[Ashley2]

What is the status of the car?
Drivable?
Should engine be totally reworked / replaced?
Seems body is fairly good.

[JayD]

Hi Gods envy, its good to know that you too have been bitten by the SS80 bug. But i would ask you to skip this car and find a better piece. Ss80 std cars are not that hard to find, and i would suggest finding one which has good bodywork. The one which you have shown seems to have excessive rust, and restoring it will exceed the value of the car several fold. Not to mention the effort needed to restore it. If it was a genuine DX, it is understandable, for a std, i would say skip it.

Originally Posted by gods-envy

Many thanks to Ajay99 for starting this thread.

The SS80 bug has bitten me and has me hooked to this thread for close to a fortnight now.
I had been watching Stanher's, Hillram's, SureshKishore's, Ajay99's and many other cars and their individual restorations and was thinking when would my time come; well now it finally has!!!

Thanks to a standard white car that I have managed to find. Please find below the snap and provide your valuable suggestions.

I plan to take up restoration of the same as soon as the paper work is finished and I hope it is finished at the earliest.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

I plan to take up restoration of the same as soon as the paper work is finished and I hope it is finished at the earliest.

Congratulations on your acquisition of a SS80.Wishing you a brilliant restoration.

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

What is the status of the car?
Drivable?
Should engine be totally reworked / replaced?
Seems body is fairly good.

Ashley2, I could not drive the car, but it definitely started.
Yes, apart from the rust the body line seemed to be in pretty decent shape.

Originally Posted by JayD

Hi Gods envy, its good to know that you too have been bitten by the SS80 bug. But i would ask you to skip this car and find a better piece. Ss80 std cars are not that hard to find, and i would suggest finding one which has good bodywork. The one which you have shown seems to have excessive rust, and restoring it will exceed the value of the car several fold. Not to mention the effort needed to restore it. If it was a genuine DX, it is understandable, for a std, i would say skip it.

JayD, this is a STD car.
I too felt the same on seeing the car for the first time. But once the engine started, I got a glimmer of hope that it might be worked upon.
Anyways, will take your advise and keep my eyes open for a better piece and keep this as a last option.

Originally Posted by hillram

Congratulations on your acquisition of a SS80.Wishing you a brilliant restoration.

Thanks hillram. Let's see how it goes.

[kevinephraim]

Dear Gods envy,

Firstly let me clarify that these are completely my OWN opinions.

An SS80 is a 'collectible' only since it was the first lot of original Japanese Suzuki's that came to India. NO other reason!

If you do intend to restore a SS80 keep in mind that 70% of parts and accessories are reproduced / non original which you will get in the market.

The original ones are difficult to get and therefore expensive also.

When you restore it after spending such a lot of money, you will definitely expect some returns from such a large 'investment', which you are not going to receive for a long time, whether you try to sell the car again or if you intend it as a show car!

Do not get misled by this thread and the hype created and get stuck with a 'white elephant'.

In case you do want a SS80, go through the classifieds here on TBHP and on the net also and source a running car with OK-OK body work. There are many for sale.

Just my 2 bits,

Cheers!

[gods-envy]

Khevinephraim,
I understand your concern.
I understand that most(if not all) parts on the SS80s were original Japanese.

So, if I were to take up restoration of a car and still do not change most of the original parts such as parts of the engine, body panels, interiors, dashboard etc etc. And just change/repair bits which are broken or damaged such as lights, indicators, tyres/rims, paint job, bumpers etc etc;
Would I not have a car that is at least 90% original/show car?

Edit - Let's say, I get the above white Std car for 10-15k and spend another 30k to repair/restore it. I would have a dependable city run about for less than 50k?

[JayD]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

Dear Gods envy,
Firstly let me clarify that these are completely my OWN opinions.
An SS80 is a 'collectible' only since it was the first lot of original Japanese Suzuki's that came to India. NO other reason!
If you do intend to restore a SS80 keep in mind that 70% of parts and accessories are reproduced / non original which you will get in the market.
The original ones are difficult to get and therefore expensive also.
When you restore it after spending such a lot of money, you will definitely expect some returns from such a large 'investment', which you are not going to receive for a long time, whether you try to sell the car again or if you intend it as a show car!
Do not get misled by this thread and the hype created and get stuck with a 'white elephant'.

