[gururaj r]

My son who lives in US recently purchased his first car Honda Accord 2006 for about USD7000 from his colleague. He has earlier traveled almost daily in the same car close to 6 months. The car has done around 50000 miles. The market cost for the same vehicle is around USD 12000 which I have also verified in various sites.

He is new to driving also and what are the precautions / service he must do. He intends to keep the vehicle for the next 3 years or so beyond which he expect to sell the car at the same rate. His daily grind would be around say 20 miles a day and much more during weekends.

I request for inputs in the maintenance of the vehicle.

[Urban_Nomad]

^^ Since he has bought this car from his colleague (who has driven it for around 50k miles), I think he can get all the necessary info from the same person.

Also, I am not sure if this is the right place to post this query as this clearly is a used civic vs a new City thread. Try searching the forum for Accord maintenance do's and dont's (I remember seeing one such thread for Civic pakka se).

Hope this helps.

[ghostrider]

A couple of other posters here suggested that you might be infatuated with the Honda brand, and I'd have to agree. Narrowing your choice down to these two cars is a bad move because:

(a) Today the trim and accessory levels on cars is improving RAPIDLY. Hondas are already under-equipped compared to their current rivals, and you're planning on keeping this car for 10 years. In TWO years your car will have virtually none of the toys that new cars come with.

(b) Ride and handling? Please. Honda hopped off that train years ago.

(c) Image / Brand value: Hondas no longer have the brand cache they once did in this country. Maybe you should go through this thread.

Have you properly checked out any of the competition? There's a LOT of options today.

That's my two cents, at any rate.

If you're still limiting your options to the ANHC and a Civic, I'd choose a pre-owned Civic. All the best with your decision.

[ACM]

Get the Civic, if upto 2 years old will outlast the new city easily. Besides to start off it is built better.

Only negative - at bit of speed breaker rubbing at times.

Also though you mention 10 years and though the civic will last 10 years it is highly possible and likely that given the spate of options that will appear you may not use it beyond another 6 years.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

A couple of other posters here suggested that you might be infatuated with the Honda brand, and I'd have to agree. Narrowing your choice down to these two cars is a bad move because:

I agree i have narrowed the choice between 2 Honda's because i really don't know which other brand will be as reliable except for the Toyota's. I am not considering the Toyotas as i not a fan of either the corolla/Etios looks so they were off the list.

Don't know about Vw as they are just here for around a 1 -2 years or so not sure.Basically i am looking at a reliable vehicle which i dont have to sell in the next 10 years.None of the other cars incite me as much as the Civic and i am considering the other Honda only because of the durable engines Honda's are known for and for the safety features like ABS and airbags which are part of std equipment.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Hondas are already under-equipped compared to their current rivals, and you're planning on keeping this car for 10 years. In TWO years your car will have virtually none of the toys that new cars come with.

I am not concerned with the bells and whistles which comes with car.Just a good engine,good performance,decent fuel efficiency, safety and fairly mod-friendly for the next 10 years is enough for me.I am still living in the carb age while the rest of the world has moved on to ECU's and MPFI's and i really don't care about that.I have a FFE and conical K&N in my 800 which i simply enjoy to drive.The car has been with me for 14 years but maintainig it has been an expensive affair with it costing me roughly 1.5 k on a average a month in repairs daily for the past 1-2 years.

[mdsaab]

Now this is some timing for a thread which speaks about 2 very known cars.
One which we have owned for almost 3 years and the other just booked.
Yes ofcourse the Civic is a wonderful car and is better than the city is practically all aspects, It's suppose to be a new Civic costs 50% more than a new city.
But here in your case there is one very important aspect to consider. and that is the duration you wish to own and use the car. 10 years sure is a long time.
~Points to consider during these 10 years of Ownership. ~
Maintenance
There isn't going to be a huge difference but there is definately going to be some. The city will probably cost you less to maintain in the long term.
Petrol
With the way petrol prices are today, and the direction where they probably will be heading (NORTH!) The city is more frugal and will cost you less to run as well.
Resale values
Well after 10 years of ownership this isn't going to be much of a point to consider.

Now there are two ways of looking at the City.
1> a Junior Civic
2> a compromise

These are very valid points which you have to consider and decide for carefully, choose wisely as with this decision will impact you for the next 10 years, unless ofcourse you decide to sell her off before this period.

Another point which just came up to head.
The City is the perfect City car, with it's compact dimensions and super light controls it makes one very comfortable behind the wheel within the city.
But take them out to the highway and it's a different ball game altogether with the hydraulic steering of the Civic in it's own element, the driving experience is nothing short of Fantastic.

