planning to go in for a used Matiz .. need help

[culnanmaga]

dear friends,

i own an ikon and plan to go in for an used Matiz as a second car... rather as a gift to my lil sis.... ive been promising her for long but time's just about come.... i originally wanted to buy her a 800 but somehow i'm not too convinced about the safety features (not that Matiz is all that secure) and with its age old looks... good mileage is another requirement....

the usage will be about 30 KM per day... n travel in Bangalore... is crzy these days.... though i've seen lots of matizs on Bangalore roads and have heard that they are good cars from all and sundry... i'd rather have expert / first hand opinion...

please advise on the following..
1. How good a car the Matiz really is (details will help)?

2. Is is sane to go in for one (though i'm not known to be sane)?

3. M800 or Matiz?

4. What's a good price for 2000 up model (50 to 60K run in)? Mytake is 90K to 1L ...

5. Are spares easy to find? I'm fully aware that this car is not produced anymore; local mechanics claim that spares are still easily available; how true?

6. What is the avg mileage per litre? should I go in for Gas conversion? Does this really help?

7. any other expert comments....

Appreciate your time and support....

Regards,
Vivek

[manikjeet]

hey culnanmaga don't go in for a second hand matiz. it was a good car but the company has closed and the spares are not easily available


i suggest you go for a second hand alto

it has good FE
the spares easily available
it is easy to get it serviced
and lastly it is more reliable than the matiz

if u can't go in for an alto then u could go for a m800

[goandude]

hey culnanmaga, I have a 2000 matiz and it is giving me gr8 service. i have 45000 on the odo. 18 kmpl in goa and 22+ on highways keeping speed 90-100. spares have not been an issue as i have never had a problem with the veh. normal spares like filters wipers etc are never a problem. resale value is poor but for u it wud be a blessing.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by culnanmaga

dear friends,

please advise on the following..
1. How good a car the Matiz really is (details will help)?

2. Is is sane to go in for one (though i'm not known to be sane)?

3. M800 or Matiz?

4. What's a good price for 2000 up model (50 to 60K run in)? Mytake is 90K to 1L ...

5. Are spares easy to find? I'm fully aware that this car is not produced anymore; local mechanics claim that spares are still easily available; how true?

6. What is the avg mileage per litre? should I go in for Gas conversion? Does this really help?

7. any other expert comments....

Appreciate your time and support....

Regards,
Vivek

Matiz is a nice car (2,60,000 kms old) but my personal experience is that it is very expensive on maintenance - I have had to change struts, wheel bearings, lower arms, etc, several times, not to talk of problems wth exhaust pipes, cooling systems, fuel pumps, etc. Moreover, parts are available with very few and they extort fancy prices. Experienced mechanics are few and far between and the general tendency in an ordinary garage while changing parts is to fit in any part that is available (from bins of M800, Zen, etc), and very rarely the correct part is used.

It is OK for existing owners, but buying a second hand Matiz is like jumping into the fire, when so many options are available.

Mileage is very good definitely, but since the Matiz has been made, I have sen significant increases in mileage of all cars in general. My car delivers 14 kmpl consistently in city driving conditions.

Having said all this, the car is great to drive (other than in slow speeds), very comfortable to sit (although the back seat is difficult for old people to get in and out) and probably the safes car in production in India at that time - yes, the Matiz is the only car to have passed all crash tests, and I have seen several accident Matizes, the passengers ahve escaped without much injury. In fact, that will be my strongest reason to buy the car.

Bangalore city traffic is messy and slow - driving the Matiz in lower gears with AC on is not a pleasant experience - I have found cars like Santro far better.

Going for a gas fitment does not make sense since it will add costs of 15k-20 K (?), and you will lose your entire boot area (which is already very small.

The price of 90k is too much for this car. I too have a 1999 Matiz for which there are no buyers at any reasoanbleprice - I have been given quotes for as low as 15K!!!!!

I continue to keep my Matiz as my second car, sparingly used.

Kumar

[csentil]

Originally Posted by culnanmaga

dear friends,

i own an ikon and plan to go in for an used Matiz as a second car... rather as a gift to my lil sis.... ive been promising her for long but time's just about come.... i originally wanted to buy her a 800 but somehow i'm not too convinced about the safety features (not that Matiz is all that secure) and with its age old looks... good mileage is another requirement....

the usage will be about 30 KM per day... n travel in Bangalore... is crzy these days.... though i've seen lots of matizs on Bangalore roads and have heard that they are good cars from all and sundry... i'd rather have expert / first hand opinion...

please advise on the following..
1. How good a car the Matiz really is (details will help)?

2. Is is sane to go in for one (though i'm not known to be sane)?

3. M800 or Matiz?

4. What's a good price for 2000 up model (50 to 60K run in)? Mytake is 90K to 1L ...

5. Are spares easy to find? I'm fully aware that this car is not produced anymore; local mechanics claim that spares are still easily available; how true?

6. What is the avg mileage per litre? should I go in for Gas conversion? Does this really help?

7. any other expert comments....

Appreciate your time and support....

Regards,
Vivek

Ok, you've read hvkumar's take on it. He's done 2.5 lakh kms and counting.

Here's another Matiz owner's view. I have a 2001 Matiz. 70K kms and regularly used.

If you can get a Matiz which has done 40k to 50K kms then there's nothing like it. Costs around 80K approximately if it has power steering & AC.

Common problems: distributor failure, rust on the window panels especially at the top near the beading. Other than that I've not seen many. Costs me around 5K a year for maintenance alone. This includes oil change, brake pad, coolant once every 10000 kms.

Mileage: 14 in cities and 14-16 on highways. (tend to speed a lot).

I bought the Matiz when Daewoo was going downhill. so that makes me insane and haven't sold it as yet coz I still like it a lot. :-)

Definitely not a M800. Better choice would be Santro.

Spares are available. You don't get major problems in the Matiz atleast until its 90K kms+. Yes spares are locally made. However I think I saw a link 2 days back saying GM would support Matiz.

Its a fun car to drive, quite easy. As hvkumar said, with AC pulling power is a problem. You see the same problem in an Alto. The latter day Santro's are better in that aspect.

You atleast stand out in a crowd on Santro's & Maruti cars.

If you are using it for city drives and are not bothered about boot space, get it converted.

[VBV]

A friend of mine has one Matiz in Padmanabhanagar and he's had very less compliants, other than that rats ate the fuel pipe :-)
Now that GM has announced that it will start supplyins spares for Matiz, it might be worth a try.

VBV
PS: Nice name, but everytime somebody addresses you, is it an abuse or an address? :-)