My "new" pre-owned '05 Baleno VXi EDIT : Pics added

[shivshanker]

@proxima,

congrats on your buy mate, I am sure you will enjoy your ride. I own a similar 2005 VXI. The early 2005 did nto come with Climate control. I could be wrong but I read somewhere that late 2005 models did come with climate control and 14 in alloys. The thin multi poked variety.

do note, spares are EXPENSIVE, especially the pastics. The auto antenna is 3.5K in mumbai. The front Grill is 6.5K and so on, If I am not wrong the spoiler is 17K.

I have NGK Iridium with stock K&N replacement filters and she pulls like a dream.

Do let me know if you find any solution for the terrible rattling noise of the dash board.

Cheers

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by shivshanker

@proxima,

do note, spares are EXPENSIVE, especially the pastics. The auto antenna is 3.5K in mumbai. The front Grill is 6.5K and so on, If I am not wrong the spoiler is 17K.
Cheers

Barring the grille,the other two things you have mentioned are not spares actually,but are Accessories,and they cost the same for esteem ,esteem being undoubtedly one of the cheapest sedan to maintain,the spoiler of esteem vxi costs around the same at 16k bucks while the power antennae comes for exactly the same price , i.e. 3.5k
For a fair comparison of price of spares,kindly compare the prices of bumpers/fenders/headlights/other panels and also clutch plates/disc brake pads and other usual things with the likes of fiestas/NHC and u will realise how easy on the pocket the baleno is.

Regards.

Originally Posted by cherishk

The car has rattles for sure. He said that changing the beads will correct the problem, not sure how correct is that. Since it is second owned one he says that the first owner wasnt very careful with it.

Thanks for the info anyway. I have asked the owner to come to my place to show to a garage guy. Waiting for him to come. Lets see how it goes.

Ok,get the car checked and do keep us updated.Why don't u ask the seller to get the beads changed before selling the car?Even if increases the quoted price,atleast u wont have to go thru the trouble of getting it done yourself and also you will be satisfied before you buy the car that it was just an issue with the beads and nothing major.That way,not only will it be known that the seller was honest about the cause of rattles but u will also have a trouble and rattle free car once u buy it,with no immediate issues to be sorted out.

Regards.

[kc_gladys]

Guys need some quick advice
I have planning to buy Baleno Sep-2005 Lxi. Clocked 65K, color Pearl Silver & everything works perfectly. Brand new tyres. Asking price: 3.4L but I need to pay for insurance after two months.

Also presently I am in Canada & my family members are in Jaipur. They don't have any car driving experience. I have gone though this forum & found lot of info & suggestions.
Thanks
kc_gladys

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

first of all 3.4 lakhs for a 60k+ kms and lxi trimmed car is a bit on the higher side.
Secondly, there are a few things that need to be checked.
1)See if an ownership/service record has been maintained.This will let u know if the car has met a crius acident.If so,stay clear from the deal.
2)Whether the car has been thru minor impacts.especially at front,as bumper bracket for balenos costs a bomb.A misaligned bumper may give a clue.
3)Check if headlights have cracks at the mountings,plastic base.
4)Check signs of rusting at door sills,also check if the exhaust is in good shape,being a low clearence car,its quite easy to scrap the underbody.
5)Check strut mountings,irregularity in pillars/mismatched paint texture,all these are signs of accidents
6)The floor mats,upholstry wear away fast,check if they need replcmnts.
7)Also get the engine checked.as lpg fitted engines need a minor repair work at aroun 1 lakh kms.
8)Check the AC.balenos have one of the best ac units around,infact it was compared to merc s-class by overdrive once,take that with a grain of salt and see if the ac has decent cooling.
9)The car SHOULD NOT pull to one side when braking,see for vibrations thru steering at speeds above 100kmph.its a sporty car,and no vibrations shud be felt below atleast 10kmph.If there are signs of these two things,the culprit shud be as minor as wheel balancing/alignment to it being a refurbished/accidental car.

Also take a reputed mechanic along,he will be in a position to give a good comment on mechanicals after driving the car.

Regards.

to be very frank,unless u really want a lpg kit,kindly look for other (non-lpg) options as well,as wear and tear of lpg kitted cars is higher.U just need to be patient though,as used balenos are hard to find.The car was a flop initially and by the time it was being offered at a terrific price,the market had been killed for it.so the only people who bought it are people who really love it and thus dont want to sell it.The ones for sale are either 'accidental' cars or those which were bought by doctors/businessmen,more due to the comfort and AC of the car than its terrific performance and handling.If u an example of latter,u r lucky as these people wudn have ripped the car for performance unlike the performance freaks and enthusiasts


MODS:Kindly merge this post with the one i posted a few minutes back.Sorry for the trouble.

[kc_gladys]

Thanks a lot YC. I would certainly keep in mind all the advice & sugessions. I will share some more update info, after I get it from my brother in Jaiupr .
Thanks,
kc_gladys

[cherishk]

This question always haunts me when looking for second hand car - Car Age v/s kms on odometer. Since odometers are tampered in most of the cases, I was wondering what is the ideal car age before they get cranky especially for Baleno?
Can it last for 10 years without much problem? I understand there are many other factors involved but any general estimation?

