[sada]

My 2002 5 speed 800 will be sold by next week. I am the 3rd owner - 2nd owner bought it from True Value and used only for 3 months. I have used this car for 4+ years now and the reason i am selling the car is because of its age with 69 K on ODO and would love to own a NEW car. I went ahead with the sale with Alto in mind, but I am confused now. I am leaning towards 800 AC, but it does not have the Booster-Assisted Brakes, 47 bhp power, and the superb mileage of a 5 speed. After using a USED 5 speed for so many years, can I be satisfied with a NEW 4 speed 800?

I have already taken a test drive of Alto - not much of a difference compared to my 5 speed. Spark - left knee movement sidewards is restricted because of the center console; otherwise, very good, but unsure of the mileage which is an important factor for me.

Usage - 1000 kms a month + 1 or 2 long drives in a year of about 1000 kms each.

Please suggest!

[Roy.S]

The 4 gear, 6 valve M800 will be a complete disappointment to you after the 5 speed one. I have driven both and owned the newer model for 4 years. I would suggest the alto if the choices are: M800, Alto & Spark.
Any reason you are not considering other alternatives?

[blackasta]

I guess they were giving away the santro @ 2.99 Lakhs.
You can check if that offer is stil valid, and try out the santro. IMO the santro is MUCH better than the M800 (my dad has been driving one M800 for 8 years, so I know the pros and cons of that car pretty well!!). But according to sources the new santro is coming out on 1st September, and you can expect even deeper price cuts on the santro xing if any dealer happens to retain them.

[extreme_torque]

i will suggest you to go for the 800 only if you cannot afford anything else.

[akshay_b]

You can try Santro too, The base model (GL without a/c or PS) Its a lot spacier than alto or M800.

[rageshgr]

Going for an alto might give you a sense of an "upgrade" ateast in terms of power and may be space. That's pretty much your choice for a new car in sub 3 lac range. If your budget is say sub 4 lac, then a whole array of options open up. The Santro, i10, A-Star, Wagon R, Spark, Indica, et al.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by sada

My 2002 5 speed 800...the reason i am selling the car is because of its age with 69 K on ODO and would love to own a NEW car. Please suggest!

Age..lol.. I have a March 2000 5 speed 800, has clocked 145,000 kms and is still in perfect runnning condition. I got an AC fixed at about 120k kms and since then it does give some problem as if it some times heats up, but thats because the radiator fan is stock and needs to be changed, I am not sure but I think a copper radiator instead of aluminium with a more powerful motor for fan is need, so that more air can be sucked to cool the engine.

Originally Posted by sada

I went ahead with the sale with Alto in mind, but I am confused now. I am leaning towards 800 AC, but it does not have the Booster-Assisted Brakes, 47 bhp power, and the superb mileage of a 5 speed. After using a USED 5 speed for so many years, can I be satisfied with a NEW 4 speed 800?

Originally Posted by sada

I have already taken a test drive of Alto - not much of a difference compared to my 5 speed. Spark - left knee movement sidewards is restricted because of the center console; otherwise, very good, but unsure of the mileage which is an important factor for me.

Usage - 1000 kms a month + 1 or 2 long drives in a year of about 1000 kms each.

Please suggest!

In terms of driving the only difference between an 800 cc alto and our 5 speed 800 is that 800 is lighter than alto but more over driving isnt much different as engines are same. Also our 800 gives average of 18-20 in city, cant expect anything better. The 4 speed 800 with AC would give you 15-16, wont have 45 bhp, will have 37 bhp. After having driven the 5 speed 800, you will find it difficult to drive the 4 speed 800 with AC.

I would suggest since its just 69k on ur od and if the car is well maintained, you keep the car and get an AC in. will cost about 14-15k (I thing sandon one). it will be far better than buying a new 800. If at all you have heating problem, get the radiator changed.

I wont suggest you stretch and buy an alto, or any other car in this range.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

@sada ; Also if you are bent on replacement then i would say look at spark it is real bang for buck car in this price level and is overall a much more better car than Alto/800.

