[fuel_addict]

The 1.6 Fiesta Classic petrol is a good option. It has a boot and enough has been said about the engine and handling. The Swift would be perfect if a hatch was acceptable. You can sell your "boring 1800cc car" and maybe not have to spend anything for buying a used Fiesta. The time is perfect for buying a used petrol car right now.

[v&v]

@ prateek
Skoda Octavia vRS
Positives:
Found a few for sale between 3.00 to 4.00 lacs, and this is what my heart wants.
Has a great pickup, has plenty of features and is mod-friendly.

Negatives:
What concerns me is the maintenance. I could afford 40-50k a year on maintenance, but spending that amount on a car which just runs hardly a couple of thousand kilometers doesn't convince my head.

Just saw this thread. The maintenance 40-50k is not true. I have covered around 16k kms in 2 years my usage is exactly like your requirement. its a perfect weekend car. I feel it gives you more trouble when it is used for daily commuting with bumper to bumper traffic. IMO look out for a clean RS and you will not regret.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Fords are hilariously unmodifiable.
Hilarity is the final stage for your keenness, going from eager to painful to finally hilarity.
Any serious mods will cost much MUCH more than a honda or suzuki, and with much less guarantee of any "fayda" or longevity at all.
I checked out some components in the UK recently.
You could import stuff easily enough, but getting a reliable and trained enough guy to mount it is almost impossible.


For OTS driveability, nothing like 'em, though.
Do explore as a final resort only if planning to mod.

Not true at all. I got a complete suspension overhaul done by a local mechanic and he has done a great job with it. This overhaul included complete suspension, steering linkages and driveshafts along with the clutch and all brake discs and brake pads.

For engine mods you get bolt on Cosworth parts. Yes they are expensive but totally worth it. The 2.0L engine in the Mondeo can handle upto 240BHP pretty much in stock condition.

Just bolting on Coswroth cams, intake manifold and exhaust manifold with a Coswroth remap bumps the power by almost 35- 50bhp depending on fuel type used.

I have got a Cosworth remap done on my completely stock car and it has made a 10 - 15 bhp difference on high octance fuel.

[zoombiee]

I was in the same boat as you are albeit my requirements were slightly different.
I would not recommend the Civic ( do a mysore trip and see how much the vehicle scrapes). Also, I dont think Honda maintainence is cheap.
Skoda vRS is also expensive and hard to maintain (being a palio owner I know how frustrating it is not to have spares available quickly).
Fiesta is a good car that you could consider. However there are a couple more cars that you could consider -
1) Elantra - You could get a 5-6 year old diesel elantra for about 4-4.5 lakhs. Petrol should be cheaper. Its an extremely mod friendly car (the stock car itself is amazing). Hyundai service network is good so maintainence would not be a pain (i cant comment on cost)
2) SX4 - I bought this car. I got a 2008 petrol for about 3.8 lakhs. Was in real good condition. Its a fun car to drive. Not sure how mod friendly it is, but nothing about seems to suggest its not. Maintainence should be easy. Best spare parts availability. If you are looking at this I would recommend going for vxi instead of zxi. The zxi sports 16" tyres. These are 50% costlier than 15" ones and the options are pretty limited.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by ayushagarwal26

A Fiesta 1.6 would be the dream ...

Hey Ayush, did you find what you were looking for or is the hunt still on?

[fiestarry]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

The 1.6 Fiesta Classic petrol is a good option. It has a boot and enough has been said about the engine and handling. The time is perfect for buying a used petrol car right now.

The Fiesta is a fantastic car for the enthusiastic driver but then I dont recommend buying a new car; sparingly used / pre worshipped (as the term is) Fiestas are available for around 4.5 L in great shape.
As a proud owner I would however recommend strongly the Fiesta S which blows away the competition for the following reasons:-
- Sporty engine
- minimal maintenance
- good fuel economy
- good spares support
- fully loaded
In addition it is good everyday car as well.

