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Old 7th July 2019, 20:20   #1
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My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

I turned 18 and learnt how to ride a motorcycle in mid-2017, and crashed thrice in as many months. None of them were my fault, really, but my parents would have none of it and decided to get me a car.

Among the various benefits my father receives as part of his profession, is an interest-free loan that he can utilise to buy any vehicle of his choice. It was a no-brainer. We could buy a new car, NOT pay upright for it, and not pay any interest on the borrowed amount either. Well, except for the fact that none of the entry level hatchbacks seemed to interest me. The Renault Kwid and the Tata Tiago did offer some competition, but were still not attractive enough for me to consider them at the time. More on that later.

It took me a long time to convince my father to go the pre-owned way. After numerous searches, countless hours of browsing through Team-BHP and OLX.in, we finally brought home a '04 Hyundai Santro Xing with 930XX clicks on the odometer. Not bad considering the fact that we intended to keep it around for a couple of months before upgrading to a newer car. Or so we thought.

Without further ado, let me jump right into it!

What I like:
  • Big enough to seat 4 adults and 1 child comfortably, yet as compact as a city car should be.
  • 1.1L engine is peppy and makes city driving extremely easy.
  • Cute, offend no one design doesn't look outdated even today, after ~16 years!
  • Boot size is adequate, and can fit 1 extra large trolley bag, 1 large trolley bag and a couple of backpacks. All together, without blocking the rear windscreen.
  • Dead pedal! Feels great to have somewhere to rest my left leg on, during those long drives. It is amazing how Hyundai offered it on an entry level hatchback ~16 years ago, but most manufacturers skimp on it today, in cars costing more than twice as much.
  • Perfect car for a college student driving alone, or at most with a couple of passengers.
  • Absence of complex electronics means no issue is too tough for the average FNG to tackle.
  • Being such a popular Hyundai model means spares are available everywhere.

What I don't like:
  • ABS, EBD, airbags etc are all foreign concept to me. Just have the plain ol' seatbelt to protect myself.
  • No power steering. I'm comfortable with driving a manual steering car, but someone used to driving a car with a power steering will find it really difficult to steer this one.
  • No creature comforts. No power windows, central locking, electronically adjustable ORVMs etc, climate control etc.
  • Extreme dearth of storage spaces in the cabin. I just cannot emphasize this enough.
  • Fixed headrests at the rear. I've never sat at the rear myself, but if I were to ever do that, I'd have nowhere to rest my head on.
  • Constant squeaks and rattles. As soon as one is tackled, another one crops up. Expected from such an old car, though.
  • Less fuel efficient than it's Maruti counterparts. I usually get around 9kmpl with 100% AC in 100% city conditions. I was pretty satisfied with it, until I found out the FE of my neighbour's WagonR in the same driving conditions.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-1.jpg

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 02:15.
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Old 7th July 2019, 20:56   #2
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Prologue

I had had a couple of accidents since I started riding my dad's bike, a 2015 Honda CB Shine, but my mom had always brushed them away as they're a natural part of the learning process. That is, until I drew blood, literally.

On 4th April, 2018, I was riding back from a friend's place in Southern Avenue (60kms round trip) when my front wheel got stuck in a tram line at a major crossing in North Calcutta. I mean, I understand the nostalgia associated with trams and the city's heritage and all that, but trams don't even ply on most routes anymore. The tracks remain, though, waiting with bated breath to trap the next biker's wheels in the horrendous gaps that have appeared in them due to non maintenance.

