I have lost count of the people who has asked me if I’m selling my car

BHPian jensjoseph recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I don’t intend this to be a full-fledged ownership review of the Maruti Suzuki Zen, but a brief record of my thoughts as an owner without having to cover all the aspects of car ownership.

How it all started?

About 10 years ago, I was in the market for a car. I wasn’t very specific about purchasing a new or used car at the time, but as I did my research, I was seriously looking at used cars. I didn’t even finalize the Zen as I was looking at sedans and hatchbacks alike. And I finally purchased a used Zen in June 2012 and it has been with me ever since.

What I love about the Zen and what I don't?

It’s a small car. It can fit in a tiny parking space where most larger hatchbacks can or don’t. While that’s a good thing, the small size is its downside. It's got lower legroom and smaller boot space. When I drive home to Kerala, I travel with enough luggage for a week, but I return with literally half a house. Every. Single. Time.

Notes and Rants:

1. As I drove home the car after paying the amount in full and signing all documents in June 2012, I told myself that I’ll purchase a sedan in 5 years’ time. Yet, here I am with the Zen after nearly 11 years.
2. In my apartment complex, the Zen is the oldest car. The next oldest one is an Esteem manufactured in May 2005.
3. In the 10 years of ownership, I’ve driven about 55,000 kilometres. The odometer reading now stands at 88,500 kilometres as I drive much less due to the Covid situation.
4. One specific gentleman who is part of security keeps nudging me to buy a new car. When he sees me he says, ‘Apartment 101 brought a Verna’, ‘Apartment 306 brought an XUV500’, ‘Apartment 318 brought an i20’ and so on. I smile back at him as I don’t think I’ll buy a new car anytime soon, given my current usage.
5. On 2 separate highway drives, I’ve noticed how owners of bigger cars felt insulted or insecure if I overtook them with the Zen. I wasn’t fast by any means; there were 2-3 adults with me, there was luggage in the boot and I happen to overtake them when they were slow or slowing down. My mother-in-law once remarked that my car may not be big and fast, but it sure is an ego-killer.
6. A month after I brought the car, I drove with it to the office at least twice a week. On the days I went in my car, I noticed that colleagues would turn up at the office earlier than usual. I usually reached the office early, between 8 and 8.15 am. Colleagues who wouldn’t reach the office before 10.30 am used to be in the office between 9 and 9.30 am. I noticed this pattern for about a month or so and then things went back to normal: I would be the only person in the office other than the security personnel till about 10 am or 10.30 am or so when my colleagues started coming to work. It turned out that the MD of the company had a Zen: it was the same colour as mine and my Zen was mistaken for his. Someone figured out the difference between the MD’s Zen and mine (other than the registration): mine had alloy wheels and leather seat covers. The MD’s Zen had steel wheels and fabric seat covers.
7. The most I’ve driven the Zen on an everyday basis was when my wife and I were expecting our babies. Other than this, it was driven every Sunday to church and almost every Saturday to get groceries.
8. I’ve driven other cars and I’ve noticed that there’s very little in the Zen that draws your attention; which means I tend to enjoy the drive much more.
9. I’ve gotten the ‘You’re-a-senior-engineer-now-and-you-still-drive-that-car?’ look many, many times. I’ve been asked the same question many times too. The question used to irk me initially but now I simply say ‘Yes’. That answer doesn’t seem to have a good comeback from the questioner.
10. Once, I got back home after running some errands and as I parked the car, a tall gentleman with a toddler in his arms approached me. He nodded, smiled and wished me ‘Good morning. And I responded in the same manner. The next sentence surprised me. He didn’t introduce himself; instead, he asked me if I knew what the biggest regret in his life was. I said no, and he said he was selling his Zen a few years ago.
11. I had to get a notary attestation in 2021 and just for a single signature and a seal, I spent nearly 1.5 hours at the public notary’s house. Why 1.5 hours? Why at his house? Because the notary was a friend of my brother-in-law and they spent time chatting since they hadn’t met since the beginning of the pandemic. When I finally got the attestation and drove back home, I told my brother-in-law that I wasn’t there when God was passing out patience. Yet, it is ironic that I have been patient and brushed off the itch to get a new car for so long.
12. Servicing is done at every 10,000 km mark and it's headed for it 90,000 km service before the end of the year. The servicing cost is fairly on par with other cars and I go by the principle that ‘If you take care of the car, it will take care of you.
13. The bullying bothers me a bit. Some people have this itch to bully and it shows up very often when I drive. I can understand buses and bigger commercial vehicles wanting to bully but what gets to me is when say a Hyundai Eon does it. Or a Santro. In such instances, I let them pass and wish them in my mind with ‘I hope you have the day you deserve’.
14. The tires were upsized from 145/70 R13 to 155/65 R13 and made for a better grip with minimal loss of mileage.
15. Speaking of mileage, I get about 22-24 km/l on the highways and about 14-15 in Bangalore city.