In case you do want a SS80, go through the classifieds here on TBHP and on the net also and source a running car with OK-OK body work. There are many for sale.
Just my 2 bits,

Cheers!

The joy of an ss80 is in owning and driving it, and not in its market value or taking it for shows. Also, i feel, its a very very important part of the Indian auto industry history.

Originally Posted by gods-envy

Khevinephraim,
I understand your concern.
I understand that most(if not all) parts on the SS80s were original Japanese.

So, if I were to take up restoration of a car and still do not change most of the original parts such as parts of the engine, body panels, interiors, dashboard etc etc. And just change/repair bits which are broken or damaged such as lights, indicators, tyres/rims, paint job, bumpers etc etc;
Would I not have a car that is at least 90% original/show car?

Edit - Let's say, I get the above white Std car for 10-15k and spend another 30k to repair/restore it. I would have a dependable city run about for less than 50k?

The resto, if you are planning to do a proper no compromise job, will not get complete in 30K. Have restores SS80s for friends too, so i know it wont happen. But if you compromise on quality, you can. But in such a case, no point in this whole exercise.

The white car has lotsa rust on the running board. it will be expensive to fix, and determinal to the strength of the structure.

Also, looks like the car has not been used for quite some time, so there are bound to be tax arrears too.

Decent cars are available for about 35k. Spend some 15-20 more, to make it in good shape.

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by JayD

The joy of an ss80 is in owning and driving it, and not in its market value or taking it for shows. Also, i feel, its a very very important part of the Indian auto industry history.



The resto, if you are planning to do a proper no compromise job, will not get complete in 30K. Have restores SS80s for friends too, so i know it wont happen. But if you compromise on quality, you can. But in such a case, no point in this whole exercise.

The white car has lotsa rust on the running board. it will be expensive to fix, and determinal to the strength of the structure.

Also, looks like the car has not been used for quite some time, so there are bound to be tax arrears too.

Decent cars are available for about 35k. Spend some 15-20 more, to make it in good shape.

I agree with you JayD, hence holding on this car as a last resort.

Also, getting a decent car here in Bangalore for 35k is a dream. Prices for stock cars are very well in the 60+ range.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

Many thanks to Ajay99 for starting this thread.

The SS80 bug has bitten me and has me hooked to this thread for close to a fortnight now.
I had been watching Stanher's, Hillram's, SureshKishore's, Ajay99's and many other cars and their individual restorations and was thinking when would my time come; well now it finally has!!!

Thanks to a standard white car that I have managed to find. Please find below the snap and provide your valuable suggestions.

I plan to take up restoration of the same as soon as the paper work is finished and I hope it is finished at the earliest.

My suggestion is just keep away from this car as it is a sheer waste of time and money if you try to restore such an SS80. Buy only an SS80 which has a good body line and which has not undergone welding and major tinkering as such cars are likely to have issues like body rattling in the long run.Also the beauty and value of SS80's lies in its original paint,Stanley sealed beams, tokai denso light fittings ,rear chrome strips(almost impossible to source now) etc.There are still such well maintained cars available with their first owners in cities like Bangalore.Of course you may have to shell around Rs.50000 to 60000/- for such cars.

by the way a small correction, you have mentioned that you have been watching suresh kishores and my SS80 restorations.Suresh Kishores car was a complete and almost concourse car except for some minor bits like mudflaps,steel hubcaps etc,and needed no restoration per se. I have not mentioned about any SS80 restoration in this thread then how come you say that you have been following that?

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

Dear Gods envy,

Firstly let me clarify that these are completely my OWN opinions.

An SS80 is a 'collectible' only since it was the first lot of original Japanese Suzuki's that came to India. NO other reason!

If you do intend to restore a SS80 keep in mind that 70% of parts and accessories are reproduced / non original which you will get in the market.

