Zooming in mumbai style ----my car in Mumbai used ZEN from Maruti true value

Yes I bought a car in Mumbai two weeks back . So what ? So many people buy cars and that too new cars . Whats great about it or whats there to write about it . Actually there is ………..inspite of one of my girl cousin from Dubai telling me “ Auks it’s a stupid maruti “

So here it goes . Its two years in Mumbai for me and I never needed a car in Mumbai mainly because the taxi and auto service is too good . But recently the driver bug in me told me once in a while why don’t you drive don’t always sleep in the backseat . So I started thinking about buying a car just for the thrill of it . Maruti 800 or BMW 7 series .
Not only the budget but there were other factors to consider . In our native place we have huge impressive spoons to serve biriyani . Now think about someone trying to eat in a small bowl using that huge impressive spoon . Its impressive but not at all convenient . In a city where its almost a world record for number of cars per kilometer and where nobody gets impressed by a BMW (unlike kerala ) the choice is a small car .

Maruti 800 and alto was out from the race ( underpowered for me ) . Then there were the new age cars i10 and a star . Yes they were good choices . But then I thought why don’t buy a used car from maruti itself . They give a 1 year warranty and do a 120 point check on the car . All this for less than half the price of a new car . I had heard about zen and always thought what is great about this car which looks similar to a maruti 800 .

It was a shock to say the least . In my home at Trivandrum I have a maruti 800 on whose accelerator I have to stand to get it zooming . But this ZEN just by mild depression of the accelerator pedal flies . I have driven ford , accent, verna , santro and all but except for verna this was the best in 0-60 kmph performance . I think the almost 1000 cc engine and the high power to weight ratio are responsible for this . And with 60 bhp power to a weight of just 750 kgs its quite powerful . Even with the ac on pulling power is pretty good but with ac off this is a racing machine . The gearshift is extremely smooth and servo assisted brakes (no ABS however –front discs and rear drums ) are quite good .

Ok ---so this stingy fellow spent below 2 lac and bought a small racing car . Now where in this horrible traffic is he zooming . Worli –bandra sealink which is over the Arabian sea , western express high way , palm beach road are “the places “ where traffic is much less and also the regular roads in offpeak hours . Don’t know if its too less or more 420 kms in 5 days .

Before I finish some peculiar things about Mumbai traffic . Here at “some” red lights vehicles start moving and at green lights they stop. This happens because anticipating green light vehicles start moving towards end of red light itself . Sometimes this anticipatory movement becomes quite early so that you can see lot of cars “jumping the red light “ . Ok then what about vehicles stopping at green light . Simple ………..when the cars at the intersection are all jumping the red light if you are at the otherside do you dare to move even if its green light . This doesn’t always happen but ive seen it many times .

In kerala my native place even if by accident if a car grazes another car the parties will spend at least an hour fighting to prove who is at fault ( who discovered the word “accident “ . ----its always purposeful ) . In Mumbai unless someone gets injured hardly anyone fights over the dents which they produce on each other . Not only because they are busy but they are more sensible that at this much traffic a few dents are inevitable .

so next time any one gets stranded in mumbai remember my good old zen and call .............(at ur risk :))