[Roger Phillip]

Hi guys

I am thinking about buying my mother a new Santro GL, and I even went ahed and booked the car. But then I saw something on the market that changed my mind.

Here's the deal: I booked the car a few days back. And since that point of time I have been looking for a loan. Sadly, I am currently jobless and even though I do have the financial reserves for buying this Santro GL for my mother completely down paid for, banks aren't willing to lend me their money. I was about to bite the bullet and pay approx. 3.3 Lacs down right away when a friend came along and showed me the car with the following specifications:

Honda City, 2003 Vxi, 1.3L with music system and alloy wheels. Color is black and has all four power windows unlike the New Santro which has none. This car has done 60K, or a little over that. I have been told that it never met an accident. Also the music system had been instaleed a few months back, in the fall of 2008 by the second owner who happens to be selling it to us. On the surface the car looks fine, and pretty much well maintained.

The price is 2.8 lacs which is not really negotiable. The car will mostly be chauffer-driven.

So, what do you think guys? I have to pay for it down, but then who gave me a car loan for Santro anyways? And saving approx. 45K here will definitely help.

So, what should I do?

Please note that your suggestions will certainly help me in making the decision. Also, the registration number is pretty special- 2222 . They tell me some extra money was paid to get that number.

Please help guys- Its sort of urgent.

Thanks
Roger

[sushrutha]

Roger,I would suggest you go and buy a new Santro for your mom. I would have suggested OHC if you were buying it for yourself.That's a good price for 03 OHCNote - Honda City never came with VXI, probabaly you are refering to EXi

[raul]

2.8 is a bit high for the 1.3, that should ideally get you the 2003 1.5 EXI model. Try to get the 1.3 down to 2.5 or less and you have a good deal. Ensure you get the car throughly throughly checked by an expert before buying it, there is a checklist on the forum and a number of threads on buying a second hand OHC and that should be helpful.

[kannan666]

Since the car is for your mom, I feel going in for the new Santro will be better for two reasons. One, your mom should find handling the Santro easier compared to the Honda City and two, since it is a new car, it will definitely run trouble free at least for the next two to three years assuming the mileage put on the car will not be much. I would have suggested the reverse if you were buying it for yourself though if you could get the City for about 2.65L

[esteem_lover]

Take no risks, get the new santro. 2.8L for a 1.3 OHC is high.

[GTO]

Sadly, I am currently jobless and even though I do have the financial reserves for buying this Santro GL

Save for the rainy day, sport! I suggest you find that job first, stabilise your financial position / monthly inflows and then think about a car.

Trust me, your Mom will only be proud that you're using the lessons she taught you

[pradster]

I second GTO's advice. Save up today and you can buy her a civic tomorrow when the tide is in your favor.
Amen to the thought and all the best!

[Roger Phillip]

Thanks a lot for all your prompt replies, guys.

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Roger,I would suggest you go and buy a new Santro for your mom. I would have suggested OHC if you were buying it for yourself.That's a good price for 03 OHCNote - Honda City never came with VXI, probabaly you are refering to EXi

Yes, It's Exi. Not a Vxi. Thanks for correcting me on that.

But why do you say Santro if it's for my mom. Please NOTE that she won't be driving it- a chauffer will. So will just be sitting in the backside going out to shop etc. What would you say then, buddy?

Originally Posted by raul

2.8 is a bit high for the 1.3, that should ideally get you the 2003 1.5 EXI model. Try to get the 1.3 down to 2.5 or less and you have a good deal. Ensure you get the car throughly throughly checked by an expert before buying it, there is a checklist on the forum and a number of threads on buying a second hand OHC and that should be helpful.

I actually got it tested by three different experts today and the only thing they report is that tyres will give in after a few months-- They tell me these wheels still have 6-7K worth of life in them.

Thanks for the suggestion about price-- I really have no idea about the price of old cars, LOL. So I will bargain to 2.5 L or less, let's see what happens.

Originally Posted by kannan666

Since the car is for your mom, I feel going in for the new Santro will be better for two reasons. One, your mom should find handling the Santro easier compared to the Honda City and two, since it is a new car, it will definitely run trouble free at least for the next two to three years assuming the mileage put on the car will not be much. I would have suggested the reverse if you were buying it for yourself though if you could get the City for about 2.65L

Thanks again for replying, but as I said above, Ma will not be the one driving it-- A Chauffer.

Again, I now realize the price is a bit too much.

But considering some factors like Pioneer Music system, proper suspensions, a great engine, just one scratch on the bottom of the right door of the car, a special number - 2222, I might still be looking at a bargain.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Take no risks, get the new santro. 2.8L for a 1.3 OHC is high.

