Esteem VXi '05 - My New Ride!! Update: 16 Months & 24,000km of my ownership (ODO@60k)

[Venom_rider]

THANK YOU Team-BHP, TO HAVE HELPED ME FIND MY RIDE... REALLY GLAD THAT I AM PART OF THIS AMAZING COMMUNITY

MODS: Would like to keep this thread here as wish to keep updating it.

It has been over 10 months now since I have been without a ride... I totaled my Santro XG in an accident that happened in January this year . The Santro was the first car i had bought with my own hard earned money and it hurt like crazy to see my baby being towed away to destruction. It was disastrous to say the least & at that time I wasn't even sure if I'd recover from the mental trauma. Nobody was hurt in the accident that happened (thanks to the seat belts), the whole impact was taken by the car. Santro had proved its safety! Anyways lets leave that sob story behind...

I started to look for second hand entry leven sedans in B'lore after about 6 months. I had short listed Ikon 1.6 , Opel Corsa 1.6 & Esteem, I quickly dropped the idea of picking the Corsa as I relealized that service and finding parts would be very very difficult. Let me tell you this... finding an Ikon is lot more easier than finding an Esteem in B'lore, not sure of the reason though. Most Ikons in the market are not well kept & doesn't have clean history. The few good ones are exorbitantly priced, for ex. '05 non NXT model is above 4 Lakhs!!!!

Then I stumbled on this thread... <Esteem Sale Link> Me thinks... I should give it a shot. PMed Pradeep for price, received a response & to my delight the price is within my budget. Wifey and I go check the car & really really happy to see that the car is in excellent condition. We do a quick test drive for about 4-5 kms, do basic checks inside and outside the car... EVERYTHING SEEMS NORMAL (Me Jumping in joy now). To be honest I am yet to come across a car in such good condition for the mileage (37K). I speak to Pradeep & tell him that I will certainly pick the car up... He refused any sort of advance money & told me that he will keep the car for us till the loan is processed (Nice Guy).

Finally picked the car on 25th after a long drawn loan application process at 9 in the night after he came back from work, YES... I couldn't wait even for a day after I received the cheque.
I've driven the car for about 50 kms and here is what I've noticed so far...

PRO's... specific to this car & generic feedback on esteem as well

1) Amazing engine, really peppy & she is happy being revved around.

2) Love the driving position.

3) Easy on your pockets due to better FE & maintaince costs.

4) I personally like the looks of the latest Esteem over an Ikon, especially the front end (NXT is good looking though).

5) Tyres... Over 30% of thread left. Can be driven for another 10K atleast.

6) Interiors are well really kept. Just a bit of cleaning required.

7) I like the suspension, pretty smooth and takes care of marginally bad patches pretty well.

8) Pretty powerful Air Con... Atleast for the climate in B'lore.

9) A pleasure drive on the highways.

CONs... I was aware of it and ready to live with it or fix it based on what the issue is as the PROs is much much more than these here.

1) Low end torque is sad, need to shift gears frequently to compensate. Frankly Santro was much easier to drive in the city.

2) JK Tyres S**KS, the tyres noise is tooo much, with AC on and no music playing it gets really annoying.

3) The RHS ORVM is slightly broken... I shouldn't be opening it and closing to often, till I get it replaced.

4) The front bumper is also broken on the left end.

5) The rattles in-cabin are also annoying, again Santro was better. (Need suggestions to get rid of this please)

6) Gear box notchy (Again, Need suggestions to get rid of this as well)
Planning to get the car serviced by the next week... will keep you guys posted.

I am really excited about my purchase & looking forward to a smooth affair...

Cheers!
Goutham

[vkochar]

NIce review there mate !! Esteem has always been a great car, no wonder it has been selling in different trims / variants for over a decade now !!

Please change to Michelins when you go for a rubber change. They are far better than JK's.

Interiors Rattling - Get these checked at Service Station - I had an esteem a few yrs back, kept it for 3 years, I never had problem with Interiors. SO maybe it s a few loose nuts.

All in all a great car !! Cheers !!

