Used Baleno...dilemma

[pgsagar]

Anish, if your heart is on Baleno then go ahead and buy it. It's a fantastic car. Pity, it didn't succeed because of MUL's pricing strategies. Pricing it high initially and then lowering it. Those who already bought felt cheated and badmouthed the car and those willing to buy thought it might come down even further and waited. That explains why when MUL stopped this car, all the remaining stock got picked up pretty fast, albeit with big discounts.

Parts are never a problem for any car as long as you know where to look for. Do you know that parts are available even for cars like Peugeot 309, Cielo, 118 NE etc. whose manufacturers have long since disappeared. And MUL is alive and kicking. Yes, temporarily some parts are not available sometimes;that doesn't mean they are no longer available. A friend's Omni once had a rear end shunt and rear glass and bumper where not availble with dealer. They said they will take 1 week to get 'em. This, in 1993 when Omni was selling hot.

Of course, nothing like a new car. In old cars you may have to live with some niggles or get 'em fixed. But then sometimes even new cars irritate you and then that becomes intolerable. Like we see so many people complaining about Swift's rattles.

I'm not sure the price you quoted is right, though. It seems rather high. Bargain. If you want performance, go for Baleno or OHC. And for looks and modifications, Lancer. So while Baleno and OHC are GO CARS, Lancers are SHOW CARS.

[anish5225]

Thanks to each one of you for your valued comments !!
Yes, I'm now having second thoughts about this deal...Spoke to the seller yesterday,but he's not budging for anything less than Rs 4 Lakhs. So if at all I am going for a baleno, I would try to find one here in Bangalore itself. But i've found that price of used cars in bangalore are on the higher side compared to Kerala/TN...I would also keep in mind the availability of spares as mentioned by a few BHPians....Keeping aside the swift as the second best option, will be doing some serious "Baleno-hunting" in Bangalore .I will definitely keep you guys posted for your opinions/suggestions.

I've another que here: Does OHC too have issues with availability of spares ? Is it a good option to consider ? I was not very keen on a Honda City as I believe Hondas are costly to maintain- am I correct?

Thanks again to all of you for your crisp replies....TBHP, you have got a new fan here and thats me !!

Luv Anish

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by anish5225

Thanks to each one of you for your valued comments !!
Yes, I'm now having second thoughts about this deal...Spoke to the seller yesterday,but he's not budging for anything less than Rs 4 Lakhs. So if at all I am going for a baleno, I would try to find one here in Bangalore itself. But i've found that price of used cars in bangalore are on the higher side compared to Kerala/TN...I would also keep in mind the availability of spares as mentioned by a few BHPians....Keeping aside the swift as the second best option, will be doing some serious "Baleno-hunting" in Bangalore .I will definitely keep you guys posted for your opinions/suggestions.

I've another que here: Does OHC too have issues with availability of spares ? Is it a good option to consider ? I was not very keen on a Honda City as I believe Hondas are costly to maintain- am I correct?

Thanks again to all of you for your crisp replies....TBHP, you have got a new fan here and thats me !!

Luv Anish

When Honda came out with the New Honda City, they made it very clear that the OHC spares will be supported for 10 more years. i again would advice against used OHC. Again new Swift is a better option. OHC spares could be problem as in A'bad, the OHC ( without looks update ) 1.3 spares is facing problems at my ( distant ) relative's place. They are planning to sell it off.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

When Honda came out with the New Honda City, they made it very clear that the OHC spares will be supported for 10 more years. i again would advice against used OHC. Again new Swift is a better option. OHC spares could be problem as in A'bad, the OHC ( without looks update ) 1.3 spares is facing problems at my ( distant ) relative's place. They are planning to sell it off.

OHC spares (any engine) are not a problem at all in Delhi or Mumbai. I don't know why you would say spares are a problem since after the Maruti's this is one of the bet supported cars by the after market spare parts dealers.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

i again would advice against used OHC. OHC spares could be problem as in A'bad,

I am really curious to know where you get this kind of inaccurate information. The OHC will not have a spares problem for two primary reasons:

1. It is a lucrative business : With so many OHC's on the road, demand for spares is inevitable. No part supplier is going to overlook this opportunity.

2. Honda has committed to provide spares for 10 years minimum. Translated, you will receive spares at Honda dealerships until *atleast* 2013.

[VJ_MAVRICK]

Originally Posted by anish5225

Thanks to each one of you for your valued comments !!
Yes, I'm now having second thoughts about this deal...Spoke to the seller yesterday,but he's not budging for anything less than Rs 4 Lakhs. So if at all I am going for a baleno, I would try to find one here in Bangalore itself. But i've found that price of used cars in bangalore are on the higher side compared to Kerala/TN...I would also keep in mind the availability of spares as mentioned by a few BHPians....Keeping aside the swift as the second best option, will be doing some serious "Baleno-hunting" in Bangalore .I will definitely keep you guys posted for your opinions/suggestions.

I've another que here: Does OHC too have issues with availability of spares ? Is it a good option to consider ? I was not very keen on a Honda City as I believe Hondas are costly to maintain- am I correct?

Thanks again to all of you for your crisp replies....TBHP, you have got a new fan here and thats me !!

Luv Anish

Hi Anish,
Get hold of our own bangy tbhp members riju(rjstyles69 )and rahul(mclaren1885) and both own balenos so they will be a good input and a good resource for you to look into the details and i think you should consult them for any queries and they would definitely help you out.
Baleno is a great car to me and i am a big time baleno fan though i own an alto. With mods properly staged, it will never let you down.