I was waiting, first in line, for the signal to turn green. As soon as it did, I twisted the throttle like I usually do, and the next second I knew, I had crashed. I was lying in the middle of one of the biggest intersections of the city, with my bike on my leg. I was just plain lucky that I did not have a bus or a truck right behind me at the signal. I wouldn't have been alive writing this post, if that were the case. Immediately some men appeared, lifted the bike off my leg and helped me stand up. I noticed some leaked fluid on the road and sighed. I thanked them, and slowly took my bike to the side of the road and parked it. Miraculously, I was not in pain, and that is when I realized the true importance of riding gear. Until then I had always worn a helmet, but only so that I don't get challaned by the police. That day, I was wearing thick Woodland boots, jeans, a shirt and a helmet. Despite the bike falling on me, nothing happened to my legs, courtesy the shoes and the jeans. My head was protected too, thanks to the full-face helmet that I had recently purchased. However, my shirt had ripped off at the right elbow (I fell on my right), and there was blood. I washed myself off and contemplated for 15 minutes whether I should continue riding. I was still atleast 20kms away from home, and I remembered the fluid leak that I had seen. Inspected my bike thoroughly and found no leak whatsoever. That is when it hit me: the fluid on the road was my own blood.

However, by then I was in no pain whatsoever. Washing off all the blood revealed a very small cut, and I put a band-aid over it (again, thanks to my seemingly useless habit of carrying band-aids in my wallet). I had a smashed right RVM, but that was it. I decided to continue riding home, since I had no clue where to leave the bike. Didn't call up my parents either, because I knew they'd needlessly panic. Stopped at a shop a couple of kilometres later, and bought a new RVM and a brand new helmet. I had read somewhere that a helmet can only protect your head from one crash, and I seriously didn't want to find out how true the claim was. Rode sedately, and reached home.

Upon seeing me enter, my mom immediately understood that I had crashed. I mean, anyone who saw me then would understand that I had crashed. Even the shopkeeper from whom had I purchased the RVM had asked me if I had crashed, it was that evident from my appearance. She didn't scold me though, but we mutually agreed that it was time for me to leave the bike and start driving a car. My father had always been against the idea of me riding the bike, himself having survived multiple crashes in his youth, and gladly agreed to buy a new car for me.

The search began.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20181001_130809_506.jpg
A post crash selfie, just because.

Last edited by boniver : 20th November 2019 at 20:06.
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Old 20th November 2019, 21:28   #3
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Alternatives considered, and the one finally chosen

Due to reasons mentioned in the opening post, we were only looking at new hatchbacks at the time: Tata Tiago, Hyundai Grand i10, Renault Kwid, Maruti Alto K10, you get the drift. However, at the same time, I had also been following Team-BHP for a while and I was smitten by the value offered by the pre-worshipped market. My father was very apprehensive about it, but gave the go ahead since he trusted me. The budget for a used car was set at Rs. 2 lakhs.

I started my search with Honda Citys, and why not? For 2 lakh rupees, you could practically get any mainstream car you wanted. I spent a lot of time looking at used Citys on OLX. When I finally approached my father with the idea, he shot it down before I could finish my sentence. It was too big a car for a learner, he said, and I would have issues maneuvering it in city traffic.

Long story short, I looked at countless options: Fiat Palios to Tata Indicas to Maruti Zens. My search finally concluded when I zeroed in on a 2012 Santro Xing for Rs. 1.75L. Went and checked the car out with my mother and it was as clean as a 6 year old car could be. Everything worked, the paperwork was in order, and we were all set to take the car home in a few days.

Once I was home, I started thinking. The Santro Xing has been around since 2003, and it really didn't make sense spending close to 2 lakhs on a 15 year old design. A quick search threw up a lot of older Santro Xings, and although my mother was against the idea of getting a very old car, I quickly managed to convince her, and ended up getting home a 2004 Santro Xing. The car was in top condition, and we essentially got the same car as the 2012 one we had earlier finalised, at 40% of the price!

Therefore, without further ado, let me reveal some details about the car:
  • Year: 2004
  • Car: Hyundai Santro Xing
  • Variant: Base, with AC
  • Mileage: 93000 kms
  • Colour: Black
  • Safety features: Well, unless you count seatbelts as features...

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0028.jpg

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 02:19.
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Old 20th November 2019, 23:08   #4
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Impressions

I've learnt to drive in this car, and now, a year later, I've driven approximately 3000 kms. Most of those kms have been in the city, but some on the highway too. I'll post my impressions of the car now.

Exterior Styling and Design

We're back in the early 2000s!

