[dipen]

Originally Posted by vandan

@ GTO- Just a thought, why would you go in for the civic at 6 when you can get a lancer and drop in a mivec at the same price!?

Guess anyone can answer this saving GTO some more time for even better test drives. Here it goes.

factory reliability (fill fuel and drive, just nothing else)
once a year garage visits only
no mosquito infested nights
no annoying rattling, vibrations, breakdowns
a workhorse that can bring smile everyday and not just when days are good.
Looks, nothing beats the JDM Civic's looks currently in the market. Literally nothing.

Dont forget, over the years he is gonna be even more richer and there are again tons of similar options for the Civic when he gets bored by the stock 1.8 and wants to use it as weekend car or night drive. But I think he would rather go for something like a M3 or similar which are great in stock form than a car with a heart transplant.

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

I havent driven the Chevy SRV or the Ford fusion, dont know a lot about them, but can they be considered in the list?

+1 for the Ford Fusion.
Not coz i recently acquired used Fusion, but just think it fits the bill perfectly. With 100+ BHP, a fully loaded version with ABS is easily available under 3L in Bombay. Loads of space, fairly responsive engine, great handling (of course at the cost of ride quality) and a distinctive look. If you can manage the maintenance costs - this could be on the list as well.

Some related links
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...its-prime.html
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatch...ed-fusion.html (Used Palio 1.6 v/s Used Fusion?)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...42-500-km.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-duratorq.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...-till-55k.html

Not very surprising for me, but the Fusion garnered a fairly respectable 21% in an opinion poll (the first link) when compared to current year hot-hatches. A close third position in the list. Not bad for a car retailing at dirt cheap prices in the secondhand market.

[amulu10]

+1 ^^ doesn't the fusion come with the same engine that does duty in fiesta 1.6 ? then it must be a hoot to drive considering that fiesta is a driver's car!

[AdrenalinJunkie]

Just because they have the same hearts doesnt necessarily translate to similar driving dynamics

Originally Posted by sachinayak

+1 for the Ford Fusion.
Not coz i recently acquired used Fusion, but just think it fits the bill perfectly. With 100+ BHP, a fully loaded version with ABS is easily available under 3L in Bombay. Loads of space, fairly responsive engine, great handling (of course at the cost of ride quality) and a distinctive look. If you can manage the maintenance costs - this could be on the list as well.

Some related links
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...its-prime.html
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatch...ed-fusion.html (Used Palio 1.6 v/s Used Fusion?)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...42-500-km.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-duratorq.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...-till-55k.html

Not very surprising for me, but the Fusion garnered a fairly respectable 21% in an opinion poll (the first link) when compared to current year hot-hatches. A close third position in the list. Not bad for a car retailing at dirt cheap prices in the secondhand market.

Originally Posted by amulu10

+1 ^^ doesn't the fusion come with the same engine that does duty in fiesta 1.6 ? then it must be a hoot to drive considering that fiesta is a driver's car!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

GTO!

We have completely forgotten about the classic Ford Escort 1.6 Zetec! 92 horses, 1.6 liter 16v (?). It flies despite the bulk it lugs around. And with the right modifications (read, Cossie ) It can beat most Indian cars hollow!

Nice car, you bet. It was a heck of a drive in the late nineties. However, the Escort Zetec is a rare breed today. One, because it was the diesel that really sold. Two, because the Escort has received poor manufacturer support (in terms of parts availability etc.).

Originally Posted by vandan

@ GTO- Just a thought, why would you go in for the civic at 6 when you can get a lancer and drop in a mivec at the same price!?

Would it not be simpler to dump a B16 / similar engine in the OHC itself? I value reliability very highly. If I was based down south, would consider. But in Mumbai, you gotta be kidding. Bolt-on mods are the way to go here.

