Used Car - Baleno or OHC 1.3

Surprise · 31st January 2006, 14:40

Make sure it doenst happen the other way round. You friend taking you to three different dealers, asking them the price as if he intends to buy one, averages the price, discounts the same amount (7.5k logic) & sell it to you at that price.

Buffetfan · 31st January 2006, 16:47

FE (City Driving with AC) OHC V-Tec : 12-to-14, Baleno - ?

My Baleno given 11.5 to 14 kmpl depending on how yu drive it...AC On most of the time..
Responsiveness (LOW RPM) - Baleno Wins. Correct ?
yes
Responsiveness (HIGH RPM) - Tthe jury is out on this one.
My Opinion... the perf is OHC 1.5 VTec, Baleno and OHC 1.5 in that order
Comfort (Seats) - Baleno wins (Someone mentioned that the seats are more comfortable on the Baleno. Anybody willing to second that opinion ?)

I had a Fiat Uno earlier...the front seats of which were claimed (and actually are Very comfortable) more comfortable than a city....well..the Baleno has better seats than my Uno once you get used to the slightly lowerr height. I drove non stop from mumbai to hyd (760 kms) and despite the fact that I have a l5-s1 disc herniation, did not feel a thing...
Interiors- Both suck
Correct...maybe OHC may look slightly better...but of late Baleno comes with a good quality plastic
Suspension - Baleno Wins. (Differences of opinion welcome)

In my view both similar
Maintenance (Regular Wear & Tear) - I cant compare with a low or high tag on this as the definition of "High / Low Maintenance" may vary from Individual to individual
so lets say that the Baleno wins considering it is from the Maruti Stable
I would say finding parts might be easier since the model is still in prodn...(Cant say if it will be stopped after sometime thouhg??)
Maintenance (Engine / Long Term) - The V-Tec is from From the Honda Stable. No need to Worry, Baleno ??
I dont believe maintenance is high on the baleno...and the spare parts seem cheap compared to cars of the same segment.

khaadu75 · 31st January 2006, 19:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andre

Hey All,

Thank you all for the responses. Varied as they are, I thoroughly enjoyed reading each & every one of them. The only problem is that I am more confused now than ever before...LOL

Let me outline the kind of mods I plan to do to this car so the comparison can be done with all of this in mind -

Free Flow Exhaust
Air Filter Change
Tyres & Alloys (If not there already)
Cosmetic Mods - Leather Interiors with chut mut stuff here & there.

Oh & did I mention that this forum absolutely ROCKS !!

Hey Andre, What did I tell you .. THIS FORUM TRULY ROCKS !!! But dude trust me when I say go for the Baleno .. thats the one you can mantain ... !!
I'm sure you don't want me telling the forum your driving style and what you managed doing to your present car , maybe I shud get a few pics of it and post them

Anyways, enjoy the tips from this forum and lets see what you buy !! I want you to get the Baleno and get it soon .. the Autocross is around the corner and I'm without a car besides the lil zen -- running the Baleno will be gud fun ...

Cheers

RX135 · 31st January 2006, 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buffetfan

Suspension - Baleno Wins. (Differences of opinion welcome)
In my view both similar

Isn't Baleno supposed to have better suspension? I don't remember who said it, but I distinctly remember someone saying that OHC is like an awesome engine mounted on a go-cart.

mclaren1885 · 31st January 2006, 20:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by RX135

Isn't Baleno supposed to have better suspension? I don't remember who said it, but I distinctly remember someone saying that OHC is like an awesome engine mounted on a go-cart.

I think it might be wolf or shan2nu , bcoz i remember one of them saying the same after the go - karting championship at bangalore ..

Andre · 31st January 2006, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by khaadu75

Hey Andre, What did I tell you .. THIS FORUM TRULY ROCKS !!! But dude trust me when I say go for the Baleno .. thats the one you can mantain ... !!
I'm sure you don't want me telling the forum your driving style and what you managed doing to your present car , maybe I shud get a few pics of it and post them

Anyways, enjoy the tips from this forum and lets see what you buy !! I want you to get the Baleno and get it soon .. the Autocross is around the corner and I'm without a car besides the lil zen -- running the Baleno will be gud fun ...

Cheers

Kahdu dont even talk about my driving style man! I was the most docile driver 8 years ago ! Didnt know jacksh*t about free flows, air filters, headers or any of this stuff ! I could take my girlfriends parents for a drive and they would have given their daughter away to me without a worry in their heart. And then you showed up and introduced me to driving - rally ishtyle! You should be paying half the bill for the zen man!

