[sumeethaldankar]

Saw another civic today. Co owned , 32k on the odo asking price 7.02 after exchanging '97 my 800(30k quoted).This does not include the insurance which after transfrerring no claim bonus will come around 12-14k.The car was tested by Automech's Vivek Bhatt as the car was located close to his workshop and i requested him to do a test drive.

According to him the suspension had a little bit of noise to it and car slightly hestitant while accelerating else everything is in good shape except for the tyres which i feel would last another 5k or so. The tyres do have some cracks and they are stock.

The insurance had a 35% no claim bonus mentioned.The car is a feb 2007 model and mostly has been driven by chauffeurs.
So guys do you thing it's a good deal.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

......
So guys do you thing it's a good deal.

Price seem to be too high buddy.
For a 2007 civic with 30k odo anything around 6.5 should be ok.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

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.

No argument here. Honda cars have a long MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), but the cost of maintenance at authorized service centres is RIDICULOUS. As an owner of an Type-3 City, I can state this for a fact. Overall, your total cost of maintenance will probably be the same because of higher Honda costs.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

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.

I disagree. I know a LOT of Hyundai users (Getz', Accents, Tuscons, etc) and their reliability is rock soild. Ive had my Honda for 5 years now and have had the same level of reliability as friends with Hyundais. Same story with Germans. And "efficiency"? No way. Do you know what kind of FE the new Accord offers? Or the CRV? Or the City, when compared to the Vento, or the Verna? FE at Honda is a myth.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

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.

Two friends of mine use Optras, both 6+ years old. Their cars have NEVER been unreliable.

While your assertion that Jap cars tend to be more reliable is somewhat true, that gap has been considerably bridged in the last 5 years by the Europeans and Koreans. I think the only ones still lagging are the Americans.

I think if you look after your car well, almost any brand will give you fairly hassle-free driving for at least 5-6 years.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

And "efficiency"? No way. Do you know what kind of FE the new Accord offers? Or the CRV? Or the City, when compared to the Vento, or the Verna? FE at Honda is a myth.

Your comparison of Honda City FE is only with petrol Vento, Vernas right?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

I disagree. I know a LOT of Hyundai users (Getz', Accents, Tuscons, etc) and their reliability is rock soild. Ive had my Honda for 5 years now and have had the same level of reliability as friends with Hyundais. Same story with Germans. And "efficiency"? No way. Do you know what kind of FE the new Accord offers? Or the CRV? Or the City, when compared to the Vento, or the Verna? FE at Honda is a myth.


Two friends of mine use Optras, both 6+ years old. Their cars have NEVER been unreliable.

I own and drive a Hyundai Santro on a regular basis. Yes, it is 7 years old, and that makes quite a difference, but the other cars (Civic and Jazz) are doing fabulously. The Civic which is 5 years old now, gives an incredible 12 km/l, and the Jazz, which is a little over a year old, averaged an astounding 19 km/l on the lone highway run that she was a part of.

Both cars have absolutely no niggles.

In comparison, my Santro gives me 10 wit the AC on occasionally, and 8 if driven spiritedly. It hasn't been quite a reliable car, but it's a great city car no doubt. And despite just 40k on the odo, the car squeals and rattles.

Most Hyundai cars that have run similar or more distances seem to behave this way, I've noticed. Even our neighbours 6 year old Elantra squeals away at parking speeds.

I am talking about older Hyundais. The newer ones are far better.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

While your assertion that Jap cars tend to be more reliable is somewhat true, that gap has been considerably bridged in the last 5 years by the Europeans and Koreans. I think the only ones still lagging are the Americans.

The gap has been reduced now, true.

Anyway, a certain point that you'd mentioned in one of your earlier posts:

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.

I agree with every other point in this post, except for what is in bold.

The Ford Fiesta 1.6S (or any Fiesta, for that matter) was the king of the corners and the new Fiesta in the pipeline will retain the crown without doubt, but that doesn't leave the City far behind in terms of handling or ride. It's still a great car, although some more feel in the steering and the chassis could have helped its cause.

Cars like the Verna, on the other hand, even in its new avatar, are horrible in terms of ride. There is no communication whatsoever, and the handling is wayward to say the least. The ride has improved, but the NVH levels aren't what you'd like them to be.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

I think if you look after your car well, almost any brand will give you fairly hassle-free driving for at least 5-6 years.

Oh, and I'd forgotten to mention. My Santro is a pre-used car. I'm the 2nd owner and acquired it when it had done roughly7-8k on the clock. It was in fantastic condition, with all service records and paperwork intact.

I'd like to conclude, if I may, with a thought that I'd like to share.

