Which Indian car would go on and on.

[extreme_torque]

Without a shadow of doubt Qualis... that engine is bullet prooof!

[Rtech]

Man, if you are looking for a car that has taken every sort of abuse, neglect and overall crap from its owners, the aquamarine Maruti Zen that belongs to a Gujarati neighbor of mine surely makes it to the podium, if not the top step.

The car is about 7 or 8 years old (not sure). I seriously think that it is still running on its original oil and filters. When their son was a baby, they used to let him jump on the roof of the car and laugh as he make a nice large dent in the roof. The boy is now about 11, and I have seen him continue jumping on the car, sitting on the bonnets, getting it in the line of fire when they play cricket and making sure it participates in the Holi celebrations.

I have seen the owner drain every last bit of juice from the battery trying to start it, and when it doesn't start, he sits there clicking the started ever 2 minutes hoping for some miracle (which never happened).

Each tyre has been punctured atleast 3 times (some more), and this again are the original tyres the car came with.

But yet, the car still runs. Even through all this abuse, it still runs!

[prabuddhadg]

Definitely not the amby or the fiat. We had and amby for years, and we could keep it simply because my father knew cars and maintenance inside and out. If we returned from a trip without having to open the bonnet, we used to count ourselves lucky.
I have had an 800 for four years, and its a sturdy car and has never let me down, but then four years is nothing. Another four and you never know what kind of soup I could land in.
I think cars are now not built to go on for years, with the amount of plastics they use, from light switches to pumps. You are supposed to change with the times and get a new model every five years. Though I would much prefer a car that I can have for 15 years and know it like the back of my hand.
If you look after it well, and not abuse it, any car can go on for five or ten years. But with the volume of traffic, and the quality of roads and the shortage of time, we invariably end up abusing our cars. So, nothing will last for ever.

[sumitkalindi]

Qualis really has what it takes. Theoritically Spacio should have been another contender, however, it is not, since it needs repairs before a qualis does, however I should point out that the repairs means small repairs, like suspension bush jobs/tune up which qualis also needs from time to time. Again qualis has proved that the engine is really bullet proof, The 407 engine seems to be also bullet proof, at least till 380000 kms, since this was the odo reading of the oldest spacio that we had in kolkata when we sold it.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by Rtech

The car is about 7 or 8 years old (not sure). I seriously think that it is still running on its original oil and filters. When their son was a baby, they used to let him jump on the roof of the car and laugh as he make a nice large dent in the roof. The boy is now about 11, and I have seen him continue jumping on the car, sitting on the bonnets, getting it in the line of fire when they play cricket and making sure it participates in the Holi celebrations.

I have seen the owner drain every last bit of juice from the battery trying to start it, and when it doesn't start, he sits there clicking the started ever 2 minutes hoping for some miracle (which never happened).

Each tyre has been punctured atleast 3 times (some more), and this again are the original tyres the car came with.

But yet, the car still runs. Even through all this abuse, it still runs!

1). Original Oil and filters ?? I sincerely hope that was sarcasm or you were kidding......

2). 8 yrs and original tyres ?? IMPOSSIBLE !!! Unless it sat in their house for 6 yrs being used as everything else (a fielder in cricket, a bench for the kids, a target for Holi) but a car.....

[frankmehta]

i would say the old maruti 800(without mpfi, the mpfi ones CAN have a problem with bad fuel).....the old ZEN(pre facelift, pre mpfi)......and the toyota qualiii and innovas....i've seen a corolla stranded once so that toyota doesnt figure here.......the others i havent thought of......these are the ones that come to mind

[jessie007]

I would say that it depends on the amount of care you take of the vehicle which determines how long it can last. My father owned a Maruti van (the one with the original Suzuki engine) for eight years and covered more than 1.5 Lakh kms in it. The vehicle bought after that was a Tata Sumo and it has till date covered more than 2.5 Lakh kms in ten years. Here is the case of one flimsy van with a puny but efficient 800cc engine and the other a metal tank with a little underpowered 2000cc engine. One is a relatively refined petrol engine and the other a hoarse diesel workhorse. Both have stood the test of time and all it takes is regular servicing and immediate correction of any faults detected to ensure a vehicle runs for a long time.

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by nikhilb2008

1). Original Oil and filters ?? I sincerely hope that was sarcasm or you were kidding......

I said "I seriously think...", obviously I can't tell for sure now can I. Just an educated guess seeing the way the car in general is maintained.

Originally Posted by nikhilb2008

2). 8 yrs and original tyres ?? IMPOSSIBLE !!! Unless it sat in their house for 6 yrs being used as everything else (a fielder in cricket, a bench for the kids, a target for Holi) but a car.....

Impossible? Why do you say that? Infact, if the car just sat there, then it would be impossible as the rubber would dry, get flatspotted and crack. If they are in use, they sure as hell can be used for years.

I just checked the date on the tyres of another car in my building and it was dated May 2000. Thats 6.5 years old. Still think it's impossible?

[Sahil]

The first OHC Type 1

[rks]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Impossible? Why do you say that? Infact, if the car just sat there, then it would be impossible as the rubber would dry, get flatspotted and crack. If they are in use, they sure as hell can be used for years.

I just checked the date on the tyres of another car in my building and it was dated May 2000. Thats 6.5 years old. Still think it's impossible?

I can corroborate that. I myself just changed my 6-year old tyres on my Santro, after 34000 kms. But even better, the 1995 model Maruti 800 which I used to drive till 2000 and is now with my relative, is *still* having the original 11-year-old cross-ply tyres for the rear wheels -- the front tyres were changed about a couple of years ago. The car has done about 45000 kms. I pleaded with my relative to change the rear tyres as soon as possible, but met with a firm refusal.

[grvanand]

I think old Maruti Zen is really ultra reliable. I too have a 98 model car which is as good as new in terms of engine.

[himanshugoswami]

I would have to say teh Maruti Gypsy. I have seen gypsys with over 200,000 on their odos and still going strong! That is one car designed to take a lot of punishment

[Nikhilb2008]

@ Rtech ---

Abt the engine oil and filters...

Engine oil is changed at EVERY service.....so, how can it be original ??

And the air/oil filters are also changed periodically...... They cant last for so long.

Abt the tyres, I will be very surprised if they are the original ones..... If they are, I wonder how the tread will be

[shazikon]

it defanitely got to be a AMBY or a FIAT or even the Maruti 800..my dads 800 is 15yrs old. in perfect shape!!

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by rks

I can corroborate that. I myself just changed my 6-year old tyres on my Santro, after 34000 kms. But even better, the 1995 model Maruti 800 which I used to drive till 2000 and is now with my relative, is *still* having the original 11-year-old cross-ply tyres for the rear wheels -- the front tyres were changed about a couple of years ago. The car has done about 45000 kms. I pleaded with my relative to change the rear tyres as soon as possible, but met with a firm refusal.

Talking about tyres, my 800 is four years old, done 55000km and still has enough tread to go on to over 60000km. Ceat stock tyres.