[karizma_devil]

Hi guys.
am in a strange situation..i have 3.5 lakhs with me..in fact i hav been running around with the cash for a month in search of an OHC.. but no sucess. the cars i came across have either been badly abused or not worth paying the price that was quoted.
while in the search mode i found out a few more options in my budget-

1.Lancer SFXi-2003-3.6lkhs-very good condition
GLX-2000-2.5-good deal.(no service records)
LE-2004-4.2-extremely well kept,done 22000kms.

2.Fiat palio NV sport 1.2-2002-1.8lkhs-done 19000 kms-pune
palio 1.2 ELX NV- 2002-1.4 lakhs-good car


my usage-
1.maximum 30-40 kms per day in town.
2.monthly drives of about 150kms .
3.Good looks ( i hate NHC and baleno looks.)
4.low maintanance ( because i am gonna use it,i have a meger salary!)


please suggest pros and cons of both.
fuel economy,parts cost,general maintanance.

any new options is more than welcome

[Vid6639]

Hey karizma_devil, are you keen on a second hand car? Do you need a car with a boot?
I would suggest if it's your first car and you dont wanna spend much on maintenance the safest buy would be a new car.
If your taking a loan then extending your budget wont pinch you.
Something like the WagonR or the new zen.

If you do want a second hand then the lancer is good buy. In your list the LE sounds good so to the SFXi. Ofcourse you need to thouroughly check the cars and know the service history. The Lancers resale value is really low. You should be able to bargain a bit more than the 4.2 to like 4L.

It's a good car to own if it's been taken care of well. The mileage is good, maintenance is also not much.

I would suggest a new car as it's always nice to have a new car as your very first car. It sounds good to get a bigger car for the same money but the feeling isnt the same as getting a new car.

[sreenivass]

If I was in your situation I'd go for a new car within that budget. A smaller car especially maruti's have low maintenance and have good Fuel Efficiency. They are unlikely to pinch your pockets.

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by karizma_devil

Hi guys.
am in a strange situation..i have 3.5 lakhs with me..

With that budget, you can get a brand new Palio 1.2 ELPS model, thanks to the heavy discounts on offer now, but this is a limited stock offer.
So you need to check out with the Fiat dealer in your City, if there is any piece still available.

Palio 1.2 will give you a mileage of 12-13 kmpl in City and 15-19 kmpl on Highways, Service is improved post Fiat-Tata tieup and Spare prices are reasonable too.

[JRD]

hey dude..
i think 2004 lancer LE sounds like a good buy.. just get it checked for any major accidents though. just to be safe.. but yeah its hard to find a unabused ohc these days..

later
JRD.

[determinus]

Originally Posted by karizma_devil

Lancer SFXi - 2003 - 3.6lkhs - very good condition

The original Lancer has some kind of timeless looks. May be because I have still not come into terms with the bangles & eyebrows designs floating from everyone including the beamers. I am still stuck in the 90's clean lines and solid feel.

And the above deal looks damn tempting. 3.5L for a 2003 SFXi? Where is this? Mumbai? I would love to lay my hands on one. Infact I have also been looking for a 00-01 VTEC; I have seen a few in Mumbai in similar price range. These two are still in my wishlist :-)

[karizma_devil]

vid i need a car with a boot.
its my first personal car.i have been driving a family esteem for last 6 yrs.its been with us since 1996.we had also got a sonata embera but there was a major crash,post crash we had to sale it.

my family is happy with our old esteem.no problems !

but i want a bigger car.

let me check.


i have also seen a few accents.

tornado for about 5lakhs.
and a few gle 02 and 01 for about 2.2-2.7

what do you all say?

[theMAG]

Karizma_Devil,

From your requirements list, the Accent is the closest fit - cheap to mainain, very versatile, low running cost and with a good set of footwear and tints will look quite mean.

[karizma_devil]

ohh am getting lost man.. i have been swinging between a lancer and paloi..now accent..wish i could get a good OHC..eyes closed i would go for it..hope santa is listning !

[Vid6639]

Karizma_devil, The OHC is very difficult to find may take you months. If your looking for a boot then just remove the palio from your list.

You now have 2 cars, accent and Lancer. Both are cheap to maintain and fulfil your requirements.

Now all you need to do is check out the cars you have found. Find out the full history of the lancer SFXi, LE and the tornado.

Then based on that go for the car. Dont make any hasty decisions in a hurry.

[karizma_devil]

ya vid i would definitly check it.
once i shortlist a few cars i would post the pictures and other complete details. so that i can get some valuable gyan from our team bhp gurus.

on a personal note am thankful to all you theam bhp members for you time and valuable advice.
waiting for more advice and suggestions.
if any one finds any suitable cars please do give me the details in this thread.

merry christmas to you all .

[karizma_devil]

2002 well maintained lancer glxi for 3 lakhs is it a bad deal?

[determinus]

Originally Posted by karizma_devil

2002 well maintained lancer glxi for 3 lakhs is it a bad deal?

hey, did you finally get the car you were searching for? if so, give some details.

i am in EXACTLY the same situation -- 3.5L and looking for a used sedan, lancer or OHC. where did you find those SFXi and GLXi's? Dealers or owners direct? Do you have any leads that I could use perhaps??

Cheers!