[abhayshanu]

Originally Posted by Bingeljell

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?

1 - The civic would be a great buy at any price. I would personally prefer to buy a not so good condition one for dirt cheap and replace/repair the required parts and have a fairly new car

2 - Both the accord and superb would be amazing fun to have but are heavier maintenance than a civic, much heavier.

3 - In the last drags, Joel Joseph has clocked 13.5 in a N/A OHC. Its a great car with great potential. But for a modern daily drive with minor mods, a civic would be better.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Bingeljell

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?

Hi,

Just my two bits..

Buying a fast car makes more sense than buying a slow car and making it fast.

Superb V6 is NOT a drivers delight. The handling isn't great. Fast in a straight line, no doubt but the maintenance? Plenty of Skoda horror stories around. The Accord meanwhile is reliable, but again, fast in a straight line, show it some turns, and it's a bit of a boat.

The Civic has a bouncy rear end, but stiffer springs or rubber inserts to disable a spring or two will sort that out. I believe a pre-owned Civic will work out much cheaper than a new Fiesta. You won't have to take a massive depreciation hit, so that's a lakh or two saved in the first couple of years. No?

Have you seen the T-BHP guides? Pre-owned VS New?

Cheers!

[Bingeljell]

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

1 - The civic would be a great buy at any price. I would personally prefer to buy a not so good condition one for dirt cheap and replace/repair the required parts and have a fairly new car

2 - Both the accord and superb would be amazing fun to have but are heavier maintenance than a civic, much heavier.

3 - In the last drags, Joel Joseph has clocked 13.5 in a N/A OHC. Its a great car with great potential. But for a modern daily drive with minor mods, a civic would be better.

Thanks again Abhay. I'm assuming the 13.5 sec was for the standing quarter mile? And do you suggest a Civic over an OHC VTEC for the same thrill, driving pleasure as well as occasional run-about?

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Hi,

Just my two bits..

Buying a fast car makes more sense than buying a slow car and making it fast.

Superb V6 is NOT a drivers delight. The handling isn't great. Fast in a straight line, no doubt but the maintenance? Plenty of Skoda horror stories around. The Accord meanwhile is reliable, but again, fast in a straight line, show it some turns, and it's a bit of a boat.

The Civic has a bouncy rear end, but stiffer springs or rubber inserts to disable a spring or two will sort that out. I believe a pre-owned Civic will work out much cheaper than a new Fiesta. You won't have to take a massive depreciation hit, so that's a lakh or two saved in the first couple of years. No?

Have you seen the T-BHP guides? Pre-owned VS New?

Cheers!

So, I'm fairly acquainted with Skoda / VW's niggling issues and you're probably right. I should just stay away from it since it'll cost me more than I'm willing to spend right now.

I started posting only after I went through a couple of the T-BHP guides. I'm absolutely decided on buying a pre-owned car and not a new car. For what I want right now, it makes far more sense.

I'm also totally with you on buying a fast car vs buying a turtle and trying to give it wings. Bearing that in mind I suspect the Civic as well as the OHC should be worth it, right?

Just to reiterate my original question, and I'm sorry if I was not clear enough, is the OHC still worth it today in 2013? A quick search threw up some 2002-3 models with anywhere between 50k to 75k. That's over 10 years old with a decent set of miles on the odo.

Also should I be insistent on the VTEC? I'm sort of aware of the difference, but a friend was saying that driving pleasure wise, I should barely notice any difference.

Thanks once again for all the help, I think I'm going to spend this weekend re test-driving a whole bunch of cars.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Bingeljell

So, I'm fairly acquainted with Skoda / VW's niggling issues and you're probably right. I should just stay away from it since it'll cost me more than I'm willing to spend right now.

I started posting only after I went through a couple of the T-BHP guides. I'm absolutely decided on buying a pre-owned car and not a new car. For what I want right now, it makes far more sense.

