[sidzzone]

Originally Posted by i74js

My machine has completed 2.4 lac and never troubled me on the road. Components are costly; I am able to source them through my FNG as well as from Ford (Harpreet and Talera) both.

Used to look forward to every trip on that car! It had the best interiors. However, ours was a petrol version and gave us a lot of trouble. It ran for about a lakh and a half KMs before it was sold. Was the car in which I learnt driving.

[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

I did plan to write my POV on the 118 NE. You beat me to it

A couple of neighbours of mine used to own that car- they sold the cars in 2009 and 2011 respectively.

IIRC- the 118NE had a FIAT 124 body. The FIAT 124 was the European Car of the year, circa 1966.

The engine was the Nissan A12. Smooth, with bulletproof reliability. Was VERY prone to the odd vapour lock problem. The Nissan A12 itself was based on a 'Fifties British Motor Corporation / Morris design.

Thus, in a was, the 118NE was a half - brother of our Ambassador- which itself was based on the Morris Oxford.

PAL could have made the 118 a FAR better product though. Sad.

Fintail,
I remember moving to Bombay from Delhi in 1995 and being disappointed that my dad had bought a second hand 118 NE, giving up on his trusty Gypsys in Delhi (he had two, including one that was a direct import from Japan with 5 gears and was his dependable steed in the Raid de Himalaya).

After three years of family vacations to Pune and Goa where travel time varied depending on the temperature of the day and where driving to Pune could sometime even stretch to two days, with frequent hydration breaks for two young kids and a thirsty car that overheated frequently, we went back to a Gypsy King.

That survived for two or three years before the growing girth of our family forced a move to the gen 1 Safari.

But the car I still remember, standing with my brother by the side of the road, as steam pouted out of the radiator on any drive, be it to Poona or Chembur, as my mother or father (whoever was driving) struggled to deal with the hot engine,was the NE.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Surprised that no Daewoo yet:

Daewoo Matiz

+ Cutest car of its time
+ Decently spaced
+ Comfort better than most cars
+ Lovely engine and transmission
+ City driveability

- Pricey
- Expensive maintenance
- FE was a hit or a miss (have heard of too many different figures)
- It was a Daewoo

Daewoo Ceilo

+ Superb Looks
+ Interior quality
+ Refined engine
+ Handling
+ Comfort
+ Feature loaded

- Expensive Maintenance
- Back seat space was not impressive
- Facelift "nexia" was a dud
- Lesser accomplished when compared to Opel Astra

[viren83]

Originally Posted by GTO

1996 Maruti Esteem:

My post doesn't adds any value, but I couldn't stop myself from posting this.

Dad had the same car in the same colour. I just re-lived the memories after I saw your esteem.

BTW, His daily ride was a Willys in 70's

[harry10]

What an exciting thread. Lovely idea.
All the cars I drove at that time have been covered already.

Contessa - loved it's styling and comfort.

Tata Estate- use to go to school in it everyday. Was a wonderful experience.

Tata Sierra- wish I owned it at that time. Still love it's design.

Fiat Uno- i still remember once I reached Chandigarh in 4 hours flat from my home. It was a pleasure to drive.

Esteem- Owned it for 5 years. Rattled like crazy like a true Maruti but was fun to drive and never gave any big trouble.
Had all 4 power windows and central locking which like GTO said was a big deal then.

Ambassador - Our first car and the one on which I learned how to drive. Built like a Tank.

Maruti 800/Omni - must have driven them for thousands of kilometers. Too much fun to drive but never felt safe in them.

Ford Escort- Didn't drove it but had a comfortable ride.

None of these cars must have been bought by reading reviews. All word of mouth publicity at that time and still so many turned out to be really good.

[landcruiser123]

We had one from 2000-2007 and it was a beast. You missed one point in the "What you won't like section"

Originally Posted by Tgo

A variety of seating options to choose from

We had a 10 seater GS version. No rear AC ever. Luckily Bangalore was cool.

Very tractable 2.4L diesel engine

The 2.4 was a beast. It could seriously haul. The 75 BHP NA motor could seriously haul. A trip to Ooty via the Masinagudi route (36 Haripin Bends) is something I remember very well. We had 8 pax and luggage of 8 pax loaded in the car. My dad rarely shifted to 1st.

Terrific Brakes (haven't driven any other car with similar braking power)

My dad was impressed with the braking too. But the Qualis didn't move very fast too. It has a 0-100 time of around 25 secs and a top speed of 130 kmph I think. (Max we've done)

What you wont like:
Bare Basic interiors

It was better than anything at that time. Come on.

The part you missed:

All parts vibrate irrespective of speed. Free in-car Massager

This was the first car we owned which took us to places we'd never have imagined venturing to.

AND DID IT IN STYLE

The qualis was one seriously rugged vehicle. After around 88000 Kms, our car made way for the Innova as it lacked safety features, a rear AC and was rusting. The next owner sold it at 3 lakh kms in 2013 I think.

THe best part of this car was hoe tight it was. I've been on some tourist vehicles with more than 5 lakh km and they just drive like normal.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

Surprised that no Daewoo yet:...
Daewoo Ceilo
- Facelift "nexia" was a dud
- .....

I was in school when the Cielo was launched. Have heard friends saying the mileage was 6-7 kmpl. Is it right?

Also, a friend of mine said that the Nexia was a better car than Cielo; any major differences in those? I guess the Nexia has orange indicator lamps (in the headlight cluster) in the front Vs the clear indicator front lamps.

