[jingaboysr]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Time for a battery change in this car. Check that first and then the regular in the order suspension bushes, if any noises from the struts, tires et all. GTO has written a wonderful article on buying a used car.

Ask for the service history of the car if available. I have already put up the most common things and you might want to check this thread (ARTICLE: How to buy a *USED* Car in India) and this (Buying a Second Hand Car - Learn from my mistakes!!!).

Originally Posted by pradkumar

Is it on a new clutch or old? Bangalore city and still on original clutch at 64k kms? I changed my clutch completely at 60k. Set me back by 5k.

Pradeep

I just spoke to the owner again, I think I heard it wrong last time, the car has done only 54k. He's done the 50k service and changed oil.

Spot on rjstyles, the battery is changed 2 months back and is brand new.


He has already given me the car registration number and the names of the mechanics at Indus Motors, Cochin who knows the car well so that I can verify the records before I we meet. I feel that's a good gesture from him Let me check if the clutch plates are changed or not.

The car is at Cochin, it is a Kerala registered car. But, I am planning to use it in Bangalore.

I'd definitely go through all the checkpoints in GTO's thread for buying a used car.

Originally Posted by ACM

Ok so why not a preowned Petrol Fiesta (much more fun to drive and better built) or a Hyundai accent Executive. (The accent sold a lot more and that means a lot more reusable spares in the market, it will be easier to get these serviced.)

Also though you mention the preference for the Baleno, the Lancer is a better car if you can get one in good condition.

I personally feel the above two are better options compared to a baleno.

I too personally like the looks of Lancer, but finding a good recent example is very difficult, and I am sure it will overshoot my budget. Added to the small network of service centers.
I'd ruled out Accent for its looks. It's too bland, I'd like a more driver oriented car.
Fiesta is a very good car, I've driven the S version, and it's amazing. If I am going to buy a Fiesta, I'd wait until it is rebadged as the classic after the launch of the new model. But I heard too many horror stories about the ridiculous spare prices and bad service of ford. But it's still an option which I have kept open. As far as I've seen, only the old 1.4s come in my budget of 2-3 lakhs, I'm not so keen on that.



An update, I went the the true value showroom at KR puram, Bangalore to check out some cars. Saw a couple of Balenos, both 2005 vxis, They were in such a bad shape that I did not even bother to take a test ride. They were quoting upwards of 3 lakhs for both.

[kailashnj]

You can probably visit mumbai and buy the car from here. In a good condition you should be able to buy for 2.5 lacs for the 2006 VXi here. But yes if you get the Ford Fiesta at that price go for it ....

[pawan_pullarwar]

My cousine had bought a good condition used baleno. But after every ride there used to be one new problem popped out and he spent a lot in maintanance. The maintanance carried out in front of me was, power window gave up, front lower arm changed, breaks, door rattling etc. These all within 10k running. And baleno parts are expensive.

[Unknownsatan]

Originally Posted by jingaboysr

The car is at Cochin, it is a Kerala registered car. But, I am planning to use it in Bangalore.

I would say its better to look for another one, not that the deal is bad but using KL reg car in Bangy will be a problem. And if at all if you are planning to change the no it will cost a lot. Better look for one in Bangalore itself.

[Yamahead]

Guys I just saw a 2005 Baleno Lxi done 52K going for 2.3 lakhs at Khivraj Truevalue Chennai...
I am not even sure if the price quoted is correct since the car looks ok enough.Didnt take a test drive though. Even after tax and NOC, it will be less than 2.7 in Bangalore.

[jingaboysr]

Going to see the 06 Vxi this weekend. This is gonna be my first car and I'm already too excited. Hope I don't show it off to the seller and give him signs that I'm desperate ..

Read up on all possible Baleno ownerships here : Check
Read up all threads on how to buy used cars: Check


Fingers crossed!

[Mr_Bean]

The current value of a 2005 Lxi Baleno in chennai in a very good condition is around 2.0-2.1 lakhs for 1st Owner. It is very dificult to get a piece in good condition, my friend spent around 6 months hunting for a 1st Owner good condition baleno & still he is hunting.

