The Maruti Alto 800 is the volume driver of the Indian car market. It is by far the most successful and widely sold car model with sales of over 40 lakh units till date. An affordable,practical, fuel efficient car that can be driven and parked anywhere in the city with the minimum of fuss. It is therefore common to find it on the secondhand market. You are in the market to buy a used Maruti Alto 800 but you need to find the best one available for your needs. Resale prices vary depending on the condition, year of manufacture and mileage covered among other factors.Let us help you out by telling you what to look for and what pitfalls to avoid.
Pre-Owned Maruti Alto 800 Generations
The Maruti Alto 800 was launched way back in 2004. There are three generations of the car till date. You would be best advised to buy a car not older than 2010.
First Generation
The Maruti Alto 800 was launched as the successor to the hugely popular and successful M800. It built on all the advantages of it and came with power steering, power braking along with a fifth gear as well. It had a purely cosmetic upgrade in 2008 getting features like clear headlamps and new digital instrument cluster.
Second generation
The second Generation of the Maruti Alto 800 was launched in 2012. It used the same platform and wheelbase as the last but was higher and the body was completely redone giving more space in the interior. The engine, while remaining the same, was tweaked to provide more power, torque and fuel efficiency. Features like powered front windows were added among others. A fun fact is that the price of the car actually went down compared to the previous model. In 2016, the car received a purely cosmetic upgrade getting a new dashboard, new colour schemes, new music system and upholstery. The second facelift in 2019 was a cosmetic exercise revising interior and exterior. However features like keyless entry and central locking were introduced on top models. The headline was a new BSVI engine with safety features like airbags made standard across all variants.
Third generation
The third generation of the Maruti Alto 800 was launched in 2022 on Suzuki’s all new HEARTECT platform. It refreshed the car with an all new design while upgrading the cabin to give a more premium feeling. Fuel economy especially with the CNG version is where the car delivers big.
What to check on a used Maruti Alto 800 before buying
The Maruti Alto 800 is a common car to find in any used car market across India. It is important to keep the following points in mind when evaluating any Alto 800 before buying.
Odometer Reading
You will find Maruti Alto 800s in the market that have been driven and maintained for well over ten years. This is because it’s a sturdy, dependable and reliable vehicle that withstands the test of time. Across the length and breadth of India, you will find the workhorse Maruti 800 Alto has been known to cross the one lakh km mark and still perform what’s asked of it with admirable elan.
When considering a Maruti Alto 800, check out the number of kilometres the car has travelled. You can get a rough idea if the odometer reading is correct by observing the wear and tear in the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Checking the car’s service records is another great way to verify the odometer on an Maruti Alto 800 and ensure you don’t end up with a car with excessive kilometres on the odometer.
Service History
A Maruti Alto 800 does not drop in resale value over the years with older cars being priced similarly to newer ones. What then should differentiate them? Always go for a Maruti Alto 800 with a proven service history as your first preference. Have oil changes been carried out regularly? Have gearbox and tyre replacements been done on time. If the answer is yes, you can safely purchase an older Maruti Alto 800 knowing you have got a good deal. If you do not have access to a car’s history, look out for paint tones that do not match, welded bits or ill fitting panels that are pointers to a car’s accident status.
Overall, you can go for an older car over a younger model if the former has a meticulous service history and the latter does not. If all other things are equal, please purchase the recent model.
Engine Condition
The 0.8 litre engine used in the Maruti Alto 800 is tried and tested. It is very reliable and comes with hardly any problems to speak of. Having said that, do listen to the engine when you inspect the car. It should not have unnaturally high throttle sounds, or you should not be hearing any knocking. These could be pointers to bad fuel quality, ignition timing problems or faulty spark plugs. Even though the repairs to the engine are very cheap comparatively, you will need to factor that into an overall price if you decide to go ahead with the purchase. The engine oil and coolant should also be checked in order to get an idea of the car’s maintenance.
CNG Kit and Fitness Certificate
You do need to be careful of Alto CNG cars as well. The Maruti Alto 800 was offered with a factory-fitted kit, but there are owners who have fitted aftermarket CNG kits. In either case, it is important to check the CNG fitness certificate of the car. Another thing to remember: CNG is a dry fuel since it is gaseous providing nothing by way of lubrication to the engine. This has an adverse impact on the health of the engine. Ensuring that proper service and maintenance has been carried out on the car is an important step to take.
Gearbox
Maruti Alto 800 does tend to have clutch plate problems, with it getting burnt and the pressure plate needing replacement over time and usage. In fact the 2007 Maruti Alto 800 was given a silent recall by Maruti Suzuki to replace the defective clutch. While it is not a major expense to replace the clutch, it is an expense that should be considered when looking at a decently old used Maruti Alto 800.
Other Things to Check
Please bear in mind that the headings given above are specific problems related to the Maruti Alto 800. We would also urge you to go over the following points which will hold you in good stead, not only while purchasing a pre owned Maruti Alto 800, but would be applicable to other cars as well. A clear understanding would ensure that you would be the person to call should any of your friends or family require inputs on buying a second hand car.
- Please go over the vehicle papers carefully to verify important information like the engine number, chassis number, the number of owners before you, among others.
- The suspension can be checked while doing a test drive and you can notice the condition of the tyres as well.
- The Maruti Alto 800 does tend to rust, especially if you are near the sea, so please check the underbody and wheel arches out as well.
- The Maruti Alto 800 is an affordable car and the quality of interior parts used are in-line with the price. As such, you should inspect the functioning of the AC, switches, and knobs.
What are your choices if you come across any of the points above? Well, we would recommend walking away from the car if anything is wrong with the papers. If you observe any other problems, that should factor into the price you pay for the vehicle since you will, no doubt, be repairing the vehicle. A visit to a service centre or a trusted mechanic could give you an approximate figure of the costs involved. You can then decide to go in for the purchase of the pre owned Maruti Alto 800 knowing fully you have covered all the pain points that may arise and have paid the selling price accordingly.
Summary
The resale value of the Maruti Alto 800 is very high in the market. This is because it is the vehicle of choice for first time car buyers, people trying to learn or people who require a second or third car as a dependable city runabout to do errands in. Try to get a car that is around the five year mark. If you are going for something older try to purchase one that has less mileage on the odometer. You just need to ensure that you follow the checklist outlined above which will help you to land the best deal at an affordable price. This will ensure that your second hand Maruti Alto 800 can do everything you expected of it without extensive repairs or breakdowns.
