[swarnava.m]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Yours is a 2.4 m/t I'm guessing. The V6 wouldn't give 9, not even on Goa roads, but I will be really surprised if yours is a V6.

Yeah, a 2.4 M/T. Spot on!

Never driven the V6 though, must be even more of a performer..

PS. Goa roads aren't really that nice as they are thought out to be. The traffic, for one, is killing. The other thing is that the private buses here find it most fashionable to stop bang in the middle of the lane of an undivided two lane road. Most of the days morning and evening commute is really tiring, unless it's an A/T. Even then, FE takes a real beating more often than not.

Originally Posted by Recallers

Guess its just the accord then. Found out a lot of accord's in the classifieds.Now it's buying that beauty and sending it to Pete's.
By the way thanks for the suggestions.

Congrats on that. However, one thing I forgot to mention is that if this is your daily drive, it can be a real headache sometimes. In slow moving B2B traffic, the Accord (owing to its size) feels like a barge. Maneuvering through city traffic isn't too easy a task. And when it comes to parking, well, may the Gods be with you. Be prepared for these concerns.

It's an excellent car otherwise, and can be a real pleasure to own..!! Happy revving!

[zulfi hansi]

Accord is in flavor for sure with all those resale values plumenting. I have a Corolla now but I m tempted to look for an Accord. But the major question is now much more will i have to spend in maintaining it? My expenses on corolla are not much since i drive only 10000 a year. Average is about Rs. 20 K a year at the most in maintaining it. It gives a good mileage of 9 in city and 14.5 on highways. And i am a spirited driver. At the same time any other better options you guys can suggest other than the Accord in that budget range?

[Derezzed]

I am thinking of buying a 2008-9 model Civic V and retrofit a moon-roof. Any color looks good on a Civic.
My only concern is with the ground clearance. In certain parts of Pune the speed bumpers can be very unforgiving even for a humble Wagon-R. A Civic with 2 or more occupants needs to be very careful.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by Derezzed

I am thinking of buying a 2008-9 model Civic V and retrofit a moon-roof. Any color looks good on a Civic.
My only concern is with the ground clearance. In certain parts of Pune the speed bumpers can be very unforgiving even for a humble Wagon-R. A Civic with 2 or more occupants needs to be very careful.

This should help you.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...uspension.html

[baluundertaker]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

Have you bought the car? One of my friend bought a Fiesta 1.6 2007 Zxi fully loaded for 3 L. Looks like a good deal to me, but it has some work to be done on, spending needed is about 15K.

I would pick the Fiesta for sure, there are many wrong reasons so far as maintaining it, expensive, fuel efficiency etc. But it does put a broad smile on your face every time you swing it on a twisty curve in the hills, press that right pedal on the highway. Cedia I am not sure, everything you do to it may cost you more money. City ZX is just not a drivers car even with the VTec, I'd pick a 2002-2003 VTec instead, you can do a lot with this car, think about it.

You can get the endorsement done in the RC Book with the RTO for change of colour, modifications are not permitted in law, so endorsement there.

I did end up buying the Fiesta few weeks back. Thanks for your inputs. I bought a 2009 Sxi with ABS having run 23k kms for 4.1L. Extremely awesome handler as well being stable at high speeds, though power is a tad less at least when compared to old gen city vtec(my dad has one).

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by baluundertaker

I did end up buying the Fiesta few weeks back. Thanks for your inputs. I bought a 2009 Sxi with ABS having run 23k kms for 4.1L. Extremely awesome handler as well being stable at high speeds, though power is a tad less at least when compared to old gen city vtec(my dad has one).

chip it and up the power, there are some on Tbhp who have done it and it has changed the car completely.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by GTO

Mercedes Benz W124 (E220 petrol / E250 diesel)

Attachment 246492

Prices we've seen : Rs. 3.0 - 5.5 lakhs
Availability : Good. Finding super clean cars difficult. After all, the newest W124 will still be atleast 12 years old

What you'll like:

• A *real* Mercedes. Built like a tank and will last 3.0 - 4.0 lakh kilometers
• E220 fast by even today's standards. 0 - 100 in 10 seconds (140 odd BHP)
• Classic evergreen looks. Soon to be connoisseurs favorite
• Your social status will take a boost, thanks to the three pointed star
• Good ride, handling and brakes. Rear wheel drive layout
• Mechanically simple & over-engineered. No fancy electronics. Reliability is strong. Relatively cheap parts

What you won't like:

• The newest example you find will be atleast 12 years old. Old cars require varying levels of refurbishing
• Some spares can run expensive. Body repairs will mean big $$$
• E250 diesel is slow. 0 - 100 in a yawn inducing 16 seconds
• Electronically limited 180 kph top speed
• Poor urban fuel efficiency for the E220 (6.5 kpl). Diesel is fuel efficient though

Hi GTO.
Just thought I'd mention how expensive this post of yours has been for me. I now have BOTH the W124's.

On the plus side, I don't think I'll need to buy another car for a decade or so.
Many thanks!

[KarthikK]

I needed some information/help from Honda gurus. We are picking up a used Honda City in my extended family, just for fun, enthusiastic drives. I was scouting around for a good used Honda City (the 1999-2003 OHC version) with my cousin bro, for whom the purchase is. Most of the old City VTECs which I checked were pre-abused rather than pre-worshipped.

Then I saw that the 2003-2009 Honda City (NHC) had a ZX VTEC version. I am referring to this fat, iron-box shaped Honda city.


On further research, I found that the ZX VTEC had the same 105PS engine as the old enthusiasts' delight - OHC VTEC. Barring looks, is there any particular reason why enthusiasts don't prefer this (2003-2008) Honda city VTEC over the old ('98-'03) VTEC? Is it the suspension, or is the engine tuned differently? This version is supposed to have all 4 disc brakes too. I have no clue on how these 2 VTECs differ, so any help would be appreciated. . The reason I am asking is because

- the ZX VTEC is more easily available, and most of the ZX VTECs we saw were clean pieces without too much abuse.
- resale of ZX VTEC is almost same as the older City (OHC) VTEC. We get a more recent car for the same price.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

On further research, I found that the ZX VTEC had the same 105PS engine as the old enthusiasts' delight - OHC VTEC. Barring looks, is there any particular reason why enthusiasts don't prefer this (2003-2008) Honda city VTEC over the old ('98-'03) VTEC? Is it the suspension, or is the engine tuned differently? This version is supposed to have all 4 disc brakes too. I have no clue on how these 2 VTECs differ, so any help would be appreciated. . The reason I am asking is because

IIRC, the ZX VTEC engine is the iDSI engine (found on ZX) with a different top part(with Vtech mechanical), and it is not the same as the one found on the old Vtecs. From what I gathered from the review is, it was nowhere as rev happy as the old Vtech. Also the basic car itself was not dynamically brilliant and had a lifeless electronic power steering.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

On further research, I found that the ZX VTEC had the same 105PS engine as the old enthusiasts' delight - OHC VTEC. Barring looks, is there any particular reason why enthusiasts don't prefer this (2003-2008) Honda city VTEC over the old ('98-'03) VTEC? Is it the suspension, or is the engine tuned differently? This version is supposed to have all 4 disc brakes too. I have no clue on how these 2 VTECs differ, so any help would be appreciated. . The reason I am asking is because

- the ZX VTEC is more easily available, and most of the ZX VTECs we saw were clean pieces without too much abuse.
- resale of ZX VTEC is almost same as the older City (OHC) VTEC. We get a more recent car for the same price.

This car doesn't deserve to be on this thread. The steering is crappy, so is the handling and the ride is just ok. The engine isn't as revv happy as the old vtec like someone mentioned and it is nowhere as involving to drive. Avoid would be my suggestion.

[Bingeljell]

Hello,

I just wanted to confirm how applicable the original list is now given we're in 2013.