Another very valid point being the interiors. The Civic being a very special place to be in. The city though designed well isn't really going to make you feel all that special.

Phew it's tough one.
If it were finicky ol' me then i would probably go in for the City, unless i get a very good example of a Civic that i am happy with.
But right now leaning more towards a brand new City.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I am not concerned with the bells and whistles which comes with car.Just a good engine,good performance,decent fuel efficiency, safety and fairly mod-friendly for the next 10 years is enough for me.I am still living in the carb age while the rest of the world has moved on to ECU's and MPFI's and i really don't care about that.I have a FFE and conical K&N in my 800 which i simply enjoy to drive.The car has been with me for 14 years but maintainig it has been an expensive affair with it costing me roughly 1.5 k on a average a month in repairs daily for the past 1-2 years.

Civic is known to have a low FE.

Regarding maintenance, Honda maintenance is expensive, much more than the M800. All parts for Civic are at least two to three times that of M800. The only saving grace is that if you get your Honda repaired at the A.S.S., they will make your vehicle as good as new, of course at a price, and the interval between repairs is fairly long.

Please go through this thread to get an idea of expenses involved http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...-must-dos.html

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

None of the other cars incite me as much as the Civic..

Its only for this point I want you to go for a pre-owned Civic. There is no other car that will give you the excited feeling inside and out other than the Civic. It was the same case for me, I went in for the Civic after a long discussion in Team-BHP, the link of which is given below:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...ght-civic.html
I am enjoying every moment of it and you will too.

Originally Posted by ACM

Get the Civic, if upto 2 years old will outlast the new city easily. Besides to start off it is built better.

As ACM said, I still feel that a neatly-maintained 2 year old Civic with less mileage on the odo will probably outlast a brand-new City in the long run.

[csr]

If I were in your position, I would look for a good deal on 2-3 yr old Civic. Do extensive research and find a individual seller who might be in urgent need of selling the car. If you bargain enough and do enough search, I guess you will find one for 7-8 Lakhs. Just to verify the above statement, I did a simple search just now and found many optiions here:
Used cars listing from Mumbai - CarWale

Save that 2-3 lakhs and invest in top rated 5 different mutual funds. Keep extracting the money out of these mutual funds once every year to pay for the maintainence of the car. I'm sure you end up saving some money at the end of 10 years.

Since you have chosen Honda's I'm sure you wouldn't go thorugh much of maintainence hassles.

Same calculation could be done with Used ANHC which you may find in 6-7 lakhs range and you would end up saving more money than the above option, except that you end don't get to drive a car one sigment above.

-Cheers
CSR

[fuel_addict]

If performance and FE is your criteria, a new City makes more sense especially when the Civic is almost on the verge of a make-over. The City's engine is almost 90% of the Civic in output terms at 70% of the cost of a new Civic. Besides, a new car is always better than a used car which you can never be sure of how it was used by the previous owner. There are exceptions to this if you can find a "good" used (pre-worshipped as some might call it) car.

With Honda sales at an all time low, exorbitant parts prices and the arrogant attitude of the dealers, don't you think your choices are far too limited?

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by kutlee

You have not mentioned your financing option. All cash deal, buy a Civic. Mumbai civics go for much less than 10 laks. For next 10 years, bullet proof car!

how you are planning to finance your car should be very important factor. If you intend to take a loan for major part of the purchase, then you got yourself three aspects adding to the cost for a used Civic: added interest for a second hand vehicle, lower FE so added fuel costs, and higher maintenance costs.

Try to do some calculations and figure out the cost difference accumulated over a 5-7 year period for these, it should help with your decision making.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by gururaj r

My son who lives in US recently purchased his first car Honda Accord 2006 for about USD7000 from his colleague. He has earlier traveled almost daily in the same car close to 6 months. The car has done around 50000 miles. The market cost for the same vehicle is around USD 12000 which I have also verified in various sites.

He is new to driving also and what are the precautions / service he must do. He intends to keep the vehicle for the next 3 years or so beyond which he expect to sell the car at the same rate. His daily grind would be around say 20 miles a day and much more during weekends.

I request for inputs in the maintenance of the vehicle.

Sir,

The Accord is a great car and is a pioneer in terms of reliability and engineering. But the conditions in the US are very different from that of India. The roads are smoother and the undulations are far lesser, the car is not subjected to extreme tropical-heat and humidity, the traffic is not as bad and the quality of fuel is much better.