The Fiesta S is quite elusive but you may land one for a small premium over the regular Fiestas

[arpanguha]

I am getting a Fiesta 1.6 SXi (2008) for 2.5 lac with 38k on the odo, its from a dealer. The car looks o.k. (i.e. no signs of rework) and sounds good. But should any part of it ring any bells...

Please help folks as I am a complete newbie (both here and in buying used cars )

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by arpanguha

I am getting a Fiesta 1.6 SXi (2008) for 2.5 lac with 38k on the odo, its from a dealer.

That's a good deal. Normally you get only the discontinued 1.4 petrol for that price.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by arpanguha

I am getting a Fiesta 1.6 SXi (2008) for 2.5 lac with 38k on the odo, its from a dealer. The car looks o.k. (i.e. no signs of rework) and sounds good. But should any part of it ring any bells...

Please help folks as I am a complete newbie (both here and in buying used cars )

Thats about right.
I bought mine 2 years ago.
SXi, 06, 37k on the odo, roundabout the same price....

you can have a look at my ownership thread to see if that helps.

[AirWind]

Having lived my dream for the last 1 yr and 12k KM's later, I can say the Skoda Octavia mk1 vRS is unmatched south of 10L.

I second this maintenance cost even at the dealership and most spares are available off the shelf (i recently changed the brake discs/pads)... it can be 'lil cheaper if you know a reliable garage... and yes, there will be an odd lemon, but that's the beauty of pre-owned - you can do your homework reading the previous ownership history before taking the plunge (which is not available to a new car buyer )!

I get pretty good mileage of 11 KMPL within city (not exactly b2b traffic but 30 min either ways @ 7:30 and 16:45 Hrs). I let the beast transform itself on the highway - can give 10~14 depending on my mood.

Originally Posted by v&v

Just saw this thread. The maintenance 40-50k is not true. I have covered around 16k kms in 2 years my usage is exactly like your requirement. its a perfect weekend car. I feel it gives you more trouble when it is used for daily commuting with bumper to bumper traffic. IMO look out for a clean RS and you will not regret.

[procircuit_234]

can we add optra tdci to the list?

[13thpsycho]

Hi Bhpians
I have been banging my head against a wall for the last three months now. I have read reviews and compared a few cars but never reached an end result. Finally decided to start a new thread, hoping that I would get personalized attention from you guys.

So here's the deal. I have a black Alto vxi 1.1, amazing performance for a small car its size and nimble handling, I have stage 1 mods on my car, sounds like a rally car, does 0-100 in about 12.5 seconds according to my stopwatch. I have seen a lot of frustrated faces in my rvm when their 12 lakh car cant keep up with mine. You have to see it to believe it. It used to touch 165-170km/hr once upon a time. Now its 10 years old, 1.17Lakh kms on the odo and still in great shape with no signs of ageing. I have a buyer ready to buy it for 1.2Lakhs, so I have painfully decided to part with it.

The following list is not belonging to any particular segment, reason being, I want a car which I can fall in love with. I will be getting the car modified, at least stage 1 mods no matter which car I pick. Don't like keeping my cars stock, that's why a used car! My needs are maintenance should not be exorbitant, good looks, great handling, best possible features and easily tuned.
The cars I have shortlisted are

1. 2007 Accord V6
2. Fiesta 1.6S
3. Polo 1.6
4. Honda Civic
5. Pajero

I am very keen on buying the 2007 Accord V6 (Led Lights). I have never driven it, but from what I hear, it is a much better car as compared to the new 'sofa' accord. Plus you get V6 power for the price of a new hot hatch. The interiors are spacious and comfortable. On the downside I hear it floats a bit as well, not a very good handler and the brakes need to be upgraded, keeping in mind the performance of the car. Mileage is not a concern. What are the areas that I need to look into while buying a used one? Does it live upto its V6 name?

The Fiesta 1.6S is a much revered car by fellow Bhpians. Again never driven it but I read its the best enthusiasts car this side of a 3-series. Is it true? Better than the Accord V6 and the civic? Are the spare parts expensive? My uncle's Ikon was such a pickpocket! Don't like the looks of it so much. The color I like is its blue which is very rare in the used car market.

