Need guidance to buy a Second hand sedan. Budget is only 3.5 lac.

[manjo]

I am planning to buy my first car, going for a second hand one. Budget is only 3.5 lac. A sedan.
Was thinking of a need your help in choosing a good car.
decent FE.
City driving mainly and once in 4-6 months highways.
Petrol vehicle.
decent service support in Bangalore/Mumbai.
Good control over road at highspeeds.
Good leg space.
Engine should be good keeping view of FE.
Not bothered about resale value.
Vehicle should be good looking.
Looking for Black mainly.

My preference s for a Lancer. Then Old model City..
Please let me know the pros and cons of the above and guide me right.........

thanks in advance,
Manu

[aditya.86]

I would suggest you go in for the old honda city if you can get hold of a decent car...the maintanence costs of the city are less when compared to the lancer and it performs better than the lancer petrol anyday....plus gives better efficiency

[akshay1234]

IMO look at the OHC or the baleno. the balenos prices have shot up after production stopped. id take one of these two. the only problem with the ohc is the ground clearance and with the baleno the backside.

[manjo]

OHC, s Old Honda City i guess, right?
I like the looks and control of Lancer (an old friend had it). Can you suggest what s the problem with that. I thought its resale value is less so would get a better piece for my price.

[rishibravo]

you can also look at a nicely maintained Petra...

[manjo]

Baleno looks too awkward for me. Cant digest :(
Honda City i put 2nd was for what you said, the ground clearance.
Lancer was good at Looks and Driving but i think it got some probs as not seen the suggestion in any other threads too.. Like to knw what; i think the parts would be a bit expenseive..

[GSHA]

Originally Posted by manjo

Baleno looks too awkward for me. Cant digest :(
Honda City i put 2nd was for what you said, the ground clearance.
Lancer was good at Looks and Driving but i think it got some probs as not seen the suggestion in any other threads too.. Like to knw what; i think the parts would be a bit expenseive..

Well, Like others suggest, the Baleno is the better all-rounder, when compared with OHC and Lancer... But, since you don't like its looks, don't bother.

An used Lancer should be available for 70% of the cost of an (similar miles, age etc.) used OHC. You could use extra money to get it serviced, spruce it up a bit cosmetically and may be a better ICE.

Looks wise, Lancer is a timeless beauty.

Lancers were expensive to maintain... But, I hear things have changed over years. I guess, (given my Mitsubishi ownership till date), maintenance cost would be the same as OHC.

[vrooooooom]

We are on the same route dude. Me also looking for a sedan in that price range.
You can also think of an Esteem. Performance wise its awesome and a value for money car. Car maintenance is cheap and you can get the spares any where. One more thing at that price you would get a newer Esteem. But if you go for a Lancer or OHC, those will be pretty old. Age matters after all.
Baleno is another performance car. But remember all the spares are SGA and not MGA. So not only they are costly, to get one replaced you might need to wait for a while.

[arunk]

My advice will be for a lancer...proven car...if u can get a good one in the market

[narayan]

Originally Posted by manjo

I am planning to buy my first car, going for a second hand one. Budget is only 3.5 lac. A sedan.
Was thinking of a need your help in choosing a good car.
decent FE. - OHC 1.3/1.5 , ACCENT 1.5 , ESTEEM , BALENO
City driving mainly and once in 4-6 months highways. - ALL AT PAR
Petrol vehicle. - ALL ARE PETROL
decent service support in Bangalore/Mumbai. - MARUTI , HYUNDAI, HONDA - in that order
Good control over road at highspeeds. - BALENO, OHC, ACCENT, ESTEEM
Good leg space. - BALENO ~ ACCENT, OHC, ESTEEM
Engine should be good keeping view of FE.
Not bothered about resale value.
Vehicle should be good looking. - OHC RULES ( its subjective also )
Looking for Black mainly. - ALL CARS AVAILABLE IN THIS COLOR


My preference s for a Lancer. Then Old model City..
Please let me know the pros and cons of the above and guide me right.........

