[vijuk21]

Hello Everyone,
We got into the Zen mode in Oct 2003. That is when the Zen entered our lives.

My daughter was born on Sep 2, 2003 and we got our Zen in Oct. Don't remember the exact date.

I am the second owner. Got it from an automotive company in Hosur for a great deal.

Few points of the car

1. It is a Zen Lx model.
2. No frills car. No power steering and no power windows
3. Carburetted and not MPFI
4. I had upgraded her wheels to alloy wheels and they gave a bit of muscle to the car which otherwise was very timid.
5. The ODO had clocked ~43,000.
6. This shade of Grey color was the best. Many have asked the name of the color and I have always told them Grey.

She has been with us since then and helpful as given below
1. Good family car and came at the right time post my child was born.
2. Helped us move around cities and long drives
3. Very useful while constructing my house in 2009. Since the back seats fold, I was able to load her with luggage and move.
4. My daughter is now 18 and is now learning to drive using the Zen which is older than her :-)
5. I love her for the simplicity and her great looks despite her age

Today, the ODO stands at 1,43,000. Over the years, she has been performing flawlessly. We have developed a sort of bonding with her and hence heart tells me not to sell her.

With age, I am now getting few challenges as listed below:
1. AC is not working which is a major deterrent for me to take the car out
2. Mileage has dropped considerably. I guess this can be tweaked by a good mechanic. Kalyani motors whitefield do not have good technicians who can tune her carburetor. I am also not sure if I need to do a complete overhaul of the engine.
3. Availability of spare parts is a concern. Kalyani motors did not have spares for AC / window mechanisms which are stuck
4. Pressure from family to sell it rather than keeping it idle and rust. I park it in the road as I don't have much parking space.
5. No good mechanic to tune such cars now. Please suggest if you know any in Bangalore

I am in a dilema to sell it or refurbish this beauty. Wanted to know your views on it. Should I sell or should I do a refurbish and use her ?

Given below are few pics of my beauty..

[GTO]

Time to sell. It's a 23-year old Maruti (much longer than it was designed for), run 1.4 lakh km, has the usual age-related problems and you don't have parking for it. There is some sort of bonding because of all the associated memories, but nothing special about the car per se (different matter if it was a 1st-gen Vtec, vRS, a Gypsy or something niche).

Time to sell it and move onto newer, faster, better machinery . Today's hatchbacks & compact SUVs are wonderful (some have fast engines) and will nicely compliment your Skoda Laura. If you don't need another car, sell the Zen and use the money to improve / mod your Laura.

[shankar.balan]

Its a beautiful example.
I love old Marutis hence I say keep it.
But if you absolutely dont want it, then there are quite a few takers.
Why dont you join the old Maruti Club of Bangalore - they’ll give you good inputs.
I can try and PM you the Admin’s number and you can get in touch if you like.

[PreludeSH]

Keep it if parking is not an issue. I had one 1999 Vx which was my first car bought for my parents. My Brother took it later and sold it
He got good value too. But it will feel very unsafe sitting in one and cant be used in higher speed situations or highways.

[Rajeevraj]

The car seems to have reached the end of it's useful life at least as far you are concerned. Came into your life at the right time, has served for 100k km, has been part of key moments like your daughters birth to being the car she learnt driving on. So in my view, your use for it is done. No point restoring and keeping it unused. It will again deteriorate in no time.

Best is to sell, and maybe to someone who can restore and have some use for it. If you are looking for an service center who can probably restore this, you can check with Engineering Exponents or Krithi Car Care

Maybe you can check with above places, what it takes to solve the pending issues and then find a good buyer for it.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by vijuk21

I am in a dilemma to sell it or refurbish this beauty. Wanted to know your views on it. Should I sell or should I do a refurbish and use her ?

I see the problems you are having as cosmetic. If the Skoda Laura is your default car for longer distances, then this car would be perfect for in-city short trips. I think the main issue for you is getting a good FNG mechanic who can work around and resolve your car problems. If it was your primary car, then I'd agree with @GTO - sell it off. But it's the second car; and I don't think you'd be interested in taking up additional EMIs for a new car (I believe you are already looking for a replacement for your Laura).


I would suggest reaching out to fellow Zen owner @jensjoseph (ownership thread (The story of my 2005 Maruti Zen (Jellybean))); I'm sure lot of the spare parts & other issues you are facing, he's probably faced them too. Plus both of you are Bangalore based so have a connect and figure out the next steps. Get a reliable FNG and most of your issues should be sorted; I seriously think you can live with the other minor constraints wherever possible - say for e.g. a weak or no AC in Bangalore's cooler weather.

Edit: The only scenario where I'd suggest selling is if your family is good with one single car. Then you could sell both your aging vehicles and get a new car.

[Shreyfiesta]

Originally Posted by vijuk21

6. This shade of Grey color was the best. Many have asked the name of the color and I have always told them Grey.

The exact name of this shade is Velvet Grey. It was available for the 800, Zen and Omni during 1998-99 period.

Originally Posted by vijuk21

I am in a dilema to sell it or refurbish this beauty. Wanted to know your views on it. Should I sell or should I do a refurbish and use her ?

