Alto 800 is one the longest production car in Maruti Suzuki’s protfolio. Suzuki decided to pull plugs from this model when transition to BS6 phase 2 as cost of upgrading the F8D engine would not have been that good of a financial decision for Maruti Suzuki. However this car is still available as an used option and sell in good numbers. It will be best suited for you if you’re the first time buyer who has recently learned to drive or you’re someone who is looking for that second car which will be easier to drive in the narrow places. Below are the reasons why it makes absolute sense to go for an used alto 800 –
1 – Low cost of ownership – It might be shocking for some of the people but maintaining an Alto 800 is actually cheaper than maintaining a medium segment bike. Service cost only costs around 2.5-3k Rupees per year with insurance costing around approximately 4-5k per year. Alto 800 hardly breaks down because of bullet proof reliable engine offered by Suzuki.
2 – Spare parts are widely available with dirt cheap prices – You can easily get spare parts of Alto 800 even in the villages and remote areas and these parts are literally dirt cheap for reference you can get pair of Alto 800 headlights only for around 3k INR. This makes owning an Alto even cheaper than the medium segment bikes.
3 – Great fuel economy – You can easily get a mileage of 20kmpl in city and 25-30 kmpl out on highways if you drive it with a light foot. The fuel economy of Alto can be compared to bullet 350. You can get even better fuel economy numbers if you decide to install CNG in the car.
4 – Easy and nimble to drive around – Dimensions of Alto 800 are really compact comparable to a Bajaj Auto, this makes it driving the Alto on narrow and busy roads really easy. 800 cc engine offered on this light weight car offers an agile performance.
5 – Priced at par with 150cc bikes – By spending 1.5-2 lakh you can get an used Alto, nowadays if you are wanting to get a decent 150cc bike you will have pay a similar amount as you would pay for an used Alto.
Conclusion – If you’re a first time car buyer or someone who needs a smaller car for day to day usage on narrow streets you can get an Alto with your eyes closed.