[sada]

Thanks for all your responses.

Roy, reason I am not considering other alternatives is because my budget is limited, not more than 3.5 lacks.

Blackasta, I simply love Santro for its looks, pickup, gearshift, interiors, space etc., but NOT for its mileage; LPG version is beyond my budget.

Extremetorque, I don't want my loan amount to exceed 2 lacks!

Akshay, Car without AC is a big "NO" for me - i don't consider a car without AC as a CAR.

Rageshgr, Alto is within my budget, but can stretch for a Spark if the mileage is marginally less compared to Alto - 16-17 kmpl without AC in City is what i am looking for.

Gaurav, really reassuring to know the life of this 5 speed engine! BTW, my car is a DX model with AC.

With all your inputs, 800 is definitely out of the list. Depending on Spark's MILEAGE, i would decide between Alto and Spark.

Spark owners, pls respond!

[IndrojitSircar]

well i would say one thing that maintanence costs would go up if you switch to a santro or a spark.I would say the same get an A/c put in and spend some money and get the car done by a good garage or from a maruti authorised service centre.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by IndrojitSircar

well i would say one thing that maintanence costs would go up if you switch to a santro or a spark.I would say the same get an A/c put in and spend some money and get the car done by a good garage or from a maruti authorised service centre.

Is fitting a AC into a small non AC car like M800 really a good idea? If one decides to put in an AC, he should also be prepared to invest for a new radiator and a fan, as the existing ones shall regularly fail/overheat.
Trust me with this - I have seen this problem with 2-3 non AC M800/Alto.

[rageshgr]

Originally Posted by sada

Rageshgr, Alto is within my budget, but can stretch for a Spark if the mileage is marginally less compared to Alto - 16-17 kmpl without AC in City is what i am looking for.

Cool, Sparks FE seems to be around 0.5 - 1 kmpl less than Alto. Similar, if not better FE is also given by A-Star. In fact I think A-Star's FE is between Alto and Spark. It is more responsive and powerful than Spark, although may be a bit more cramped. But it will cost ~ 4 lac OTR in B'lore

[shivshanker]

My two cents,

Being in Bangy, the town of modded cars and low co-efficient of Rust, unlike mumbai's kars. A Car 7 years old can be considered young.

An ODO of 69K is nothing, as we have friends on this forum who have clocked 140K+ with stock engines.

Have you considered modifications etc. as this might renew your interest in the 800. IMHO if it is anotehr one in the same class, not worth the money you would spend on
depreciation, interest costs etc.

Unless ofcourse if this car is falling apart.!

[KITE RUNNER]

Sada, Spark is the best option for you, FE is not bad compared to Alto. Better looks, drive, space.

[SuperSelect]

Hi Sada, let me put in my two bits:
I personally feel, that you should NOT consider carrying on with your old car any more. For two reasons: I have owned two 800s in the past, one used and one brand new, and let me tell you, that after a point say 85000kms or so, they start to fall apart irreversibly, as they cannot stand the abuse our roads offer. This is my personal experience, and I may be wrong. If you do decide to hold on, you may find yourself having to attend to niggling problems every once in a while.
The second reason is that the tiny engine of the 800, is not really meant to have an AC that caters to Indian summers. Both my 800, after 75000 kms, started to overheat on hot days when the AC was running, esp in thick traffic when the engine gets less air to breathe.
Otherwise the 800 is a lovely little car, and I'm quite a fan of its efficiency and overall character.
Coming to the next point, I would wholeheartedly recommend the Spark over the Alto, simply because it is a generation ahead of the Alto in terms of engine refinement, space, and safety features. I am using a spark for almost two months now, and I'm quite impressed by the way the car has been put together. Fairly spacious, economical to run, (I get 13 kpl in the city even thought the engine has not yet been run in, it's covered just 1000kms) Comfort on a long drive we had recently, was also very good. After being run in, you can expect to get 16 kpl easily.
Do not consider the newly launched LPG spark, as your running is low, and the LPG cylinder does eat up valuable boot space.
All the best, and happy motoring !