Hyundai, over the last 2 years, has come of age, as I'd like to put it. They've done a remarkable job with the after-sales-service, and are making cars across the range, that has the potential to tempt anyone. Tp begin with, they've become attractive. And then the i20 has revolutionized the large hatch segment, years after the Swift was introduced, and ensured that the customer was offered with a large equipment list, even on the lower-spec variants. Something that Honda should learn.

I'd say that they're close, in terms of reliability, to Maruti Suzuki, but they're still a notch, or perhaps two notches, below Honda. And that goes for Chevrolets sold in India as well. Getting there, but not quite.

Remember, we're talking about pre-owned Hondas here. The chances of getting a rotten Honda are next to nil, however, there have been such instances, and that's only because the car itself is a lemon or has seen quite a battering.

The only manufacturer that matches Honda, in terms of reliability and efficiency, is Toyota. Even they've seen a slump in recent years, with the number of recalls that we hear of every other month. Hope Toyota resolves the issue.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I own and drive a Hyundai Santro on a regular basis. Yes, it is 7 years old, and that makes quite a difference, but the other cars (Civic and Jazz) are doing fabulously.

Youre comparing cars in very different segments. It stands to reason that the build quality on higher segment cars would be better. The Santro was never a robust car, it felt flimsy on the day it left the showroom.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

In comparison, my Santro gives me 10 wit the AC on occasionally, and 8 if
driven spiritedly. It hasn't been quite a reliable car, but it's a great city car no doubt. And despite just 40k on the odo, the car squeals and rattles.
Most Hyundai cars that have run similar or more distances seem to behave this way, I've noticed. Even our neighbours 6 year old Elantra squeals away at parking speeds.

Your fuel economy figure are unusual. Unless you're driving in absolutely horrendous traffic conditions, the Santro should give you more than that. It's possible your engine may have lost some compression. You sound like a car guy so I wont insult you by asking you to check your clutch / air filter / other usual suspects.
Regarding the minor squeaks and rattles arent unusual, though. However, Ive ridden in Elantras and Sonatas that had done 60k+ and they were fairly silent.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Ford Fiesta 1.6S (or any Fiesta, for that matter) was the king of the corners and the new Fiesta in the pipeline will retain the crown without doubt, but that doesn't leave the City far behind in terms of handling or ride. It's still a great car, although some more feel in the steering and the chassis could have helped its cause.
Cars like the Verna, on the other hand, even in its new avatar, are horrible in terms of ride. There is no communication whatsoever, and the handling is wayward to say the least. The ride has improved, but the NVH levels aren't what you'd like them to be.

Im not disputing what you say about the non-existing handling qualities of Hyundais in general (although there are exceptions), but my point was about Honda. While the AHNC goes some way in adding driver feel, it's not even close to being a rewarding driver's car. This seems to tie in with Honda's global direction policy where they're putting out mass-market / mass-appeal cars rather than specialist driver's cars. Which explains why they did away with the S2000 and the NSX.

My point is that if you're selecting a Honda for "ride and handling", you're going to be disappointed.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Remember, we're talking about pre-owned Hondas here. The chances of getting a rotten Honda are next to nil, however, there have been such instances, and that's only because the car itself is a lemon or has seen quite a battering.

No dispute on the general reliability of Hondas. I was simply pointing out what I felt were certain other deficiencies in their cars.

I think we've gone slightly OT on this thread, btw.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Youre comparing cars in very different segments. It stands to reason that the build quality on higher segment cars would be better. The Santro was never a robust car, it felt flimsy on the day it left the showroom.

Agreed.

But it isn't just build-quality that I'm referring to. And it's not just the Santro's segment. Look at the Sonata Embera. Compare it to the other cars in its class and you'll see what I'm on about. The build-quality is just iffy to say the least. It may be good in bits, but good in bits doesn't cut it these days.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Your fuel economy figure are unusual. Unless you're driving in absolutely horrendous traffic conditions, the Santro should give you more than that. It's possible your engine may have lost some compression. You sound like a car guy so I wont insult you by asking you to check your clutch / air filter / other usual suspects.
Regarding the minor squeaks and rattles arent unusual, though. However, Ive ridden in Elantras and Sonatas that had done 60k+ and they were fairly silent.

My Santro requires a service. Hopefully, it should return better figures once that's done. The traffic-conditions that I encounter isn't as bad as it could be. It would take me roughly 30-40 minutes to cover 10 kilometers.