I'm also totally with you on buying a fast car vs buying a turtle and trying to give it wings. Bearing that in mind I suspect the Civic as well as the OHC should be worth it, right?

Just to reiterate my original question, and I'm sorry if I was not clear enough, is the OHC still worth it today in 2013? A quick search threw up some 2002-3 models with anywhere between 50k to 75k. That's over 10 years old with a decent set of miles on the odo.

Also should I be insistent on the VTEC? I'm sort of aware of the difference, but a friend was saying that driving pleasure wise, I should barely notice any difference.

Thanks once again for all the help, I think I'm going to spend this weekend re test-driving a whole bunch of cars.

Is the OHC worth it? Maybe. Depends on what you need. The OHC was a great car to drive and had a lot of potential with great after market support for mods etc. BUT the Civic is far more modern, with greater creature comforts, and is brilliant in stock form too. It probably has more after market support than the OHC. A major minus point for the OHC is it's bare and dull interiors. It really shows that the car is from another decade. The Civic meanwhile is old, but the interiors are still very good looking in my opinion.

In reality, 50K to 75K is NOT much for a modern Japanese car. As long as it was serviced regularly, I don't think you should face any problems with the engine for another 75K. So, a car with a full service record should be your priority.

As far as the VTEC goes, yes, it should be there. Personally, I've never driven the OHC, but people with OHC VTECs are extremely reluctant to let them go, there must be a good reason for that.

Be patient, it might take a while. I've waited months for the right deal sometimes!

Cheers!

[saurabhkum]

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
OK now let me tell you something,
I've ohc vtec, cedia and a civic in my garage. You can call it drivers paradise.
Let's talk about vtec first. The most quickest among these 3 to hit the red line. No matter how hard you drive it will not give you less than 9.5 kmpl. It lacks safety features and the gizmos. The quickest among 3 to hit 100. Feature wise the most basic.
Civic, the best car in terms of features. Has all the gizmos. Will give you between 8-10 kmpl if driven normally. You will love the steering. Has all the safety feature.
Cedia, safety wise is same as civic, expect something between 9-12 kmpl on the basis you drive. Not a feature rich as compared to civic. But has excellent driving position and all round visibility. Much better ground clearance than civic.

I know it's very close call between all the 3 so decide accordingly as what you want from your car.

[Bingeljell]

Originally Posted by saurabhkum

OK now let me tell you something,
I've ohc vtec, cedia and a civic in my garage. You can call it drivers paradise.
Let's talk about vtec first. The most quickest among these 3 to hit the red line. No matter how hard you drive it will not give you less than 9.5 kmpl. It lacks safety features and the gizmos. The quickest among 3 to hit 100. Feature wise the most basic.
Civic, the best car in terms of features. Has all the gizmos. Will give you between 8-10 kmpl if driven normally. You will love the steering. Has all the safety feature.
Cedia, safety wise is same as civic, expect something between 9-12 kmpl on the basis you drive. Not a feature rich as compared to civic. But has excellent driving position and all round visibility. Much better ground clearance than civic.

I know it's very close call between all the 3 so decide accordingly as what you want from your car.

Thanks, this was really helpful! My plan is to go and test drive a whole bunch of cars over this weekend, finalize which one I want and then begin my hunt for finding MY car.

[teja484]

We need not be surprised to find that the prices that owners quote for the Civics have suddenly gone up after this thread and GTO's. We could even possibly debate whether this thread is a boon or a bane(on a lighter vein of course). Finding petrol replacements to pertol cars are not too difficult but the tough part is to find a diesel replacement for a diesel car. For example I have a 3 year old Indigo CS and I constantly am on the look out for a replacement even though the finances at the moment do not command one. But then, what is the point if you get something without yearning for it. I yearn for the luxury of a premium brand, the reliability of a H or a T, the bite of the Petrol and the Efficiency of the Diesel and not to mention, the price of a Tata .