.

But yeah I know what you mean about the Baleno. I'm am leaning towards that right now....specially because of the Autocross. The heart says v-tec and the mind says Baleno. Lets see which one wins ! I still got a week -10 days to make up my mind.

Boom Shiva · 31st January 2006, 23:27

If you're going to mod, go for Baleno. Lots of cheap spares and service available in case something goes wrong. Can't say the same for Honda, especially for the phased out City.

The Wolf · 31st January 2006, 23:57

Guys, just clarifying your doubts with respect to vtec mods...Its a misconception that Indian vtec's are expensive in intense mods...My claim on this is based on what I have heard from tuners who have indulged in the holy act of fiddeling with the so called complicated Vtec...LOL! Infact one of the tuners gave me an easy explaination as to why it is cheaper than the latter, he says its easy to source vtec stuff from singapore, malaysia, thailand and bangkok yards. The older civic parts easily sit on our vtecs and are effortlessly available in these yards as the civics have been around for a decade in those markets now...The taxes and duties are way cheaper from these places than sourcing from the US and australia.

The civics are direct predecessors of our Indian city's and as long as they are around in showrooms and wreck yards in oriental markets there souldnt be any problem sourcing them. Pls feel free to pm me incase anyone wants to inquire about the approx costs of engine heads, engines, drive trains, gearbox etc for comparison...I would consult and let you all know.

mclaren1885 · 1st February 2006, 00:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Pls feel free to pm me incase anyone wants to inquire about the approx costs of engine heads, engines, drive trains, gearbox etc for comparison...I would consult and let you all know.

Request u to put up the prices for everyones benefit in the tuned vtec vs baleno thread .. Will be a good reckoner for all of us ..

The Wolf · 1st February 2006, 01:08

[SIZE=2]I dont have a price list with me as I dont professionally deal with it. If anyone wants to ship something down specifically I can inquire and get the quote, so its only by request for serious buyers...Moreover, there are thousands of parts to just compile and put it up.[/SIZE]

mclaren1885 · 1st February 2006, 01:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Wolf

I dont have a price list with me as I dont professionally deal with it. If anyone wants to ship something down specifically I can inquire and get the quote, so its only by request for serious buyers...Moreover, there are thousands of parts to just compile and put it up.

I do understand , but an approximate costs of various feasible engines on indian cars , heads , bottom halfs , gearbox , cams is all we need .. If u can pls do post the details ..

gr8guzzler · 1st February 2006, 02:26

What about the build quality of these 2 cars. Since Andre is looking for a used car, how prone are these 2 cars to rattle and stuff....Anyone?

Deeps · 1st February 2006, 03:37

Since we are discussing 2nd hand Balenos, i thought my queries about the car would be relevant here. What would be a decent price for a 2002-2004 model Baleno (lxi/vxi doesnt really matter) with around 40,000km on the odo in Delhi? Andre, please, do let me know what kind of deals you come across if you decide to go for the Baleno. What would be the cost of putting on cosmetic accessories such as a spoiler (in the case of lxi), anti-theft device/alarm and alloys?

adityapd · 1st February 2006, 10:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr8guzzler

What about the build quality of these 2 cars. Since Andre is looking for a used car, how prone are these 2 cars to rattle and stuff....Anyone?

i have some absolutely rattle free 4 to 5 year old balenos which have done more than 55 to 60 K kms on the odo..

Tackling those mumbai flyovers with a full load of 5 people with ac on is a breeze even on these highly run models...

~A

Floyd de Souza · 1st February 2006, 11:02

I know a person who has a 2000 Baleno (chauffeur driven) done 96000 kms. Only maintenance done besides regular servicing (including fluid changes, regular tyre rotation, wheel alignment/balancing) are two tyre changes and two brake pad changes and one battery change. Fantastic.