[jingaboysr]

A lot of things happened, and finally I decided not to go for a Baleno itself!
Here is a summary of what happened this weekend.
I started off with a general enquiry about prices of Baleno in kerala. To my surprise, True-Value quoted 1.6-1.8 for an excellent condition 2006 vxi Baleno. Mahindra used cars quoted 1.9. Man, is it really so cheap in Kerala? I remember in Bangalore people were quoting upwards of 3 lakhs for good condition Balenos. Anyway, I then went and checked the service records of the car in question. Immaculately serviced, oil change every 5k, new battery, relatively new clutch plates, brake pads, Even suspension work and back bumper painting done recently. The service guy also vouched for the car. Got back home satisfied and almost made up my mind to go for it, after I see the car on Sunday. But, some phone calls to some friends/relatives later the day, everyone was discouraging me and asking not to go for a discontinued model. Spoke to a baleno owner and he too discouraged me, saying spares are too expensive, and he had to shell out 7 grands for a tail lamp

So, come sunday morning, in 2 minds, me , dad and a friend went to see the car. First looks, she's still a stunner in black. I looked around, it's definitely a well maintained car. Has everything working, even has the baleno clock inside it. The owner gave me the keys and I started the car. Cold start, a bit rough.. hmm.. idle at 800 rpm i think. All 3 or us drove the car and all 3 came out with the same impressions. It's a good car, BUT.. there is a shudder when you take it from standstill, and you have to give throttle to reduce the shudder. I felt it's not as smooth as I expected (may be because it's not been used for the past one week). Everything else was good to me. Dad was also the same opinion. My friend was adamant that I should not give an offer, he felt it nowhere to be smooth as a honda city.

So we decided to hold back and told the owner we'd get back for the price (I felt he had 2.75 in mind but was willing to let go for 2.5 also) and left.

And then we saw this car..

We were searching used car dealers for a honda city when we chanced upon this SX4 .. yes, read right, SX4!

This was a 2008 jan model, silver color, full service records, single owner, ZXi with additional accessories and done only 13000. And you won't believe the price, they were quoting 4.25 negotiable!!!!!
Could not take a test ride as the used car showroom was closed and there was no way we could take it out.

So that's the situation. Started off with a budget of 3 lakhs and now looking at an sx4 for 4 lakhs (that's what we have in mind). I'm back to Bangalore, dad's gonna take a look at the vehicle today.

Guys, what do you say? Is is a good deal? I know that 2008 SX4 will be non-vvt, does that really matter?

Your suggestions needed.

[blueraven316]

Though an SX4 is reasonably powerful, but it's a softy to drive compared to the OHC and Baleno. Another thing I dont like about maruti that they project their cars to be cheap to maintain, but thats true as long as you buy parts from MGP not SGP.
However 4.25 for a ZXI SX4 run 13k is a good price. Unless you run more than 2000 km a month, you wont face major maintainence problems for few years.

I have not done my research on aftermarket parts availability for SX4s, but when the model goes out of market and there are not enough parallel imports then it will hit the same road the Baleno did, expensive parts and a bad resale.

[kailashnj]

Thats a steal to buy - go ahead and take it and SX4 is here to stay a little longer than what baleno did. And since the price is negotiable - try to get it down to 3.75 or 4 and you will love the car even more

[NoRules]

Just to give a indication to the prospective pre-owned Baleno buyers - I have recently got my 2006 November Baleno Vxi valued and also checked the market price I could get for it. It is a wine red color, has 52000 kms on the Odo and is maintained in excellent condition, has Stanley leather seats, climatronic AC. The best rate I could get for it was 2.2 lakhs @ Hyderabad.

I have decided not to sell my car but am sharing this to help other buyers of a pre-owned Baleno.

[manolin]

How true this thread title is!

I am in the market for an used car in Delhi. With a upper budget of 3.10 L, I had to keep my mind open for all types of cars. Previously having owned and loved a pre-owned Zen for 2 years, I wanted but was not aware of which car would give a similar experience.
---
My only previous time in a Baleno was an overcrowded trip to a station with 6 more people and lugagge 5 years back. Not really memorable.
---
So this morning, I head out car shopping with my check book with an intention to book the first car I really like. The Delhi heat has been getting to me, the walk to find an auto in the morning has started feeling like a daily triathlon.

