[Sebring]

Nice and detailed write up. Show your love for the Zen. The ZEN actually stands for Zero Engine Noise.

Your review brought back memories. I had a 97 model, and she was a hoot to run. The AC was its Achilles heel,though. And in spite of spending a fortune couldn't get it to chill adequately. And for that reason, and that reason alone alone, parted with the car two years back. But a thoroughbred performer nonetheless, the Zen never let us down.
Hope she is in good hands now.

[Octane_Power]

Excellent write up Sir! Was a treat to read. You just made me miss my Zen even more You have kept it in superb condition. Looks just a few years old (or young I should say). You've kept the engine bay extremely clean as well.

It is very hard to find such well kept Zen's these days. I have hardly seen any well maintained Zen's in Bombay since many many months.

-Bhargav

[arunkumarsarat]

That was a very nostalgic read. I commend you on your effort in maintaining this beauty in such a pristine condition.


I too had owned a white jellybean for eight years and sold it primarily because it lacked power steering. The Zen in those days was a natural upgrade from the humble 800 and owing and driving one was a dream come true to many of us. If our family were asked to name the car we loved the most, the answer to it would be our Zen!

[gpa]

An immaculately maintained car and hats off to you! I loved driving the Zen that my uncle had and loved the slick gearbox. Cheers and I wish you many more years of pleasurable driving.

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by gpa

An immaculately maintained car and hats off to you! I loved driving the Zen that my uncle had and loved the slick gearbox. Cheers and I wish you many more years of pleasurable driving.

Thanks a lot for the compliments gpa! The slick gearshifts is something everyone likes about the Zen.

Originally Posted by arunkumarsarat

That was a very nostalgic read. I commend you on your effort in maintaining this beauty in such a pristine condition.


I too had owned a white jellybean for eight years and sold it primarily because it lacked power steering. The Zen in those days was a natural upgrade from the humble 800 and owing and driving one was a dream come true to many of us. If our family were asked to name the car we loved the most, the answer to it would be our Zen!

Thanks a lot for the compliments arunkumar! In my case if I ask my kids which car they like the best out of all the cars in the family both blurt out Zen .

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Excellent write up Sir! Was a treat to read. You just made me miss my Zen even more You have kept it in superb condition. Looks just a few years old (or young I should say). You've kept the engine bay extremely clean as well.

It is very hard to find such well kept Zen's these days. I have hardly seen any well maintained Zen's in Bombay since many many months.

-Bhargav

Thanks a lot for the compliments Bhargav! Quite true that the number of well maintained and original Zens have declined drastically. Last year when I was in MH for a week I dont remember seeing a single well kept Zen. They were either too beaten up or modified really badly. Not like in KA the situation is any better .

Originally Posted by Sebring

Nice and detailed write up. Show your love for the Zen. The ZEN actually stands for Zero Engine Noise.

Your review brought back memories. I had a 97 model, and she was a hoot to run. The AC was its Achilles heel,though. And in spite of spending a fortune couldn't get it to chill adequately. And for that reason, and that reason alone alone, parted with the car two years back. But a thoroughbred performer nonetheless, the Zen never let us down.
Hope she is in good hands now.

Thanks a lot for the compliments Sebring ! Nice to know you had a 97 Zen. Yeah the AC is the Achilles heel of the car but so far I have no complaints mainly because I live in Bangalore and summers are not very harsh . Also the engine is really silent at idling matches the refinement of my Honda City at idling.

[rakesh_r]

Thanks for putting up the ownership thread. Coincidentally our first car was a 1998 Golden Beige zen. It was a hoot to drive. I don't know if this is true but the ZEN had a full form -Zero Engine Noise . The gear box was the best and till date haven't found a car with such a smooth throw. It ran for 1.50 Lacs till 2012 and was duly replaced with an ALto K10 as my dad found it difficult to drive without the power steering.

With number of trips including multiple Mumbai-Palakkad_Mumbai the car never let us down apart from one time when the fuel pump failed but thankfully at our building parking. Attaching a pic of our car. The car served beautifully all its life in Mumbai braving the tormenting traffic, heavy rains(one time I drove the car through a flooded street with the exhaust completely submerged) finally sold the car in Palakkad my hometown. I still miss the little car.