I guess I might be a couple of years from an upgrade but I am still going to keep looking and watching closely. It will happen one fine day and I will not make mistakes after having read so much about selling and buying. Thank you everyone for your contributions to this thread.

[IshaanIan]

This is something I still haven't put up to my parents so it is definitely a good year away. I've been dreaming up my ultimate college ride: Cheap used petrol (3lakhs), Easily moddable, Good chassis since I am not looking simply for straight line speed, and most importantly, Usable (should be relatively new, structure should not be easily altered in a crash which means a minimum crash rating of 4 stars).
These are the cars that I think fit the bill:

Ford Fiesta 1.6s: Driven tons of diesel fiestas and I love how it handles. Always found the ride a bit noisy but hey I've got several years to live before I need to start complaining about that. :P Never driven the 1.6 so I have no clue about whether performance parts are available for it, what the costs of maintaining one would be and how reliable it is.

Suzuki SX4 zxi: Proven chassis no? I suppose it fits my requirements; has cheap easily available parts, Japanese no nonsense reliability. Please let me know if there is anything I ought to note about the cars' dynamics since I haven't extensively driven one.

Mitsubishi Cedia: The thought of owning one and fitting it with spacers, flared front and rear panels and coating it in a pearlescent white brings a big grin to my face any time of the day. Japanese car, But I'm not sure about the cost of parts.

Skoda Octavia vRS: Had to be included. I am not too intrigued by the thought of a Skoda though since I have no clue about their reliability.

Let me know if I am leaving anything out.
Since these are all proper enthusiasts cars and given my budget for the car, I am not sure I will find one that hasn't been wrung by the neck almost every day of its life. Anyone have any information on the cost of parts like the driveshaft, gearbox, clutch plates etc. on these machines?
I have loads of time so getting a leg up on the homework wouldn't be such a bad thing eh? Also let me know if I am being optimistic given my budget for the car alone.

Looking forward to everyone's feedback
Cheers!

[lamborghini]

Hi Ishaan,

I would check out the Octy TSi Classic/Ambiente as the main contender. Parts are expensive, but as these would have lesser electronics than the vRS, they should be more reliable too. Do check the car out thoroughly before buying one though. All the others will just feel a class below in terms of performance.

If you want something low maintenance, try squeezing in a Civic or a Corolla.

I would drop the SX4 if I wanted something fun to drive, and capable of being modified. Plus, you'll have to spend a packet on making it look even remotely attractive.
Similarly, the Cedia might not have parts available easily, and the service may be a little iffy. I am not sure if it makes sense buying a Mitsubishi in India today.

The Fiesta is a fantastic car, and should definitely be among the top contenders. While modification potential is limited, there is still some stuff that can be done - check out the Pete'd Fiesta 1.6 S. In fact, the fiesta would be the most reliable and low maintenance out of all the options listed. Plus the chuckability would impress while in traffic. In fact, this is the most practical choice.

[DicKy]

My exact dream, except that my budget was within 1 lac and was looking for a car to hoon around(Esteem/Ceilo et al), but still not able to convince parents.
Right now, the Fiesta S is your best choice. Next comes the Cedia, but don't know about the spare parts availabililty. Not sure, but still stay away from the Germans.
If not adamant about modernity, then go for OHC or BAleno in good condition.
Good luck.

[Alter_Ego]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

This is something I still haven't put up to my parents so it is definitely a good year away. I've been dreaming up my ultimate college ride: Cheap used petrol (3lakhs), Easily moddable, Good chassis since I am not looking simply for straight line speed, and most importantly, Usable (should be relatively new, structure should not be easily altered in a crash which means a minimum crash rating of 4 stars).