First Stop: Hyundai Advantage, Okhla Phase 1

Cars seen and within range: Getz Prime 1.1, Accent. No test drives were offered, none were asked for by me. The Getz was in good condition but the 1.1 engine was too small. And there were no power windows, and I like my nifty fiddly things in a car. Accent was not considered at this stage as a they were petrol Accents, and a friend's dad is considering selling off his Accent; so if I had to buy an Accent, I would much rather buy his.

So I take a ride in a share-auto down to the Honda Auto Terrace showroom down the road.

Second Stop: Honda Auto Terrace, Okhla Phase 1

2 cars somewhere close to my budget. One a 2004 automatic City, and a 2005 Exi. None of the cars were available for display. And both were slightly above budget, in the 3.5L range.

Third Stop: Mahindra First Choice, Vasant Kunj

These guys had placed an ad in Gaadi.com for a 2009 Punto 1,3 for 3 lakhs, 20000km driven vehicle. Bang in the range that I wanted, and definitely, worth considering. I had communicated on the site, and they called back saying come and see. I reach to see a car which has been stripped off its headlights and system and is on the way to getting painted. There is a huge dent over the left front wheel. Thats all fixable says the manager. Ok. Test drove it- my first time in a Punto. Excellent range in each gear. Car feels great and very big car like from inside. Feels safe. But this particular car had a problem with shifting gears, the gears wouldn't slot at all. For a 2 year old car, this was a suspicious problem. The AC was just not cooling well, which I heard from a Punto owning friend is a generic problem. Anyways too much to doubt this car. Dissappointed, because I came with hope to buy this one.

The Manager suggested an SRV. I didn't want this dillemma: you see SRV has been the best looking car in India to me, all this love starting one drizzling night in Bangalore when I had got out from Sunny's and was walking to the Airlines Hotel Corner House. In the dark, a dark quiet car comes creeping down the road, in the perfect NFS shape. Hot hatch is the only way to describe that shape. And then that zoomed off. A college boy on a RX, dreaming of owning his car when he starts working, this was the wrong cocktail.

So when the guy tossed over the keys to the SRV, a car which is rarely ever available in the used markets, I had no option but to consider it. And the car pulled well. Not used to driving high bhp cars, I really couldn't notice what the reviews of the SRV complianed about: the lack of grunt. The car handled okayish. And reached a ton really fast on the empty Vasant Kunj roads. As I parked it stuck me, that I shouldn't stupid. Its all fine when the car leaves the showroom, but when the parts fail to arrive, when chevrolet says that they have anything available, I will be the one crying. Yes, the heart beat faster when I looked at the car; a gorgeous purple color model. But it wasn't exactly the car I was looking for.

[manolin]

There were two cars in the First Choice showroom that I wanted to consider. A 2005 Getz top model.

And a 2005 Baleno Lxi.

Both were coming for 2.2L and both were claimed to have done 60k odd kms.

Getz was first test driven. Decent pickup, decent braking, decent handling, good ac, stereo was ok, and the seating was spacious. It ticked all the boxes, and frankly went as fast as one normally goes in a city. The car was in as good a condition as a 2005 car would be after a little TLC.

Plus a close friend in Delhi owns the same model and has, other than a steering wheel wobble, no other problems.

Everything was logically perfect with choosing the Getz.

And then since I had asked for it, I went ahead with the Baleno test drive. What a revelation. As you sit down in the car, the seats just grab you (may be that specific car had altered seats because I still can't believe that OEM seats have that much hold). Sorry, not sit in, it should be slide in. After the Getz, this was a different posture altogether. And it was a posture I like. I sit in office, I sit at home. In a car I want to know that I am out to drive, I want that low cockpit feeling. I come from a Zen.

The steering wheel can be adjusted lower. Even better!

and then we zoom. It was not much faster than the other cars I had driven in that same straight VK stretch. Or maybe I was not really pushing it. But I knew it could go faster, I could feel it, and I was getting happier as I realised it. The car was perfect while changing lanes to overtake- better than SRV, Punto and miles ahead of the Getz, which by now was feeling like a mild parody of what a Baleno can offer to life.

And the controls were all in the right place- the hand brake is in a place where you feel like pulling it, the indicators switches are on the right side of the steering wheel (FIAT, Chevrolet come on..this is a right hand drive market, and the left hand is generally on the gears before turns), the reverse gear is the right position on the gear shaft (SRV had a perverse pull-a-ring and send it in the direction of the 1st gear system, I hear big cars have these confusing things).