Polo 1.6 is in the list because its small yet has snob value and I am assuming the car will be pocket friendly, I have no idea about its service costs. It is easy to use in the city and comfort levels are pretty good. Engine is not lacking grunt at all, things will be much better after it gets a FFE and a ECU remap. Would love to call it the next gen pocket-rocket or is it another pickpocket? Me being six feet tall, I always had to move my seat in the alto to accommodate rear passengers, will the same happen here or is it spacious enough for occasional back-benchers? Very few 1.6 models are available though.

Honda Civic is a tried and tested car which can be easily modified. Some good examples are available in the market for peanuts. The size is perfect for daily city routine as well. It is my second favorite only because of the fact that for nearly the same amount I am getting an Accord V6. Now as much as I like manuals, after owning a Superb for a year now, I fell in love with the DSG. So out of the two available models, which is a better the better one manual or auto? My brother suggested to go for a manual but I was tempted for the paddle shifts.

Many of you must be wondering, out of all the cars, a Pajero in this list! Well, its because I am getting a killer deal on a 2008 model, 30K run. I have recently started to take part in rallies and Motorsport events and was thinking, this car can handle rough terrains smoothly, why not? I would like to experience the rallies first and then buy a competitive car like a rally prepped gypsy/vitara. It would also solve my purpose of highway cruising without worrying about dips and potholes. Its got amazing road presence. It has that take it anywhere advantage. My worries with this car is Mitsubishi A.S.S, parts availability and costs. I would miss the musical rumble of a modified petrol engine but I am ready to compromise if this SUV fits the bill. Just curious why such a huge 2.8L mill produces so less power? It should be able to handle 170-200 Bhp, no?

I rest my case. I hope my first thread wasn't such a boring read. I am looking forward to your suggestions. Please feel free to talk about any other car that you think I should consider.

Thanks for reading.

[abhayshanu]

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

Hi Bhpians
The following list is not belonging to any particular segment, reason being, I want a car which I can fall in love with. I will be getting the car modified, at least stage 1 mods no matter which car I pick. Don't like keeping my cars stock, that's why a used car! My needs are maintenance should not be exorbitant, good looks, great handling, best possible features and easily tuned.
The cars I have shortlisted are

1. 2007 Accord V6
2. Fiesta 1.6S
3. Polo 1.6
4. Honda Civic
5. Pajero

From your post, you basicly require a faster Alto. So my suggestion would be the Fiesta for you. It has good power, a good base for mods and quite cheap to maintain.

Just writing more info for the other cars

Accord V6 - Gem of an engine, really powerful, but the car itself is bulky and soft. Needs harder suspension and lightening. Maintenance is little lower than other cars of its segment. Can not be compared to Civics or Fiestas.

Honda Civic - Good car, soft suspension, not very expensive to maintain.

Polo 1.6 - Really good looker, but the engine is a Commuter, dont know how much you can get out of it.

Pajero - ???????????? Good Comfortable, Soft, Body Rolly(is this a word?), heavy, bulky, slow SUV.


P.S. - I would also suggest you to look into the OHC Vtec. Except for alot of features, its a really good enthusiasts car with quite low maintenance.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

From your post, you basicly require a faster Alto. So my suggestion would be the Fiesta for you. It has good power, a good base for mods and quite cheap to maintain.
---------------------SNIP

Not a good base for mods, the fiesta.Even trying out alloys will give you a headache.
If you want to enjoy wonderment in a stock car, then yes.

Otherwise, go for a honda.

[John Jacob13128]

@ 13thpsycho,

The Fiesta1.6S would the perfect upgrade for you. One can get a good deal, but not sure if you can land the Aquarius blue. Also mayankk pointed out it won’t be great for mods as 1. The stock car in itself is great and 2. It will be a headache to do cosmetic or performance.
It truly is the best this side of the Beemer.