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#1
Hi fellow enthusiasts,
I am Karthik from Bangalore. Chanced upon this forum when searching 'stuff' for my Maruti 800 and found there are pretty good examples of the car. Decided to signup to share my experiences and gain from yours.
The car booking experience :
We, a family of four were looking for a car and unanimously zeroed in on the Maruti 800. I mean, there was no other options considered. The year was 2007 and I had just graduated with a state rank in engineering. This for my parents, seemed a time good enough to take the plunge. First order of things was that the men (father and me) in the family signed up for driving classes and being the enthusiast that I am, picked up the skills in the first two or three classes driving an esteem and an occasional zen. With the classes still mid way, we visited Mandovi Maruti Bannergahtta road to book the car.
It was a 2007 Maruti 800 in Carribean Blue shade. We were all excited (an understatement) !! The dealer was very friendly to offer us goodies and take pics of the delivery which we cherish to this date. My cousin has recently upgraded his music system in his Esteem and he offered us his OEM stereo (cassette player + radio) and pair of speakers . We had this fitted with at the showroom itself. But, none of us were brave enough to drive it home. After all, we were amateurs to say the least. The sales agent happily arranged for a mechanic to drive us home and we offered him some sweets and pocket cash for his ride back. The dealer did say that this was his first where a customer paid in full cash for a car purchase !
We never knew something like a PDI existed !
The Memories: Over a period of time I became the dedicated driver for all short and long trips. Dad did have an unfortunate accident where the front right apron brushed against the truck. So yes, we paid 500 rupees and the insurance covered the rest. This was within the first month of purchase. That apart, the car has seen a little more than 20k kms in all of 11.5 years of ownership. The usual road trips to the occasional drag race winning in its bone stock trim. Been there done that.
I strongly believe that I will never part with this car.
Modifications -
1. K&N stock replacement filter
2. TPMS system
3. 12" Plati Alloys PY-074 with Potenzas from Bridgestone
4. Noodle mats mimicking the rather expensive 3M nomads
5. 7 " roof mount LCD with a Pioneer HU
Maintenance : The car, touch wood, has been a problem free. Parked mostly outside exposed to the elements. The clear coat on the roof had just started showing signs of oxidation, the solution to which was brought to us by 3M. An annual AMC kept the car in mirror like finish. Now parked in the basement away from all the heat and rain. Some of the wiring was re-done by me, RATS !
She runs on all synthetic fluids and fuel from Shell. Being a Non-AC version, she returns pretty good mileage.
Next set of mods/work :
1. Brake Booster (yes, yes, I still drive without one and frankly felt the brakes were never bad)
2. Radiator & fuel tank flush.
3. Tachometer of the Ritz Petrol (for the subtle factory look)
4. A good set of headlight bulbs (recommendations are welcome)
Sharing a few pictures !
Cheers
Karthik R
I am Karthik from Bangalore. Chanced upon this forum when searching 'stuff' for my Maruti 800 and found there are pretty good examples of the car. Decided to signup to share my experiences and gain from yours.
The car booking experience :
We, a family of four were looking for a car and unanimously zeroed in on the Maruti 800. I mean, there was no other options considered. The year was 2007 and I had just graduated with a state rank in engineering. This for my parents, seemed a time good enough to take the plunge. First order of things was that the men (father and me) in the family signed up for driving classes and being the enthusiast that I am, picked up the skills in the first two or three classes driving an esteem and an occasional zen. With the classes still mid way, we visited Mandovi Maruti Bannergahtta road to book the car.
It was a 2007 Maruti 800 in Carribean Blue shade. We were all excited (an understatement) !! The dealer was very friendly to offer us goodies and take pics of the delivery which we cherish to this date. My cousin has recently upgraded his music system in his Esteem and he offered us his OEM stereo (cassette player + radio) and pair of speakers . We had this fitted with at the showroom itself. But, none of us were brave enough to drive it home. After all, we were amateurs to say the least. The sales agent happily arranged for a mechanic to drive us home and we offered him some sweets and pocket cash for his ride back. The dealer did say that this was his first where a customer paid in full cash for a car purchase !
We never knew something like a PDI existed !
The Memories: Over a period of time I became the dedicated driver for all short and long trips. Dad did have an unfortunate accident where the front right apron brushed against the truck. So yes, we paid 500 rupees and the insurance covered the rest. This was within the first month of purchase. That apart, the car has seen a little more than 20k kms in all of 11.5 years of ownership. The usual road trips to the occasional drag race winning in its bone stock trim. Been there done that.
I strongly believe that I will never part with this car.
Modifications -
1. K&N stock replacement filter
2. TPMS system
3. 12" Plati Alloys PY-074 with Potenzas from Bridgestone
4. Noodle mats mimicking the rather expensive 3M nomads
5. 7 " roof mount LCD with a Pioneer HU
Maintenance : The car, touch wood, has been a problem free. Parked mostly outside exposed to the elements. The clear coat on the roof had just started showing signs of oxidation, the solution to which was brought to us by 3M. An annual AMC kept the car in mirror like finish. Now parked in the basement away from all the heat and rain. Some of the wiring was re-done by me, RATS !
She runs on all synthetic fluids and fuel from Shell. Being a Non-AC version, she returns pretty good mileage.
Next set of mods/work :
1. Brake Booster (yes, yes, I still drive without one and frankly felt the brakes were never bad)
2. Radiator & fuel tank flush.
3. Tachometer of the Ritz Petrol (for the subtle factory look)
4. A good set of headlight bulbs (recommendations are welcome)
Sharing a few pictures !
Cheers
Karthik R
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