[rajeev k]

I had driven the 5speed 800 for couple of kms in 2003 and was a breeze. It was so different from the characteristics of an Alto 800 and even now relish that experience.

[00nuts001]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

I had driven the 5speed 800 for couple of kms in 2003 and was a breeze. It was so different from the characteristics of an Alto 800 and even now relish that experience.

Personally i dont find much of a difference in the 800 and alto in performance. Some tweaking in the engine and a little softer handling. Appreciate comments if i am wrong.

[ambarshante]

My father bought M800 when i was in 3rd standard.15 years down the line.
Dad handed over the keys to me when i was in 11th standard.
My beauty has completed 2 lakh km.And recently got overhaul.
I changed the whole engine block(heart of engine).
It performs awesomely good once again and touches till 115 km\hr.
Going to pay roadtax again next month and plan to keep this for years to come.

SAlute to the makers

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by josejoseph

Did they came with power brakes?

- Jose

They introduced power brakes on the models after 2000 October. Ours was a July 2000 model and came without initially. I later got the power brake done at a Maruti dealer.

Drive on,
Shibu

[Amankhanna76]

I remember the day Dad drove home our new M800 from the dealer to an excited family (a 15-16 year old me, my two elder brothers and mom). His first words after he nervously parked the car (he had only driven the Fiat Premier Padmini we had before that) were "Arre ye gaadi to daudti hain; kya acceleration hai, kya pickup hai, kitni halki hai!"
And then we all went for a ride in it to have ice cream!
I being the youngest in the family got the car handed down to me after it had run over 60K, when I must have been in my early 20s and one of the main reasons it will always be the dearest car to me is that it was in this car that I had my few adolescent romances!

[girishglg]

One basic question is if the production of M800 has ended in April, then how come it has sold nearly 2700 copies in May and June (sales actually increased in June)

Refer to latest sales numbers-
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-analysis.html

Would this mean that there are that many residual cars in their factory / stock yards / dealer points and if so are there any bargain deals out there for these last units that is running across. How long will these numbers last.

There would be many who wouldn't mind picking one at a big discount even now given the car.

[KiloAlpha]

The sales figures put out by GTO every month are primary sales - dispatches from factory to dealer. They are not dealer-to-customer sales.

In which case, either Maruti had a massive inventory of M800 at the factory, or they have decided to continue production and sell in BS3 towns & cities.

[rajeev k]

I would buy one if the 5speed is available now and if with PS still good.
Maruti should bring in an exit edition to celebrate beating the retreat.

[girishglg]

Actually it seems like the production has not ceased at all of the 800, refer to October sales figures, this car still sells!

As said by other if there is a real demand, they should make some modifications and keep the sales going or launch a farewell edition and get it to a close considering the latest entry level launch the Alto800.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by girishglg

Actually it seems like the production has not ceased at all of the 800, refer to October sales figures, this car still sells!

As said by other if there is a real demand, they should make some modifications and keep the sales going or launch a farewell edition and get it to a close considering the latest entry level launch the Alto800.

Yes, M800 sells at a consistent level of around 1500 units per month - a small number for Maruti, but is still a dream for many other manufacturers.

IMO, it is better for Maruti to keep selling M800. Because, most of the customers won't be willing to buy the 'cheapest' offer - be it the chepest car in the market, cheapest car from a manufacturer or cheapest version of a car. So, it is better for Alto to keep its 'aspirational value' when M800 is there in the showroom, because there are no direct competitors for Alto in that price range.

If M800 is not there, Alto will become the 'cheapest' car from Maruti, and customers will look beyond that, and at a slightly bigger price tag, there are a lot of models available from other manufacturers in the form of Santro, Eon, Spark, etc.

IMO, Maruti has to introduce the out-going Alto as the new M800 with modifications in head lamp, tail lamp, grill and bumpers (in the typical way!), and at a price of around 2L for the base variant.

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

A small number for Maruti, but is still a dream for many other manufacturers.

Beautifully said. This is what called as Trust. which Maruti has tons and tons of it.

I loved the old 800's, They run like a charm. Easy and cheap to Fix when compared to so called Modren cars. The only concern being safety on highways. so this makes this car a pure city car.

[00nuts001]

They could think of selling it on demand, like the Vitara or more recently the Kizashi.

[zenren]

Since its an in-production model, MGP is still available and considering the number of 800s on road, they'll still have to make all the parts anyway and everything will get used up too. So continuing the model won't be a big overhead for MS unless they need to meet new emission standards.