The brakes were excellent by the standards of the vehicles I have driven, the AC was effective, and the car just felt like..a natural upgrade from a Zen.

I parked the car, and realized this was exactly the vehicle I was looking for. Getz was good, but it was unlikely to get me to take a longer route back from office. This car had soul.

Sadly the piece I drove was not a well maintained car. Engine was great, but the rest of the car had to be majorly refurnished. But at least my mind is at rest, I know what I want.

The hunt starts: does anyone know of a decent Baleno in Delhi

[Aroy]

My son had a Baleno Lxi for five years. The car is excellent and the Ac best in the market. But, and there are a lot of buts

1. Most of its critical parts are not manufactured in India - Wind Screen, Head Lights, Mirror etc. So in case you require these items, you pay at least three times the Esteem Prices.

2. As this car has a tremendous engine, most of the pieces coming to the market have been driven hard. Any repairs and you are dependent on Japanese parts.

3. The GC is really low, as bad as the old Honda City, and you will scrape every speed breaker you encounter.

As with all old cars the following repairs/replacement will be needed invariably within the first year of ownership, especially with cars > 50k km.

1. Battery
2. Tyres
3. Brake shoes
3. Brake master cylinder & caliper adjustment/replacement
4. AC servicing
5. Suspension repair/replacement
6. Replacement of all rubber hoses and belts
7. Clutch replacement
8. Power window motors and wiring harness repair/replacement
9. Most of the Bulbs - Headlight, tail light interior.
10. Radiator cleaning, coolant flushing.

This list takes care of all the maintenance required for 50K km and 3-5 years of wear and tear and would cost to around 1L. Hence budget it into your costs.

In five years my son had driven as much as I had done in my Esteem (10 years to his 5 years), and his maintenance costs were twice that of mine.

I still think that getting a new vehicle is not only a better VFM, but gives you at least three years of trouble free ownership experience, until and unless you can take care of all the small repairs your self, but spares still cost a lot.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

The current value of a 2005 Lxi Baleno in chennai in a very good condition is around 2.0-2.1 lakhs for 1st Owner.

You just gave a ballpark price for my car which is of the same vintage.
BTW that is a 2/3rds depreciation in 6 years - I paid 5.8L new + 20K odd for alloys, ICE etc. If I were looking to sell my car, the hit would have been terrible - glad I am not selling.

@Mr_Bean, you were looking for a new car sometime ago - what did you pick up finally ?

Originally Posted by Aroy

The GC is really low, as bad as the old Honda City, and you will scrape every speed breaker you encounter.

Only partly true. You will scrape only with full load - say 4-5 passengers. I mostly drive alone or with wifey/kid & no scraping anywhere.

Originally Posted by Aroy

In five years my son had driven as much as I had done in my Esteem (10 years to his 5 years), and his maintenance costs were twice that of mine.

Did your son have just routine scheduled maintenance or also accident repairs ? Asking because the high cost pertains mainly to parts changed during accidents - headlamps, tail-lamps, EORVMs, A/c components etc.

I have a 2005 Baleno, done 48K and the maintenance expenses have been minimal - quoting below from my LTO thread :

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

A quick-look of the maint. expenses for my Baleno since it was bought in Mar-2005 :

1st Free Service @ 1020kms - Rs.604 (oil and oil-filter changed)
2nd Free Service @ 4218kms - Rs.0 (no oil or filter change at 5k service)
3rd free Service @ 9705kms - Rs.634 (oil and oil-filter changed)
4th Paid Service @ 20224kms - Rs.2919 (Parts-1739, Labour - 1080 + tax)
5th Paid Service @ 30767kms - Rs.2385 (Parts-820, Labour-1325 + tax)
6th Paid Service @ 38357kms - Rs.4337 (Parts-2607, Labour-1730)

Total cost of routine services : Rs.10879

Other maintenance expenses :
1 tyre puncture : Rs.30 // in all of 5 years - I love Bridgestone
Battery charging: Rs.119 // twice drained due to boot-light being on.
Breakdown repair: Rs.10155 // RHS drive-shaft, inter. shaft, bearing etc
Battery replaced in 3rd year : 3500

Grand total : Rs.24683.