[tharian]

A sad news to hear.
Although M800 had effectively stopped selling in big cities, in the back of our minds, we knew it was still manufactured which has finally ended now.

For me, it was the start of my driving life which is still the only thing apart from riding , which can keep a constant grin and work my brain so much that I enjoy it and thanks to the M800 for letting me experiment my varied teenaged curiosity related to cars and driving.

We had 3 800's over the course of time. The first one my father picked up was a white non-AC model, not sure if AC models were available or not then. It was 88-89 period. The car was well maintained and I remember doing my first family long trip to Kerala which were followed by many. It was sold to my Uncle who wanted only that car for the reason it was in very good state.
The second one was another white one which was a 92 model which I crashed in 96 and was sold thereafter! This is the car I started learning to drive by sneaking out without my fathers knowledge and spinning the wheels and just showing off and one fine day doing the same crashed into another M800!
The third was a replacement and looked just the same which eventually came to my hands after my father picked up the Swift when it was launched.
Thinking of the long trips we had done as a family , I still wonder how we sat for so long and felt safe on the single lane highways back then. The longest we had done was a 600 kms trip from Bangalore to Kottayam and I still wonder how it happened. The only advantage in travelling during the 90's on highways were the low traffic on highways which was probably why we could do these trips in a day.
Never did like the new look model which came out towards the end of the 90's. I was still the fan of the old look 800 .
The 800 when it came to my hands was made special by fixing Sparco flaps and Hella spot lamps, apart from a side exit exhaust . The picture of it is added below. Adios Amigo!

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

But the car which is supposed to replace this iconic 800, is far from being an icon, IMO. With plane bland Estilo'ish looks.. Why can't you design a new stunner and replace the 800, than using the Estilo shell? Can we expect at least the old jelly bean Zen body for the new 800?

A new 800cc engine on the old Zen would definitely do wonders and I had posted this long back. Especially the front end of the last gen Zen looks fantastic to me and in black it is superb.
Perhaps, Maruti want to get rid of the low hung models, Esteem included.

[supertinu]

Definitely an end of a era in Indian automobile history. Car that redefined luxury and comfort at one point of time compared against Fiat and Ambassador. One of my close relatives bought the new maruti model back in 1986 with air conditioning, tinted windows and I remem as kids how amazed we were with it. The early marutis had low localization content and lot of made in japan parts. Those particular models lasted well over 15yrs without much maintenance. RIP.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Definitely a nice car. However flimsy it felt it ran and ran. But all said, I think Maruti Udyog ( and MS) gave the Indian public a raw deal. While many of the nostalgic and over senti folks on this forum may not agree we should look at the car in real perspective.
Would this car have ever succeeded in a more level playing field? Did this car ever meet 'value for money' reqt? Was it safe? Was it spacious? Was it rattle free? Was it solid? Was it crash worthy? None of the above.
Therefore singing paens to this little car is not on a rational man's list of things to do.

Well said, fiestarry.

For some reason, I may be wrong too. I felt that the 90s M800 was better built (wrt whatever build quality Maruti has) and better to drive (e.g. gearshift) than the Alto.

IMHO beyond the 90s this car had no rational to be sold in India and still Maruti kept on selling it. I'm surprised some folks are sad. The end for this version of the M800 is more than 10 years late!

[Sebring]

I'm too much in love with the Original Zen's jelly bean rear, the front is dashing too. I hope it gets reincarnated in some form.

The front end of the last gen Zen looks fantastic to me and in black it is superb.
Perhaps, Maruti want to get rid of the low hung models, Esteem included.

[polopm]

All good things have to come an end. I learnt driving in this car and have had so much fun with the little lovable car more than any other car.

The pulling power of the third gear was phenomenal. Every local mechanic could service it, thats why I had one key for the ignition and the other for the door ( my local guy thought the key contact was not ok and thats why the car was stopping mid way ). Still the cost of service was very less and I have driven it thru very harsh terrain. No issues.

The car is still there but with my friend's family and running fine !!!

[Hayek]

Certainly a poignant moment for any Indian, especially those who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s. I still remember the first one I saw, as a 12 year old, when someone who lived near my school was delivered the upgraded 1986 800 instead of the older 1982 version he had booked a couple of years earlier.

The joy I felt when my parents reached home one evening, with a brochure carrying a nice looking front view of the car, and told me that they had booked the car was certainly greater than that I felt on buying either my NHC or Superb (I guess I was more pleased with my second hand Zen though). We got the car delivered in February 1988 (Rs. 91,000 OTR for the non AC, IIRC) and my mom used it all the way to early 2004. I learnt driving in a Padmini, and was amazed when I first drove the 800 and felt the far superior pick up from the old carburettor 40bhp engine. The pain I felt when I scratched it while parking near Matunga station in 1992 is still with me - it cost us Rs 800 to touch it up.