[Vijay1105]

I would like to add the Fiat Palio 1.2 & 1.6 + Sienna
Strengths:
1. Great looker which came in as a breath of fresh air.
2. Great ride and handling
3. S10 Limited edition was good.
4. 1.6 Litre petrol was the quickest with 100bhp in the hood.

Weakness :
1. ASS was very bad
2. 1.2 lacks the punch
3. Sienna was no match to its competitors.
4. It was a gas guzzler

[AbhiJ]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I was in school when the Cielo was launched. Have heard friends saying the mileage was 6-7 kmpl. Is it right?

Also, a friend of mine said that the Nexia was a better car than Cielo; any major differences in those? I guess the Nexia has orange indicator lamps (in the headlight cluster) in the front Vs the clear indicator front lamps.

My dad had a cielo Automatic in 1996 ... Yes the kmpl was about 7.0 IIRC

Cielo was 80 BHP engine. Nexia was 90 something bhp.

Btw... quick take on the Cielo.



1996 Cielo AT

What you'll like:

• Good Engine with decent grunt.
• Good looks & design. Very stylish
• Built like a Tank. Good safety features.
• Power Windows, Power Brakes, Power Steering, Automatic Gearbox
• Huge 530 Ltr Boot. Fits 4 Dead Bodies (We Checked)
• Fantastic Ride

What you won't:

• Not fuel efficient.
• The Parent Company is being run by idiots
• Handles like a boat (By 2015 standards)

[rejoycjohn]

This is the first car which comes to my mind when I think about the cars of the 90's. When the roads were ruled by M800s, Ambassadors, Omnis and Fiats, this cute little car came as a great refreshment to the eyes.

I still remember it took a while for me to accept this smooth edge design. It started to grow on me so much that we bought this car in 2001 and its still going strong after 15 years and clocking nearly a lakh km in its odo.

So here it goes.
Maruti Suzuki Zen 1993



What you'll like:

• A peppy 993 cc engine which is butter smooth
• A gear box which shifts just so and reliable
• A design which was unconventional with smooth edges that ages elegantly
• Spacious compared to M800
• Better handling compared to the ambys.

What you'll dislike:

• One of the weakest A/C, not the best for tropical climate.
• Over priced
• Small boot
• Only offered in carburetor

Image Courtsey
http://www.cars-data.com/en/pictures...lto-1996/2504/

[mayankk]

Maruti Zen LX 97
A 90's delivery reviewed in the 90s, would be slobbering over this car.

What you'll like:


12 KmPL!
Amazing amount of Power
Super efficient gearshift
Chilling Aircon
The arrhythmic patterned black plastics all around, very tactile.
Plastic/rubber steering wheel with BIG buttons, attached to a nice beepy horn
Clear lens Headlight, reaching upto 50 feet
Mats on the carpeted floor
Metallic paint with black bumpers standard
Easy wind down windows, with just 2 and a half revolutions max
Radial 13" tyres.
Nice pattern on the steel rims
Easy cruiser till 80 KMPH
Mostly covered metal inside cabin

What you wont:

In the segment, nothing exists, and you have to spend almost 80-90 k more to get the next car. Everything is to like!

[Travelling_Monk]

Having Owned a 1991 Maruti Omni for more than two decades and driving it extensively, here is a few cents from my side. (please note this is a 1991 model. Maruti may have made changes to its future models)

What you'll like -



1. Space, space and acres of space Its literally a people mover.
2. Same 793cc engine from the M800 which is quite frugal.
3. RWD which manages to extract every bit of torque from a puny engine.
4. Good ground clearance
5. Quite rugged and abuse friendly
6. Easy to drive in city with a wonderful turning radius and more than full view of the road ahead
7. That gangster feel

What you won't like -

1. Horrible brakes
2. Poor build quality
3. Leaf spring suspension
4. Non existant handling and high speed dynamics. Steering feels like that of a bus (Strict no for highways)
5. Engine below the driver seat - you feel like sitting inside an oven.
6. Lot of niggling issues.

[anand_lukose]

As someone who still drives a Zen, it is one truly special car. Love its free revving engine and looks. I have to look back every time I walk away from it !

Its Cons :- Weak AC, Low Torque especially with more PAX. I so wish I could plonk a 1.3 or 1.6 engine into it and get a bigger AC !

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

Btw... quick take on the Cielo.

Cielo was the first MPFI car that was launched in india - promising better fuel efficiency
Also had the best WheelHorsePower figures during its time.

[Aragorn]

Aaah! What a time to relive!

Feels so apt to write on this thread, since I own a Honda City (Type 2) as a daily drive. Its run close to 90k kms and the engine doesn't skip a beat! I know its not the type 1 which came in late 90s - but it remains largely un-changed mechanically.

What you will like:

- Superb driving position: seat pushed back fully, feet are almost horizontal with the steering set low.
- Surprisingly torquey engine for a Honda: Don't see petrol engines having such low end torque these days
- Nice and large boot: Has helped in number of airport runs
- Superb reliability: Bought it for close to nothing. Have spent a few thousands on an AC overhaul and suspension repair. Runs like a charm.
- Superb long range fuel efficiency: On an out station trip, I can comfortably 18-20 kmpl even now
- Superb stick shift: Feels just right - every shift is satisfying and no vibes coming through at any speed

What you will not:

- Low seating means difficult to enter and exit. Better half curses me every time she gets in and out of the car
- Suspension is a tad soft making the car jiggly on long runs
- In-town fuel efficiency is terrible with AC on - about 10-12 kmpl
- Very spartan by today's standards - no driver arm rest, no fog lamps, no dead pedal

Attaching some pics of my steed for old times sake!