In such conditions, it's far easier to maintain a used-car for a longer period of time. However, that said, used-cars require more maintenance than a new car, any day. In the sense that the running-parts will need to be changed by you, as they might be worn out or have served long enough for a replacement soon-enough.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

A couple of other posters here suggested that you might be infatuated with the Honda brand, and I'd have to agree. Narrowing your choice down to these two cars is a bad move because:

(a) Today the trim and accessory levels on cars is improving RAPIDLY. Hondas are already under-equipped compared to their current rivals, and you're planning on keeping this car for 10 years. In TWO years your car will have virtually none of the toys that new cars come with.

(b) Ride and handling? Please. Honda hopped off that train years ago.

(c) Image / Brand value: Hondas no longer have the brand cache they once did in this country. Maybe you should go through this thread.

Have you properly checked out any of the competition? There's a LOT of options today.

That's my two cents, at any rate.

If you're still limiting your options to the ANHC and a Civic, I'd choose a pre-owned Civic. All the best with your decision.

Well, I agree with you on a lot of those points. Honda does compromise on levels of equipment these days and demand a premium for their products. However, a Honda is best suited for someone who is interested in buying and driving a new or for that matter, even a used car, for a long period of time.

Hondas are known for their reliability, efficiency and refinement. They are, better than Korean cars and German cars without a doubt, in that front. Toyota is the only other brand with a similar reputation.

Yes, the Verna comes with loads of gizmos and the Cruze is a wonderfully handsome and well engineered car, but you can't argue with Japanese reliability.

[krish82]

Now since you have already decided to spend 9 to 10 lakhs and keep it for 10 years. Beg borrow, steal but get new one. The new ownership, the smell will be once in a life time experience. And surely you will travel more in coming years. I know its very difficult to stretch 5 lakhs, That will account to 50k per year for 10 years. You cant experience the driving and experience of new car after a certain age. After a certain age, we will look for status etc..

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

If performance and FE is your criteria, a new City makes more sense especially when the Civic is almost on the verge of a make-over. The City's engine is almost 90% of the Civic in output terms at 70% of the cost of a new Civic. Besides, a new car is always better than a used car which you can never be sure of how it was used by the previous owner. There are exceptions to this if you can find a "good" used (pre-worshipped as some might call it) car.

With Honda sales at an all time low, exorbitant parts prices and the arrogant attitude of the dealers, don't you think your choices are far too limited?

An extremely valid point there. And that's why i mentioned in my post earlier that one can look as the City as a junior Civic.
Also do visit the thread on new car prices to have a look at what you could knock off the price of a new City. Some generous discounts floating around these days.

Originally Posted by csr

If I were in your position, I would look for a good deal on 2-3 yr old Civic. Do extensive research and find a individual seller who might be in urgent need of selling the car. If you bargain enough and do enough search, I guess you will find one for 7-8 Lakhs. Just to verify the above statement, I did a simple search just now and found many optiions here:
Used cars listing from Mumbai - CarWale

Save that 2-3 lakhs and invest in top rated 5 different mutual funds. Keep extracting the money out of these mutual funds once every year to pay for the maintainence of the car. I'm sure you end up saving some money at the end of 10 years.

Since you have chosen Honda's I'm sure you wouldn't go thorugh much of maintainence hassles.

Same calculation could be done with Used ANHC which you may find in 6-7 lakhs range and you would end up saving more money than the above option, except that you end don't get to drive a car one sigment above.

-Cheers
CSR

I really liked your post. Some great advice in there. especially the part of setting aside the 2-3 lakhs and investing the same in a saving instrument to pay up for the maintenance ~ and hey if you are lucky then even some fuel too. No wait going with today's prices Liquid Gold is more apt.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Sir,

The Accord is a great car and is a pioneer in terms of reliability and engineering. But the conditions in the US are very different from that of India. The roads are smoother and the undulations are far lesser, the car is not subjected to extreme tropical-heat and humidity, the traffic is not as bad and the quality of fuel is much better.

In such conditions, it's far easier to maintain a used-car for a longer period of time. However, that said, used-cars require more maintenance than a new car, any day. In the sense that the running-parts will need to be changed by you, as they might be worn out or have served long enough for a replacement soon-enough.

The part in bold is something even I believed to be true until i saw it here, I have found it just the other way round, In places like Texas it gets very hot, at times as much if not more than India. In places like NY/NJ the same car take Freezing cold to sweltering hot temperatures, not to mention the rains which are present through out the year. There are very few places in India where a single car would have to tolerate both of the extreme weather in a year, every year.