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Old 4th July 2010, 23:10   #316
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amartya View Post
As mentioned by many, I think that the Baleno is a fantastic car to be bought pre-owned. I used to travel a lot, mainly in the mountains of Uttaranchal/Uttarakhand and though the Baleno sometimes had ground clearance issues (it has a wierd kink in the silencer pipe that usually brushes the ground), it was always fantastic to drive in the hills. It was very confidence inspiring and I found it more "solid" than my friend's OHC (non-Vtec ' 04, mine was a 2003 Nov. Baleno). A fact that he confirmed.

While the budget for this thread is quite high for the car I'd suggest, I still think it's one hell of a good car. It's the Fiat Adventure 1.6. It truly was an enthusiast's car.
baleno feels much more solid and stable than OHC.i allways feel baleno is much much better highway car than OHC.
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Old 5th July 2010, 01:08   #317
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Originally Posted by procircuit_234 View Post
can anyone please compare accord 2.4 manual(04-06) and civic manual(06-07) both are priced at around 6 to 7 lacs in used car market.which one is better highway car??
Depends how straight your highways are!
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Old 5th July 2010, 12:04   #318
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Originally Posted by evo View Post
Depends how straight your highways are!
True.

Quote:
Originally Posted by procircuit_234 View Post
baleno feels much more solid and stable than OHC.i allways feel baleno is much much better highway car than OHC.
True. But and a big BUT at that, OHC's V-tec engine is a notch above baleno's motor. Yet to see a motor like that on any C/C+ segment car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amartya View Post
(it has a wierd kink in the silencer pipe that usually brushes the ground), it was always fantastic to drive in the hills. It was very confidence inspiring and I found it more "solid" than my friend's OHC (non-Vtec ' 04, mine was a 2003 Nov. Baleno). A fact that he confirmed.
Yeah, my heart skips a beat everytime that kink kisses the tarmac.

Yeah, at least in my books, Baleno is placed slightly higher than OHC non-vtec.

And yes, surprisingly for a Maruti, Baleno does feels solid. A friends 2002 80K kms old Baleno does not have a single rattle. He just gets the car serviced at regular intervals. Though mine has developed an irritating noise from roof thanks to the Webasto sun-roof.



Quote:
Originally Posted by procircuit_234 View Post
While the budget for this thread is quite high for the car I'd suggest, I still think it's one hell of a good car. It's the Fiat Adventure 1.6. It truly was an enthusiast's car.
Even 1.6 GTX is one heck of a car when it comes to performance. I guess its better to go for 1.6 GTX over Adventure/Weekend. AFAIK spares are very tough to come by when it comes to Adventure. Also, what is the need of a bigger/heavier vehicle when the palio hatch is equally potent?


Regards.
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Old 6th July 2010, 12:07   #319
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Quote:
Originally Posted by procircuit_234 View Post
can anyone please compare accord 2.4 manual(04-06) and civic manual(06-07) both are priced at around 6 to 7 lacs in used car market.which one is better highway car??
I can, because I was sailing the same boat Procircuit! After selling off my OHC, I fixated on a budget of 7 lakhs for a daily driver. Surprisingly enough, Accords were going for about the same price as Civics. The difference was marginal; either the Accords were 1 - 1.5 years older (vis a vis Civics in the same price) or 1 - 1.5 lakh rupees higher (for the exact same vintage & mileage).

I eventually chose the Civic as I already had the diesel Merc for highway runs. The Civic is way more agile (Accord = boat), has surprisingly spacious interiors and is very mod-friendly. Honestly, the mod-friendliness + agility sealed the deal for me.

However, if I didn't have other cars in my garage, I'd have been very tempted by the Accord. Interior space to beat the E-Class, great quality interiors and an all-rounded luxury barge. Handling is so-so though. The boot is way more usable than the useless one in the Civic.

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Originally Posted by procircuit_234 View Post
baleno feels much more solid and stable than OHC.
Sure does. Even some hatchbacks of 2010 beat the OHC's poor highway manners.
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Old 6th July 2010, 15:04   #320
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Originally Posted by YC.BALENO.CHD View Post
Even 1.6 GTX is one heck of a car when it comes to performance. I guess its better to go for 1.6 GTX over Adventure/Weekend. AFAIK spares are very tough to come by when it comes to Adventure. Also, what is the need of a bigger/heavier vehicle when the palio hatch is equally potent?


Regards.
Depends. On normal roads the Palio may be better.
However, on bad roads & mild OTR scenarios, the Adventure is much better - thanks to the raised GC / larger wheel and tyre profiles and similiar such parameters.
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Old 6th July 2010, 15:44   #321
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Originally Posted by jigbarai View Post
Depends. On normal roads the Palio may be better.
However, on bad roads & mild OTR scenarios, the Adventure is much better - thanks to the raised GC / larger wheel and tyre profiles and similiar such parameters.



