[fx45]

is it worthwhile to pick up a 1987 maruti 800 automatic, a friend has found such an example in ahmedabad. how much must he quote to the seller? car condition is okay with little tin work. someone please help

[anjan_c2007]

Here is a Suzuki Alto review in the 1983 Car Buyers Guide in Daily Express UK.

Thats one year before it came to India!

[avishar]

We never got the split folding seats.In our car the original upholstery was a red suede type material.

[Neur0t0xin]

Originally Posted by avishar

We never got the split folding seats.In our car the original upholstery was a red suede type material.

Even though we never got a split folding seat, a folding rear seat itself was kinda introduced to the market through the SS80.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by Stanher

'happened to see this sticker for the first time on an SS80 air-cleaner! I was told it is original. Anyone else who has/seen this?

Attachment 429263

This is original and is found to be seen intact in most old SS80 cars,if it has not been replaced by the PUROLATOR AIR CLEANER

[foby.sebastian]

spotted at my home town

[FrozeninTime]

My family's first car was chocolate brown Maruti 800(SS80).It was a standard variant costing Rs 55,000 (on the road).
It was purchased from Competent motors , New Delhi and delivered in the month October 1985.

We had this car for close to 23 years covering more than two lakh kilometers within New Delhi itself!.

I have fond memories of it as I used to go to school in this car and also learnt to drive in it.

It had undergone two engine overhauls and engine was very reliable with no engine overheating problems.
We had to sell it to some local mechanic as rust got better of it.
This car felt like a go cart and in my opinion, no car sold in India today comes close to matching it in go cart like driving dynamics.

The quality was way ahead of our 1989 Maruti 800.The craftsmanship was truly astonishing(for example- word lock inscribed into door lock).

When company first started selling the cars it was very down to earth - just read the first page of owner's manual. It thanked the user for buying the vehicle[polite and courteous-thats the words that come to my mind]
Now if you read owner's manual from Maruti 800 just three years later - [ arrogance , overconfidence - are the words that come to my mind] The quality also dipped as did the attitude after launch of second generation Maruti 800
The owner's manual had wiring diagrams and fuse details which are missing in owner's manual of New cars.
I some pictures of our Maruti 800 which I will post soon.

[sureshkishore]

@FrozeninTime: Nice to read your post.
The build quality of the SS80 was pretty good considering that it was a low segment car, that too cheaper than the Padmini and the Amby.

As someone put it earlier, SS80 was built by engineers and not accountants.

Unfortunately accountants rule the roost nowadays in car manufacturing.

Looking forward to seeing the photo of your (ex) SS80.

[FrozeninTime]

@sureshkishore - your right. Nowadays everything is in the hands of these accountants.May be that's why cars look so similar these days and quality control poor (So many car Recalls) .

Some pictures of our Maruti 800(ss80)

Thats Me -(7 years old ) in front of our Maruti 800(SS80) circa 1993


My father in driver's seat of our Maruti 800, circa 1985


Sorry for the picture quality.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by FrozeninTime

@sureshkishore - your right. Nowadays everything is in the hands of these accountants.May be that's why cars look so similar these days and quality control poor (So many car Recalls) .

Some pictures of our Maruti 800(ss80)

Nice to see some nostalgic pics. of SS80s, that too this one being the same colour as mine! Maybe mine would look as good when I find it feasible give it a single coat of paint on the outside!

And yes, agree with what you say about the quality in today's cars!

[EARTHed]

My neighbor's 100% original SS80. The car is driven just 12k kms till date! Even the original dealer sticker on the rear glass is still there.

The owner drives it only on Sundays' and that too only inside my colony.

A quick pic i took two minutes back.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by EARTHed

My neighbor's 100% original SS80. The car is driven just 12k kms till date! Even the original dealer sticker on the rear glass is still there.

The owner drives it only on Sundays' and that too only inside my colony.

A quick pic i took two minutes back.

Thats nice to know a car run only 12 K from its birth

This will probably the ONLY ORIGINAL SS80 in the country.

[EARTHed]

Pavan Saar: Have you seen the old Mandovi Motors sticker on rear glass? This car has it!

I will click better pics and post here.

[sureshkishore]

Originally Posted by FrozeninTime

Some pictures of our Maruti 800(ss80)

Sorry for the picture quality.

WOW! The second photo with your DAD is just awesome. It is really nice to see how the car looked when it rolled out of the factory in 1985.

@FrozeninTime Thanks for the photos. Really enjoyed it. Especially since my beauty is also brown.

@EARTHed : Your neighbours car is really nice. The MUL PDI OK sticker is visible on the rear left quarter Glass. And The Blue Monogram on the Hood Opener is also visible.

It gives SS80 hunters still hope that you can get hold of one in councourse shape if you really search hard.

Why should a person driving just 12thousand km in 25 years have a luggage rack on his car. Some Guys are really hard to understand.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Thats nice to know a car run only 12 K from its birth

This will probably the ONLY ORIGINAL SS80 in the country.

Originally Posted by sureshkishore

WOW! The second photo with your DAD is just awesome. It is really nice to see how the car looked when it rolled out of the factory in 1985.

@FrozeninTime Thanks for the photos. Really enjoyed it. Especially since my beauty is also brown.

@EARTHed : Your neighbours car is really nice. The MUL PDI OK sticker is visible on the rear left quarter Glass. And The Blue Monogram on the Hood Opener is also visible.

It gives SS80 hunters still hope that you can get hold of one in councourse shape if you really search hard.

Why should a person driving just 12thousand km in 25 years have a luggage rack on his car. Some Guys are really hard to understand.

First of all the car does not look like it has run just 12000kms!!! after all it is just a claim made by the owner.Please see the luggage rack(as pointed by sureshkishore) and also the faded worn look of the side indicators, the dent on the front left door, the faded,c-pillar-garnish.etc
Regarding the dealer sticker/PDI sticker I have seen junk SS80's with such items intact.Anyway more photos will bring out whether the owners claim is how close to reality.
Also this is definitely not the only original(if it is original) SS80 in the country,leave alone South INDIA.
I personally know of 3 fully original SS80s in Kerala (including 2standard cars)itself,(2 of them has the original keys,Invoice,allotment letter,SERVICE book manual,tool kit,rubber mats,carpets,sealed beams,all lens TD lenses,all decals including the Underbonnet decal)
Also have info of a similar car in Bangalore(not this,but a red car) ,then a car in Orissa which has run only 30000kms with even the carpets as good as new(he was using newspaper over the carpets to avoid it being dirty