So buddy, what you say the right price will be for such a car?

Any comments are welcome and appreciated.

Originally Posted by GTO

Save for the rainy day, sport! I suggest you find that job first, stabilise your financial position / monthly inflows and then think about a car.

Trust me, your Mom will only be proud that you're using the lessons she taught you

Awesome bit of advice, buddy. Your wisdom shines through those two lines.

Actually, if it were not for the joblessness I was planning to buy her a CR-V on her coming b'day. And even though every little penny matters, 3L-4L isn't much of a problem. I could go and pay full 12 Lacs for a new Innova as well, but then right now cars aren't our priorities, as you can easily see. Even a job isn't the first thing on my mind right now.

Actually, Mom is without her own car at the moment, and this is something I just can't bear.

But of course, my financial status has never been able to make me waste money-- I am a miser of sorts, and I know the depreciation will be huge on a new car if I am to sell it in 6 months from now. So that makes my slightly inclined towards the Honda, especially since I might not have to buy Ma a new CR-V in a few months.

Ultimately, I score everything on a scale of ten- Relaibility, Costs and Status. And this very approach has kept me sailing with a smile through all the sorrows this world tries to throw at me. I've been jobless for nearly 3 months now, and I still am in no hurry to find a new one. I could survive pretty well for the next couple of years without having a job-- Heck, if the prices of things don't increase, just the rentals from my shops will pay for all my needs for the rest of my life. But I do need to double my assets before I retire.

I find that while Santro ranks up in reliability index, it lacks the Status and Cost benefits of the Honda. Plus, I might even gift this car to my brother who's turning 18 next year, and I am dead sure it'll be pretty hard to convince him to drive a Santro, LOL.

Of course, I might be driving this on the weekends myself.

Don't mean to come across as arrogant or self-centered, but these are some factors you could keep in mind to kindly suggest the right decision.

Originally Posted by pradster

I second GTO's advice. Save up today and you can buy her a civic tomorrow when the tide is in your favor.
Amen to the thought and all the best!

Again, thanks a lot for that advice-- It is certainly a wide approach, but not that practical in my case as my Ma is running without a car, which is unbearable. Initially my office was close to hers, so i used to drop her off. But since I am no longer going to work there (they even called me back at 1.25 times my old salary but I politely rejected- I know I am worth much more).

So what do you recommend now, buddy?

Thanks a lot for all your time- And please help me make up my mind.
Roger

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by Roger Phillip

But why do you say Santro if it's for my mom. Please NOTE that she won't be driving it- a chauffer will. So will just be sitting in the backside going out to shop etc. What would you say then, buddy?</p>

Old Honda City has got a very low seating position. It is slightly uncomfortable (In & out) for middle age & old people.Apart from it it's a fantastic car indeed.

[lamborghini]

Both the OHC and Santro are best avoided when looking for a chauffeur driven car.
I would suggest spending some more time looking for a Lancer, which is loads more comfortable, as reliable, cheaper, and as much FTD as well.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Roger Phillip

Yes, It's Exi. Not a Vxi. Thanks for correcting me on that.

1.3 should be a DX if I am right. The EXi is the 1.5.

Originally Posted by Roger Phillip

So buddy, what you say the right price will be for such a car?

For many reasons including the one above where even the model number is not ascertainable for sure, I would give this one a miss. There are plenty more OHCs in the market. Find a single owner car with service records.

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

1.3 should be a DX if I am right. The EXi is the 1.5.

Nopes, Even 1.3 came with EXi

[Roger Phillip]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all your valuable advice and time.

I have been doing the rounds searching for an OHC like the one above, and having TD'en 19 cars over the last 4 days, and in fact I am still going out to TD some more, but not found anything that is even remotely close to the 222 I first saw in terms of maintainance, performance and intuitive security feeling.

But anyways, the one I saw is certainly 1.3L and it is an Exi, not a DX as the paperwork shows me.

I'll soon make the purchase... what do you say?

It is 20-30K emore expensive, but it's like you get what you pay for.

Thanks a lot
-Roger

P.S. Do let me know if you have a car in New Delhi in mind!

[loving_alaap]

A tuff choice.

If its a chauffer drien, go for OHC, as any small car will not have enough back seat space.

For this reason, you can increase your budget a bit, & buy the most reliable car from Hyundai: the Accent.

A decent car, a "Large car with a boot, a new car, having all comfort, probably the best choice for your mom. It will come around 5 lac.

[SkyWalker]

nevermind. i saw Roger's comments late. Mods pls delete this.