ARTICLE: The Best (used) Enthusiast cars for 6 lakh rupees! Or less

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by GTO

Man, to be honest, after compiling this thread for you guys, the thread starter is himself tempted to do a lateral upgrade. Sell the OHC Vtec, put in a couple of lakhs and buy a used Civic / RS. Hmmmmmmmm....

While researching for this thread, seeing some prices on the RS & Civic made my mouth water. But then, the OHC Vtec is serving me so well. Will be a tough decision. Best to sleep on it. If I do go ahead, this will turn out to be a thread that cost me $$$

go for it. you might not get the raw feeling of the vtec but youll get added safety features and many other features.

[kutlee]

nice work.
GTO when is the most wanted vtec going to classifieds? I am starting looking at civic prices from now on. hope it didn't have that exhaust mani setup.

[AltoHoncho]

Awesome info compilation sir, I am desparately searching for a good deal now. I have an Alto Lxi (present-gen) nearing its first birthday and already through 10k mark, ready for an exchange :d. This info will definitely give me the required direction. Thanks GTO, already rated the thread as 5-star.

[quattroa4]

man , GTO i strogly recommend that you should get a certification as atrue PETROLHEAD by something like ARAI or else .
what a line up , i just saw first 2 cars and was blown away , !!
you see because the first one , i have it (couple of days ago i did put a thread RS Vs RS Combi which u did see to my most pleasure)
the 2nd one we just bought it 1 year back , an E220 ,1996 model because it was just there in the mind since its launch in india .( but sold it 2 months back)
for w 124 i will recommend that anyone who buys it must get it checked by authorised merc workshop , as they do check these cars which charges you by about 3200 rs but they give you complete evaluation of pending work , history and condition of the car. that money is worth spending as the repairs can cost you over 1 laks. in this case you should avoid it . my experiance with the car was very sour as it remained in workshop only 70 % of time it was with me.
only after checking history of the car and pending repair costs in mind someone should buy it .
otherwise this model is fabulous!!!

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

were tested around the Sriperumbudur race track by Narian Karthikeyan. He was asked to rate every car on the track on the basis of (handling, performance, power.. etc) And the Cedia got a low 6/10 while the Civic, the Octavia vRS got 7/10 and 9/10 respectively! He had mentioned that the Cedia felt bouncy around the corners and wasn't a good handler! Could you explain please?

well...its only 1 point lower than teh Civic. Besides on a race track you are pushing the limits of the car. Car that feels great on the streets may come up short on the track and vice versa. Plus you already said they are biased.

Originally Posted by quattroa4

. my experiance with the car was very sour as it remained in workshop only 70 % of time it was with me.
only after checking history of the car and pending repair costs in mind someone should buy it .
otherwise this model is fabulous!!!

Could you provide more detail in the W124 thread. Should be useful info for others.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Mpower

well...its only 1 point lower than teh Civic. Besides on a race track you are pushing the limits of the car. Car that feels great on the streets may come up short on the track and vice versa. Plus you already said they are biased.

Yup! 1 Point. But then again I must add that it was a good 5 seconds or so off the Civic's time around the track. And The Palio 1.6 (that was also featured) was hot on its heals and almost set the same time! Now Journos are definitely a biased lot, but track times don't lie!

Anyway, GTO did mention that the Cedia in stock form (for India) isn't the best because it has been softened for comfort. There are plenty of aftermarket bits (Coil overs, shocks and struts etc.) that should help!

[WhiteKnight]

Great idea and great execution

One sincere request- Let's not dilute the list based on Public opinion. The key entry criterion should the thread title "The Best (used) Enthusiast cars for 6 lakh rupees! Or less". If that is strictly applied, cars like Zen wouldn't make it to the list, though this is a "classic" in its own right. Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by GTO

Sell the OHC Vtec, put in a couple of lakhs and buy a used Civic / RS. Hmmmmmmmm....

"Preserve" would be a nicer option, if you have space. It won't fetch you lot of $$$ anyway. Imagine, 20 years down the line you'd be showing this car to the kiddos

[fz_rider]

For me it will be a used a used honda city v-tec, or a ford ikon 1.6

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by GTO

While researching for this thread, seeing some prices on the RS & Civic made my mouth water. But then, the OHC Vtec is serving me so well. Will be a tough decision. Best to sleep on it. If I do go ahead, this will turn out to be a thread that cost me $$$

Be a saint today and get a 911 tomorrow.

[vinaydas]

what about the optra magnum ?
definitely deserves a second view. The diesel is an absolute scorcher with sub 10 secs 0-100 timings.
and has poor resale due to company image.
so if lucky can get one close to 6 -7 lacs

[redeff]

Old CRV prices were around 6-6.5L at Autobhan a year and a half back or so. That was without negotiations. The car sold well, was reasonably priced, great soft roader and looks good. I-vtec was a hoot to drive let down only by the F.E.

[singh.amrit]

how about the corolla in the list ?

[ankitahuja]

Great initiative GTO, an excellent thread.

I know you've had a lot of suggestions, out of which a few have also been added (I have not gone through the whole thread though).

How can one miss the Maruti Esteem as an enthusiast's car?

[khan75]

Originally Posted by singh.amrit

how about the corolla in the list ?

What's the enthusiastic bit about a Corolla, unless you're talking about an AE86 which obviously would be a bit of rarity in this part of the world.

[Mpower]

Prices we've seen : Rs. 3.0 - 6.0 lakhs depending on engine and condition
Availability : Quite Poor. Cars are hard to come by outside of Mumbai or Delhi.

What you'll like:

• Fantastic RWD balance and handling. The best in the business
• For all you drag fanatics the RWD launches hard without torque steer .
• Interior/dash still looks faboulous and modern after all these years
• Cult car and therefore parts are plenty in the west (OEM and aftermarket)
• Cars are known to hold on well for 2 lakh plus kms with regular maintenance
• easy swap with the legendary 6 cyl engine..... if you can find one.
• Although the E36s were all imported, BMW dealers will help with parts and service

What you wont:

• 95% of the cars that came to India in the 90s were 4 cylinders (316i or 318i) in Sedan bodystyle...hardly any 6 cyls or coupes.
• Supply of cars lower than Mercs which was the prefered import but still higher than your Miatas and Celicas
• Car was designed around the 6 cyl and so the 4 banger needs to be caned to make quick progress.
• Generally BMWs are setup stiff and depending on usage you can have interior creaks and rattles.
• Most hopup parts are for the 6 cyl and not so much for the 4 bangers which tend to be ignored.
• The one from the early 90s are 2 valve engines and don't like to be revved.
• Parts availabilty not as widespread as old Mercs.

Pics courtesy: Varun M