[AirWind]

The ones with the tyres are quoted 5L+

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

My goodness, for a 3 year old baleno, which has practically no tires, he is asking for 4.2L, i was dumb founded.

[maverick030581]

Hi mates,

I'm in the process of shortlisting my next car and need help on this badly as I am totally confused(have been for a long time).After going through various options,I have finally narrowed it down to the following :

Baleno
OHC 1.5
OHC Vtec

I drive usually 50km in a week with an out-of-city trip once a month.I am looking for a performance car and will be modding it step by step depending on my finances(not looking at an engine swap,but will be modding quite a lot over the next 1-2 years).Most of my driving will be in the city,not much on the highway.I'd want the car to age well since I'll be buying a used car having done around 50k kms.Looking to keep the car as my favourite ride atleast for 3 years.I was looking at a used Fiesta 1.6 as well but maybe the upkeep costs will be too high and I'm not sure if it can be modded reliably as I haven't seen any being modded too much.
Another thing to consider is that I may be getting promoted by March and in that case,I will be relocating to Bangalorecheers: So how much will the transfer charges be then(a little OT I know but it would be helpful to get all answers in one query)?

Please help me gurus/fellow tbhpians as I don't want to make any decision I will regret.
Thanks a million in advance

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PS-Saw a good-looking Vtec in the classifieds on this site today.

[maverick030581]

Actually now I'm also thinking of an engine swap similar to Viper / Ford Rocam.Couldn't get that thought outta my head after reading their threads,hehe.Although I fear the total cost will be too much for me,also worried about the availability of spares for these imported engines
Still awaiting replies though for my original query

[mclaren1885]

If you are looking at a nice street car stick to the 1.5 or the Baleno. The problem with modding a Vtec is that the low end torque only worsens and is quite a task to drive around town. But the loss in low end compensates for the high end. So if you mainly use the car in the city stick to the 1.5 Exi or baleno. With these two cars, you get the low end torque required for the city and you can work accordingly on achieving other results too (say top end, more power etc).

[maverick030581]

@Mclaren - You're right mate,I do need a street car and 0-100 is more important than top end speed for me.I was not aware that the Vtec has lesser performance in lower rpms compared to the 1.5 Would it be possible to get a custom FFE and other mods(say from Viper) which can make up the low end loss?Coz I have heard everyone on this forum who owns one raving about the Vtec.I myself have driven a 1.5 and assumed the Vtec would only be better.
Also since its related to my query,which car amongst the three can be modded reliably(maybe to get a 0-100 of around 8 secs ) ?
Thanks for your help.Really appreciate it and need all the help I can get.
Cheers.

[ashish22]

i agree with mclaren, OHC 1.5 would be more mod friendly, Vtec is a very complicated system. Also if you are looking at good low end and mid range response then baleno would be a good option. Baleno also is on the most popular car on t-bhp. However if you love revving and desire good response at higher rpms then stick to OHC 1.5. The rush at higher rpms is to die for...
0-100 in 8 secs is really getting ambitious here, isnt it?? you'll have to get turbo for that.

[maverick030581]

Thanks for the response Ashish.Um,I am really confused now.I know Vtec is complicated having read several threads but wouldn't a good tuner have experience with modding a Vtec considering how popular even that car is?
I know 0-100 in 8 is ambitious but am planning to mod my ride all the way step by step over the next 2 years depending on my moolah situation and yes a turbo is very much on the list although a bit later,maybe 1 year or so down the line.Also the baleno is one of my faves too but haven't seen many of those modded all the way,so a li'l confused there too.

How much do you think my next car should have on the odo considering I intend to keep this one for 3-4 years atleast?I am looking for a car with less than 50k on the odo with a budget of around 3-3.5 lacs.Fair enough expectations?
PS- maybe a li'l OT here but is there anyone willing to help me out in checking any shortlisted cars in Mumbai on this forum?I know the basics but would like an experienced opinion.Would be highly appreciated and rewarded with a treat after my purchase cheers:

[narayan]

@ Abhinav S

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Of course you have to disagree. You are a proud baleno owner, what else will you do ?