I would suggest you keep the Zen if you are able to sort out the parking space issue. Old Marutis costs nothing now in the used car market and take some commitment to own. As the car is not so bad in shape, you can consider refurbishing it and use it for your short distance drives.

I myself own a 22-year old M800 5 Speed with more than 3lakh kms on odo. Believe me, for those people who can keep these old cars running, they are very much rewarding.

[SmartCat]

If you get the AC fixed, keep it. Check what parts are needed to fix and buy it from websites like Boodmo.com. After fixing the AC, use it as a second car. It is fine if it is parked outside.

However, you definitely need a new car, especially for highway runs.

[IshaanIan]

I voted for keep as I assumed it was the same Zen as I saw just recently in another new thread but reading about it not having power steering and being a carb model with you experiencing issues when it comes to its maintenance, I wish there was an option to change the vote to NO.

1st of all you should not have trouble maintaining a Maruti. Secondly, if anything needs this much love and care there ought to be someone younger in the family who takes charge of it as your time might be more valuable than theirs to be spending effort in maintenance. Last but not the least, it is a carb model without power steering. You deserve a more reliable fuel injected car and you can give your daughter a break from the steering.

The car looks nice I must admit with the grey paint and those alloys which look so quintessentially 90s/early 2000s (My favorite era in automotive design). That said, being someone who owns an arguably old 2004 2.4lac run WagonR, I would say sell your Zen and just pick up an S-Presso

[ajayc123]

This was also my first car more than two decades back(even the same colour, and was the most fun car of all my cars), and I got another one after that. But I had to let my Zens go due to the NGT ruling.

I would say, if you can get it in good shape, you should keep it and enjoy the go cart like fun ride. You are going after FNGs, just curious if Maruti after sales service cannot handle this?

If getting it in good shape is a big hassle, let it go.

[androdev]

As a primary family car, a big no.

If you can have it as a second car and have good parking space, then absolutely keep it and enjoy driving it for some old school vibes. An old car in great condition always gets you admiring looks from car lovers. Zen is a very good looking car.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

You are going after FNGs, just curious if Maruti after sales service cannot handle this?

Actually authorised workshops and Maruti Service is very good. I take my present Gypsy to Green Cars in Koramangala. Because it is an absolute bone stock late model (2014) mpfi civilian Gypsy, I prefer using an authorised Maruti Service workshop for its servicing needs. One has to take some time out and sit there and get it done. (Its no problem for me because I like doing that and Ive known Green Cars personally since the late 1990’s). And with Gypsy's, there needs to be a mechanic who knows about them, which luckily is the case at Green Cars.

Old school vehicles like the Carburetted Zen and even the Mpfi Zen and Esteem and all, will need a mechanic who ‘knows’ about them. Because most of these new age mechanics who staff most of the workshops nowadays, have only dealt with new technology and they all subscribe to the ‘remove and replace’ school of thought rather than the tenets of ‘repair and re-use’.

In my book, there is a lot of good to be said for the ‘repair and re-use’ school of thought.

[CliffHanger]

Keep her. A car is akin to a pet, part of the family. Do whatever it takes to keep her with you. It's not, say an Opel Astra, where you will be fighting a losing battle. If you can find a good mechanic, you can maintain this car for at least another decade.

Also, your daughter will continue to have a beautiful bond with this car which will only get stronger with time. Like a friend growing up with you.

We still have the Ambassador where my uncle used to take me for a ride in his lap when I was a little kid. I get indescribable feelings whenever I see the car. It must be 40+ years old now, he stills maintain her in top condition along with his Innova. He calls her Chellakutty, Sweet Darling!

[UD17]

I would say keep it:

1. It's a maruti, even small aging issues can be handled at lowest cost
2. Cute small car, good for smaller laps in city
3. Take small parking space, low insurance cost and will be like a vintage car in the times to come
4. A companion of your in your past memories
5. Even if you sell, you will just get peanuts

I regret of selling my 800 for small monitory value. Now I think keeping that car would have given me more satisfaction- iconic symbol, low cost of maintenance and was still quite reliable.

[ron_9191]

A carb'd Zen with a 5-spoke alloy is definite a keeper my friend. I voted to keep if you still don't need let me know Even I can't say what I would do with it. Here's what I might possibly do. Having a carburetted engine is quite something these days provided you have the right kind of mechanics to tune the thing. It is a simple job but one perfects it through experience. Considering that, I will give it a heart transplant.

1. Get a G13B or a G16B. Personally, I would choose the G13B for the Zen. It is a match made in heaven for using it as a daily driver. G16B, if and only if you want to take it a notch higher.

2. Get headers and exhaust done

3. Upgrade to a stiffer suspension setup, strut braces and probably 14-inch wheels with either steel rims or period-correct alloys

4. A decent-sized tachometer (not those massive ones)

5. Who needs a stereo when you have a fruity exhaust note (I might probably go for a simple setup with the front speakers purely for the phone and music with a good set of components only in the front.

6. Keep the colour as it is (I love that colour) and get some JDM stickers to match

And finally, if you cannot part with it, here's a thread that might inspire you https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ti-zen-lx.html (Restoring my dad's old car | 1999 Maruti ZEN-LX)