Selling it?

I don’t have an answer to this question. Maybe I might, maybe I won't. I have lost count of the people who has asked me if I’m selling my car but here are the ones I remember:

1. The first HR manager at my company in 2012 asked if I’m selling it nearly 3 weeks after I brought it.
2. The second HR manager at my company asked if I’m selling it as she preferred a small car. She now drives an automatic i10.
3. Once the a/c condenser had to be replaced and I drove it to a workshop after Gunjur, Bangalore as they had the OEM parts. The service manager there asked me if I’m selling it.
4. On the same day I went to get the a/c condenser replaced, I had to get a certain part welded. I drove with the a/c technician to a nearby welding shop and someone there asked me if I’m selling it.
5. Once I had to drop a relative at Cochin airport for an early morning flight. I got back home by around 6.30 am and told my wife I’m going to bed and don’t bother waking me up; i.e. I’ll get up when I can and I’ll have what seemed appropriate at the time, maybe a late breakfast or lunch. My wife woke me up at 10 am and told me there were two people outside to see me. I stepped out and saw two people, one of them is a service technician at Yamaha Motors and I recognize him from the uniform. He said he saw the Zen and brought his friend who wanted to purchase it. I turned down the offer.
6. In March 2020, while I was getting the Zen serviced at Bimal Maruti in Mahadevapura, one of the technicians offered to buy it for Rs. 80,000. I turned down the offer.
7. When returning from Kerala in January 2022, I stopped to refuel in Gundlupete, Karnataka. There was a family in a larger car and one person from the car came over and inquired if the paint is the original one. I replied in the affirmative, and then he asked if I'm interested in selling the car. Like always, I turned down the offer.

When I head home for the holidays, I rent cars. Thus far, I’ve rented and driven the Maruti Suzuki A-Star, Alto 800, Alto K-10, Ford Ecosport, Hyundai i10, Grand i10, Tata Indica, Indigo and most recently the Nissan Micra. These cars are so good to the point that when I come home and drive the Zen, I get suspicious: I feel like someone stole a nut or a screw from the car because the steering and the clutch are so light. But then I realize I’ve been driving another car for the last week or the last 10 days and there’s a certain simplicity in the Zen that few other cars have or can match.

And here she is in all her glory...

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

This is a lovely and heartwarming story.

Evidently you, like many of us, love these old cars.

If I were you, I would keep it.

It's a lovely car.

Incidentally yesterday I saw a beautifully kept Yellow Zen of the 1990s vintage in Lavelle Road. And this morning on my walk I saw a lovely silvery beige one of the early 2000’s vintage on one of the nearby streets.

You should join the Old Maruti Club of Bangalore.

And you should also ask the Esteem owner to do so.

All the best with that modern classic Zen of yours. It still is a head-turner for sure!

Here's what BHPian Rajeevraj had to say on the matter:

Very nice update. I used to have a Zen from 2007 to 2011. It was a 2003/4 model similar to this one. Lovely little car. The main reason for changing it was the small boot which made it impossible for me to manage the Kerala trips as you mentioned.

Not surprised that you are able to easily keep up and overtake modern cars. The Zen was a simple no-nonsense, absolutely fun-to-drive car. This is why even today so many people are behind you for buying it.

You should hold on to it even when you upgrade. Wish you many more miles of happy ownership.

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Fuel efficiency figures of the Zen was around 17 km/l for the entire journey.

BHPian BeemerBug_06 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I just completed another 250 km drive last Sunday with 1513 and must say that it was smooth and flawless. Since, it had been a while since the previous long drive I did in May, a couple of friends and I decided to make use of the free time we had and drive up to Khandala. The weather in the morning was nice and breezy, driving along the expressway with the windows down whilst fresh air filled the cabin was pure bliss.

As we climbed up the ghat, the weather became even cooler. On reaching Lonavala, the roads and surroundings were swallowed by a thick layer of fog. I must admit the fog did make me feel a bit vulnerable in the Zen considering I couldn't see much at all and cars and people from the opposite direction seemed to be appearing and disappearing in thin air. Nonetheless, we completed the drive up to Khandala easily and safely. As for the car, it showed no signs of trouble and threw no tantrums. It climbed up the ghats and twisties rather flawlessly without me having to downshift constantly. I suppose that is the new carburettor and correct tuning work doing its job there.