[Zen2001]

Congratulations! No matter what car one may have driven (anywhere in the world), one just cannot forgt the "Zen experience". I am also in the process of compiling my own experience with the Zen, which I've owned since 2001 and clocked over 200000 km till date. As the Swift tagline goes, "you are the fuel"!

[S2!!!]

@swamyzen: Thanks for sharing your detailed, 16-year ownership report.

I have had an awesome past with the Zen. It is a car to experience at least once and till date, remains irreplaceable. Even today, I regret selling my 2002 mpfi Zen. It had the best all-round visibility, gearbox and engine at its time; was a true pocket-rocket. And just for the record, mine had performance upgrades too .

Your report just made me nostalgic

[NiInJa]

Many thanks for this excellent post. I too, remember how good this car is.
It was in 2005, Zen was about to get replaced by the Estilo, My dad was so obsessed with the Zen that despite having the budget for recently launched Swift Lxi, he went ahead and got the Zen ! He just WANTED to own a Zen, thats all. It was our first new car ('first hand', after the pre-owned M800 in 1999)
I and my brother then started pampering her once we started earning. Wheels, good speakers, cushions etc.
And yes, even she didn't take premium fuels very well. In our case it was just engine misfires and the MOS guys drained all the fuel and it was all good.

We were so much in love with this car that we didn't want to sell her, but we had to since my brother got another and there was no parking space.
By God's will, my cousin showed interest in the Zen and we sold her off to him and made sure it stays in our 'khaandaan'. Even today when he brings her, we are all smiles. In fact, now that we have parking space, I've asked my cousin that whenever he plans to sell her, I will be the first one to buy her back !

[abhii176]

Beautifully written ownership review Swamyzen, your love for your Zen just pours through in your write-up. Really admire for maintaining your beauty in impeccable condition over these 16 long year, she looks pristine.
I've never owned one myself but have very fond memories of driving one owned by my chacha (uncle). He had also maintained it beautifully and she was a butter smooth drive.
Wish you many more happy years ahead with your Zen. Cheers!

[autobahnjpr]

Excellent Swamy. What a great post !

As a Zen owner, i can completely relate to what you are saying. I still have my 1999 zen and it has covered 1.25 lakh kms till now and it is still going strong. But nowadays it is only used for some city commute and not on highway for the reasons that you have highlighted.

[drive2eternity]

Now that's an ownership review I can read multiple times.
Its not only amazing that you have had the car for 16 years, driven it for 163k kms, but also how vividly you remember the details, right from the decision to walk into the Maruti showroom to see the Esteem to the driver taking a test drive of 7 new Zens.

I remember my uncle had a white Zen. Once, my dad had borrowed it and we went to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. On the way, we were stuck behind a tractor. When my dad finally saw there was an opening, he floored it in the 3rd gear. From 20kph all the way till 90kph, the 3rd gear kept pulling. It was a wow moment for me.

The Zen has definitely been a revolutionary car. Its a pity that none of its successor were any good. The Zen classic and Estilo both failed miserably.

[swamyzen]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Thanks for putting up the ownership thread. Coincidentally our first car was a 1998 Golden Beige zen. It was a hoot to drive. I don't know if this is true but the ZEN had a full form -Zero Engine Noise . The gear box was the best and till date haven't found a car with such a smooth throw. It ran for 1.50 Lacs till 2012 and was duly replaced with an ALto K10 as my dad found it difficult to drive without the power steering.

With number of trips including multiple Mumbai-Palakkad_Mumbai the car never let us down apart from one time when the fuel pump failed but thankfully at our building parking. Attaching a pic of our car. The car served beautifully all its life in Mumbai braving the tormenting traffic, heavy rains(one time I drove the car through a flooded street with the exhaust completely submerged) finally sold the car in Palakkad my hometown. I still miss the little car.

Thanks for the compliments rakesh ! The K10 I would say is a nice upgrade from the Zen considering it also has the DNA of the Zen. The car without power steering is surely a big pain while making U turns or making a turn from standstill. The car can easily wade through water even if its at heights of up to the silencer or even submerged under water. I have done this a lot of times (wading through water) thanks to Bangalore rains most recent one being in March when there was sudden rains when I was driving to leave my son to the exam center. Your car looks fab with those alloys and also it looks like it was really loved for .

