[inline-six]

Hi all,

Need some help, buying a fun car with a very limited budget. Kindly advice me which one of the below is the best choice.

2005 baleno vxi(79000kms) - 1,20,000.Rs
2002 OHC Vtec(98000kms)- 1,50,000.Rs
2001 OHC 1.5exi(11000kms)-1,30,000.Rs

Looking for an outright performance car. It will not be my daily drive car as I also have an Honda Amaze i-Dtec. This car will be for occassional adrenaline rush drives and weekend trips. And ofcourse will be looking at the drag scene with some mods soon after the purchase.

Kindly help.
Thanks

[handsofsteel]

ok, decided to bite the bullet finally. i have a yearly running of 4000km (yes 4k tops) so decided pre-owned petrol was the way to go. no budget issues. just that no use for a four wheeler except in monsoons. got a certified(CARTRADE) civic apr 08 for 4.4. 40k run, all four brand new tyres. single owner (owned by a company from nariman point). spent 45k on insurance, 40k service, battery and some 'peace of mind' changes and voila! i have a 'as good as new' car . dealer quoted 5.5. bargained and tried out every trick in the book since the previous owner was a company (figured he could take the depreciation). thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences.i used this thread as a benchmark.

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by inline-six

Hi all,

Need some help, buying a fun car with a very limited budget. Kindly advice me which one of the below is the best choice.

2005 baleno vxi(79000kms) - 1,20,000.Rs
2002 OHC Vtec(98000kms)- 1,50,000.Rs
2001 OHC 1.5exi(11000kms)-1,30,000.Rs

Looking for an outright performance car. It will not be my daily drive car as I also have an Honda Amaze i-Dtec. This car will be for occassional adrenaline rush drives and weekend trips. And ofcourse will be looking at the drag scene with some mods soon after the purchase.

Kindly help.
Thanks

With Blind eyes, ohc vtech. It's just a legend and getting one in top condition is rare.
If it's for adrenaline rush, simply buy the vtech. It won't disappoint you.
But be careful with service history. Since all above models are petrol head delight, it may be subjected to high abuse as well. :-)

[inline-six]

Thank you harishpr, ohc vtec is my first choice as well and so will it be of 98% of bhpians here. I am having a tough time finding a nicely kept vtec though. I came across one vtec in hyderabad which is apparently owned by my friend's friend and quite nicely kept. What i really wanted to know is, from the prices I mentioned above I am getting a 2005 baleno with much lesser kms on the odo and in top notch condition. It almost scratchless. Whereas the vtec is a 2002 model with a price tag costlier by 30k compared to a newer baleno(3yrs). I dont mind spending some $$ on service and repairs once i aquire the car as long as there are no major issues. But , is buying the 2002 vtec over the 2005 baleno, paying the extra 30k price over baleno worth it? Or picking up the baleno and spending that 30k on performance mods a better option?? Someone please get me outta this confusion. Performance Mods are the first thing i will do after the purchase. Which of these car is worth the $$.

Kindly shed some light.

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by inline-six

Thank you harishpr, ohc vtec is my first choice as well and so will it be of 98% of bhpians here. I am having a tough time finding a nicely kept vtec though. I came across one vtec in hyderabad which is apparently owned by my friend's friend and quite nicely kept. What i really wanted to know is, from the prices I mentioned above I am getting a 2005 baleno with much lesser kms on the odo and in top notch condition. It almost scratchless. Whereas the vtec is a 2002 model with a price tag costlier by 30k compared to a newer baleno(3yrs). $$.

Kindly shed some light.

This enlightens. Baleno certainly makes a better buy, especially if it's in good condition. And 3 years difference can't be discounted either.
All the best.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by harishpr

This enlightens. Baleno certainly makes a better buy, especially if it's in good condition. And 3 years difference can't be discounted either.
All the best.

Sorry, but the Baleno also scored a naught or a mere 1-start rating in IIHS safety ratings almost a decade ago. Not sure why would one wish to be in such a unsafe car & @inline-six wants to modify the car for performance.

Also, Honda engines last much longer than 98k kms, & thus, I would recommend the City Vtec in this case.

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

Sorry, but the Baleno also scored a naught or a mere 1-start rating in IIHS safety ratings almost a decade ago. Not sure why would one wish to be in such a unsafe car & @inline-six wants to modify the car for performance.

Also, Honda engines last much longer than 98k kms, & thus, I would recommend the City Vtec in this case.

If safety is priority, most of ex gens won't make the cut except for the premium models.
Old zen that I owned and loved every bit, didn't have abs or airbags. Back then, safety wasn't a priority and most manufacturers weren't providing them.
Since the Baleno in question is through a known source, it still makes a safe bet.

[wanderer4x4]

Guys, what should be a fair price for a Scorpio 4WD (non airbag) of March 2010 vintage? Vehicle has run 63k. All tyres are new. Vehicle has been recently serviced. On preliminary glance, the car looks and drives well. Seller is asking for 7.5 lakhs.

[irdevanand]

In search of a used car for my sister who met with an accident recently and has a mildly fractured pelvis and knee (but recovering well). Looking for a car with ample rear seat comfort for monthly hospital visits which is 60kms away +dropping kids at school+local city runabouts. Heres the problem...sister is heavy..but budget is light !!

Came across this corolla from Lanson Toyota ECR Chennai


Want to know the risk involved in buying this car. Or any safe alternatives at 3-4 lac budget?

[Karthik1100]

Dashboard pic is of Liva/ Etios!

[IshaanIan]

The dashboard as pointed out, is from the Liva, and one headlight seems to have a condensation problem. While Toyotas are reliable and I'm sure this one will be too, it hasn't had an owner who cared about the car so I will skip this one.
Why not try the Nissan Teana (old shape) ugly car but suits your sister's need to the T Otherwise keep looking for a used Corolla or Civic

[vigsom]

Having owned 2 Corollas and closely monitoring a friend's 2010 Altis , my reco to you would be a used SX4 with the VVT engine(late2009 or later) which you can get at approx the same price.

The Altis(shown in the ad) is a mid variant with the 1zzfe 132hp old engine

The SX4 ZXi offers you everything that the Corolla offers at a much much lower cost of maintenance.

[mints21]

I would also suggest you not to go ahead with this car. The kilometer reading is on the higher side. You should look for a car with the ODO range of 50 to 60 thousand kilometers. Beyond a lakh on ODO means major expenses may follow.

You may look for used civic, SX4, Honda City. Don't go by the mouth watering price of 4 lakhs. The previous owner might have already extracted its worth out. Given this kind of price, I wonder what price did Toyota Trust paid for this car?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

In search of a used car for my sister who met with an accident recently and has a mildly fractured pelvis and knee (but recovering well). Looking for a car with ample rear seat comfort for monthly hospital visits which is 60kms away +dropping kids at school+local city runabouts. Heres the problem...sister is heavy..but budget is light !!

Came across this corolla from Lanson Toyota ECR Chennai


Want to know the risk involved in buying this car. Or any safe alternatives at 3-4 lac budget?

I ve been seeing this car on the internet for ages. Nearly 4 months or so. If they havent been able to shift it for this long then if I were you, then I wouldn't want to be the 'mug' that fell for the 'mouth-watering price' now, would you?

[VellVector]

I would not touch this car, the odo is a bit too high. Also it is already on it's second owner, I don't think it would have got too much TLC from it's previous owners.