The roads were still good barring a few spots that were riddled with potholes and were a challenge to cross. The descent from Khandala was even more fun and it was an absolute hoot driving the car along the twisties and then back onto the expressway. The heavy steering paired with the tyres made driving down all the more enjoyable and involving.

As for the fuel economy, I managed to churn out at the end of the journey post calculation, it turned out that I had received 17 km/litre. I suppose that is a good figure and am impressed with it. Do note that I drove more sedately this time around, mainly cruised along in 5th gear and AC usage was minimal due to the pleasant weather.

The drive was enjoyable and it genuinely felt good to get away for a bit. Of course, what better source of Nirvana for an enthusiast than to get behind the wheel of a car with empty roads in sight?

Onwards and upwards from here to many more such drives

Now for the pictures

A friend's recently acquired Alto 1.1 which joined 1513 for the drive. This little one is another brilliant car.

And that's the end of a brilliant fun-filled 250km journey. To conclude, age is just a number for cars like these, enjoy them while you can!

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After the Zen reached home it became dad's daily driver since Ambassador and 800 was used by grandparents. The car ran miles and miles without a single hiccup.

BHPian Vinith7979 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Beginning

Hello BHPians hope everyone is doing well and this is my long term ownership review and restoration of my 1999 Maruti Suzuki Zen Classic.

The Selection Process

Back in 1997 we had an Ambassador Diesel with Isuzu engine,Maruti 800 and Zen MH410.In 1999 my dad wanted to upgrade the zen by the time the car had completed 40k kms.

Cars Shortlisted

1. Fiat Uno.

2. Maruti Suzuki Zen Classic.

Dad actually booked the uno and due to the long waiting period,he cancelled it and left with no other options he choose the Zen again but this time the zen classic.

Workhorse

After the classic reached home it became dads daily driver since Ambassador and 800 was used by grandparents. The car ran miles and miles without a single hiccup. Dad single handedly drove the car for 175k kms.

The Zen

Yes you all may think this is a VX, actually around 1lakh km mark the front bumper got damaged and the ASC said that the classic grills are imported from japan and hard to find so better go for the VX grills so the car was fitted with VX kits. I still feel atleast the rear lights could have been left with the classic's.

Restoration

Almost 20 years and the car was still running good, but the car started ageing the steel rims had little rust but the body was in pristine condition with minor Scratches.

In 2018 I decided to restore the car and dad agreed to do the same as we both have no idea of letting the car go. During the time the car had completed 232k kms.

Parts Replaced During Restoration

1. 2 Headlamps and parking lamps

2. 2 front indicators

3. New Side mirrors

4. 2 New tail lamps

5. Instrument cluster lights

6. 2 new front discs and pads

7. New drum brakes

8. Steel rims changed to Neo Alloys with yokohama earth 1 rubber.

9. New Seat Covers. stock seat is still clean and new as it was always with the covers on.

10. New roof liner

11. Pioneer audio with usb,aux and cd player. The stock kenwood casette player gave up after restoring the car.

12. Under body antirust coating.

13. The side door trims came with white cloth material, changed them to grey leather.

14. The engine and the power window motor was untouched.

15. Three new wiper blades including rear.

16. New Sun films with 50%.

17. New clutch plate and 5th gear teeth.

The Rear

Rear looks simple and elegant and yes it has rear wiper with washer.

The Side Profile

Notice the door handles and the orvm are body coloured,earlier they were black.

The Jelly Bean Design and the alloys looks matching to the cars design according to me.

The Alloy

155/65 R1

The Instrument Panel

Almost 242k done. Still gives a mileage of about 16 without A/c and 14 with A/c on.

The Dashboard

Simple and elegant with those wooden finishes [classic exclusive].

The Door Trim

Notice the new leather trim and power window switches for driver and passenger with lock function. [classic Exclusive].

The Engine

Carburetor engine with no problem till date, recently changed 4 new spark plugs and carburetor was cleaned, coolant flushed and added new.

The car still crosses 100 kmph easily.

Conclusion

Zen is one lovely car to own, i still enjoy driving it on the weekend. I also learnt to drive in this car, purely mechanical and the speakers are still the old ones which are pioneers and they work well till date.

The car is still being maintained at Maruti Asc and now its perfectly alright and the asc says the car is good for another 1 lakh kms.

The Zen is always a lucky charm for us so it will be in our garage forever

We still use the stock key and the spare key is untouched till date.

My suggestion is anyone who owns any car for more than 10 years try to keep it within your family as it posseses lots of old memories and will be a piece of history in future.

Thank You.

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It was high time and I was sure that she was going to Mayapuri to get scrapped within a few months, so I started the restoration.