Any particular reason the Civic is not being considered apart from the budget perspective?
Civic makes an excellent car for your requirements. It has euro NCAP 5 star rating.
It has been a favourite for all modifiers. Its highly reliable coming from the Honda stable and I guess you should be able to get hold of one for around 4L if you search hard.And guess since you are going to plonk the money after a year anyways guess the prices are going to come down only and might just get into your price bracket

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Hi Ishaan,

I would check out the Octy TSi Classic/Ambiente as the main contender. Parts are expensive, but as these would have lesser electronics than the vRS, they should be more reliable too. Do check the car out thoroughly before buying one though. All the others will just feel a class below in terms of performance.

If you want something low maintenance, try squeezing in a Civic or a Corolla.

the Cedia might not have parts available easily, and the service may be a little iffy. I am not sure if it makes sense buying a Mitsubishi in India today.

I understand: less electronics than the vRS but isn't reliability still an issue? The budget is pretty strict since I do plan on spending more on the car later. The Corolla was never really fun to drive. Was it?
I recently read on another forum of Mitsubishi planning to split up with HM. Any credibility to this claim? I know that it is highly unlikely since the company is doing pretty poorly across the globe and splurging on our country seems far-fetched. Either way the reason why I thought of the Cedia is because while sourcing parts might be an issue, their reliability will never be one

Originally Posted by DicKy

My exact dream, except that my budget was within 1 lac and was looking for a car to hoon around(Esteem/Ceilo et al), but still not able to convince parents.
Right now, the Fiesta S is your best choice. Next comes the Cedia, but don't know about the spare parts availabililty. Not sure, but still stay away from the Germans.
If not adamant about modernity, then go for OHC or BAleno in good condition.
Good luck.

Right then. I will hunt for a Fiesta 1.6.
If I were considering something older, I would pick the Baleno since the OHC was never an inspiring handler anyway I am pretty stubborn on the thing being relatively new just in case I find myself hurtling to the nearest tree :P
Good luck to you too!

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

Any particular reason the Civic is not being considered apart from the budget perspective?
Civic makes an excellent car for your requirements. It has euro NCAP 5 star rating.
It has been a favourite for all modifiers. Its highly reliable coming from the Honda stable and I guess you should be able to get hold of one for around 4L if you search hard.And guess since you are going to plonk the money after a year anyways guess the prices are going to come down only and might just get into your price bracket

I love the Civic but according to me if I were ever to buy one, I would have to factor in the cost of larger wheels and street spec dampers in the budget since they are absolutely necessary. I've got A.D.D and I can get easily fed up of looking out for every bump on the road Since that would mean an extra lakh at the least, even by the end of the year I don't hope to come across one.

[IshaanIan]

Caught Dad in the veranda with a book and a smoke so decided to bring this up and surprisingly, he was interested too After much thought I figure the Cedia is what I want for its reliability, chassis and ability to tackle slightly rough roads. Plus its the car my heart shouts out to and I believe that means more than anything :P Anyone have any idea what I should look out for in a used cedia? Suspension, driveshaft anything known to pose issues after a certain mileage?
Also I read somewhere that Mitsubishi claims a better city mileage out of the cedia sports variant. Is it lighter, does it come in a different tune?

[IshaanIan]

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[Bingeljell]

Quick update;

I've dropped the Civic from my list due to budget issues and I've included the Palio 1.6GTX as well as the Baleno Vxi (2006-2007) or so.

The Palio is very tempting since it's 100bhp for less than a lac, however there is that slight niggling doubt regarding the availability of parts and I don't want to spend every weekend at the mechanic. Some of the people I've spoken to say that the Palio isn't as bad as people make it out to be and can still be a fun car to own without too much of a hassle.

I had never considered the Baleno to be much but after reading Binz's thread on his new modded Baleno, I'm super kicked. It costs in the same range as the VTEC, but from what I've read has a few more creature comforts. Also given that it's a Jap engine, I should be in good stead. (Or so I hope.)

Some more test drives (a VTEC, a Palio and 2 Balenos) lined up for this week. Would love any comments or advice anyone may have. (PS: I've gone through quite a few GTX owner's threads and the positives seem to be having more of an impact on me than the negatives!)