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0027.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0029.jpg

The car has a cute, offend-none look. So far, I haven't met anyone who hasn't liked how the Xing looks. It just smiles at you, and is as basic as a design could be. Even now, 16+ years after the car first launched, the design still doesn't look very dated, and the car doesn't feel out of place in a modern parking lot.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img20190418wa0018.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190515_155955426.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190516_094502862.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20181206_133136.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20181210_093229.jpg
Rear wiper and defogger? What's that?

The build quality of this car is nothing to write home about, but it's still better than most hatchbacks of that era (and some of now too). I've suffered a few brushes in traffic, but the car doesn't have much to show for it, apart from a few scratches. The headlamps are adequate in the city, but I've felt the need to switch to high beams to maintain 80+ kmph on the highways at night. I'm planning to get fog lamps installed because I've been making quite a few midnight runs to the airport recently, and with winter approaching, it's only a matter of time before a permanent smog settles down upon the city.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0031.jpg
The 155/70 R13 Yokohama Earth 1s that the car is shod with. They're puny, I know, but they're brand new so I'm letting them be.

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 02:20.
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Old 20th November 2019, 23:46   #5
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Impressions: Continued

Interior

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190901_191303_044.jpg

The car has quite a lot of space inside, and four adults can comfortably travel for long distances without any issues. The front has adjustable headrests, while the rear has fixed headrests. There are four 3-point seatbelts in the car, and the lap belt for the rear middle passenger has been kept in the boot since no one's ever going to sit there anyway. The maximum that I've driven this car at a stretch is for 5 hours, and I've never felt any discomfort. I'm 5'10" and pretty well-built, and I need to push the seat back to the farthest position and recline it quite a bit too. The boot space is adequate, and can take a couple of suitcases and another couple of bags easily. So far, I haven't faced any issue during my airport runs with luggage for two people.

There are no power windows or door pockets and very few (unusable) cubby holes. This means that I always have to carry a backpack that contains the vehicle documents, a bottle of water, home keys, umbrella etc. Doesn't bother me a lot, but can be really cumbersome for most people. The IRVM has a day/night function, and the ORVMs are manually adjustable. The seat covers that the car came with looked really ugly so I've gotten them removed.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0031-1.jpg
Space in the front

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190901_135254.jpg
Space at the rear with the driver's seat pushed back to the maximum

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190901_134601.jpg
Steering feels good to hold, and being a manual one, provides excellent feedback. There's a speedometer, a temperature meter and a fuel gauge.

The car came with a basic HU and no speakers. I have retained the HU since it supports FM, AUX and USB. Got new Sony Xplod speakers fitted and the sound quality feels decent enough to me.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img20181202wa0027.jpg
The HU and AC controls

The AC has been the only problematic thing in the car. Multiple gas refills didn't solve the no-cooling problem, and I finally got the entire AC system overhauled last September. The condenser and the AC clutch was replaced and compressor leaks were sealed. The compressor is now the only old part in the AC system. Thankfully, after getting all the work done and spending a ton of money, the AC chills beautifully now and I have to switch it to the lowest setting after driving around for 10-15 minutes.

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190919_113727.jpg
Getting the AC fixed

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 02:24.
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Old 21st November 2019, 01:20   #6
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Impressions: Continued

Engine Drivability and Performance
There's a reason the Santro turned out to be so successful: the engine. This 16 year old, 95000 kms run engine is still so butter smooth that it still potters about effortlessly in the city. The car passes the second gear speed breaker test easily, and the third gear feels like an automatic, pulling from speeds as low as 20 kmph to as high as 100 kmph!
I haven't taken this out on the highway much, but the little I've driven tells me that it is no slouch. On multi-laned highways, I have effortlessly overtaken other vehicles even while crusing in the 5th gear. On single laned highways though, I've felt the need to downshift in order to make a quick overtake and get back into my lane.
The engine is eerily silent, but road noise does filter in, making the cabin a not-so-silent place to be in. Of course, I've learnt to drown out all such noises by just increasing the music volume

Fuel Efficiency
In the summer with AC on at all times in bumper to bumper traffic, I get between 9 and 10 kmpl. Now though, the FE has increased to 12.5 kmpl and going by the fuel guage and trip meter, my current tankful should yield an even better average. Will update more on that later.

