[THE_DRIFTER]

I learned the 'art' of driving from my Father (yeah because I had too much interest in cars) and felt that I had no need to go to a driving school. I got my DL and started taking out the humble Alto for highway/college runs. Now since it had aged and run well (2,00,000 kilometers in 7 years with just front axle replaced and regular servicing done!!!!) It had to be changed. Moreover, our family of 6 couldn't travel together even while we 6 had to travel together for only once or twice in a month. So come 1 December 2018 and we posted our car on OLX. We got hundreds of messages and calls. Nearly 50 people came to check the car (most of them were time-passers!). One fine Sunday morning and I got a call from a serious buyer who said he's coming with money to buy the car. He came and checked the car, didn't even move it. He just started the engine and put all the gears to check them.
He was surprised to find an Alto which had run 2,00,000 kilometers in this condition. So he finalized the deal and off went our Alto. It was emotional cause it never ever broke down anywhere and went to almost full India with us.
Now as we sold our Alto, we only had 1 bike left for daily commute which was used by my Father and I had to rely on autos and cabs. Due to some reasons we only looked at the used car market.

Some pictures of my beloved Alto :





One thing I would specially mention is that there would be no car as close to my heart as the Alto was. If everything permitted I would have kept it for at least a couple of years more...

[THE_DRIFTER]

Options considered:

A. Tata Safari



Many people have dream cars such as Buggati or Lamborghini's, but my dream car was always the Safari Dicor.

Positives:

1. Big, Hulky beast which whenever comes in RVM of any small car, the car gives side.
2.S-P-A-C-E this beast screams space whenever you enter it.
3.Torque'y diesel engine.
4.Many features such as heated side-view mirror, defogger, power windows

Negatives:

1.Usual Tata ASS
2.Maintenence

B.Tata Manza



My Dad's office's colleague had a Manza and I also sat in it many times. This was also one of my favorites.

Positives:

1. Space, the rear seat could accommodate 3 adults with some space left for a small child.
2.An overall nice package with many features.
3.Poor resale. This was actually nice thing for me as I was getting Manza's for just mere 1.4-1.7 lakhs

Negatives:

1.Rattles here and there.
2.Famous Tata ASS.

Well, no other options were considered and due to many FNG's scaring me by saying that Safari has too much maintenance costs, we finalized on a Pre-Owned 2010 Tata Manza Quadrajet Aura (ABS) model with 75k on Odo.

Buying Experience:

While browsing OLX, I found a nice looking Manza 2010. The next day went with my Father to check out the Manza. He had all the service records. We thoroughly checked the car from outside and it was spic and span. Then we asked for keys and my Father started the car and it came to its glory.

Finalised the deal in Rs._______ . Well, I would not disguise the price and would like you all guys to guess it.
The next day we went to the owner's house and again checked the car and it was as same as before!! [roll]
Gave him money took the keys, did the paperwork and we were ready to take her home!!
When we started the car the fuel gauge showed that the tank was full, which wasn't when we checked the car the previous day. I asked the owner and found it was a gift for us!!!

[THE_DRIFTER]

Ownership Experience:

Positives

1- Extremely silent engine and even when revved the engine note sweet but not loud like a free flow exhaust!!
2- Wind noise is damped very well even at speeds of about 100-120
3- The seating position is very comfortable and one does not get tired after long journeys
4- Interior space & Quality
5- Absolutely comfortable rear seats, front ones are comfy too!
6- Nice pep in the engine even on highway runs!

Negatives :

1- The ride is bumpy at high speeds when there are undulations in the road.
2- No Dead pedal.
3- It would have been better with a bit more power.
4- Audio system calls for an upgrade.

Final experience :

1. Performance: Though it is just a 1.3-liter multijet Diesel ( AKA "Swift's DDIS ) producing 90bhp on tap along with 200nm of torque I found it more than adequate for me, considering the fact that I am coming from an 800 cc Alto.
Highway overtakes do not need to be that much planned and Manza did the 2nd gear speed breaker test easily. Mid-range is the main highlight of the engine and it revs up to 5200 RPM, which is quite good for a Diesel but plainly useless as the powerband is 2500-4000 RPM. It has never left me desired for more power.

2. Comfort: I doubt if any of the cars nowadays under the 10 lakh bracket could be as spacious as what Manza is. Space is the main highlight of the car and the rear seat is where you would want to sleep all day. Transmission hump would make space for 2 adults, though if it was absent 3 people could easily sit in there.

3. NVH levels: NVH levels are quite too much refined for a Diesel car and especially a Diesel car which is 10 years old! I could hardly believe if it is a Diesel or Petrol. The engine though becomes a bit vocal after 3500RPM.

4. Equipment: Dual airbags, Driver seat height adjustment, Steering mounted audio controls, Defogger, Dimming IRVM, Audio system with calling and BT function what else could you ask for in this price range??

