[nitinsharma1000]

WOW. My dad had a 84 (I think) Omni from 1989 to 2002. That was our only vehicle after he sold his RE Bullet 350 sometime in the early 1990s. So I grew up in it, Learnt how to drive in it, enjoyed scaring friends in it. This brings back memories.

[kayvwar]

A selfie taken by Chethan during our way home


For a minute I got confused between left hand and right hand drive. I did not notice that it was a selfie that inverted the photo.

[DicKy]

Heartwarming
Be it his purchase of the MPFI Ambassador or the cool story of that 4x4 407 run, funkykar got that unmistakable passion for vehicles.

There used to be a time when the word 'Omni' in the forum would mean a good number of BHPians would flock to trash it, call it names, crown it as the most dangerous thing on the road, coffin on wheels...etc.

And here we have an Omni being purchased not just for the utility aspect, but as a classic car. Beauty is, just across the road I can see a round headlight Omni still hauling coconuts daily, with the later fishmouth model still being used by small business owners and tradesmen. Not to say, in this bloody pandemic, alongwith or rather more than the Travellers/Wingers/Eecos, it is this supposedly deathtrap that is saving lives as ambulances.

Am aware that 800 put India on wheels, but for the large swathes of suburban/rural India, it was the Omni that has served for three plus decades. IMO, while the 800/Padmini was for the urban nuclear family. The Ambassador/Omni was for rest of India.

[BeemerBug_06]

Lovely thread, or shall I say FUNKY !
Good to see that the old Maruti Van/Omni has found some takers as well while other cars like the ss80 are these days very highly demanded !

Must say that's a really neat and original Omni day. Love the Bayer Blue paint and all the witty stickers you've got there. Heheh. Was a pleasure skimming through the thread. Wish you many happy miles with the van !

[sohanbala]

Wonderfully written, a first look at all the pictures brought back faint memories from our first Omni, the most striking part was the Autopal headlights, I still remember reading the letters out aloud.
The family must've been deeply connected to the car. Happy to see it ended up in good hands.

[null]

Wow. Pretty well maintained car that. We had a 1989 model once upon a time & we did have our quota of fun with it - it was a fun to drive car/van . I used to love its seating / driving position (even though it is risky) and it was great for city driving and had adequate space for everyone and everything!

The main grouse however was its engine position - below your seat. And, in summers, you can guess how one felt when driving it.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by funkykar

Legendary Maruti Omni in my life!

Some fond memories. But in today's perspective, probably the most unsafe car one can be in.

Drive safe.

[Cooltronics]

This is one excellent acquisition I would say and heartfelt thanks to the first owner to have maintained it so well
Having myself a similar period M800 (SB-308) from day one and seeing it being the daily workhorse for the first 20 years, its unbelievable to see that the Omi has zero paint or touch up work after 31 years.

I personally also have a fond association with exactly same model and color car, it adorned the garage adjacent to us and luckily still survives but not in the way I would want it to be.
I will share more pics as soon as I find them

[Kuldeep31]

Excellent account of the acquisition Karthik and Arun. Getting a stock Omni of 33 years is a challenge and getting a stock one with original paint and stickers is really what I call a providential one. Glad that the blue lady is in safe hands. More happy to see it deployed in this pandemic.
On a different note, what Omnis serve to potential buyers with a budget of 1- 1.5 lakhs (equivalent to the o.r.p of a 150cc bike now)? Immense practicality and more importantly an engagement with the vehicle. Safety aspects notwithstanding this is a buy that has very little cons if one needs a handy tool for moderate commuting. Wishing you many happy miles with this beauty.
Regards

[W.A.G.7]

What a beautiful van, and what an exciting ownership report! The car looks very clean for its age. And the best part that I like about all this; is that, even after 30+ years, you still get spare parts for the car from Maruti! Safety-wise it's dead, but otherwise, this car is so reliable and mechanically simple that you will be able to eke out 2 lac plus kilometres easily from this car!

All the best for managing to get a really clean example! Enjoy many journeys and many kilometres with this car!

[Shubham_Mclaren]

Big congratulations for the Omni and thanks for putting your experience down so beautifully.