The original ones are difficult to get and therefore expensive also.

When you restore it after spending such a lot of money, you will definitely expect some returns from such a large 'investment', which you are not going to receive for a long time, whether you try to sell the car again or if you intend it as a show car!

Do not get misled by this thread and the hype created and get stuck with a 'white elephant'.

In case you do want a SS80, go through the classifieds here on TBHP and on the net also and source a running car with OK-OK body work. There are many for sale.

Just my 2 bits,

Cheers!

No one here has ever said that buying an SS80 is a good investment.your statement gives the impression that this thread is ''misleading"" people to that effect. Also this thread was started more than 4 years ago and was mainly intended to save the SS80 especially the DX version from going extinct.The so called "'hype'' was created by some non enthusiasts/traders who saw this as an opportunity to make a fast buck and got hold of some good SS80's from their original owners at cheap prices ,and started quoting absurd prices for them. Luckily for enthusiasts that trend is now receding !!

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by ajay99

My suggestion is just keep away from this car as it is a sheer waste of time and money if you try to restore such an SS80. Buy only an SS80 which has a good body line and which has not undergone welding and major tinkering as such cars are likely to have issues like body rattling in the long run.Also the beauty and value of SS80's lies in its original paint,Stanley sealed beams, tokai denso light fittings ,rear chrome strips(almost impossible to source now) etc.There are still such well maintained cars available with their first owners in cities like Bangalore.Of course you may have to shell around Rs.50000 to 60000/- for such cars.

by the way a small correction, you have mentioned that you have been watching suresh kishores and my SS80 restorations.Suresh Kishores car was a complete and almost concourse car except for some minor bits like mudflaps,steel hubcaps etc,and needed no restoration per se. I have not mentioned about any SS80 restoration in this thread then how come you say that you have been following that?

Point noted Ajay,
Yes, I know Suresh's car was a mint car owned by an NRI and it was almost complete and also there is not much information about yours as well in this thread.And that a few people had talked about their restorations.

But I wanted to give credit/mention to the people who have been contributing to this thread. Hence mentioned yours and Suresh Kishore's names.

[gods-envy]

Found this car on quikr.
Owner is expecting 70k for it.
What do you guys suggest? Please advise.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

Found this car on quikr.
Owner is expecting 70k for it.
What do you guys suggest? Please advise.

The car seems to have rusted running boards which is not a good sign.
OE Wheel rims have been changed. the door pads also show its age.
From the photos looks like just an average 27 year old car.worth only the model price (around Rs.30000).provided the mechanicals are okay

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by ajay99

The car seems to have rusted running boards which is not a good sign.
OE Wheel rims have been changed. the door pads also show its age.
From the photos looks like just an average 27 year old car.worth only the model price (around Rs.30000).provided the mechanicals are okay

Spoke to the owner. He has been using it regularly and it's mechanically good. He also mentions the car has Suzuki certified A/C as well.

Do you think it has got the original paint?
I know 30k is the right price for this car, but too bad prices in Bangalore have sky rocketed.
My mechanic also has found another car that is being quoted at 80k. (I am yet to see that car)

Edit -
Also,
The same car seems to have changed hands sometime back in 2009.
Below is a post of the same in page 11 of this thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...s80-dx-11.html

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

Spoke to the owner. He has been using it regularly and it's mechanically good. He also mentions the car has Suzuki certified A/C as well.

Do you think it has got the original paint?
I know 30k is the right price for this car, but too bad prices in Bangalore have sky rocketed.
My mechanic also has found another car that is being quoted at 80k. (I am yet to see that car)

Edit -
Also,
The same car seems to have changed hands sometime back in 2009.
Below is a post of the same in page 11 of this thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...s80-dx-11.html

Although it looks like the original shade, only one personal inspection one can say wjhether it is original paint or not.Dont get carried away by the asking prices. These cars never get sold at these prices.
also there is nothing called Suzuki certified a/c.in simple terms it means it has been retrofitted with an a/c long time after it was delivered.