Overall peace of mind: The overall experience for me was actually good after the purchase because even getting power windows was quite a feature for me since I had an Alto Lx as I shared earlier.

A bitter experience: My father had taken the car for a tour. I got a call yesterday from my dad and he said the car started a very very loud tak-tak sound from the engine so he stopped the car and turned off the engine. Being in an unknown state, he straightaway called a tow truck and towed the car to the nearest Tata service center which was 35 kilometers away. The service guys moved around the car for around 30-40 minutes and told my dad that the Engine is seized and has to be replaced or overhauled!!!! I got shocked at that movement as its been just less than 4 months since we drove the car. My dad took the car out of the service center and went to another mechanic. He told that he would open the car and tell him about it.

The mechanic told that engine overhaul is required so my dad left the car to him and after 5 days the car came to glory.

It was a very happy moment for me when the car came back home after an engine overhaul.
Total costs came around to be 69,900 Rs. ( Including 11,300 Rs. of labor)
Many main parts including crankshaft, pistons and more were changed and the car behaves as if we have just taken it straight out of the showroom.

Picture time (Sorry for the quality they are compressed) :



Just after taking the delivery









The car was shod with some Chinese Kenda tires which I replaced to Bridgestones







Note the pain struck rear bumper, it has taken a hell lot of pain!




These 2 pictures are the result of an egoistic man who did not want to be defeated by me because I did not allow him to cut into my lane.






Last picture of a regular monsoon drive in the Manza


All the inputs regarding my writing, as well as the car, are appreciated.

I hope you loved my first ever review.

[vb-saan]

Thread moved out of Assembly Line. Thank you for sharing!

[THE_DRIFTER]

The Manza recently completed 1 year with me and the odometer stands at around 1,05,800 kilometers!

All these times have been great except for the part of the engine overhaul and the Manza is serving me really well.
Though I have a question for you experts:
There have been many instances when I have done panic braking and the brakes worked really well but it never showed the ABS light in the dashboard. Has ever happened to any of you??
I must add that there was a lot of tire screeching noise every time and the handbrake light turns on many times even when I have not engaged the handbrake.

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by THE_DRIFTER

There have been many instances when I have done panic braking and the brakes worked really well but it never showed the ABS light in the dashboard. Has ever happened to any of you??

In most cars ABS light will only show if the ABS system shows errors. Otherwise the only sign of ABS kicking in is the very slight pumping action felt on the pedal under hard braking.

Originally Posted by THE_DRIFTER

I must add that there was a lot of tire screeching noise every time and the handbrake light turns on many times even when I have not engaged the handbrake.

Tires screeching as in skidding noise? Also, would suggest getting the brakes serviced and get the brake lining checked/replaced as needed.

[boniver]

Congratulations on the Manza! My best friend had one when we were in middle school, and I do remember it being a very comfortable car. They too had graduated from the WagonR, and the Manza felt like a really big car in comparison. They used it as a beater car, and man, it could take abuse really well! That left me impressed, and I feel sad now when I come across abandoned Manzas (there seem to be a lot of them too).

Hope you have a great time with the car!

Originally Posted by THE_DRIFTER

The service guys moved around the car for around 30-40 minutes and told my dad that the Engine is seized and has to be replaced or overhauled!!!! I got shocked at that movement as its been just less than 4 months since we drove the car.

This hints towards a possibility that the car had actually run a lot more than the indicated 75k kms, since that engine is known to be a reliable one. Of course, this is assuming that the car had been serviced regularly. If not serviced for a long time, a low-run engine can die too. Did you contact the previous owner and see what he had to say about this?

All said and done, nothing matters now that you're happy with the car. You said it runs like it's brand new, so you can be assured that the car will munch miles for many more years to come!

[vyom_elan]

Originally Posted by THE_DRIFTER

The Manza recently completed 1 year with me and the odometer stands at around 1,05,800 kilometers!

All these times have been great except for the part of the engine overhaul and the Manza is serving me really well.
Though I have a question for you experts:
There have been many instances when I have done panic braking and the brakes worked really well but it never showed the ABS light in the dashboard. Has ever happened to any of you??
I must add that there was a lot of tire screeching noise every time and the handbrake light turns on many times even when I have not engaged the handbrake.

The braking power is very nice in the Manza. I faced the ABS light issue too (thrice) during my ownership. It never affected the braking distance or the braking power(mostly fault code issue cleared by TATA technician).

Since you did get your engine overhauled I would recommend idling the car for a couple of minutes before and after a long drive. This ensures a long life of the turbocharger. The reason why I am stressing on this is because I had to learn it the hard way. Although getting a new or used turbocharger is easy for this engine the labor and cost of the part is very expensive.

P.S - I follow you on Instagram and your Manza content brings back a lot of memories. Kudos!!