BHPian yuv3447 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello guys! I’m Yuvraj from Gurgaon and I’m gonna talk about my 1999 Maruti Zen which I restored during lockdown. First let’s talk about it’s color. She’s still largely wearing her original velvet grey paint job, carbureted engine, no power steering and some chunky 13 inch rims.

Ok, so let’s talk about it’s life and how I restored her. So basically my father bought the car for Rs. 2.80 lakhs in 1999 from Maruti Suzuki Pasco located in Gurgaon, my father daily drove the car up until 2016-2017 and had clocked just about 1.24 lakh kilometers on the odometer with majority of its mechanical parts and paint still factory. In 2017 once we couldn’t insure it or get a fitness certificate for it (thanks NGT), we parked it away for some odd 4-5 years. The car was parked untouched for those years. It was high time and I was sure that she was going to Mayapuri to get scrapped within a few months, so I started the restoration. I will be talking more about the restoration after this post but for now I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Well! now that I have started a new thread I must add on to it... Lets talk about how I got her started. Firstly I tried charging the 7 year old battery whose brand I do not remember, that was a complete failure. I went to my local battery store and got a three wheeler battery for around 2200 bucks ( I tried keeping the budget tight, was a complete fail too) Once the battery was installed I checked the oil and coolant which were present and the oil was in BRAND NEW condition since it was changed the day it was parked so I didn't bother changing that.

Next up I added around 5 liters of fuel and tried starting the car, tried pressing the accelerator pedal and it went down but didn't come back up . Alright so I was a newbie when it came to carbs back then( we're talking about 1 year ago). I sprayed the accelerator lever with WD-40 and let it soak overnight, came back the next day and move the accelerator with a pair of pliers multiple times and eventually it broke free and was functioning as expected. I was a scared when it came to removing the carb back then, was like rocket science to me.

Now that all the fluids were sorted I put the key in and turned it to the ACC position and heard the fuel pump prime, tried cranking it and it made an AWFUL screeching noise. I let the starter stop completely and tried starting again, the car didn't start at all, kept cranking. Then I used an empty bottle of Colin, loaded that with petrol and sprayed it into the carb. car did start for a brief 2-3 seconds with a BIG puff of white smoke, I guess that is common for every abandoned car!

After that I decided to unbolt the fuel tank and when it was very rusted. Luckily non of the 4 bolts broke off. Though I did get a nasty cut and broke two wrenches, Eventually ended up buying a ratchet and socket set off Amazon for around 1500 bucks. So once all the bolts were loose I propped up two jacks under the fuel tank which I stole from my parents daily drivers.

Once the tank was out, I removed the float assembly and Fuel pump assembly I discovered nothing but rust. Next day I went to my local hardware store to buy 4 bottles of HCl, filled the tank with that and let it sit overnight, most of the rust was gone but flakes were still falling off on tapping the tank. I installed it with the old rusted float and a new pump unit(it messed up a lot of things later on). I then assembled the fuel tank and new lines and there was fuel. Then i tapped on the float bowl cover with pair of pliers to loosen the stuck carburetor fuel float. I did get the car to run but it died as soon as i pressed the gas pedal. eventually after a lot of tinkering I got it to move with the help of the choke and precise accelerator input. I don't think I've ever been happier!. After I got her running, I drove her to my main driveway for the first time in 5 years. She was looking very tired... Going to share some more pics now!

Next up I'll talk about the paint and its cosmetics.

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Thanks to BHPian saket77 for sharing this information with other enthusiasts! 

According to a media report, Maruti Suzuki is planning to revive the Zen brand with a sub-compact SUV, positioned below the Vitara Brezza. The report suggests that this could be a production version of the Concept Future-S, which was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo.

The Concept Future-S was created in-house by Maruti Suzuki in India and debuts a new design language. It has an upright front facia with white accents around the grille and headlamps. The front bumper has a silver scuff plate and twin vents on either side with white surrounds. The front windshield also has a white frame. The concept car has pillar-less doors and a gently sloping roofline that terminates into a raked rear windshield. The rear features a similar twin-U shaped light design as the front with white highlights. The rear bumper looks chunky and has a large silver skid plate. Further, the Concept Future-S gets cream colored interiors with orange accents and a 3-spoke steering wheel finished in orange. The black centre console houses a circular infotainment screen. 

Maruti hasn't disclosed any technical details about the Concept Future-S / Zen. However, media reports suggest that it could be based on the HEARTECT platform that underpins the new Swift. The car may be offered with a full-electric powertrain or a hybrid powertrain featuring a 1.2-litre, K-series petrol engine or a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine.

Source: Financial Express