However I agree to your disagreement (what are friends for ?) in the sense that driving position is a personal thing, sometimes tall people are comfortable in a small car & in certain cases short people are comfortable in large cars. I was talking about the general spaciousness of the OHC.

ok heres from a OHC owner - definetly Baleno is more spacious (relatively speaking that is )

but then, the "crouched low like a chimp with the knees on ur face" driving position adds a lot of character to the OHC driving experience

If Image counts - I should say the OHC fares ahead of the Baleno

@ Maverick - if engine transplant is in ur mind - why even 1.5, you can just buy the 1.3 and do the same - since you are anyway dumping the stock engine

[mclaren1885]

If you are looking at going turbo, stay away from the VTEC IMO. I am yet to see a reliable TCed Vtec till date without having severe issues with tuning the Vtec.

Still your choice will have to be between the baleno and the 1.5 Exi. I think you should go ahead with the 1.5, because you get bolt on manifolds, bigger blocks, cams (?), amongst other stuff online easily and gives up multiple opions to upgrade in case you do get bored. I mean its tough to source cams, performance clutches for a baleno compared to a 1.5.

Btw, lots of stuff have been tried on a baleno. I think people have hit the peak with a baleno engine going high comp NA & NOS. Only part to extract from that G16B motor is going the TC or SC way. There is still a long way to go, before people hit the peak going turbo.

I would stay away from an engine transplant right now, because it comes with its own issues. I remember doing a research on a Mivec, TCed OHC/Baleno. In the end it made sense to stick to the baleno for me because I have already invested a lot of stuff on it. Sourcing imported engines has its own advantages and disadvantages. Its only when you need to wait endlessly for a particular part to be shipped that one realizes it wasn't worth all the effort. But thats just my opinion.

[ashish22]

first of all its very hard to find OHCs which have done less then 50K and even if there are any then you might have to check their meters whether they have genuine mileage or not. OHCs(at least in Delhi/NCR) are notorious for tampered meters in used car market.
Secondly try to find a car which has complete service record and preferably used by an 'oldie' as they might have used the car sedately.
Thirdly vtec in a budget of 3-3.5L would be tough to find. You might have to extend your budget till 4L to grab a good piece.
Fourthly as narayan pointed out you can also look at 1.3 if you are thinking of swapping the engine.

Finally you'll have to compare the costs of both swapping the engine or modding the 1.5 engine to achieve desired results. I guess experts can guide you which option would be more lucarative and reliable in long run. You dont want to have a car which will literally fly but will lack critical saftey features such as ABS and airbags. So plan sensibly.
All the best!

[narayan]

Originally Posted by ashish22

Secondly try to find a car which has complete service record and preferably used by an 'oldie' as they might have used the car sedately.

that reminds me - I have been regularly seing 2 imaculately maintained OHC VTEC in Gurgaon - one driven by a lady ( and hence might need a clutch replacement ! ) and another by a really old man.
I wonder what they were thinking when they bought these cars !

[ashish22]

probably they both might have bought it for snob value(vtec was the costliest city at that time)

[maverick030581]

@ MCLAREN AND ASHISH
Thanks a ton guys for all the help.Got the answers I needed and my confusion is mostly cleared,I think I'll stay away from engine swaps for the time being as I'm a greenhorn and woulldn't really be able to do the trial-n-error required for such a job.I think its mostly the OHC 1.5 then.I say mostly coz pretty soon I'll be meeting Viper who has been kind enough to let a noob like me meet up with him and will also ask him about this.I guessmy mind's pretty much made up though.

Thanks a ton again mates.

Cheers

[maverick030581]

On another thought again
Would a used Accord 2.3 VTI / Octavia 2.0 MPI / Ford Mondeo around 4 lacs make sense? Or would the cost of spares / service for all just burn through my pockets??

[ashish22]

maverick i suggest just stay with your current choice. For outright performance and fun to drive factor as well as economy OHC is the best bet. Also parts are easily available and accessible and tuners have excellent knowledge of OHC as well.
The mondeo is one of the finest drivers car to ever set 'wheels' on indian roads but it has bagful of service and reliability issues. Also it can be expensive to maintain and repair.
Accord 2.3 Vti is a decent car as well but not much fun to drive.
Stay away from octavia 2.0 MPI. The engine is lazy and dealers can literally make you cry tears of blood with the service they provide!
I own both OHC and vRS and to be honest i always pick OHC when i want to have a blast on roads and also do those silly turns and cuts
with vRS although its blazingly fast but i tend to drive it responsibly as the maintenance and repair costs are always playing back in mind. So with OHC there's always peace of mind and fun to drive factor. With OHC you're a free spirit.