzes splattered on the tarmac to control my anger

[Pericles]

Actually I don't have anything to say at all...

Take a maruthi and drive. Then you will also tell the word...

I know, I know, I don't like it either. Last time I had to take a ride in one I had my shins jammed against the cubby, my knees on level with my nose and a backache after going from Dehiwela to Kirilapone. But blanket statements without addressing specifics are not helpful.

i'd say the governments have to take responsability

people would rather go for newer technology and a better car if not for stupid taxes. At least medium-low displacement cards should be on a much reduced tax rate...

thanks to those m o r o n s we have these kinda dated vehicles plying our road ruining everybody's lives

I also agree that most of the maruti drivers are road hogs... same goes for cherry QQ and simillar types...

they go on the right side lane at 30kmph and wont budge a bit even if you honk them...

I tend to visualize driving a tank over them and seeing their sorry azzes splattered on the tarmac to control my anger

Actually, the problem lies in Road development. Our road can't even handle the number of cars currently running, without the expense imposed by the taxes it would be worse. Of course what they should be doing is using those ridiculous taxes to actually do something about the roads, rather than fattening politicos with it.

[ksenevirathne]

Well said ……

I’ve had the unfortunate experience of driving the SHIT bucket…. Well I crashed it… cost abt 80K to repair ( Luck it was a company car- ( I generally don’t hack company properties but this was right royal shit car……)

My question is – We all agree that the Maruti is CRAP +++ well why don’t people go for the MICRO – It’s SL and I personally feel that the quality is equitant to the Maruti if not better….

Driving is not easy here in SL- Maruti has made it worse…. As we get all sorts of jokers buying maruti’s and hogging the road… ( This is a general opinion of mine- I know there are good drivers who drive Maruti’s out there- Pls do not feel offended…)

Seriously we need to get this load of rubbish off the roads… Y not help a Sri Lankan guy come up rather than Indian crap ??

As patriotic Sri Lankan I too love to see home made vehicles on road. But one of the key reasons I found out as to why people tend to buy Maruti over MICRO is that the financial barrier. As far as I know most of the leasing companies in Sri Lanka hesitate to offer leasing facilities for MICRO cars.

I have driven both MICRO Trend and Maruti cars. Well, my personal judgment is that already we are ahead of India.

[Sha7]

Actually, the problem lies in Road development. Our road can't even handle the number of cars currently running, without the expense imposed by the taxes it would be worse. Of course what they should be doing is using those ridiculous taxes to actually do something about the roads, rather than fattening politicos with it.

100% agreeing with you. For every vehicle we buy we pay 300% tax on it. Then from every drop of fuel, Oil, Service, Spare parts, insurance and etc we pay taxes. Not only that annually we pay the government for license renewal.This money is more than enough to maintain a very good road network. Which is not happening.

Recently I heard that government is gonna limit importing of vehicles to control the fuel consumption. Why these fools can’t understand that we burn more fuel on bad roads and on traffic than for travelling????

[pissa]

Intriguing.

Couple of points.....What happened to MICRO? I hardly see any MICRO's out there? Who are the agents and where can you get one? And why the hell do the moronic politicians tax Micros? they should be given out tax free or at least at reduced tax!!! (so much for "Jaathiya Godanageema!!!)

Road hogs - actually I find 3-Wheelers more irritating than Maruti drivers. Those morons just squeeze ahead of you when in traffic, then goes pathetically slowly in front of you, and you need to go at their speeds!!!. Best part is, when two, wheelers try to overtake each other, blocking both lanes!!!!....and on top of that you get the idiotic bus drive their large buses as if they were driving a 3-wheeler (the way they try to squeeze) Jeez!!!! How can one simply drive in these conditions!!!!

[Sha7]

Intriguing.

Couple of points.....What happened to MICRO? I hardly see any MICRO's out there? Who are the agents and where can you get one? And why the hell do the moronic politicians tax Micros? they should be given out tax free or at least at reduced tax!!! (so much for "Jaathiya Godanageema!!!)

Road hogs - actually I find 3-Wheelers more irritating than Maruti drivers. Those morons just squeeze ahead of you when in traffic, then goes pathetically slowly in front of you, and you need to go at their speeds!!!. Best part is, when two, wheelers try to overtake each other, blocking both lanes!!!!....and on top of that you get the idiotic bus drive their large buses as if they were driving a 3-wheeler (the way they try to squeeze) Jeez!!!! How can one simply drive in these conditions!!!!

I have seen a Micro showroom on the opposite side of Devi Balika – Borella. Don’t know anything other than that about Micros. One thing, these cars are ‘Oluwa Japan Kanda German” type as I heard..

Yes! 3 wheelers are the worst drivers on the road. Second place goes to bikes and third to buses.

However one good thing about buses is that we can see them clearly.

And most bus drivers drive like maniacs but they rarely meet with accidents.

Honestly they are very experienced on their job.

[madmax]

I have seen a Micro showroom on the opposite side of Devi Balika – Borella. Don’t know anything other than that about Micros. One thing, these cars are ‘Oluwa Japan Kanda German” type as I heard..

What do you mean?

However Micro seems to be producing more of the Trend and the MPV junior now. Also they are assembling the SSangyong jeeps.

[Saturn]

Brakes

[Kim]

Actually I don't have anything to say at all...

Take a maruthi and drive. Then you will also tell the word...

i dont think he can get IN..

