[imjimmy]

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.

Similar observation here mate. My uncle has a late99/2000 model and it's done more than a lakh. Still runs very good. When cleaned, the car looks as good as new. And he has not spend a penny apart from the regular service schedules of maruti..except the tyres.

He still says that the car climbs all the inclines from Chd-Shimla with ease when the driver is driving with full load and with ac on all the time..

The TD of this old baleno was one of the significant factors that prompted me to buy one for myself.

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 can tell you from my experience of sitting in the OHC 1.5 owned by friends. The suspension is nothing much to write about. The tyres make noises on all kinds of roads. The back seat ride is very ordinary - a far cry from the Baleno's almost European style rear seat ride.
I would definitely rate Baleno's suspension better than the OHC.

[The Wolf]

I think baleno is clear winner when it comes to ride quality as OHC has a tendency to make chirping noises from the dash board after say its 40k kms old. The seating on both cars is fairly great with OHC having a slight edge when it comes to road visibility for the driver. Though OHC's suspension doesnt transmit shocks on to the passenger the cracking noises can be pretty annoying. To avoid those unwanted noises all you have to do is have all the rubber bushes changed every 40k kms(around 6k bucks unfortunately)...otherwise my verdict :OHC is not a car for undulated and bad roads. Also, OHC's cabin noise(wind noise) exponentially increases with speeds beyond 120kmph!

When it comes to high speed stability both require one or two tyre size upgrades. Drove a OHC with 195/65 potenza GIII's last week...man the car handles like a gem but a 195 on baleno is total different ball game. Stock to stock baleno's body roll is more and OHC wins the oversteer competetion by far but these issues can be tweaked without too much of a hazzle...

Both are light cars hence the body quality should be similar but Im not competent enough to comment on the crumple zones and cabin damage under collision...crash test results are unavailable I guess.

[zenx]

http://www.internetautoguide.com/cra...eem/index.html
Thats the Baleno as sold in the US. Of course airbags etc help.
I suspect the City's ratings would not be too disiimilar, if tested. This is pure conjecture, of course, from what i've seen of Citys which have been in crashes and come in for repairs at Honda svc stations.
The rest of you assessment is spot on, Wolf

[triggercool]

Baleno its the best one after VTec.
Best part abt baleno its still in production.

[naveendhyani]

BALENO all the way. i m driving a 2002 model and does it kick A$$? u might want 2 talk 2 the people i pass on my way.

i m getting a solid 10.5-11 in busy gurgaon traffic and 13+ on the highways. the car has not run a single kilometer without the AC. the AC rox man, the best till date in the indian scenario.

at the end it has 2 b ur decision, so test drive both and whichever feels good, go for it. cars sometimes are like soul mates. the minute u drive u get a feel whether that was custom made for u or not.

[mayankk]

Hey, Any checklist when looking to buy a baleno?
problems and pitfalls,so to speak?

I am looking at a couple of used baleno Lxis over this month, and would much appreciate any inputs.

Thanks!

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Hey, Any checklist when looking to buy a baleno?
problems and pitfalls,so to speak?

Take a peek at this thread (Buying a Second Hand Car - Learn from my mistakes!!!), worth reading it.

Beyond that take a call based on the service history of the car. A bone stock one if that is, anything with some mods under the hood needs to be taken a good mech and checked properly.

[mayankk]

hey thanks rjstyles....that was informative..
Tell me one thing, is there anything to be learnt in case of a used car from the onboard diagnostics?
I mean, can i take it to some service centre i trust, and get under the skin of the car?

[nithin_86]

This four year old thread is being revived with the same doubt. I was thinking of going for a Baleno but the OHC has suddenly grabbed my attention. I was checking for the prices and it seems I can get a 2005 Vxi model Baleno in Chennai for around 2.5 lakhs from the Maruti True Value outlet(which includes the one year warranty and the three free services). The OHC 1.3 comes for around 2.5 lakhs up for a single owner vehicle. The OHC 1.5 and the VTech comes to around 3.5 lakhs up. From the thread people have been saying that Baleno is second only to the VTech. I am too inclined towards to the OHC now that I may even go for a 1.3. Will it be a problem to source the spares for the OHC now? Baleno being in the Maruti stable would come cheaper compared to the OHC I guess. But I have heard opinions like the maintenance is quite the same for both. That is regarding the price of spares though Baleno may be a little bit cheaper that it doesn't make much of a difference. Can anyone tell me what the current scenario is?

[supremeBaleno]

What model (year) are the OHCs (1.3, 1.5 & Vtec) for which you have been quoted 2.5L and 3.5L ? Older the car, more the possibility of maintenance/wear. So, factor this into your purchase.

Regarding your questions, I don't think sourcing spares for the OHC is an issue.
And cost-wise, OHC and Baleno spares would more or less cost the same, except for some SGP items for the Baleno that are imported and cost more.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by mayankk

hey thanks rjstyles....that was informative..
Tell me one thing, is there anything to be learnt in case of a used car from the onboard diagnostics?
I mean, can i take it to some service centre i trust, and get under the skin of the car?

mayankk apologies am late here . However the OBD will show only the error code when there is a failure. I don't think it keeps a record of the previous failures.
Your best bet is to look for a car which has been serviced at a MASS and ask for the service records. Most issues would have been added in the service history.

