ZEN : The Complete Review.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

It has been long Let me count August 1995 , 3.35Lac Kms on a Maruti 800.
It has been all fun .Went to most parts of country in it Alone generally.
It never gave any problems even in-spite of major addons like CNG ( 2 years ago) , a bigger alternator , heavy duty Halogens , a extra heavy AC system installed long ago , along with 2 Amps , 4 speakers , 1 DVC woofer ICE.
Our M800 has 99% been used by at max 1 or 2 people seated so it was sufficient (still is).When the whole family needs to travel we have been using taxi ever since i can remember .

Few months ago i had this crave i should go buy a Linea for me .
Well why not i asked myself i have a nice job , family is still working , unmarried still , and it would be nice if we have our own family car then i discuss it with my Dad and he replied What is the problem in M800.And then he answered me buying a car is depreciation of your money and it is your choice.
I got thinking why do i want (more than need ) a new car .

My conclusions :
1.) It will show to my neighbors, friends , etc i am good in life .
2.) Initial satisfaction of others envy.
There are other points then i remember what i often hear that our M800 has been kept in new condition mechanically and cosmetically due to due care thrown in (which does not mean i did not drive fast , i did not brake hard , i would not rip it ) including the maintenance .Often i was the one telling mechanics this needs to be fixed when they were adamant that there is no noise , issue .(I seriously wonder do i have dog ears ).

This fighting with myself continued .Then i read the few threads here on Team BHP as to costs of a new car vis a vis old ,maintained car and few others like it .
So i thought why not a second hand car .Priority was a car in pristine condition less than 30K Kms on odo.
Again i asked for dad's suggestion he said why .To that i said M800 on CNG is pretty uncomfy to drive in stop go , traffic jams of delhi especially with blistering sun.
So he said fine go buy a car but try looking for a personal drive than a family drive as i will be using it 99% of time .But here in comes the block he said go look for a new car .I finally said ok .
Well now the Punto comes in picture drove it .Extremely good car no maruti trademarks of poor control , body noise etc .In short i loved it .I paid 40K at HIM motors and booked it .Was told delivery in 3 weeks .3 days later a friend bought a 2 year old accent with CNG installed with 35K Kms on odo for 3.3 Lacs .And the car was amazing.

Again confusion .Few friends termed me kanjoos (well why not as per them with such good financial standing why should i not buy a new car ).I was thinking 6.10L for Punto MJD emotion Vs this accent.
that night i could not sleep .i went for a long drive in M800 on NH8 .Next day cancelled the punto .Dad was not happy on me buying a 2nd hand car at all.

Thus began the shortlisting as to which car i should look for .Finally i nailed it two baleno and Palio 1.6GTX .Reasons driving delight alone. I found one Palio with around 36K kms on odo in Punjab .Fixed an appointment but the next day the guy calls up and says sorry sold.Alas .Here goes my only Palio i managed to haul up in 2nd hand car data base in good condition.
So now the Baleno .First 31K Kms , Oct 2005 one door needed denting and bumper repainting ,2.60 Lacs deal fixed.i paid 10 K in advance delivery will be within 2 weeks .The guy took 1.5 months for getting NOC and then calls he wants cash i said sorry .Cheque or DD only.Fianlly deal is off.(Poor me)
Next i met another Nov 2005 baleno , 26 K kms , 2.75 Lacs .I agree but again the owner of the car is not there .The person i am dealing is some third person .I back off until i meet the real owner as i was suspicious . Finally deal off.The third baleno done only 19K Kms , may 2005 , deal set at 2.90 Lacs.I asked dad and he said it is Haryana number and we do not know anyone in that region so will have to pay a lot for transferring ( my fault in not recognizing that) to delhi.

I have finally given up on this ordeal of getting a 2nd hand car and decided to for a new one when by chance i stumbled on a zen Lxi October 2003 , scratchless , immaculate , 16000 kms genuine. I disussed it with my accent friend and he said it is a small car search for a big car or buy a new sedan as a small car will make you small on the road .
Well i am not egoistic so decided to have a look at the car .I like the car the moment i saw .I have fallen for this Zen .I pay 20K cash in advance .Next day i gave DD for 1.90 L .Now the car will come on Sunday most likely as i am out of city.
I hope i have made the right decision .(God help me )

[amit V8]

this zen is the best looking maruti till the sx4 came along. (my personal opinion) the current one is horrible. a 6 year old model but its damn neat looking. congrats for such a nice car.

[kannan666]

Congrats on your new possession T-I-T, the old Zen was a great little car, I'm sure you will have a lot of fun filled kms with her !

[shreyasma]

The Body line is immaculate for a 6 year old car.

However, I feel tyres will not give you a good ride due to the age (if it is still running the OEM ones). Please use it for a few days and when you feel like upgrade them , just upgrade to 155 from the stock 145. More than 155 on stock rims will have scrapping problems in the wheel well. Just a suggestion friend, no offense meant.