Yes. But it will be one heck of a job finding a Adventure in good shape. When was its production axed?

Talking about the performance, how different was it to the palio? And were there any differences in the suspension?

Regards.

Last edited by YC.BALENO.CHD : 6th July 2010 at 15:58.
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Old 9th August 2010, 09:53   #322
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Dear GTO,

An inspiring article-all your articles are so educative and with thought proviking insight. it's a pleasure reading all your posts Thank you.

Colonel J H Mayne
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Old 9th August 2010, 15:57   #323
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Dear GTO,

You are the GURU. This article was as focused as it can be.
I have observed a lot of BHPians also I am one of them who want at least 1 no strings attached set of 4 wheels, no practicle purpose, no permissions from the family (I am sure a lot of us agree to this, before you are married its your parents, and after you get married its, no secret. YOUR WIFE, and then come children. Where do I stand?). So for me to take out a budget of 1 lac, safely without touching any of my 'other' funds, and it may not require any permission .. from anyone.
I have identified GYPSY for me. It is my retro BLAST FROM THE PAST, nevertheless, still a potential thriller.

I have a request, for you GTO. Its only you who can take this off. Start this thread;
PROJECT REBUILD - GYPSY - under 1lac.
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Old 9th August 2010, 16:20   #324
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And one more important thing. One to his own, many may afford a bigger budget, but please let us prove a point here, its possible to make this happen. This budget limit is to for the basic essentials, no sporty addons included. And we all know, once the car is on its track, addon expenses will never end.. but thats another story.
The idea is to rebuild a less than drivable [including even scrap condition], but a blank canvas to play with, kind of GYPSY. I am sure a Gypsy King will not come in this budget, but if anyone can do, why not!!
Rgds,
ZULFI

Quote:
Originally Posted by YC.BALENO.CHD View Post
True. But and a big BUT at that, OHC's V-tec engine is a notch above baleno's motor. Yet to see a motor like that on any C/C+ segment car.

Yeah, my heart skips a beat everytime that kink kisses the tarmac.

Yeah, at least in my books, Baleno is placed slightly higher than OHC non-vtec.

And yes, surprisingly for a Maruti, Baleno does feels solid. A friends 2002 80K kms old Baleno does not have a single rattle. He just gets the car serviced at regular intervals. Though mine has developed an irritating noise from roof thanks to the Webasto sun-roof.

Even 1.6 GTX is one heck of a car when it comes to performance. I guess its better to go for 1.6 GTX over Adventure/Weekend. AFAIK spares are very tough to come by when it comes to Adventure. Also, what is the need of a bigger/heavier vehicle when the palio hatch is equally potent?
At this point what really hits me is that, 1.6 GTX and Ikon 1.6 are an irressitable comparision. Which do you all think is better than the other, with as many detailed + and - of both these cars. Mainly since both are almost in the same budget.
Rgds



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Old 9th August 2010, 23:00   #325
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How does the Assent Viva ( both 1.6 DOHC and CRDI) fare when compared to the Baleno and OHC Vtec?
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Old 9th August 2010, 23:37   #326
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Originally Posted by Baleno7811 View Post
How does the Assent Viva ( both 1.6 DOHC and CRDI) fare when compared to the Baleno and OHC Vtec?
no way. accent is not a drivers car.baleno or OHC vtec both are much more fun to drive.
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Old 9th August 2010, 23:58   #327
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Hyundai Accent 1.6 DOHC

Not really an enthusiast car. It has quite a punch in the mid end but little else when it comes to performance. Despite being more powerful than Baleno on paper it does not actually pose a major threat to Baleno/OHC Vtec.

After repeated drags the best I could manage was a 12.XX second time for 0-100 kmph. Which is certainly not very fast. My Baleno did a 0-100 kmph again at about 13.XX seconds but with the air-con ON. Best I managed without AC is about 11 secs to 100 kmph on my baleno that very day. And my baleno was just 7K kms old then. So you get the picture.

1.6 Accent sure feels fast but is it fun? Well, not really.

Secondly that engine is not very refined. Comparing it with Honda's refinement will make matters worse for the hyundai. Accent's engine sounds coarse at high revs. Also gearshift could have been a tad better.

Major grouse however is not with the engine performance but the handling.

As this thread is specifically for budget performance cars I'll not talk about ride quality, ***, etc. Handling though really needs a lot to be desired.

Baleno VXi with stock OE alloys and 185 cross section tyres feels way better. And let us not talk about comparing accent with Ikons and fiestas.

