[hiren.mistry]

Date: 5th June 2010
Time: 1700 hrs
Place: My humble abode in Borivali, Bombay

Me: Hey why don't we buy a used Civic/Corolla? Anyways we will be spending around 8.5L on the Linea in Diwali.
Wife: No, I don't want any more second hand things (referring a resale house we got in 2008).
Me: Fikar not, I will ensure that the car is in a good shape and then Civic/Corolla is a bigger and a better car.
Wife: No, I still love the Linea and we don't know how abused the car will be.
Me: So do I, but the Civic is such a great looking car and we will get it properly verified and checked.
Wife: (grumbling) Ok, do what you want I don't want a Corolla.
Me: So when do you buy one?
Wife: Don't even think before diwali.
Me: Whatever you say dear :-)

Date: 6th June
Time: 1000 hrs
Place: Office

Login into carwale,gaadi to look for 2006/2007 Civics that are under our budget of 7L. Shortlist around 10 cars, request a call back for them. Then I am sitting snug thinking it will be easy to get a good car before diwali, but fate had other plans.

Around 11:00 AM get a call from a dealer in Malad and he tells me he has a 2006 S-MT in grey color that has done around 18xxx kms and the price is 7.4L. He is even willing to get the car to my office for a dekho and test drive.

The car comes at 2:00 PM, and I was overjoyed to see the car. Its galaxy grey and looks to be in top shape. Take a stroll around the car, check the tires for the date of manufacture and it makes the car's date. Settle in the drivers seat and take in the dashboard and take the car for a spin around Mindspace's back roads and I am just blown away. No rattles, no squeaks and the engine is butter smooth. Tell the guy its too early to finalise and I will have to show the car to my wife and also get it verified from Honda.

I ask him to get the car home i the evening as I want my wife to see it. Even she likes it but 7.4L feels too much. Give him an offer of 6.8L provided the car is cleared by Honda. He did not agree for the price but agreed to get the car to Solitaire Honda and get it checked. Solitaire gives it a clean bill of health. In the interim have a look at a 2007 model black S-MT with Solitaire, that car has done 33k kms and the asking price was a silly 8.4L. I just walk away... Honda can't even price used cars sensibly.

My heart is set on the car but a niggling feeling that how can I buy the first car I see, so post my thought on the used car prices thread here on T-BHP and my doubts were quelled by the guys who responded (Thank you fellas). Same day I go to the dealer with a token amount, he was not willing to go below 7.2L. Finally we agreed on 7L and I pay him the token amount after verifying the papers and insurance papers. Come home a happy man with an assurance the car will be mine on 12th provided the loan work is done.

Then it was an agonising 5 days with loan paperwork and lots of follow work and barely any sleep. The loan was disburesed on 11th June and the car would be mine on 12th. Thus ends the shortest used car buying story here on T-BHP :-))

12th comes and I am up at 7 much to everyones surprise, reach the venue at 9:00 Am, see the car being polished and its ready by 11:00 AM with the odo reading 18536 KMS. And finally I get into the car, my car. Take it to a fuel bunk for a tank up and then home. And here's the best part, weekends are at my parents house and no one there knew about the car, not even my mom. Reach the building and my family just cannot believe what I have done. After a round of congratulations a short puja is done. We pile in and take the car to the temple.

So thats how I met my car, a 2006 galaxy grey Honda Civic S-MT.

[hiren.mistry]

My take on the car:
So good:
1. Looks, its futuristic with very balanced overhangs
2. Interiors: Its been 2.5 months and I still can't enough of it. The blue backlit dials are awesome with very good quality materials that will last long and all controls withing easy reach.
3. Engine: What do I say about it? Its a gem and its seems to be getting better with age. Fortunately the car had been for a 20k service at 18.2k KMS on the odo and was filled with synthetic oil. So I don't have to worry for a year.
Space: There's acres of it, with enough leg room for the front and rear passengers.
4. Ride: Firm around the city but supple enough as the speeds increase
5. Steering: My god what a wheel, nice meaty and small wheel with very high levels of feedback
6. AC: Super chiller, have set it at 24 and have not moved it.

Not so good:
1. Ground clearance: This car has the same issues my Esteem has, low ground clearance and soft rear suspension. Have scraped the bottom once on a notoriously high car err speed breaker.
2. Torque: Or the lack of it at low RPM's.
2. No Aux in, though the HU has provision for it but Honda being Honda was being stingy with the equipment.
4. No MID: After having experience the linea I was quite fancied by it but no sugar.

[Jebs]

Hi hiren.mistry,

Congrats man!!! CIVIC is an excellent car doesnt matter new/used, it always makes you happy on road. Looking for your snaps..

[csentil]

Welcome to the Civic club. Handle her well. Did you do any highway drives? Then's when the car comes to be itself.

The hydraulic power steering is a gem and the steering wheel being so sporty is another great thing.

Its a well behaved car and very easy on the pocket as well.

[hiren.mistry]

Living with it:
Have driven the car around 2K since I got it. But work limits my drive time.

Efficiency:
For the first tankful, the car averaged 8.5 KMPL. This can be attributed to me getting a hang of the car and driving it for extremely short distances and AC on at all times.
For the second tankfil, the car returned a very admirable 13.5 KMPL but that was primarily on NH8 when I had gone for a 350 KMS trip.