Suspension and Ride Quality
Again, nothing to write home about. The car drives smoothly on smooth tarmac, and loses it's mind on bad stretches. I've found that the rough patches are better tackled at higher speeds, but I shall refrain from further checking the veracity of that claim since this isn't an SUV
However, there's no denying the fact that atleast some (if not most) of the suspension parts are pretty old now, so there are squeaks here and there while tackling multiple tall speedbreakers in one go.

Handling
Owing to the fact that this car has a manual steering, the handling and feedback from the steering is amazing! Yes, power steerings do make driving a much easier task, but I'm so used to manual steerings now that I even find hydraulic power steerings vague too.
Being a tall-boy, there's considerable amount of body roll around corners, but then again, this car is not meant to be a corner carver, and I've learnt to slow down.
The fresh (<5000 kms old) Yokohama Earth 1s provide sufficient grip, and I haven't felt the car lacking in that department.
Although this is a small car, the manual steering makes sure that the turning radius isn't as small. That being said, most U-turns around the city can easily be taken in one go.

Braking
I haven't driven a lot of poweful cars, but I feel that the brakes on the Xing are pretty adequate. They stop the car really well, and I don't have any reason to complain.

Ground Clearance
Again, ground clearance has never been an issue with the Xing except on one occasion. I was driving out of my friend's house and the front tow hook scraped the bottom since the road was at a higher level. After that incident, I've always exited her house at an angle, and haven't faced the issue again. The car has never scraped anywhere else.

Servicing and Maintenance
Since this is my first car, I have no trusted FNG I can rely on. Minor issues (horn conking off, bodywork etc.) are handled by a roadside garage I go to, whereas any major repair is carried out at the Hyundai ASC near my place. The AC overhaul was carried out at Daga Autolek (Automotive Air-conditioning - Daga Autolek (Kolkata)), which was recommended by Distinguished BHPian SS-Traveller.
I got the car serviced last in March 2019, and that costed me approximately Rs. 5000 since it involved changing both the front wheel bearings.

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 02:27.
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Old 21st November 2019, 02:07   #7
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Conclusion

My mom is very vocal when it comes to her concerns about me driving the Santro on our highways. She recommends selling it off at the earliest and getting something like a used Honda City, now that I've learnt how to drive. To be really honest, I want to keep the car for as long as possible, since it's in top shape. The only reason there's a slight hesitation in my mind now is due to the NGT's ruling in Delhi and the fear that it might get implemented in Kolkata too. I had been looking a couple of used Esteems from 2008, but I've shied away from them now after checking out the condition of a few of them. Don't really need an upgrade from this right now, but I don't want to suddenly end up with a car that's only worth its weight in metal. Let's see where this road takes us

For what it's worth, I'm really really happy with my Santro Xing, and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better first car!

To end this review on a colourful note, here are some pictures!

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190122_062817.jpg
Bathing on a cold winter morning

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190122_064510.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190130_084048.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190208_064704.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20181210_085216.jpg
Awaiting HSRPs at the RTO premises

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0023.jpg
Catching her breath after a hard drive on smooth tarmac

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-dsc_0355.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20191112_175939.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190708_215310_866.jpg
At the inconic Howrah station

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190903_212229.jpg
Looks out of place, did you say?

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190903_212258.jpg
Visits top hotels and gets the best parking spots

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190522_153051_715.jpg
16 year old car in front of a 1 year old building

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20191028_152117.jpg
Coming out of her cave

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img20191115wa0119.jpg
With BHPian NaXal's Aspire on a recent highway drive

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190904_010825_270.jpg
Cruising on empty highways past midnight

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-signal2019110112105311.jpg
Yours truly

Signing off,
boniver.