Originally Posted by dipen

Guess anyone can answer this saving GTO some more time for even better test drives. Here it goes.

factory reliability (fill fuel and drive, just nothing else)
once a year garage visits only
no mosquito infested nights
no annoying rattling, vibrations, breakdowns
a workhorse that can bring smile everyday and not just when days are good.
Looks, nothing beats the JDM Civic's looks currently in the market. Literally nothing.

Spot on!

But I think he would rather go for something like a M3 or similar which are great in stock form than a car with a heart transplant.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I'm a big fan of factory horses rather than aftermarket ones. Simply because they are engineered into the car (weight balance, handling etc.) and are 100% reliable.

[drrajasaravanan]

hi
Beautiful write up. I had testdriven a Baleno and was impressed with its performance. But when i called the maruti service center they told me point blank that getting spare parts are difficult and entails a waiting period since the production has been stopped for quite some time now. When i went to a local service station the manager there told me the same thing and showed me a baleno which was waiting for a period of over 10days for lack of spare parts. Had to let it go.
Enjoyed reading your review and happy to see Baleno in it.
Cheers.

[ex670c]

Hi Guys,

A fully-Loaded Ex-Army MM550XD can surely feature on the List.

And Under 6L you can fit (including the cost of the vehicle 1.5L - 1.8L)

1) New-Gen Axles Front & Rear 30k-1.4L
2) Bolero Power-Steering -- 30-60K
3) GPS -- 10-40K
4) Electric Winch -- 30k-1L
5) A/C -- 30K
6) Tyres - 31-33" -- 24-50K
7) LSD/Auto-Locker -- 14-55K

Regards,

Arka

[msaudf]

http://www.cars-directory.net/pics/m...12b2917774.jpg

how about the Pajero? the imports i mean a 1994 95 ones. the 2.8 intercooler turbo models are seen for 4.5 lacs to 7.00 lacs.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by dipen

once a year garage visits only

I am not sure what is implied by the word 'garage' here, but if you meant 'service center', then you have to visit them every 3 months or 5K km, whichever is earlier. Oil change is 6 months or 10K km, whichever is earlier. Bit disappointed by this service interval, because the Korean car which I used to drive before the civic had to visit the service center only every 10K km or 1 year, whichever is earlier.

[dipen]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

I am not sure what is implied by the word 'garage' here, but if you meant 'service center', then you have to visit them every 3 months or 5K km, whichever is earlier. Oil change is 6 months or 10K km, whichever is earlier. Bit disappointed by this service interval, because the Korean car which I used to drive before the civic had to visit the service center only every 10K km or 1 year, whichever is earlier.

well. garage implied "Service center" as you assumed.
Regarding the visits, the idea was to highlight that the car just needs basic oil top up, regular servicing, fill fuel and enjoy. No falling, failing parts frequently.
And yeah it is indeed is disappointing about the service intervals compared to the newer Korean cars and other Japanese compititors. But one positive thing about these services it that they are extremely cheap.
Reference post:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post1031417

Again, the 3 month service interval is surely annoying. Are all Civic owners really getting their car serviced every 3 months even if they have not done 5k from last service.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by msaudf

http://www.cars-directory.net/pics/m...12b2917774.jpg

how about the Pajero? the imports i mean a 1994 95 ones. the 2.8 intercooler turbo models are seen for 4.5 lacs to 7.00 lacs.

You would probably get even a year 2000-2002 model for about 6-7L but they are not really drivers car - expecially for tarmac, though great offroading.

[amtak]

I think the Elantra CRDi deserves to be on this list. Not too sure if someone has already mentioned this.

[Akshay1234]

i just picked up a car on this list. a black honda accord 2007 model (facelifted). only done 6600kms. let the fun begin.

[ajmat]

What about the good old Premier Padmini

Back to basics. With headers and freeflow, it sounds really fruity. The steering was reasonably accurate. Primative rear suspension adds to the fun

[de3p]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

i just picked up a car on this list. a black honda accord 2007 model (facelifted). only done 6600kms. let the fun begin.

Can i know the price at which you picked her up?