[supremeBaleno]

Don't know about Vadodara, but Maruti spares are no issue in Chennai, be it a Baleno or the 1st gen M800, both via MASS and other routes. Till Nov2004, I was maintaining our '85 M800 at Chennai and spares (alternator, wiper motor etc) were easily available. Never had to change any spares (other than oil/filter) for the Baleno in the last 3 years, but I am sure they would have most spares at the MASS. If not, I know where to get it from.

P.S.: And BTW, the number of Balenos sold outnumber the Versa/GV sold by a huge margin. If you doubt that, look out for these 3 cars on the road and you would know.

[Naga_SwiSan]

Honda cars spare parts are expensive than maruti cars.However i will suggest going for a new swift vxi rather than second hand Baleno/OHC and enjoy warranty with peace of mind

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by iraghava

OHC spares (any engine) are not a problem at all in Delhi or Mumbai. I don't know why you would say spares are a problem since after the Maruti's this is one of the bet supported cars by the after market spare parts dealers.

Very true. There is no such scare for a vehicle like the OHC which has also been in other Asian markets as well. Till date, Honda stocks all spares for the OHC.

[spadival]

No problem so far with Baleno spares. I even got the steel pipe from the radiator to the engine replaced. Its very rare that you get to replace it, but the fact that it was available on request really surprised me.

Not to mention the fact that I got decent quality after market replacements for the OVRM mirrors and mud flaps, at a fraction of the cost of the MGP equivalent.

[Maverick1977]

Anish, how long do you suppose you will keep this car? Because if its going to be for a short time (max 2 years) then it will lose a considerable amount of it in comparison to the Swift. Also remember that this is a discontinued model & your next buyer will play a lot on this and get the money's down significantly. No scaring you, but do keep this in mind whilst making your final decision.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by iraghava

OHC spares (any engine) are not a problem at all in Delhi or Mumbai. I don't know why you would say spares are a problem since after the Maruti's this is one of the bet supported cars by the after market spare parts dealers.

Originally Posted by GTO

I am really curious to know where you get this kind of inaccurate information. The OHC will not have a spares problem for two primary reasons:

1. It is a lucrative business : With so many OHC's on the road, demand for spares is inevitable. No part supplier is going to overlook this opportunity.

2. Honda has committed to provide spares for 10 years minimum. Translated, you will receive spares at Honda dealerships until *atleast* 2013.

Read my post, it mentions tha Honda promised 10 year limit for avaliability of OHC spares. So they will be avaliable till 2012 end or early 2013.
In that lucrative business part I am still concerned about price part.

The information is not inaccurate. They have about 8 cars that includes Innova, Palio S10( yellow colour ), Laner ( heaviely modified ), Zen ( 50 bhp), Matiz, OHC( the original with which Honda debuted in Indian market), Accent and Swift. The OHC is 1.3 and after a minor collosion with the Cocrete mixer truck's rear wheel on SG road, their grille was damaged. It was very hard for them to find Front 3 piece bumper, grille and headlights. They find, surprisingly, S10 friendlier to maintain and drive than the OHC 1.3.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Don't know about Vadodara, but Maruti spares are no issue in Chennai, be it a Baleno or the 1st gen M800, both via MASS and other routes. Till Nov2004, I was maintaining our '85 M800 at Chennai and spares (alternator, wiper motor etc) were easily available. Never had to change any spares (other than oil/filter) for the Baleno in the last 3 years, but I am sure they would have most spares at the MASS. If not, I know where to get it from.

P.S.: And BTW, the number of Balenos sold outnumber the Versa/GV sold by a huge margin. If you doubt that, look out for these 3 cars on the road and you would know.

Our 92 M800 maintainence is not a problem. After minor incident, Baleno spares was a problem. This might not be true in B'lore. Again, just above this article, I have replied to the fact mentioned about the inavaliability of OHC spares.
And so I find that going in for Swift is good option considering resale, maintainence and support of After Sales and Service.

[rjstyles69]

Mate aaggoswami I think you should move to the South . Well if you did have problems sourcing spares for your baleno let know.I am more than willing to find it for you here.

After all the thread is about someone buying a baleno in Bangalore and I am sure he wouldnt have problems sourcing parts here atleast.

[iceman91]

there is a silver baleno 2000 model for sale with a dealer can give you details if interested.

car is not stock

[GTO - Touring]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

In that lucrative business part I am still concerned about price part.

Neither Baleno's nor the OHC's parts are particular cheap....well, at least some of them. Don't fret over this. There are plentiful options to find spares for popular cars at the right prices. If you or your friends ever have trouble sourcing parts for an OHC, please open a thread up here. I am sure you will receive several leads.

The information is not inaccurate. They have about 8 cars that includes Innova, Palio S10( yellow colour ), Laner ( heaviely modified ), Zen ( 50 bhp), Matiz, OHC( the original with which Honda debuted in Indian market), Accent and Swift. The OHC is 1.3 and after a minor collosion with the Cocrete mixer truck's rear wheel on SG road, their grille was damaged. It was very hard for them to find Front 3 piece bumper, grille and headlights.

Your posts clearly infer that one should avoid buying a used OHC because of concern over spares availability. That is absolutely incorrect advice. I know someone who once had trouble sourcing a compressor for his Alto? So? Maybe we ought to start announcing that spares for the Alto are also a concern.

It is also prudent to realise that the person you are advising is from Bangalore which, last I checked, is a bustling metropolis. Just because someone had a problem finding bumpers somewhere in Gujarat does not mean it applies as a blanket statement to the entire of India.

I reiterate that OHC spares availability will NOT be a problem for a long time to come. Sure, in smaller cities the only dealership may keep stock of fast-moving parts (exclusively). But that applies to ANY car....even those in production.

Anyone who stays away from an OHC because of spare part fear is just oblivious to market dynamics.