[narula123]

sumeet,

Personally I would suggest the used Civic over the City, provided you get your hands on a well maintained one. Go for Honda's own used car service as it provides more peace-of-mind although at a price.

The Civic will not only provide you more space and performance over the City but will also have more snob value attached to it which becomes all the more important when you consider a period as long as a decade.

Honda cars are well built and age well in my experience. Also, your monthly running is not much and thus the increased fuel bill of the Civic over the City shouldn't be an issue. As far as size and difficulty in maneuvering is concerned, there is hardly any difference between the two once you get used to the girth.

In the end, take a thorough test drive of both the cars and listen to your heart.

Best of luck

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

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.

I actually thought about this, after I'd posted.

You're right.

There are many places all over the US that are known for extreme temperatures. It snows in NY and that exposes cars to extreme cold temperatures through the day. And in States like Texas, the car is subjected to extreme heat, and that too, the dry, moisture-less heat. Plus, US has a coast on both sides, and where there is a coast, there are bound to be traces of rust on cars.

But apart from these, I'm not sure if the conditions are comparable.

The cars in India are subjected to another sort of extreme: unbearable traffic-conditions, pollution, dust and grime. Not to mention horrible and treacherous lunar surfaces that we call roads.

[iFuel]

It's a matter of heart over the head. To me a nice example of a used civic will be good as compared to an ANHC. I have the ANHC in my house and trust me there is not much that excites me about that car, the interiors are spacious and that is about it, and that too doesn't match to the space and comfort provided by the civic.

However in your budget I am sure a nice example of a Cruze can also be found. To me that car looks great as well and has a superb engine and is a diesel. Because 10 years is a very long time, petrol prices are already sky high, who knows where they will be in another 3 years.

[Technocrat]

@Suhaas - Agreed on the Traffic, pollution, dust, bad roads part, it was just the weather bit where I thought I will clear a common misconception

[suhaas307]

@ Technocrat: Agreed.

Anyway, getting back to the topic.

If you're ready to shell out 9 lakhs on a used Civic, be prepared to snag a good example. Something that's done around 20-30k kilometers and is in pretty good condition. It makes a lot of sense. Try looking for a used example of the face-lifted Civic. Chances are, you might find one that's done 15k kms or so and in great condition.

[dot]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I was reading the civics thread on service maintainance do's and dont's and read some stories on bad engine mounts which cost around 8ks to replace.How to identify same in a used civic.

Sorry, wanted to respond this query earlier.

Usually the front top left mount goes bad. To find it out just run the car over a stretch of broken roads, the engine will make a thud thud noise when going over potholes. It can also make a grr grr noise during cold start. Check for a few mm gap on the mount.

Actually it is most likely that you have to replace mounts anyways. So better to be mentally prepared for it.

We had made a list of maintenance things that is needed till 80-100k ownership.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2284843

Hope you find it useful.

[saty]

The civic makes more sense to me. Do bear in mind that you should ideally buy a local number civic that can easily be transferred to your name. You will save a lot of money on road tax etc. Buying a new car would add 6-8% on the cost of car due to registration. Insurance on a preowned civic should be about the same as a new city. Also, if for any reason you decide to change cars, you would lose a lot less money with the civic than with a new car. The minute you drive out of the showroom, the city's value would be around a lac less! Of course the difference between the civic and city average would be about 3-4 kmpl so you can work out the running costs accordingly. The driving pleasure of the two would be quite incomparable though with the civic heads above the city. Another thing, if you do go in for the civic, go in for a car that feels and drives like a new car(You know that new car smell!) and leave the rest up to your heart!

[sumeethaldankar]

What amount will the insurance premium for a civic will come out too? I am talking about a new as well as used civic.Also am getting second thoughts of considering the ANHC as the second option after reading some members comment and may venture into the VW area but not sure about them.I mean 10 years with a VW who are the cousins of the infamous Skoda is not very comforting.I have a seen brandnew VW polo being pushed to the side of the road by it's occupants as it had broken down.