Zen engines are super peppy. So have fun in the traffic and drive safely.

[gpa]

A great buy! You can't go wrong with a Zen that's maintained well. From the looks of it, the car is in pristine form and you have got a very good deal. Congrats!

[shantyrocks]

why do you want to go for a 6 year old car that has been discontinued?
you could get a 2004-05 NHC in around 4 lacs dude.
Its a big car and fun to drive as well.

[rajeev k]

Zen is a great car and especially this one is a gem. You are quite lucky to get it. I always loved zen and why maruti killed it is not known. Dear Maruti Suzuki bring the Zen back with many an options. Like a 800 cc engine and at a slot and price slightl lower than the Alto for the base variant. Could sell well.

[amanmalhotra]

Nice car dude... Looks nice, and 16K kms is hardly anything. Have driven a zen for about 75k kms and it is really fun to drive.

[breezydrive]

Zen is an excellent car for city. BTW, I do a lot of highway trips in this car, comes to its own on highways.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Zen is a great car and especially this one is a gem. You are quite lucky to get it. I always loved zen and why maruti killed it is not known. Dear Maruti Suzuki bring the Zen back with many an options. Like a 800 cc engine and at a slot and price slightl lower than the Alto for the base variant. Could sell well.

800 cc in a Zen? The car struggles to pick up with 1.0 ltr engine, with 800 cc it would refuse to move.

[Dippy]

Congratulations on getting a new used Zen. It is easily the best car Maruti has ever made. Reliable to the core, cheap and easy to live with and not to forget that gem of an engine. The old Zen still holds its own against newer hatches.

You have found a very clean example for yourself. It seems well kept. One such as this is hard to find. Enjoy your new car

[Thomas8700]

16k kms in six years ?? isnt that a really low mileage!

if genuine its a great thing! and since its only 16000km most probably it would have been serviced from dealer only. try to get the service history also. just in case

Lxi means the car will be having a security system right

[Trust_In_Thrust]

@Thomas8700 : The Car has centeral locking , p.Steering ,Gear Lock , Front Power windows .ICE i will be going for fresh install with a USB Alpine/Kenwood with Infinity Kappa on front and rear doors.Already checked the history with owner bills and service center no issues.

@Shantyrocks : yes i could easily get the city but i was not even looking for that.And anyways i somehow do not like Honda on a personal levels.And as my dad said it satisfies my needs .(Wants have no limits).Also i feel happy i did not get the baleno which would have made driving in delhi traffic a nightmare against the ease which small car provides.

@Shreyasma : Hey i checked the tyre manufacturing date and it was Sep 2003 on all 5 tyres .Also there were no crack marks which i would see on old tyres.Upon enquiring the owner said all rubber and plastic parts have undergone some Fucot treatment to avoid aging(Every two years ).He even showed me the bill for it..So i will run these tyres and if any issues i would switch to alloys with 155/70R13 or 155/65R13 tyres.

And everyone thanks a lot for the support .

[Thomas8700]

cool then its wish you a happy motoring experience with the vehicle.

my friend also has a Zen Vxi its also a 2003 model. just run 14k kms. he is not willing to sell it at all

you are real lucky to get such a low mileage one.

do take it only to authorised dealer. and yes i dont know for sure if its possible in a zen but a friend of mine had got Xenos power windows installed in his swift Ldi. if you really want it then you can put power windows on the back windows too. this is just for convineance only ok.

and also since its been six years and if the car has not been given an under body anti rust coating( at purchase ) then this would be a nice time to do it

Happy motoring
drive safe

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[Trust_In_Thrust]

@Thomas8700 : You will not believe it but i am just plain lucky .The Car has been given the antirust treatment , Some paint protection coating also and that too with Fucot by the first owner .he got it done when he bought the car .He last got it coated again for anti rust and paint protection(Acrylic Paint protection) along with the rubber /plastic as a package in 2008 end .Now i do not know how good is Fucot , though i have checked their website and seems pretty complete.
Anti Aging Car Care Products,Automobile Products,CNG Kits,Distributor of Liqui Moly, Additives,Antirust Treatment
Also regarding the power windows i will be driving mostly alone and back seats will be used rarely so no use at back .And as i said it is already installed OEM for front so it is fine.

Regards

[Thomas8700]

Then things seem to be good for you. this is more than enough for a vehicle which is 6yrs old but ideally speaking running wise she is very young so take good care of her. in all possible means try to keep it shining just like the previous owner did

do try to use the AC at all times. the interiors tend to fade away if the car is driven with windows rolled down in city traffic.

going by the interiors pic i can see that its as good as new. which is both due to less mileage and constant use of AC

so let the drives come out and do post some travel blogs
regards.