Also, buying it used is quite a task in itself. 1.6 was not really a hot seller and I have never heard of anyone who bought a used 1.6 in decent condition.


ACCENT CRDi

Now I have many fond memories with this car. A very close pal of mine had one during the days I had my ol 800 as a daily driver and keys to baleno were still with Dad then.

That 3 pot diesel mill surely changed the way people looked at entry level diesel midsizers. Many steps ahead of the TUD5 that accent DLS shared with EsteemD.

The CRDi was really a peppy unit and I remember it was real fun and easy doing second gear wheelspins.

My friend had slapped on 15 inch HR wheels and 195 cross section low profile tyres and it surely felt much better than stock. Still it was not exactly a good handler.

Though that engine is no way as good as the current crop of diesel mills still the car was fun and I daresay a tad more fun than the 1.5 petrol accent.

It sure did not had any outright performance to match the petrol cars in question here but it was still very much an enjoyable car to drive as long as you don't compare it to other cars I have mentioned.


Maintenance was an issue though. My friend had bought it used with 65k on the odo and the car used to get serviced after every 7500 k and he had to spend around 3000 to 5000 everytime the car went to the mechanic.

Eventually he sold the car with 120K kms on the odo and still he managed to sell it at just 40k lower than what he had paid to acquire that car.



Fiat Palio and Ford Ikon

I won't talk of these two cars as I have hardly driven them for a few kilometres. There are a lot of Palio GTX and Ikon 1.6 owners and they are sure to provide accurate assessment of these two cars.

However, between Ikon 1.6 and Baleno, if only performance/handling is considered I'll like to have a 1.6 Nxt SXi in my garage any day. But as an overall package I feel baleno is a tad better.

Plus Ikons and Palios are suspectible to high maintenace costs. Many owners might disagree but from what I have seen on tbhp itself most of the members who bought Ikons and Palios new are generally a happy lot. But those who bought em used do not have many nice things to say about maintenance and cost of ownership. But they do swear by the performance of these cars.


Finally, from what I know about Indian car-mods scenario, its much easier to tune a Vtec/Baleno than a Ikon/Palio. Correct me if am wrong.


Regards.

Last edited by YC.BALENO.CHD : 10th August 2010 at 00:07.
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Old 12th September 2010, 16:54   #328
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Oh dear. What a thread!
Just sat and read through it all. Even though I have an exam tomorrow! Would love to own so many of the cars that were listed here. Only have one as of now.

But one car that was unsurprisingly omitted was the Opel Corsa (be it Swing, Sail or the usual sedan). The 1.6 liter engine in any of the variants is quite peppy. Good torque, good handling (surprisingly fun & pretty good around bends and turns) and a great suspension. Top speed around 175 KMPH, 0 - 100 in about 12 seconds and the 92 HP engine never feels underpowered. Incredibly heavy built car, 1.5 tonnes (That equals a Contessa or a W124! ) and still feels close to new even after 7 years and 50K KMS. And is pretty reliable despite what most people say. Parts slightly rare but never a problem. Most sell for around the 2L mark. But like the parts, the car is also pretty rare!
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Old 18th January 2011, 09:59   #329
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Re: ARTICLE: The Best (used) Enthusiast cars for 6 lakh rupees! Or less

I don't know if I am posting in the appropriate thread.

I would request the moderators to help me out.

A Hyundai Sonata, 2.7 V6, 2003 model, immaculate condition, company maintained, always serviced on time, with all 4 new tyres is up for sale, and I am feeling its a mouthwatering deal at 1 lakh rupees.

The car has done 71671 kms as of today.

Would it make a good buy?

Last edited by deepfusion : 18th January 2011 at 10:01.
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Old 19th January 2011, 18:49   #330
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Re: ARTICLE: The Best (used) Enthusiast cars for 6 lakh rupees! Or less

Quote:
Originally Posted by deepfusion View Post
A Hyundai Sonata, 2.7 V6, 2003 model, immaculate condition, company maintained, always serviced on time, with all 4 new tyres is up for sale, and I am feeling its a mouthwatering deal at 1 lakh rupees.
1 lakh rupees for a well-maintained Sonata . Shut your eyes and pick it up if it's the kind of car you want. 160 odd horses, 0 - 100 in 11 seconds, 4 speed autobox with manual mode and great ride in the city. On the flip side, the car is no handler and highway ride quality is too "floaty". But heck, that engine alone is worth 1 lakh rupees. The Sonata has a decent long-term reliability record. A cousin of mine still uses his 2004 model for the rough areas (his other car is an S-Class).

I say go ahead. But ensure that it's a clean car via a pre-purchase-inspection first.
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