But still some clarification on the insurance premium of a new vs used civic might help.

thanks

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

still some clarification on the insurance premium of a new vs used civic might help.

thanks

From what my insurance agent explained value of a car is reduced every year for insurance purpose (approximately) as follows

New Car - 5% withing two months
2nd Year - 20%
3rd Year - 20 + 10/100 * 80 = 28%
(3rd Year onward 10% of residual value every year)
a three year old car will have an insurable value of around 30% of the ex-showroom price. So if the price is 13L, after 3 years the value will be 13*0.7 ~ 9L. If you have accrued full no claim bonus on you M800, and transfer it to the Civic you will be paying half the full rate. After 10 years my Esteem has an insurance value of 1L, compared to 5+ I paid, and the insurance has come down from ~ 17K to < 3K. Even for my Alto K10 bought last year, the insurance was 10K and this year the agent says it will be around 6.5k, inclusive of no claim bonus.

An as people have said, you get pre-owned cars at a price less the insurance, less the registration fee!

[alavandar]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Dear all,
thank you for your responses but frankly i am still a bit confused.In general usually used cars have some small niggles but i guess i can try for a used civic first.I will be lucky if i get something like GTO , if not Honda city e MT it is.

You can tell me which car will have the brand value of a Honda and will be relatively trouble free and have lower maintainance for the next 10 years and i would consider it.I do not like the looks of the Toyota's and don't want a hatch back.

Dear Sumeethadankar,
The brand value of Honda City is no more water tight as we can see from the falling monthly sale figures. And it is a premium priced car for what it actually offers. With so many other badges available like the New Verna, Vento, Possibly the new Ford Fiesta in the near horizon, the Fiat Linea T jet (though the brand image is low, it is an excellent car), Etios/ Altis etc. These will fit your budget (may have to stretch for an Altis)- Any way, personally I will not prefer an Altis). My recommendation would be Vento / Fialt Linea T jet/ ANHVerna in that order. Fiat is pecked higher because it is a pleasure to drive. Brand image factors VW higher than Fiat and Verna.
As regards buying a second hand Civic - I would not do. As I can see you are not habituated to changing cars often. So why not go for a good brand new car? In the past I had a second hand car but decided I will never buy a second hand car ever again.
Please think over.
Regds.

[yogeshnagpal]

An example of classic 'Heart v/s Brain' argument.

Practicality suggests, go for ANHC
Heart suggests go for Civic

I'm no 'Honda Civic guru', but had I been in your place, I would have gone for the Civic because of the following reasons

1. Higher Segment vehicle within the same price bracket (only difference being that it would be a used one)

2. Looks (I love the Civic looks compared to all cars in that segment). Also its super silent.

3. Unmatched Honda reliability (It would have been a different case if it were say a Korean Vehicle or an Indigenous one)

The only disadvantage of a Civic I personally feel is its low GC. But going by GTO's thread on 'Coil Spring Adjusters' for the Civic, shouldn't that problem get resolved to an extent. Link here (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...uspension.html)

As others suggested, if you manage to take care of all the points that GTO has mentioned in his pre-worshipped Civic thread.

All the best for your decision.

[Mallya_2010]

Many suggestions and good recommendations have been made by different members already.The way I see it , its ultimately a matter of how one makes a decision.The heart way or mind way( I am assuming used civic good condition vs New City).In hindsight all the small things (featureswise) wont matter.Choose your way and decide based on that.You will be happy to have done so.

[sumeethaldankar]

Hello all,
Was considering a Civic owned by a fello bhpian.The car is in good condition with only ~40 K on the odo but the problem is that the car is still in the 1st owners name .So shall i approach this person or leave the same as getting the car transferred to my name from the 1st owners name will be a bit of a hassle?
thanks

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

So shall i approach this person or leave the same as getting the car transferred to my name from the 1st owners name will be a bit of a hassle?

The car should be in your name. If that is not possible, forget the car.

There are countless reasons why it is going to be a huge mistake to buy the car and let it be in the 1st owners name.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Hello all,
Was considering a Civic owned by a fello bhpian.The car is in good condition with only ~40 K on the odo but the problem is that the car is still in the 1st owners name .So shall i approach this person or leave the same as getting the car transferred to my name from the 1st owners name will be a bit of a hassle?
thanks

It depends on the agreement (even verbal) between the 1st owner and the current "owner". The onus of getting it transferred is on the person you are going to pay, and not on you. If he is willing to do all the paperwork (it is really minimal) then go ahead, else forget it as the 1st owner can at any time ask for the repossession of the car!