Used Maruti 800- still the people’s car

What does it imply when you invoke the name of Maruti? Trust, Reliability, Assurance, safety and the list goes on and on and on. Maruti has been rightly nick named “The people’s company”. This was precisely the love and affection of the millions of Indian across the country which made this car an icon of its era. It is the car which made India truly mobile and hence it is a good second hand purchase. It was never been a Herculean task to locate a Maruti 800, as it has been with us for far too long and is still popular, cheap to run and buy. Even a used Maruti 800 hold its value relatively well. The reason being, the insatiate demand for the vehicle. The car had recently seen a face-lift so one can expect the prices of a second hand Maruti 800 to drop marginally. This is certainly a better time to lay your hands on this car, if you are looking to graduate from your motor cycle or for your everyday chores. The only difficult task at hand would be the decision to zero in on a particular model to look for. All cars belonging to the Pre-1990 era came with a heavy dose of Japanese components, and now are available at throwaway prices, but the only problem pertaining to such cars is the scarce spares and its cost. A Post-1997 car would certainly be a good bet, especially if you can get hold of a, MPFi-engined , five-speed car, which Maruti shortly discontinued. The said car had monocoque chassis that translated in the suspension, engine and gearbox being mounted over the frame. Thus checking for damages to the chassis and car’s body becomes very much important. It is not a rocket science to find out the damages due to a mishap, as it is highlighted on the 800’s body very easily.

The first chore while inspecting a used Maruti 800 is to put the car on a ramp and inspect the apron and the cross-member in the front to see if they show signs of rusting. And if you find it so, be rest assured that the vehicle has been involved in mishap, and a welding job has been performed on it. This has a tendency to erode very soon and will take a lot of your attention from time to time. For instance, front apron for each side bills you around Rs 8000.

One must check the underbody for signs of folds and kinks near the rear and front. Any indications of these implies that the car was in a rear or front end shunt. Also inspect if the C-pillar and A-pillar in them have folded, and in case you manage to notice any kinks on the surface of the roof, it is a guaranteed case of car crash. Hence, as a cardinal rule one must keep away from such cars. The arm of the suspension in the front is very damage prone. One way to check its health is to observe the position of the wheel. If the wheel is not uncentered in the well, and is a tad closer to the arcin the rear, it means that the arm is in a damaged state. Rusting of the body is a common phenomenon near the sea-side, and also translates that the car may be left at the mercy of the rain gods. Also check the wiper spindle on the driver’s side, as this collects a lot of moisture and debris, and rusts. Move the spindle while lifting the wiper blade. If it shows movement, corrosion has taken place and it would be expensive to refurbish it. Another favorite area of rusting is under the doors and beneath the carpet. Collection of water in between the space of the door results in the corrosion of the door sills. The mechanical aspect of the used Maruti 800 is straightforward and very simple and is generally free of trouble. The Maruti 800 engine can withstand a mileage of 80,000 km without needing any particular attention, provided the car is maintained properly. Check the Carb for shape in early carbureted models. Circuits inside the aluminium of the Carb are usually destroyed by bad fuel quality. A new one is billed for Rs 7,000. Generally the clutch last for a good 30,000 km, but wears out prior to this mark if driven rashly.

While you are on a test drive of a second hand Maruti 800 you are planning to buy, see if there is judder when starting from halt in the first gear. CV joints and Drive shafts are prone to wearing. Drive forward and maneuver the wheels to both sides. If you notice a noise of a knocking, it implies that the driving shaft has surpassed its utility and will bill you around Rs 2,800 to get a new.

Used Maruti 800s that have clocked greater than 40,000 km need to inspect their brakes, steering and suspensions checked. Post-1997, the model was equipped, at the rear, with suspension of coil spring. But in case you are opting for a leaf spring suspension, check if the parabolic spring has broken or sagging, overloading is the real culprit in these cases. If not so than the only thing that needs to be done is the little job of the stabilizer bushes, which needed to be replaced at 20,000 km.  Meddling with odometer of a second hand Maruti 800 is a child’s play. So it becomes imperative on your part to check for the authenticity of the mileage. Another way of ascertaining, if the odometer is tampered with, is cross-checking the reading on the meter with the date of tyre’s manufacturing.

A considerable number of used Maruti 800 has gone through rough times, due to the attribute that it comes with i.e. cheap. This results in the manhandling of the car by most users, which they would not prefer with other cars. If at all you have happen to ever witnessed a Maruti 800 carrying 10 person or loaded to its hilt with goods, you might get an idea what we meant by it. But nevertheless it is sturdy and reliable car that can gracefully take a hell lot of bad abuses, also repairs are inexpensive. So in case you happen to come across a second hand Maruti 800 in good shape, take it to an authorized Maruti work shop. Give it a thought and find out the repairing cost for the same, and if at all it is still appealing, take it. A more convenient way of ascertaining this is to visit the used car dealership of Maruti the True Value showroom. Reselling of Used Maruti 800 is done after they go from a series of detailed check-ups. The cars in the True Value dealership will be a tad pricier, but it definitely comes along with a mental-peace warranty card attached to it. The used Maruti 800 price from the 2004 batch would be Rs 1.3 lakhs and upwards whereas an older one would go anywhere from Rs 40,000  to Rs 60,000 .