20-Year-Old Hyundai Santro Restored To 'Factory Fresh' Condition (Video)
Buying an old car at a throwaway price and restoring it to a new-like condition is a dream for many. The love for a particular model or budget constraints may make you take this route. It is also a smart way to own a car without spending big money. A recent video shared on the Youtube channel Vandipranthan shows how an owner brought a 21-year-old Hyundai Santro back to life through smart spending and careful restoration. The car even has a custom paint job now.
The car here is a 2004 Santro Xing, from Kerala’s Kochi. The owner bought it last year for Rs 40,000. He was quite excited about the restoration project and also wanted to keep costs under check. He did the custom paint job in his backyard, using rented machines. The overall paint finish is great. Taking the DIY (Do It Yourself) route enabled the owner to keep the cost of painting under Rs 50,000. He ended up spending around Rs 35,000 for the paint job.
The car now has a dual-tone Pista Green-Black colour scheme. Touches of Green can even be found on the Steel wheels. The headlamps were both replaced. Each one had a price of Rs 2000. Fog lamp replacements cost Rs 900 each. The original grille has been reconditioned and wipers replaced. The car now has a Maruti-sourced antenna, placed toward the rear end. The stock Santro Xing’s antenna used to sit toward the front. Each of the two tail lamps had a price of Rs 750.
The spoiler and high-mounted stop lamp were reconditioned. The rear bumper now has parking sensors. Finally, new tyres were installed on the car. The car reportedly had heavy rust when it first arrived, and the owner had to work extensively to remove it.
Changes can also be seen inside the cabin. The seats have been re-upholstered. The front row now has bucket seats, which are quite comfortable and supportive. The power window buttons have been replaced. The headliner is new as well. A central locking system and music system have also been installed. The rear seat has been reupholstered.
Over Rs 1 lakh was spent in restoring this car, in addition to the vehicle cost. This also includes the charges for its fitness test. The owner had to pay around Rs 15,000. The total cost in this case, was Rs 1.40 lakh. In 2025, a good motorcycle would cost more! The host even says that they could have done the restoration at a lower price, if they wanted to.
On the mechanical front, the engine oil has been replaced, and a few other works have been done. The pipes under the hood have also been replaced. The engine bay looks clean and well painted. The bonnet doesn’t have insulating padding underneath it. The Santro Xing used to come with hydraulic power steering.
The engine in this case is a 1086cc, four-cylinder petrol (Epsilon) engine. This unit used to produce around 62 hp and came mated with a five-speed manual transmission. This engine doesn’t have a strong reputation for being fuel-efficient. The host says that it is possible to do legal CNG conversions on later models. Doing the same is difficult on the 2004 model.
According to the host, the car has been restored so well that it should run trouble-free for at least the next five years with basic care. Considering today’s car prices, even buying it for around Rs 2 lakh would still make sense for many.