Originally Posted by nithin_86

This four year old thread is being revived with the same doubt. I was thinking of going for a Baleno but the OHC has suddenly grabbed my attention. I was checking for the prices and it seems I can get a 2005 Vxi model Baleno in Chennai for around 2.5 lakhs from the Maruti True Value outlet(which includes the one year warranty and the three free services). The OHC 1.3 comes for around 2.5 lakhs up for a single owner vehicle. The OHC 1.5 and the VTech comes to around 3.5 lakhs up. From the thread people have been saying that Baleno is second only to the VTech. I am too inclined towards to the OHC now that I may even go for a 1.3. Will it be a problem to source the spares for the OHC now? Baleno being in the Maruti stable would come cheaper compared to the OHC I guess. But I have heard opinions like the maintenance is quite the same for both. That is regarding the price of spares though Baleno may be a little bit cheaper that it doesn't make much of a difference. Can anyone tell me what the current scenario is?

errrr.. what do you wanna put your money on now the 1.3 , City 1.5 , VTec or the Baleno ? If its the 1.3 which you plan to buy the G16B from the baleno is a much more troquey and powerful engine. The Vtec wins hands down when it comes to handling and power.
With regards to the spares both the baleno and the city's prices should be almost the same with not much of a difference.

Read this post from a wolf

I think baleno is clear winner when it comes to ride quality as OHC has a tendency to make chirping noises from the dash board after say its 40k kms old. The seating on both cars is fairly great with OHC having a slight edge when it comes to road visibility for the driver. Though OHC's suspension doesnt transmit shocks on to the passenger the cracking noises can be pretty annoying. To avoid those unwanted noises all you have to do is have all the rubber bushes changed every 40k kms(around 6k bucks unfortunately)...otherwise my verdict :OHC is not a car for undulated and bad roads. Also, OHC's cabin noise(wind noise) exponentially increases with speeds beyond 120kmph!

When it comes to high speed stability both require one or two tyre size upgrades. Drove a OHC with 195/65 potenza GIII's last week...man the car handles like a gem but a 195 on baleno is total different ball game. Stock to stock baleno's body roll is more and OHC wins the oversteer competetion by far but these issues can be tweaked without too much of a hazzle...

Both are light cars hence the body quality should be similar but Im not competent enough to comment on the crumple zones and cabin damage under collision...crash test results are unavailable I guess.

[nithin_86]

Thanks for the quick repsonses guys. The quoted prices for the City were for the 2003 model and the 2.5 for the 2001 model. I find it difficult to get a good OHC within Chennai for a reasonable price. I have seen a quote of 4.5 lakhs for a 2003 model VTec. The older the car more would be the wear and tear thing is what bugs me as well. Baleno, I can actually get a 2005-06 model for a reasonable price here in Chennai but the latest OHC that I can get would be 7 years old and the price here is way out.

[mayankk]

@nithin86:if you can, buy any used car in delhi,and drive it down/train-deliver.
you'll get a huge difference in price.I took a look at an 03 vtec, quoted 2.95L!!balenos-any year/any condition(immaculate downright shoddy) none more than 2L
i dont know about the intricacies of driving a delhi reg in chennai though(i rode a rx100 KA reg for 4 years in delhi, no problems.)

@rjstyles: bypassed both the baleno and the City for an 06 fiesta(1.6 Sxi).
nothing against the other two, but this one was almost 80% mint condition, ford A.s.s confirmed service record, and i was tired of taking TDs.

[yzfrj]

Originally Posted by nithin_86

Baleno being in the Maruti stable would come cheaper compared to the OHC I guess. But I have heard opinions like the maintenance is quite the same for both.

Well it depends on what you end up changing. Baleno is not like a Maruti spares are expensive. Some more compared to the OHC (For example Head Lights, Lower Arms)

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Regarding your questions, I don't think sourcing spares for the OHC is an issue.
And cost-wise, OHC and Baleno spares would more or less cost the same, except for some SGP items for the Baleno that are imported and cost more.

See that point I was trying to say, "some" parts.
Yes what SB said is true getting parts can mean waiting around.
I was not able to get the Air Filter for the OHC, can you even believe that.
Its just 340/- still no one has the "good" stuff.
Luckily I was going to my home town and got it from there.

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

The Vtec wins hands down when it comes to handling and power.

Riju, Vtec - Handling is Not that great. (Edit : Can be called crappy by today's standards) Power Yes. Its awesome.
Floor the loud pedal and nothing comes close.

Originally Posted by nithin_86

Thanks for the quick repsonses guys. The quoted prices for the City were for the 2003 model and the 2.5 for the 2001 model. I find it difficult to get a good OHC within Chennai for a reasonable price. I have seen a quote of 4.5 lakhs for a 2003 model VTec. The older the car more would be the wear and tear thing is what bugs me as well. Baleno, I can actually get a 2005-06 model for a reasonable price here in Chennai but the latest OHC that I can get would be 7 years old and the price here is way out.

I'm confused, which one you want ?
OHC 1.3 ? 1.5 ? or the Vtec ?

1.3 and 1.5 you should be able to see good examples for 2.5 to 2.8L (Model :2003)

Vtec - All the best "if" you can find a good one. Price is through the roof and its absolutely ridiculous.

Value for money will be the Baleno. (Edit : You do get Climate control in Vxi 2006 onwards i think, this the "H" does't have)

I'd suggest to make up your mind on what you want.
In my case I needed and OHC 1.5 atleast and ended up lucky to get a good 2003 Vtec with 64K Kms for 3.5L (May 2010)

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by yzfrj

Riju, Vtec - Handling is Not that great. (Edit : Can be called crappy by today's standards) Power Yes. Its awesome.
Floor the loud pedal and nothing comes close.

Was comparing it with a baleno and I have found the vtec to have a stiffer suspension setup than the baleno. Take a curve at 80+ and the baleno would be all around the place which wasn't the case with the Vtec.

mayankk was a wise decision and congrats. Drive safe.