I'm thinking of picking up a preowned car so I have a fun handy car for night drives with my daughter (and wife, of course :P ) and weekend drives in and around the city. (Mumbai)

A couple of things I would like the car to posses;

1) Should be a drivers car; Fun to drive, responsive throttle and steering (for anyone who can enjoy it on a budget)

2) Should be relatively easy to live with; I'm not keen on spending every weekend at the mechanic trying to identify a problem and then having to fork out the cash to deal with it. While I'm aware that a little pre-buying precaution as well as making the right choice will influence this factor, on the whole it should be more gain, less pain!

3) Should not look at petrol the way a hobo would look at a ham sandwich! (I'm not looking for epic economy, but should be reasonably efficient; like 9-12 km/l in the city?)

4) Should not have the most outdated electronics; I'm sure I should be able to handle this problem with a little after market help. But the car should support it. I'd like a decent music system, power windows, auto locking, etc...

While these are the primary factors, there's a whole bunch of other obvious petrol-head stuff that I won't bother putting down.

Given these conditions, I thought of the following cars that might work for me, any tips / comments or suggestions would be pretty helpful;

1) OHC 1.5 Vtec
2) Honda Civic? (Is this a good choice?)
3) Lancer
4) Cedia

Are there any hatches that people might recommend? (I'm not keen on the swift at all...)

PS: Does anyone know if there's a decently cheap sports coupe for sale? I'd love to own a 2 door. While not the most practical, it'll be quite the dream.

PPS at the mods: Should I bother starting a new thread for this?

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Bingeljell

Hello,

I just wanted to confirm how applicable the original list is now given we're in 2013.

I'm thinking of picking up a preowned car so I have a fun handy car for night drives with my daughter (and wife, of course :P ) and weekend drives in and around the city. (Mumbai)

A --------------------------#eap sports coupe for sale? I'd love to own a 2 door. While not the most practical, it'll be quite the dream.

PPS at the mods: Should I bother starting a new thread for this?

Why not pick up a new fiesta classic?

[Bingeljell]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Why not pick up a new fiesta classic?

I had considered this, I even test drove it. I like the engine, it's not bad. Torque felt a little low to me, but was enjoyable. I didn't think the seats were very comfortable though, especially thigh support for the driver. I'm a shade over 6feet tall, so was mildly strange.

A couple of reasons that come to mind at first, but I'm not entirely against it:

1) On road price of the Clxi version is close to 8 lacs. That's quite a bit for me right now unless I'm going to be spending it on something Really special.
2) I figured getting a cheaper pre owned car means I have the luxury of thrashing it about every once in a while without feeling guilty.
3) While I'm no where near a qualified, I'm extremely keen on modding my car at some point and getting my hands dirty. I'd rather do that with a pre-owned car than a new one, not to mention with the entire budget of a new Fiesta Classic, I should be able to accomplish quite a bit.

Do correct me if I'm wrong though.

[abhayshanu]

I would say, get a Cedia or a Civic, both are really good in their own ways. Both can be transformed into something great.
Civic for the Honda Engine(not that the cedia has a bad one) and Cedia for the Mitsu Handling(not that the civic has bad handling).
Both the cars are reliable and capable Japs and have an amazing after market support.

[Bingeljell]

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

I would say, get a Cedia or a Civic, both are really good in their own ways. Both can be transformed into something great.
Civic for the Honda Engine(not that the cedia has a bad one) and Cedia for the Mitsu Handling(not that the civic has bad handling).
Both the cars are reliable and capable Japs and have an amazing after market support.

Abhayshanu, thanks for that. I really like the way the Civic looks, but do you think they're financially viable? (To buy and to own / mod / etc...?)

Also, would anyone have any idea how much either of these 2 would set me back? I did a cursory check on Carwale and a 2006 Civic with 36k on the ODO is going for about 360k and one with almost 50k on the ODO for 375k on the Classifieds, here.
Would it also be worth looking at a Superb V6, Accord V6? (Or even the other variants?)

Comparatively, how much would I be able to get out of a OHC VTEC on a similar budget? (Buying a decent one, refurbishing it and kitting it out.) And would it be worth it in 2013?