thanks in advance,
Manu

looking at all the above points and choices, i guess u shud select between a OHC and BALENO ...

since uve not mentioned that outright performance is very important, u cud consider a OHC 1.3 and end up saving some money for some fuel/ICE...etc

[redsfx]

Hi,

I picked up a lancer sfx and since everybody keeps saying a lancer is very high maintainence I really don't think so. If you are lancer fan then I would suggest you to pick up a lancer(but check the car out first). When looking at a second hand lancer look out for the suspension(tends to be a tad bit expensive to fix). Check the electricals(check the power windows). In all probability you would have to change the tyres unless they have been changed recently. Take a TD and do a few "U" turns to check if the steering column makes any noise if so then there might be work on that as well.

Or just take a mechanic who is reliable get it all checked up. That is what I did and I been enjoying my beauty for the last 2 years. IMO "Just go for it buddy". You can also look out for the sfx models with the funky colours which might set you back by a few grand but trust me its well worth it.
Before getting the lancer I checked out lots and lots of OHCs but for your price range you would get cars with quite a bit of problems like the clutch, suspension etc. I had both the OHC and the lancer. IMO theres more thrill driving in the city with the lancer than the OHC. OHC interiors are pretty bland(not that lancer's is very exciting) and boring. A well maintained lancer would get you a lot of stares as it has road presence. If you need any more help let me know. Glad to help.

Cheers

[akshay1234]

Originally Posted by vrooooooom

We are on the same route dude. Me also looking for a sedan in that price range.
You can also think of an Esteem. Performance wise its awesome and a value for money car. Car maintenance is cheap and you can get the spares any where. One more thing at that price you would get a newer Esteem. But if you go for a Lancer or OHC, those will be pretty old. Age matters after all.
Baleno is another performance car. But remember all the spares are SGA and not MGA. So not only they are costly, to get one replaced you might need to wait for a while.

in the baleno rarely do any big parts conk out and other parts are always in stock. they are a bit more expensive than normal maruti spares but are at par with other cars like the lancer, ohc etc.

manjo - since you dont like the balenos looks try and get yourself and ohc 1.5 or a vtec.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

manjo - since you dont like the balenos looks try and get yourself and ohc 1.5 or a vtec.

Finding a good VTEC in 3.5 is going to be next to impossible. 1.5's would be easier to find also.

[manjo]

Can anyone help me know the model of the Lancer/OHC 1.5 that i'll get for the price i said (3.5lacs) in Mumbai.
I checked with a nearby 2nd hand dealer. He s quoting 3.9lac for a 2004 Lancer.

And how old s a 2nd hand car ok to buy?
Planning to keep it for 2 to 3yrs mostly.

If anybody can help me find a good piece in Mumbai i'll be really grateful..

[manjo]

Originally Posted by redsfx

Hi,

I picked up a lancer sfx and since everybody keeps saying a lancer is very high maintainence I really don't think so. If you are lancer fan then I would suggest you to pick up a lancer(but check the car out first). When looking at a second hand lancer look out for the suspension(tends to be a tad bit expensive to fix). Check the electricals(check the power windows). In all probability you would have to change the tyres unless they have been changed recently. Take a TD and do a few "U" turns to check if the steering column makes any noise if so then there might be work on that as well.

Or just take a mechanic who is reliable get it all checked up. That is what I did and I been enjoying my beauty for the last 2 years. IMO "Just go for it buddy". You can also look out for the sfx models with the funky colours which might set you back by a few grand but trust me its well worth it.
Before getting the lancer I checked out lots and lots of OHCs but for your price range you would get cars with quite a bit of problems like the clutch, suspension etc. I had both the OHC and the lancer. IMO theres more thrill driving in the city with the lancer than the OHC. OHC interiors are pretty bland(not that lancer's is very exciting) and boring. A well maintained lancer would get you a lot of stares as it has road presence. If you need any more help let me know. Glad to help.

Cheers

The one i saw was a GLXd model. Can you tell me what is the upper hand for the 'SFX' models please.. And approx. how much will a 3yr old one cost!!