Future of Zen

[revhappy]

Hi Guys,
I have a Maruti Zen 2002 VXI model done 30000 kms. I still like the car a lot, but what is worrying me is the fact that it has been phased out how long should I keep the Car.
The things that I am specifically concerned about are
1) Availablity of Spare parts 2 years down the line
2) Resale value 2 years down the line.
Although I love the car and at this moment cant think of selling it and buying any of the compact cars(other than the Palio 1.6 maybe), I would like to keep it for another 2 years but I dont want to be left with a fast depreciating asset that would be worthless after 2 years due to unavailablity of parts or zero resale.

What do you guys think, zen owners/fans, is this the time to sell it( I think at the moment it has a good resale value 2.5 lacs maybe) or keep it and even 2 years down the line it would still be a priced possession.

TIA,
Nitin

[nicejits]

Dont wory for spares those will be available for next 10 yrs, Zen's are in much Demand now. dont sell it ,, its a all time ROCKING Car

Cheers !
Jitendra

[sushrutha]

Don't worry about the spare parts dude. Maruti will continue making the spares for another 8 -9 years or so. And also there are lakhs of Zen plying, so nothing to worry.
Keep the car with you for another 2 years. Don't worry about resale.

[AirWind]

You wouldnt loose too much resale in 2 Yrs time, the Zen (MH310) will run trouble free for 100k+ KM's and sourcing of spares wouldnt be a problem - so dont bother and enjoy driving for 2 more yrs.

[snaronikar]

Originally Posted by revhappy

Hi Guys,
1) Availablity of Spare parts 2 years down the line
2) Resale value 2 years down the line.
Nitin

For your 1st query: The dies (stamping / inj molds / blow molds etc) manufactured by the auto manufacturers will be available with them. Moreover, they would have manufactured some parts and already kept in their w/h. Hence d not worry about the spares for next 10 years.

For your 2nd query: Zen cars are in very much demand right now. Hence do not worry about the resale value now or down the line for another 5 years. This will be same as Qualis.

[GSHA]

"Zens are in very much demand right now" + "Zen is out of production" + "Maruti still has parts for the zen" + "Zen has the cult value to resell itself" --> These should translate to a sale right now.

"Maruti would have manufactured some parts and kept in their w/h" --> Why would Maruti do that at all? It is dead inventory (unless we go and buy parts) and a liability for the company.

"Spares for next 10 years" --> Maruti is legally obliged to supply spare parts and service for 15 years (registered life of the vehicle) from the date of sale of last vehicle.

So is the case with Daewoo for their Matiz and the case for all Opels by GM and with Fiat for Palio and variants.

You will get spares for zen even 10 years down the line and you will get services offered by Maruti dealers. But, you will have to wait. Examples: For a windshield, please wait for 2 months. For a pump, wait for 1 month etc. Please enquire with your friends who may own Opels / Fiats / Daewoos... they get their job done with a time delay.

My 2 paise worth: (1) Don't own an obsoleted car, and (2) If somebody is willing to pay good money for an obsolete car, sell it.

Own an obsoleted car only because you love your car.

[Maverick1977]

You will most definitely not be left in the lurch if you don’t sell your car right now. I too own the same vehicle and almost ended up putting the car on the block a few weeks back. However the phenomenal demand made me realize that this thing has still a lot of steam left. What also goes in this car's favour is the fact that the New Zen (Estilo) is very disappointing.
My take --> Keep this car until you get a good replacement or till Maruti comes up with a much better replacement for the Estilo. Till then enjoy the drive.

[esteem_lover]

well, it's a maruti. Have no such fear, it will have its value & spares.

[vasudeva]

If you are happy with the car, then do not worry about the spares. Your car has been used for only 30K, and you can easily keep it for a long time as long as you do not get bored. Resale will go down as is natural for all cars, but out of production Zen should see lower declines than some other comparators. Plus, the loss in resale after say 2 years would not be significant, since you have seen off the biggest killer, the initial 2-3 year depreciation.

[joseph5600]

Dont worry about the resale value and availability of spares. It would be there as Zen is one of the best car maruti has launched. I myself own a Zen at home and the most interesting part is I like it better than my Getz . So dont think of selling it immediately

[breezydrive]

Originally Posted by joseph5600

Dont worry about the resale value and availability of spares. It would be there as Zen is one of the best car maruti has launched. I myself own a Zen at home and the most interesting part is I like it better than my Getz . So dont think of selling it immediately

Can you explain the reasons

I have driven my zen for 85K kms, had shortlisted 1.3GLS as another car in the family.

[ram_hyundai]

the spares will be available.just imagine the number of zens on road compared to the cielos or matiz wherin parts are available for the latter so no problem for zen.use it for as much years possible and after that maybe you can use it as a second car and go for a sedan.
ram

[jerish666]

You better keep your Zen for another 2 more years.

[sameer_dg]

Keep it and later maybe go for a engine transplant.

[snaronikar]

GSHA;652393"Maruti would have manufactured some parts and kept in their w/h" --> Why would Maruti do that at all? It is dead inventory (unless we go and buy parts) and a liability for the company.

No doubt it is a liability of the company. But think of the situation where they have to manufacture the part right from ordering of raw materials. They should have the mold in good condition. Hence they will make some parts and keep in their spare parts w/h. This is followed none other than Toyota and everybody in Japan follows TPS.

"Spares for next 10 years" --> Maruti is legally obliged to supply spare parts and service for 15 years (registered life of the vehicle) from the date of sale of last vehicle.
You are absolutely right.

So is the case with Daewoo for their Matiz and the case for all Opels by GM and with Fiat for Palio and variants.

You will get spares for zen even 10 years down the line and you will get services offered by Maruti dealers. But, you will have to wait. Examples: For a windshield, please wait for 2 months. For a pump, wait for 1 month etc. Please enquire with your friends who may own Opels / Fiats / Daewoos... they get their job done with a time delay.

This is a MASS and you can be rest assured of the service. Do not compare with Maruti with GM regarding service. MASS is far far better than GM.

My answers in bold.