The amazing thing was that they high inflation of the late 1980s and early 1990s meant that the car probably appreciated in nominal value for the first 6-7 years we owned it. And we got Rs. 40 k for it even in 2004.

[RGK]

I always have a wonderful memory about this little car. It redefined the Indian auto industry. I was excited to see this car for the first time and could not identify the controls inside. I was searching for pull type switches (seen in Amby's and Fiats) and one proud owner (at that time) explained the multifuctions of the stalks inside. Lot of its parts were made in Japan and it lasted really long.

This product instigated the public to become car owners during late 80's & 90's. Definitely it is not safe in highways and had very ordinary brakes.

The last service amount I paid was just Rs 3,500/- for clutch and release bearing replacement in Jan 2010.

It had a very lengthy stay in the market, but should have been shown the exit bit early.

[sandeepmdas]

IMO, the 800 was the original Nano. It is the "our first car" for so many families due to the sheer affordability factor. It is the reliability and durability of this car that made Maruti a household name. In fact, their Zen, Alto, WagonR and Swift became so successful because many a 800 owner chose to upgrade their current ride. I know umpteen 800 owners who have upgraded to Alto, WagonR and Swift. The same can be said to Hyundai Santro too, but I don't remember any Honda/Fiat/Ford/Tata owners. And all (A-L-L) the Merc owners in my circle have upgraded to BMWs and a couple of Audis.

[0-100]

Like National Bird, Flower or Animal; Maruti 800 could very well be the National/Mother Car of every Indian/India

[gaurav_chopra04]

9 March 2000, I still remember the day when we took an auto and went to DD Motors to take the delivery of our New 5 Speed 800. It costed 2.55 lac rupees and it made us happy that its one of the first 800s from the 5 speed batch and has a suspension on the rear instead of leaf springs. It had 5 gears and more power. We have bought more cars after that but somehow this car is special. I can still smell the aura of the new car. The minimal NVH levels for its standard at that time.

My mum, my brother and I learnt driving on it. I have done all the crazy stuff a new driver does on it and despite all this the car has never let us down. 1.7 lac kms, 12 years and 0 breakdowns. It was a dream to drive, it is a dream to drive and will always be. I vouch that no one can cover 45km in 45 mins in peak traffic in any other car. But this thing did. It returned an FE of 20+ in city and 25+ on highways and when you asked it to run, the brilliant engine and the brilliant steering and suspension along with short wheel base, made 140 kmph look soo easy. Do any speed or turn it at any corner and it felt like a go cart.. always.

Truely a legend. Mera sapna meri Maruti . Maruti 800, a car that put INDIA on WHEELS..

Here are some not soo recent pics.

[Naturalist]

We will miss you Maruti 800. We were more emotionally attached to this car than the swift we owned previously. At 1,15,000 odo reading, this 800 CC never complained of touching even 100 kmph. The Mother of Modern India cars, we will miss you.

[longhorn]

I hope they do a limited edition run of the 5 speed. I'd love to have a brand new example of it in my garage right now. Although we have the Ritz, its still the 5 speed that manages to plaster a smile on my face. The steering feedback and its point and shoot ability is by no means matched by the current crop of tall boys. The ECU mapping and the mating of the 5 speed gearbox to the 45 bhp engine is something even Maruti could not replicate.

I still remember the initial period of my 5 speed ownership - used to think that Maruti had a secret turbocharger tucked away somewhere. The 5 speed was an upgrade from a 90's regular carb 800. That 7 bhp boost in power with fuel injection made a world of difference. A wolf in sheep's clothing. That's what the 5 speed was.

[samsag12]

Well to say the least we owned the last facelifted M-800 E-II model for only 5 months and it ran only a couple of thousand kms before it was stolen. Never got time to strike an emotional bond with it. Sad but true, it was once a favorite pick among the community of thieves.
One of the biggest chapter in the history of Indian automotive scene has finally been closed. Farewell Maruti 800.

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

9 March 2000, I still remember the day when we took an auto and went to DD Motors to take the delivery of our New 5 Speed 800.

I never knew the 5-speed came in this shade. Do you know the exact name of the color?

Originally Posted by longhorn

I still remember the initial period of my 5 speed ownership - used to think that Maruti had a secret turbocharger tucked away somewhere. The 5 speed was an upgrade from a 90's regular carb 800. That 7 bhp boost in power with fuel injection made a world of difference. A wolf in sheep's clothing. That's what the 5 speed was.

Agree with you. During the initial days of ownership, I deliberately used to switch on the AC in my 5-speed to lower the pick up because this was very significant after driving the 4-speed models.