The clutch is fine, but a few bits might need to be changed for it to run smoothly again. The other cars that we've owned in the past never posed such problems. We've owned and driven a beautiful carb'd '96 Zen that served us for 70k kilometers without a squeak. I miss that car.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Im not disputing what you say about the non-existing handling qualities of Hyundais in general (although there are exceptions), but my point was about Honda. While the AHNC goes some way in adding driver feel, it's not even close to being a rewarding driver's car. This seems to tie in with Honda's global direction policy where they're putting out mass-market / mass-appeal cars rather than specialist driver's cars. Which explains why they did away with the S2000 and the NSX.

My point is that if you're selecting a Honda for "ride and handling", you're going to be disappointed.

Absolutely true.

Hondas are no longer known for their ride and handling. Something that they had perfected over the last decade. Once the OHC died, the 'fun' factor in new Hondas seemed amiss.

But compare it to some cars in our market and it still manages to hold its own, the ANHC, that is. The new Verna is horrendous around corners and the SX4 isn't as good as it could have been. The only car in that price-range that could topple the City in terms of handling, is the Fiesta. And I'm talking about the older one. The new one holds a lot of promise too.

Originally Posted by ghostrider

No dispute on the general reliability of Hondas. I was simply pointing out what I felt were certain other deficiencies in their cars.

I think we've gone slightly OT on this thread, btw.

Sorry about that!

[sumeethaldankar]

Dear all,

a big THANK YOU to all of your comments and suggestions.If it weren't for you guys i wouldn't have been able to make up my mind.

Got a 2007 HONDA CIVIC


Drove her home today. Has 36.6 K on the odo.

Will post details later on.

[9thsphinx]

[quote=suhaas307;2418312]I own and drive a Hyundai Santro on a regular basis. Yes, it is 7 years old, and that makes quite a difference, but the other cars (Civic and Jazz) are doing fabulously. The Civic which is 5 years old now, gives an incredible 12 km/l, and the Jazz, which is a little over a year old, averaged an astounding 19 km/l on the lone highway run that she was a part of.

Both cars have absolutely no niggles.

In comparison, my Santro gives me 10 wit the AC on occasionally, and 8 if driven spiritedly. It hasn't been quite a reliable car, but it's a great city car no doubt. And despite just 40k on the odo, the car squeals and rattles.

Most Hyundai cars that have run similar or more distances seem to behave this way, I've noticed. Even our neighbours 6 year old Elantra squeals away at parking speeds.


@ suhaas307: It's funny how i can relate to your post - Word to Word. We have the same cars, they are exactly the same age, have been driven exactly the same number of Kms and are, i believe pretty much, in the same condition. That's something

@ sumeethaldankar: Congrats on your CIVIC. You won't regret a bit of that decision you made! Good luck.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Dear all,

a big THANK YOU to all of your comments and suggestions.If it weren't for you guys i wouldn't have been able to make up my mind.

Got a 2007 HONDA CIVIC


Drove her home today. Has 36.6 K on the odo.

Will post details later on.

Hey congratulations! looking forward to pictures and more details.
and here's wishing you many miles of joyful motoring with your new civic.

[charthom]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Dear all,

a big THANK YOU to all of your comments and suggestions.If it weren't for you guys i wouldn't have been able to make up my mind.

Got a 2007 HONDA CIVIC

Drove her home today. Has 36.6 K on the odo.

Will post details later on.

Congrats dude,for the new beauty Please rush on with pictures and details!!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Dear all,

a big THANK YOU to all of your comments and suggestions.If it weren't for you guys i wouldn't have been able to make up my mind.

Got a 2007 HONDA CIVIC


Drove her home today. Has 36.6 K on the odo.

Will post details later on.

Hearty congratulations on your latest acquisition Mr. Sumeeth. You will enjoy the Civic, I can vouch for that. It's a wonderful car that does almost everything perfectly. A few things are amiss, a few goodies that would have helped it stamp its authority in its segment, like it did when it was introduced and for a couple of years after.

Drive safe and give us a detailed report on your Civic. I'll be looking forward to that.

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

@ suhaas307: It's funny how i can relate to your post - Word to Word. We have the same cars, they are exactly the same age, have been driven exactly the same number of Kms and are, i believe pretty much, in the same condition. That's something

That is something, isn't it! You can call it coincidence. Quite uncanny.

[jatinpatel]

hearty congrats for your 07 civic i too bought my civic used its also a 07 model when I had bought it had done 37k,

awating detailed pics and reviews

[sumeethaldankar]

Thank you all for your wishes.

Here are some pics.Please pardon the quality as they were shot in poor light conditions.

[mdsaab]

Lovely pics. the car seems in good condition.
I see the steering wheel lock put on and your post on the Honda civic maintenance thread regarding security.
The engine immobilizer is pretty good and i think the chances of someone driving away with your beauty are slim. So relax... take a deep breath and enjoy the mighty roar of the IVTEC when you rev hard on the open highway.