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 02:09.
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Old 21st November 2019, 03:27   #8
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re: My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 21st November 2019, 12:40   #9
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re: My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

Thank you man, for this excellent ownership review.
My parents had bought a Santro Xing XS back in 2003.
Had great memories with that car, they sold it off in March. Still miss it a lot. Hope you have a great time with this car. It perfectly suits Indian conditions and is pretty reliable.
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Old 21st November 2019, 12:52   #10
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Accident Update

Accident: 29/06/19
On the morning of 29th June, 2019, my mum (who was new to driving at the time), steered the car into the meeting point of two walls while taking it out of the parking spot. Details shared here (Need advice after Accident)

The accident happened around 5am, and this was the condition of the car:
My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_054004.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_054013.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_054020.jpg

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_060823.jpg

The bumper had cracked, the hood was dented, and right headlight brackets had broken. Dropped the car for denting work at a FNG around 11am the same day. Went to pick up the car at 4pm on the same day, and the car was ready post repairs! I was surprised as to how less time the repair work actually took, and since this was my first accident involving repair work, I actually thought it'd take a week atleast. Here are some more photos:

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_155736.jpg
Fabricating custom brackets for the headlights

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_163849.jpg
All ready to go home

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190629_171357.jpg
The only mark remaining on the hood

Opted to not get the hood repainted immediately since it had been raining heavily. Apart from the mark on the hood, all was good.
However, I was in for a rude shock when I took the car out just two days later! This is what I saw:
My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190702_072730.jpg
The hood had started rusting and it looked really ugly

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190703_115921.jpg
Dropped it off for a hood repaint that very day. Got the wheel covers removed and the steel wheels painted black too

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190703_160142.jpg
Post the repaint, in its all new avatar

My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up-img_20190703_074241.jpg
A closer look at the water beading on the fresh paint

Now, a few months down the line, I'm not happy with the paintwork at all. I accept it as my fault, since I was in a hurry to oick the car up, but it hurts me every time I look at the bubbles that have formed on the hood. The FNG owner has asked me to drop the car off for another free repaint, but that was four months ago and I still haven't had the time. Going to let it remain this way and get the entire car repainted in future unless I let go of it.

The accident caused no harm to the mechanicals, and the drivability of the car was as good as it had been on the day I first got her home. No tantrums, nothing, and I guess that's the reason I've grown to love this car so much!

Quote:
Originally Posted by BZ25 View Post
Thank you man, for this excellent ownership review.
My parents had bought a Santro Xing XS back in 2003.
Had great memories with that car, they sold it off in March. Still miss it a lot. Hope you have a great time with this car. It perfectly suits Indian conditions and is pretty reliable.
Thank you for the kind words, man! Yes, this car is extremely reliable and I love driving it. Hope the government won't take it away from me any time soon, and that I can actually enjoy it for years to come. Please do post some photos of your ex-Xing if you have any!

Last edited by boniver : 21st November 2019 at 12:57.
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Old 22nd November 2019, 10:38   #11
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re: My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

Wow! I am happy to see an young man opt for a legendary pre-owned small hatch.

It is great for you to start driving in an old car without any fancy stuff, so as to appreciate the soul of the car, and to understand the nuances in driving a car. You will also appreciate the new features you will be getting when you buy your next car.

Please don't let your mom learn driving in a manual steering car. It's quite hard to steer, more so for the ladies.

Thankfully there was no damage to the mechanicals. Imagine having bought an used accord or a city, the damage repair would have bit you by a lot. Santro was a well built car. I remember racing my wagon R with my friend's santro in 2004, damn, 15 years have flown away! This thread brings back a lot of memories.

Regarding fuel efficiency, Hyundai petrols were never fuel efficient regardless of which ever segment they belonged to. In the petrol hatchback segment, no beating Marutis in their engine reliability and fuel efficiency.

Enjoy the car, wishing you thousands of safe and comfortable km in it.

Last edited by PrasannaDhana : 22nd November 2019 at 10:45.
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Old 22nd November 2019, 16:13   #12
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re: My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

Quote:
Originally Posted by boniver View Post
I turned 18 and learnt how to ride a motorcycle in mid-2017, and crashed thrice in as many months. None of them were my fault, really, but my parents would have none of it and decided to get me a car.
Excellent thread - very well written and articulated and a very mature decision taken of going the pre-owned route. While many of the readers took a ride back to the past with your thread, I kind of went into the future a little bit as I am a father of a three year old and wondered what I would do when my son turns 18 (which is still more than a decade away...)