31st January 2006, 14:40	#31
Surprise Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,523 Thanked: 454 Times	Make sure it doenst happen the other way round. You friend taking you to three different dealers, asking them the price as if he intends to buy one, averages the price, discounts the same amount (7.5k logic) & sell it to you at that price.
	() Thanks

31st January 2006, 16:47	#32
Buffetfan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,128 Thanked: 195 Times	FE (City Driving with AC) OHC V-Tec : 12-to-14, Baleno - ? My Baleno given 11.5 to 14 kmpl depending on how yu drive it...AC On most of the time.. Responsiveness (LOW RPM) - Baleno Wins. Correct ? yes Responsiveness (HIGH RPM) - Tthe jury is out on this one. My Opinion... the perf is OHC 1.5 VTec, Baleno and OHC 1.5 in that order Comfort (Seats) - Baleno wins (Someone mentioned that the seats are more comfortable on the Baleno. Anybody willing to second that opinion ?) I had a Fiat Uno earlier...the front seats of which were claimed (and actually are Very comfortable) more comfortable than a city....well..the Baleno has better seats than my Uno once you get used to the slightly lowerr height. I drove non stop from mumbai to hyd (760 kms) and despite the fact that I have a l5-s1 disc herniation, did not feel a thing... Interiors- Both suck Correct...maybe OHC may look slightly better...but of late Baleno comes with a good quality plastic Suspension - Baleno Wins. (Differences of opinion welcome) In my view both similar Maintenance (Regular Wear & Tear) - I cant compare with a low or high tag on this as the definition of "High / Low Maintenance" may vary from Individual to individual so lets say that the Baleno wins considering it is from the Maruti Stable I would say finding parts might be easier since the model is still in prodn...(Cant say if it will be stopped after sometime thouhg??) Maintenance (Engine / Long Term) - The V-Tec is from From the Honda Stable. No need to Worry, Baleno ?? I dont believe maintenance is high on the baleno...and the spare parts seem cheap compared to cars of the same segment.
	() Thanks

31st January 2006, 23:27	#37
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,055 Thanked: 18 Times	If you're going to mod, go for Baleno. Lots of cheap spares and service available in case something goes wrong. Can't say the same for Honda, especially for the phased out City.
	() Thanks

31st January 2006, 23:57	#38
The Wolf Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,118 Thanked: 71 Times	Guys, just clarifying your doubts with respect to vtec mods...Its a misconception that Indian vtec's are expensive in intense mods...My claim on this is based on what I have heard from tuners who have indulged in the holy act of fiddeling with the so called complicated Vtec...LOL! Infact one of the tuners gave me an easy explaination as to why it is cheaper than the latter, he says its easy to source vtec stuff from singapore, malaysia, thailand and bangkok yards. The older civic parts easily sit on our vtecs and are effortlessly available in these yards as the civics have been around for a decade in those markets now...The taxes and duties are way cheaper from these places than sourcing from the US and australia. The civics are direct predecessors of our Indian city's and as long as they are around in showrooms and wreck yards in oriental markets there souldnt be any problem sourcing them. Pls feel free to pm me incase anyone wants to inquire about the approx costs of engine heads, engines, drive trains, gearbox etc for comparison...I would consult and let you all know.
	() Thanks

1st February 2006, 01:08	#40
The Wolf Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,118 Thanked: 71 Times	[SIZE=2]I dont have a price list with me as I dont professionally deal with it. If anyone wants to ship something down specifically I can inquire and get the quote, so its only by request for serious buyers...Moreover, there are thousands of parts to just compile and put it up.[/SIZE]
	() Thanks

1st February 2006, 02:26	#42
gr8guzzler BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 653 Thanked: 87 Times View My Garage	What about the build quality of these 2 cars. Since Andre is looking for a used car, how prone are these 2 cars to rattle and stuff....Anyone?
	() Thanks

1st February 2006, 03:37	#43
Deeps Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Delhi/Noida Posts: 1,116 Thanked: 170 Times	Since we are discussing 2nd hand Balenos, i thought my queries about the car would be relevant here. What would be a decent price for a 2002-2004 model Baleno (lxi/vxi doesnt really matter) with around 40,000km on the odo in Delhi? Andre, please, do let me know what kind of deals you come across if you decide to go for the Baleno. What would be the cost of putting on cosmetic accessories such as a spoiler (in the case of lxi), anti-theft device/alarm and alloys?
	() Thanks

1st February 2006, 11:02	#45
Floyd de Souza BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 320 Thanked: 225 Times	I know a person who has a 2000 Baleno (chauffeur driven) done 96000 kms. Only maintenance done besides regular servicing (including fluid changes, regular tyre rotation, wheel alignment/balancing) are two tyre changes and two brake pad changes and one battery change. Fantastic.
	() Thanks