If I may speak for those born in the other side of the century, it is impossible not to have had an Omni experience in one's life. Right you are with all your observations, and I can clearly substantiate with my personal Omni experiences of:

• Being ferried to school

• Sitting on the floor when the family decides to move around together in a relative's Omni

• A kidnapping (no kidding - I grew up in a notorious place and have witnessed one such unfortunate incident)

• (When I grew up a bit) The unique drive experience of an Omni: the view of the road, steering column between the pedals and the rear wheel drive.

From your 407 adventures to the Omni now, I'm a fan of your life experiences. All the best and looking forward to more miles and stories!

[Liverpool]

Man, you really made me nostalgic. The write-up, the pictures, the car everything is just perfect. My old man bought the same model way back in May '88. I was in 2nd standard then. she was beige in color ( sorry don't remember the exact color). Dad being a mechanical engineer knew how to take good care of the engine. He used to take me to the service station. I remember he used to tell me " take care of your machine and it will take care of you" and how it is still true.
I practically learned everything about cars on her. cleaning the air filter, about carbs, clutch, rear differential, prop shaft (drive shaft)
even though the engine was the same as the M800, the state of tune was different. The Omni made more torque hence more pulling power.
There are few places where you can find the 'Made in Japan' stamps. The carb surely would be Mikuni and proudly marked as made in Japan, the rubber boot on top of the steering joint would have the same.
happy and safe driving buddy. you surely took me back in time.

[funkykar]

Originally Posted by GTO

What an incredible story, and what an incredible report . Both you guys are like saviors of iconic cars & 2-wheelers from the 60s - 80s. Some questions please.

Thanks for beautifying our homepage . In these brutal Covid lockdown times, this is something that can make one smile:

Extremely happy to see this on the home page. Don't know how, but many of my friends saw this thread appear on their Google feed and 10s of them messaged me personally.

When me, Arun1100 or Chethan acquires any classic, it belongs to all 3 of us. Each is free to use any of the vehicles at any time. We trust each other that we take good care of them. Also, it so happens we 3 are together on most of the classic indulgences.

For your questions, answering behalf of we 3:

1. Where do you & your friends park all of these beauties you buy?
Answer: I have a few parked at my home. Few at the office, few keep rotating between myself, Arun and Chethan. All 3 of us take care of most vehicles.

2. Do your families also enjoy them?
Answer: Absolutely. Classic Fiats are most loved. Surprisingly they are loving the OMNI for its spaciousness. My 4 yr old daughter loves all of the scooters, especially ones that have a basket in front. We friends are almost like family now and most gatherings/outings we end up being together. Must say at times, our spouses do get mad at us

3. Which car is your favorite from the long list of acquisitions?
Answer: Of the acquisition, one of the favorites is the 1960 Ambassador Mark 1, the Suvega I recently restored and a couple of Bajaj Chetaks.

Out of what we already owned as new, my favourite is my RX 135, now quite classic and Arun's 1990 Padmini.

4. Do you also own modern cars, or not interested at all?
Answer: Owned at least 2-3 modern cars. I keep refreshing them. Have stuck to Fiats mostly and have a Fiat Linea MJD and an Abarth for having fun once in a while. The fun part is between our close friends there are options like the Fiesta 1.6 Classic, and a couple of TJets we keep swapping.

5. How do you take the time out to maintain them?
Answer: Most of our vehicles are in excellent shape and have been reasonably trouble-free. Just by the large number of them, we so put aside some time for maintenance. We enjoy this process also. For some alcohol/nicotine is the addiction, for us, it's these classics . Just during this pandemic, I have restored an M80, 2 Bajaj Priya's, 1 1967 Vespa (Thread in the making). 1 Bajaj Chetak is being restored and 1 more M80 in the pipeline.

To sum up our lives, we have managed to exactly what your signature says 'Make your life such that you don't need a vacation from it...'

[W.A.G.7]

I forgot to ask a few things. The van being 31 years old, has it been re-registered? The number is still the original one. How long does the RTO allow such vehicles on the road? Do they charge additional taxes, as the engine is definitely not BS6 compliant?

[Merc_Freak]

This brings back so many fond memories because my dad used to own one in the mid 80’s. I believe it was called the Maruti van back then. It was a cheap, no frills car that got you from point A to B without fuss. But boy did it feel scary at high speeds !