Suspension:
The car does bottom out with 5 people on board and with the roads that we have I've seen this happen quite bit. Perhaps I will go in for after market suspension later.

Honda Service Support:
Its been absolutely great dealing with Solitaire Honda. 5 star to the guys there particularly to Mr. Anwar Patel. The way they helped and guided me when I had to get the front right door changed after it was hit was a miscreant biker.
There was some errors made by TATA AIG regarding the cars chassis and engine number printed on the insurance paper. Mr Patel not only spoke to the seniors at TATA AIG but also ensured the work on the car went on as scheduled and I got the car only a day later. The total damage was around 32K that included a new door, painting (both right side) and other odds and end.

Thats it from me. I plan to keep the car with me for atleast 5-6 years. Will upload pics of the car soon.

Thanks for reading.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by Jebs

Hi hiren.mistry,

Congrats man!!! CIVIC is an excellent car doesnt matter new/used, it always makes you happy on road. Looking for your snaps..

Thanks Jebs. Will upload the pics in the evening today.

Originally Posted by csentil

Welcome to the Civic club. Handle her well. Did you do any highway drives? Then's when the car comes to be itself.

The hydraulic power steering is a gem and the steering wheel being so sporty is another great thing.

Its a well behaved car and very easy on the pocket as well.

Spot on csenthil. The steering oozes with feel and the size is absolutely perfect.
The car is in its element on the highways, I've done a couple of trips but very eager to do more. Planning a lonavala trip soon.

Thanks for the welcome.

[ghodlur]

Hi Hiren,

A big Congratulation on your civic. Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Did I get correctly that the colour is grey or is it black?

Your ownership review is totally incomplete with some drool worthy pics, so do post them fast.

BTW you have just snared a fantastic bargain. Do take care of her and keep posting of your driving experiences.

[Ramsagar]

Congrats on the great buy. We can't get a pre-owned Civic for that price in B'lore, having more R.Tax down South. I should say its a good deal.
Sorry to hear abt the mishap of door replacement etc.

Please upload the Pics buddy.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Hi Hiren,

A big Congratulation on your civic. Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Did I get correctly that the colour is grey or is it black?

Your ownership review is totally incomplete with some drool worthy pics, so do post them fast.

BTW you have just snared a fantastic bargain. Do take care of her and keep posting of your driving experiences.

Thanks Ghodlur. I agree about the pics, will put some up in the evening.
The color is galaxy grey. I either wanted grey or white.

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

Congrats on the great buy. We can't get a pre-owned Civic for that price in B'lore, having more R.Tax down South. I should say its a good deal.
Sorry to hear abt the mishap of door replacement etc.

Please upload the Pics buddy.

Yeah I know abt that buddy. But still it beats buying a new one for sure.

Thanks guys

[gaurav_chopra04]

Congrats Hiren. A pre-owned civic makes a lot of sense. A very good decision IMO. I am sure the car will treat you well for years to come. In between, where are the essential pics?

Wish yo miles of happiness. take care and drive safe.

OT:

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Me: Fikar not

words I frequently use when I am sure I can manage something.

Gaurav

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

Congrats Hiren. A pre-owned civic makes a lot of sense. A very good decision IMO. I am sure the car will treat you well for years to come. In between, where are the essential pics?

Wish yo miles of happiness. take care and drive safe.

OT:


words I frequently use when I am sure I can manage something.

Gaurav

It sure does hence I got it and am loving every moment of it. Except that accident but even that was an experience in itself.

Sorry about the pics, will get up ASAP.

I actually use "Fikar not Mr. McDee.." If you know what I am talking about :-))

[hiren.mistry]

Apologies for the delay, here are some of the pics of me beloved Civic.
These pics were taken the day I got to see the car the first time.









These pics were taken on the day of delivery.
Coming home to papa...







And then disaster strikes...













A 2 wheeler knocks off my door while I was waiting at a fuel pump. Luckily it was 5 mins away from Solitaire.

The total expense was INR 31.5K that included a new door, painting the right front and rear doors, garnish and other odds and ends.
I found it to be pretty exp, will scan the bill and put it up here later.

I claimed insurance and had to bear 8.5K of the total exp. The car has come out pretty good but I don't have any pics to share.

Thanks

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

And then disaster strikes...

A 2 wheeler knocks off my door while I was waiting at a fuel pump. Luckily it was 5 mins away from Solitaire.

The total expense was INR 31.5K that included a new door, painting the right front and rear doors, garnish and other odds and ends.
I found it to be pretty exp, will scan the bill and put it up here later.

I claimed insurance and had to bear 8.5K of the total exp. The car has come out pretty good but I don't have any pics to share.

Thanks

Pretty bad.
But looking at the damage, the door seem to have been opened while a two wheeler was speeding up and has hit the inside edge of the door? What was the damage to the two wheeler/rider?

[procircuit_234]

Originally Posted by csentil

Welcome to the Civic club. Handle her well. Did you do any highway drives? Then's when the car comes to be itself.

The hydraulic power steering is a gem and the steering wheel being so sporty is another great thing.

Its a well behaved car and very easy on the pocket as well.

i think civic comes with EPS.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by procircuit_234

i think civic comes with EPS.

The Indian Civic has HPS.