Quote:
Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana View Post
Regarding fuel efficiency, Hyundai petrols were never fuel efficient regardless of which ever segment they belonged to. In the petrol hatchback segment, no beating Marutis in their engine reliability and fuel efficiency.
Very true, Hyundai today has mastered good NVH levels and they are also bringing out powerful engines but Fuel Efficiency is not their forte and added to this weakness is another weakness of in-cabin space management both of which Maruti and Honda have become masters at and I would say this is across the segments where they compete.

Last edited by vsrivatsa : 22nd November 2019 at 16:15.
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Old 22nd November 2019, 16:45   #13
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re: My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

Excellent thread Boniver!

Brings back memories of my Santro which was gifted by my dad when i was in 3rd year of engineering in 2006.

Lots of memories and had a troublefree ownership for 4 years and 90k kms when she was sold in 2010.

I had the same model without the power steering. One of the best 1l engines of those times and used to be something else with a free flow.

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Old 23rd November 2019, 00:34   #14
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re: My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing. EDIT - 1 Lakh km up

Congo to another WB 24 (Barrackpore) registered 15 year old Santro owner from another one As you pointed out, its a no nonsense, trustworthy friend which has been with me thick and thin for more than a decade. Still enjoy it driving when I visit home. Thanks to my dad for persevering him while I was almost on verge to sale him off 6 years back. Even this year, Dad changed the clutch, gear oil, steering rack (almost every santro has an issue with noisy steering rack and bad wipers I think) and my baby is running again.

Being my first car, I love the way it stayed and witnessed so many things in my life. I think it will remain with me forever.

Sorry to share few details in your thread, but could not stop myself:

1. Car purchased in : Jan 2005 at Noida with UP 16 registration number. Later changed to WB 24 after I left NCR.

2. Driven so far: 1,18,000 KMs in ODO covering all southern states, NCR, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai and Goa

3. Best experience : 20K to 70K odo run was a dream with minor hiccups. Once Hyundai Service was unable to debug an "Failed to restart after I switch off engine at red light" issue and only a JC Road mechanic in Bangalore took a whole day to debug the issue and found the problem with starter. He did not charge me on day 1 and told me to come back a week later when he took the starter to a lathe machine to fix a new ring on the starter. The older ring was getting expanded after getting heated up and was unable to turn the starter when I was shutting down the engine at a red light. Awesome debug it was, and I still keep telling people this story for his dedication and showing trust on a unknown customer like me.

4. Worst experience: In 2012, for the first time I claimed insurance to cover up all dents and did a repaint on doors before I decided to send him off to Kolkata from Pune. Sadly, when Dad went to receive it in Howrah, he found it lying alone in a ground damaged and shattered. We fought with the carrier to get it repaired and Bengal Hyundai, Howrah supported us for 4 months by keeping the damaged car and repairing it. Kudos to them.

5. Longest trip: Bangalore to Mumbai and back in Diwali 2009.

Words will fall short to share so many stories. So ending here and wishing you more happy miles and hope , as you said government remains kind to us to preserve this gem.
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Old 23rd November 2019, 07:25   #15
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My trusty Korean companion: Pre-owned 2004 Hyundai Santro Xing

It felt great to read your thread. I too learnt how to drive in 2003 on a santro. Both me and my father loved the car so much that presently we are on our third santro model 2007. Still looks as good as new. A few rattles here and there because I did a lot of modifications. Blame my teenage hormones. But the car has been a gem to own. Reliability par excellence. I have driven it even up to the mighty rohtang pass. This car makes you appreciate the small things in life. Still my daily driver. Nothing can beat the cosy feeling of sitting in a small hatch and driving on a rainy day. Your thread really brought out the nostalgia in me. Happy driving and enjoy this wonderful vehicle.
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