[Venom_rider]

Originally Posted by vkochar

NIce review there mate !! Esteem has always been a great car, no wonder it has been selling in different trims / variants for over a decade now !!

Please change to Michelins when you go for a rubber change. They are far better than JK's.

Interiors Rattling - Get these checked at Service Station - I had an esteem a few yrs back, kept it for 3 years, I never had problem with Interiors. SO maybe it s a few loose nuts.

All in all a great car !! Cheers !!

Thanks Buddy! Will certainly be going for a change in rubber ASAP.

Getting it to Bimal in another couple of days... Hopefully the rattle issue is fixed.

Any idea about the gear shift, esp. the 1 & 5 doesn't seem to slot properly...

[kjdesigns_2000]

The first option should be going to a good A.S.S in your area. Make sure other than the service the issues you mention are fixed properly. the gear slots and all and many other issues which probably you havent even noticed would be discussed there.

I upgraded my rubber to Bridgestone Tuiranza and feel it is very nice, no noise and good looks

[nitrous]

Congratulations on the purchase.

Originally Posted by venom

1) Low end torque is sad, need to shift gears frequently to compensate. Frankly Santro was much easier to drive in the city.

A 4x2x1 headers+freeflow exhaust will fix this.

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by Venom_rider

Any idea about the gear shift, esp. the 1 & 5 doesn't seem to slot properly...

No Idea there mate !! I am not a Technical person on Cars !! Though I never had a problem in placing the gears, Reverse gear was always a problem - but then it is in many cars.

But I am sure once you get the car serviced - should be sorted out. Else senior members here can certainly help you out. Cheers !!

[itszain]

Congrats man !!!... Esteem is superb car which meets indian standard conditions and will satisfy the owner if well maintained. We had an esteem for 5 years and FE was awesome. We also added a LPG kit in initial 1-2 years. Rattling is a common problem in these cars and needs to be attended once in 6 months.

[esteem_lover]

Congrats on making a good choice. I am sure you will have many fleeting moments with that car.

Originally Posted by nitrous

Congratulations on the purchase.

A 4x2x1 headers+freeflow exhaust will fix this.

Absolutely agree to that.

[Raps]

Congrats buddy,

Really a nice review,
I am happy that the car is with the right guy, who will take care of her.

Happy driving.

Cheers,
Pradeep

[rocksterraghu]

Venom, that's an excellent write-up. You've covered almost every aspect of your purchase process, haven't ya?

Esteem is a great car and I'm sure you'll enjoy owning it!

Cheers and happy driving!

[naughtyfaction]

Originally Posted by Venom_rider

Nobody was hurt in the accident that happened (thanks to the seat belts), the whole impact was taken by the car. Santro had proved its safety! Anyways lets leave that sob story behind...

Nice to hear that. I have recently got a Santro. Congrats on your new car. My friend has esteem and we had some great trips in that car..

[rks]

Originally Posted by nitrous

A 4x2x1 headers+freeflow exhaust will fix this.

I am sure it will, but one should keep in mind that in certain cities like Mumbai the police are targetting people with free flow exhausts and fining them. I think it could happen in Bangalore too. So if freeflow is installed, at the very least care should be taken to minimize noise, to avoid attracting the attention of police.

[Venom_rider]

@itszain, esteem_lover, Pradeep, rocksterraghu... Thank you so much for your wishes guys.

@Nitrous... Thanks for the suggestion. The thought has ran through my mind a few times now... With K&N Stock replacement or Conical and a FFE, I am sure the car will ROCK!!! Need sometime on getting those done though... Will get there

[rr_zen]

Congrats on your great purchase mate ! You will never regret your decision. The Esteem is for sure a reliable car. Wishing you many many happy miles and smiles on it.

Before you do anything to your car, get those shoddy JKs out. You will notice a world of difference.

[Venom_rider]

@naughtyfaction - Yes, Santro is indeed a great small car. The crumple zones are effective. Very reliable... had some great drives in that car, all of them were completely event-free.

@rr_zen - Thanks for your wishes