[Pericles]

i dont think he can get IN..

U haven't read the thread properly.

[Kim]

U haven't read the thread properly.

ooooooooopss.. missed it! anyway.. had a hard time rite???? heh he.

[pissa]

What do you mean?

However Micro seems to be producing more of the Trend and the MPV junior now. Also they are assembling the SSangyong jeeps.

Out of curiosity, I called up Micro. It seems that the trend is about 13... Now who would go for a Micro for 13 when you can get a (good) second hand march or a unregistered jap alto for the price!!! Why dont the government give Micro tax concessions!!!! Look at India, all they drive are made in india stuff (the honda's toyota's etc. built in indian plants)!!!

[Thunder_SL]

Sure this is a nice thread lol………………… sadly I own a Alto lol……….. yes I do believe most of the stuff u guys said….. I personally hate maruti…. Any ways the problem with MICRO was it was around 13laks or some thing when I was trying to buy that one. See that’s the problem most of the people goes for Maruti or any other Indian products because they cheaper….. btw I really cant understand y MICRO ask for that much high price for there TREND? Im seriously belive if they can reduce the price upto at least 10laks most of the people will love to buy that one than stupid maruti. yes there is option like second hand jap car and stuff but I used a ALTO for more than one year nearly two years…… still I didn’t go for a garage….. I dnt have a any problem so far….. thinking of the fuel consumption and stuff again u tend to look for maruti because if ya not rich. Because my one is doing around 12-14 city limit with AC. If ya cant afford a good looking corolla or some thing like that what to do…. Yes and this high time for me to move out of maruti  yes its really true about the safety features lol yes if u crash a maruti that’s the end of it u cant see a car it will look like some junk yard one.. lol….. may be in near future I might change my ride to some thing else….. surly not in SL dnt wannnaa pay more taxes to SL government hehehehehe cos they chase me for income tax because I bought a stupid ALTO lol

[Supra_Natural]

Sure this is a nice thread lol………………… sadly I own a Alto lol……….. yes I do believe most of the stuff u guys said….. I personally hate maruti…. Any ways the problem with MICRO was it was around 13laks or some thing when I was trying to buy that one. See that’s the problem most of the people goes for Maruti or any other Indian products because they cheaper….. btw I really cant understand y MICRO ask for that much high price for there TREND? Im seriously belive if they can reduce the price upto at least 10laks most of the people will love to buy that one than stupid maruti. yes there is option like second hand jap car and stuff but I used a ALTO for more than one year nearly two years…… still I didn’t go for a garage….. I dnt have a any problem so far….. thinking of the fuel consumption and stuff again u tend to look for maruti because if ya not rich. Because my one is doing around 12-14 city limit with AC. If ya cant afford a good looking corolla or some thing like that what to do…. Yes and this high time for me to move out of maruti  yes its really true about the safety features lol yes if u crash a maruti that’s the end of it u cant see a car it will look like some junk yard one.. lol….. may be in near future I might change my ride to some thing else….. surly not in SL dnt wannnaa pay more taxes to SL government hehehehehe cos they chase me for income tax because I bought a stupid ALTO lol

Actually the Alto is a fairly acceptable car, which would actually be a GREAT choice if it was priced lower (I noticed in the "permit" ads that the CIF Value is approx $5000 )... the design of the alto isnt very old, it was made in japan around 2002, so it is MUCH more modern than the 800.... which basically is a 1984 version of.... A Suzuki Alto!

i do completely understand and accept the logic behind people's decisons to buy marutis..... That said however, dont see myself ever getting one, even a swift, because for 1.0-2.0 million, the range of used cars you can get is HUGE..... if i were in that price range i'd be looking at anything from an E30 3 series to a 156..... simply another league for enjoyment.... and i wouldnt mind putting up wth the occasional repair... but thats just me...

Edited July 27, 2007 by Supra_Natural

[~*KrisH*~]

Actually the Alto is a fairly acceptable car, which would actually be a GREAT choice if it was priced lower (I noticed in the "permit" ads that the CIF Value is approx $5000 )... the design of the alto isnt very old, it was made in japan around 2002, so it is MUCH more modern than the 800.... which basically is a 1984 version of.... A Suzuki Alto!

i do completely understand and accept the logic behind people's decisons to buy marutis..... That said however, dont see myself ever getting one, even a swift, because for 1.0-2.0 million, the range of used cars you can get is HUGE..... if i were in that price range i'd be looking at anything from an E30 3 series to a 156..... simply another league for enjoyment.... and i wouldnt mind putting up wth the occasional repair... but thats just me...

Thanks for the reply buddy.........

Yes they have advertised CIF value as some where around $5000 but when u really going to buy that one its going to be more than 8laks SL rupees………. For me I think its not that cheap and FOR permit y wanna go for a ALTO lol…..

Yes I do accept Alto is better than Maruti 800…. It gives good pick up and soo on….. man I drive one Maruti 800 once and I never wanna drive that car again……….. I normally drive little bit fast but that car I was going around 30-40kmph and when I apply brake the car was still going MAN I was dam scared I thought some thing wrong with the car….. but later found out it’s the normal for Maruti 800……

Any ways Im not a good on car mechanical stuff soooo im little bit scared to go for a second hand car…… that’s only reason that made me goto a Alto……. But I really think we should post some pros and cons in the Maruti 800 than putting it low…… 