Originally Posted by Zen2001

Congratulations! No matter what car one may have driven (anywhere in the world), one just cannot forgt the "Zen experience". I am also in the process of compiling my own experience with the Zen, which I've owned since 2001 and clocked over 200000 km till date. As the Swift tagline goes, "you are the fuel"!

Thanks for the compliments Zen2001. Nice handle you have got there. Two lakhs is surely an awesome odometer reading. Best of luck with compiling your thread and I am eagerly awaiting it.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

@swamyzen: Thanks for sharing your detailed, 16-year ownership report.

I have had an awesome past with the Zen. It is a car to experience at least once and till date, remains irreplaceable. Even today, I regret selling my 2002 mpfi Zen. It had the best all-round visibility, gearbox and engine at its time; was a true pocket-rocket. And just for the record, mine had performance upgrades too .

Your report just made me nostalgic

Thanks for the compliments S2!!! ! Nice your car would certainly be a rocket if you had performance upgrades too .

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Many thanks for this excellent post. I too, remember how good this car is.
It was in 2005, Zen was about to get replaced by the Estilo, My dad was so obsessed with the Zen that despite having the budget for recently launched Swift Lxi, he went ahead and got the Zen ! He just WANTED to own a Zen, thats all. It was our first new car ('first hand', after the pre-owned M800 in 1999)
I and my brother then started pampering her once we started earning. Wheels, good speakers, cushions etc.
And yes, even she didn't take premium fuels very well. In our case it was just engine misfires and the MOS guys drained all the fuel and it was all good.

Thanks for the compliments NiInja! Happens all the time that for some reason or the other you would have to sell something your really loved and then repent for doing so and try to get it back just because a lot of good memories are associated with it. Best of luck with getting the car back.

Originally Posted by abhii176

Beautifully written ownership review Swamyzen, your love for your Zen just pours through in your write-up. Really admire for maintaining your beauty in impeccable condition over these 16 long year, she looks pristine.
I've never owned one myself but have very fond memories of driving one owned by my chacha (uncle). He had also maintained it beautifully and she was a butter smooth drive.
Wish you many more happy years ahead with your Zen. Cheers!

Thanks a lot for the compliments abhii176.

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

Excellent Swamy. What a great post !

As a Zen owner, i can completely relate to what you are saying. I still have my 1999 zen and it has covered 1.25 lakh kms till now and it is still going strong. But nowadays it is only used for some city commute and not on highway for the reasons that you have highlighted.

Thanks a lot for the compliments autobahnjpr. Nice to see that your car has also done a good amount of kilometers but still goes strong.

Originally Posted by drive2eternity

Now that's an ownership review I can read multiple times.
Its not only amazing that you have had the car for 16 years, driven it for 163k kms, but also how vividly you remember the details, right from the decision to walk into the Maruti showroom to see the Esteem to the driver taking a test drive of 7 new Zens.
I remember my uncle had a white Zen. Once, my dad had borrowed it and we went to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. On the way, we were stuck behind a tractor. When my dad finally saw there was an opening, he floored it in the 3rd gear. From 20kph all the way till 90kph, the 3rd gear kept pulling. It was a wow moment for me.

Thanks a lot for the compliments drive2eternity. Hey but out of the 163k kms almost half was done by my driver Mariappa I guess (smiling green guy, cant use more than 2 smileys). The way the car pulls in 2nd and 3rd gear is something I really like. The engine just does not run out of steam even at what feels like the redline ( remember no tachometer) .

[anshuman_v]

Swamy, Zen is an amazing car. For most of us, Zen is a car we buy when we are really enthusiastic, and typically young as well. The Zen suits that bracket well - a hoot to drive, and easy to maintain. Its got the Zing thing for sure. I used to have a zen, and yes, I remember calling the AC as turbo boost - when you switch it off! And the sweetest memories are when you do all sorts of upgrades to the car. I sold it somewhere down the road, and I remember the buyer saying he was buying it for his sister - simply because it was the most reliable car possible with the size and parts etc thrown in.

Kudos to your article, and Kudos the Zen. One aptly named car for sure, amen!

[anand_lukose]

Thank you very much for the wonderful write up. I have a zen and I would not trade it for anything else ! Every time I go home and drive my family's car, I always end up mentioning that none of them has a soul quite like the zen ! This car is best when driven alone. Pure Pocket Rocket !

Thank you sharing your maintenance tips as well.