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by cherishk

This question always haunts me when looking for second hand car - Car Age v/s kms on odometer. Since odometers are tampered in most of the cases, I was wondering what is the ideal car age before they get cranky especially for Baleno?
Can it last for 10 years without much problem? I understand there are many other factors involved but any general estimation?

Its not hard to gauge a rough estimate about the no. of kilometres a car has clocked,if u suspect that the odo has been tempered with,just take the car to a reputed service centre/mechanic,and looking at the mechanicals he will be able to make an approximate about the real mileage clocked by the car.

Yes,I know of a september '02 baleno,which is still in a very good condition..the owner DOES NOT take exceptionally good care of it,just gets it serviced as the local MASS on time. The car has clocked 87k kms and i dont think it will require any major work until atleast 1.25 lacs kms.

Most of the modern cars today,especially petrol doesnt have mechanicals that usually last very long,leave alone balenos and OHCs,a guy here has a 03 m800 which has clocked 3.40 lakh of kilometres,the engine HAS NOT been thru any major repair or anything,just that it requires change of engine oil more frequently. So impressed by the quality he is that he bought a dezire petrol without even taking a test drive.

[cherishk]

Thats an interesting take. I never knew that. I always had the impression that if the car clocks 1l-1.5l then the engine starts to wear increasing the maintenance costs exponentially.

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by cherishk

Thats an interesting take. I never knew that. I always had the impression that if the car clocks 1l-1.5l then the engine starts to wear increasing the maintenance costs exponentially.

Its all about maintenance.Mostly petrol engines last alot without any repair and all.Even our 02 esteem has covered 96k+ kilometres,and I do not notice any powerloss,just that the noise from engine has increased slightly and i have to get that checked.We also have an OMNI,for getting goods/grains from our farms,it did 2 lakh kilometres before we got the engine overhauled.
Actually there is are not many problems associated with a petrol engine.A guy next door bought a second hand OHC which had 90k kms on odo and he just traded it for a new linea,got 35k less than the price he had purchased it,even wen he had clocked nearly 50k more,again with just regular service.There are certain parts that have to be changed after some definite intervals of Kms for every car and thats it.Its not necessary that a car which has done over 1 lakh kms ,needs to get the engine overhauled.I can tell many such instances.However i cant say the same for diesels,b'cuz accents crdi,indica diesels,fiesta diesel starts demanding higher maintenance after around 80k kms.

[cherishk]

Very interesting thoughts. Now I understand why OHC of 2001 still sell. Now I can start looking for them too. I was apprehensive about their performance and maintenance costs, atleast now my doubts are cleared. Thanks man

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by cherishk

Very interesting thoughts. Now I understand why OHC of 2001 still sell. Now I can start looking for them too. I was apprehensive about their performance and maintenance costs, atleast now my doubts are cleared. Thanks man

I don't think that it will be short of performance,but maintenance for hondas is always a bit on higher side compared to marutis,reason being costlier spares.Otherwise there is no reason a performance freak should stay away from OHCs.Do keep me updated,even I may make up my mind to find one for myself.

[AirWind]

Its a buy at 2.75L; 3.5L was the asking price for 15k done Aug '05 model last year (same time) in Bangalore, the most expensive place in India...

Originally Posted by kc_gladys

Guys need some quick advice
I have planning to buy Baleno Sep-2005 Lxi. Clocked 65K, color Pearl Silver & everything works perfectly. Brand new tyres. Asking price: 3.4L but I need to pay for insurance after two months.

Also presently I am in Canada & my family members are in Jaipur. They don't have any car driving experience. I have gone though this forum & found lot of info & suggestions.
Thanks
kc_gladys

[cherishk]

Yeah sure. I am looking for a car which will be fun to ride. Thats when i shortlisted Fiat Palio 1.6 and Baleno. Now I am also looking at Accent and may be Lancer old models. Not sure if I will be able to get a good deal.

I am apprehensive to go to Dealers as they are always expensive by 20% and tamper with records of car. Looking out for individuals posting on free ads and sulekha. Lets see how it goes. Will keep posted on the development.

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by cherishk

Yeah sure. I am looking for a car which will be fun to ride. Thats when i shortlisted Fiat Palio 1.6 and Baleno. Now I am also looking at Accent and may be Lancer old models. Not sure if I will be able to get a good deal.

I am apprehensive to go to Dealers as they are always expensive by 20% and tamper with records of car. Looking out for individuals posting on free ads and sulekha. Lets see how it goes. Will keep posted on the development.

Yes,avoid dealers.But if u are looking for a fun to drive car,u wont really like the accent.As for lancers,avoid diesels and if possible,although its rarer than the v-tec,try looking for a Lancer Invex 1.8.

[cherishk]

My budget is max 4L. Which year Lancer I can get. 2003?