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Old 27th August 2010, 12:40   #1
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Need suggestions AT Sedan -2008 Civic/Vento/ANHC/Verna

Please help me decide buying an Automatic Sedan with a budget of 10-11 Laks. I'm going to use this vehicle mostly in city (75% City and 25% Highways) and keep it for 5 years.

1. I have seen a used 2008 Honda Civic 1.8V AT (Fully Loaded) with 27k kms on the odo from a private party. Single owner. Asking 9.5L. Need your advice on this car.

2. I like VW Vento 6 speed Automatic for its brand, look, features and good reviews in various sites. To me, rear seat leg room will be the deciding factor.

3. I like ANHC but I want to compare that with Vento (after the test drive) before deciding. Low ground clearance is the only concern for me. Also, I didn't like the slight hump on the floor below the front seats which blocks your feet from stretching below the front seats. This would have really helped providing a good thigh support for tall guys. I don't know if others have noticed that design and care about that.

4. Verna Diesel Auto - like everything but for the rear space and no air-bags.

I appreciate your suggestion and thoughts on this. I'm willing to wait till end of this year. Because I saw used Civic, I wanted to take your opinion on deciding now or wait for Vento.
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Old 27th August 2010, 13:10   #2
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Buy the new ANHC AT as I always prefer new as opposed to pre-worship as most cars develop issues in 4-5 years, when you buy 2 years old car your car will start showing regular wear related issues in suspension, clutch, engine, wiring, etc in 2-3 years of ownership as opposed to 4-5 years. Having said that if you can ensure Civic is good and you are ok to live with mileage of 8-10 than go ahead with it....

Between Vento and City Petrols, the City engine is much better as per reports here. Additionally there is a big hump on the rear seats in the middle in Vento. The Vento autobox is sluggish and City's is more lively, plus you get paddle shifts. Lastly the raised floor in City is actually a feature to rest your legs on (ergonomical feature)... Pls dont consider Verna its a generation old...
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Old 27th August 2010, 14:06   #3
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My two paise:
ANHC AT over Vento AT: (stock)
advantages:
Better Engine
Slightly better FE
Better NVH
Paddle Shifts
Slightly better rear seat legroom
Better sound (music system)
Steering mounted controls
disadvantages
Ground clearance
Worse high-speed highway drive/handling
No ACC
No personalized rear AC vents
No discounts yet!
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Old 27th August 2010, 16:24   #4
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My advice: Civic or ANHC since the Honda AT is miles superior to the competition. As for durability I expect that teh old Civic should also give you 100k+ km and last easily for five or more years. Even my Accent gave me eight years!

Last edited by sgiitk : 27th August 2010 at 16:41.
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Old 27th August 2010, 17:21   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by automaticfan View Post
1. I have seen a used 2008 Honda Civic 1.8V AT (Fully Loaded) with 27k kms on the odo from a private party. Single owner. Asking 9.5L....
In Goa last week I looked at a Civic A/t 2008 27 k run asking price was 8.25L. The vehicle was a little unkempt but otherwise sound. 9.5 sounds quite high.
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Old 27th August 2010, 17:58   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by echo77 View Post
Worse high-speed highway drive/handling
What exactly according to you is wrong with the ANHC high speed driving?
Can you please elaborate?
According to me, it feels fairly planted, no body roll, steering weighs up with speed, suspension is fairly stiff with no roller coaster ride and good brakes.
Overall, I find it slightly above average.
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Old 27th August 2010, 18:01   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by filcord View Post
In Goa last week I looked at a Civic A/t 2008 27 k run asking price was 8.25L. The vehicle was a little unkempt but otherwise sound. 9.5 sounds quite high.

That's Goa pal. Unfortunately this is Bangy. Sky high prices for both used and new. If you screen Bangy's market, you will be shocked to hear the price quotes.
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Old 27th August 2010, 20:13   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guna View Post
What exactly according to you is wrong with the ANHC high speed driving?
Can you please elaborate?
According to me, it feels fairly planted, no body roll, steering weighs up with speed, suspension is fairly stiff with no roller coaster ride and good brakes.
Overall, I find it slightly above average.
Based on GTO's Vento review:

Quote:
It loves long straights and corners alike. The sedan stays superbly composed even when hurtling through a series of fast corners. The chassis has immaculate poise and grip levels are strong. Body roll is well controlled too. Pushing hard will see her slowly understeer in an entirely predictable manner (no nasty surprises). Stability at speed is top class, second only to the Linea, and there isn't a hint of nervousness at 140 kph. The Fiat is rock solid (remains the segment benchmark), the Vento solid enough. On the other hand, the electric power steering spoils the enthusiast' recipe.
Remember it was only ANHC v Vento comparison, and not a general disadvantage. I personally have found ANHC ride pretty good for the speeds that I drive. I have NOT TD'd the Vento.
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Old 28th August 2010, 00:48   #9
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Id take a new ANHC with the autobox. The ANHC auto is fairly fuel efficient, and powerful too. You really wont miss the stick shift too much either.

If you want a diesel look at the verna CRDI automatic
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Old 28th August 2010, 23:25   #10
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1st choice will be ANHC but do have a TD of vento and then decide.

You might like the sturdyness of VW.
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Old 29th August 2010, 00:34   #11
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Wait till there is a concrete TD report of vento A/T.
AFAIK it is not available for test drives yet - and people are already labeling it as sluggish, fuel guzzler, lack of paddle shifts etc. The Vento A/T box is triptronic - that takes care of the lack of paddle shifts.

If you don't mind - why do you want a A/T box (ease of self driving I presume) and lots of rear seat space? Sorry if I misunderstood something.

If you want a diesel autobox - you have to settle for the verna in your budget. Upsize the tires for stability and place a lord ganesha idol on the dash to make up for the missing airbags!

Personally I am against spending so much money (around 10 lakhs) for an used car.

Last edited by blackasta : 29th August 2010 at 00:35.
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Old 30th August 2010, 11:50   #12
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I am really interested in this thread and the views of BHPians since I have posted a similar thread for advice. absynthguzzler had suggested that I take a look at a thread describing the SX 4 A/T. While I knew that SX 4 had an A/T version, it had never really figured in my scheme of things - but I was pleasantly surprised (shocked is more appropriate) to discover that there is a fair price advantage over the ANHC A/T (and possibly the Vento). And it looks loaded with all the features. Why then is it not being snapped up by buyers? Is it to do with 'q' issues or FE. Or is it maybe a lack of resale val' or image???
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Old 30th August 2010, 12:22   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by echo77 View Post
Worse high-speed highway drive/handling
I have done some spirited driving in highway even engaging in a cat and mouse race with Fiesta, I never felt that the car disappointed me in terms of handling, ride quality, even at speeds in excess of 145. Remember I was on my stock tyres (GY-165/65/R15). I only wished that it did the cornering better compared to the fiesta. I guess the tyre upgrade will help things.
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Old 30th August 2010, 13:27   #14
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Friends,
Thank you all for your valuable suggestions. I have more update on Civic.

When I posted this thread, I had only seen the car (both inside and outside) while it was parked as the owner was not home and his spouse gave me the keys just to see the car. I had opportunity drive the car last week end. Here are some observation from layman's perspective as I'm not an expert.

1. Low seating - I felt like I'm sitting on the floor when I sat in the car. Even though I can get used to that in due course of time I'm used to tall cars from past 14 years. Chrysler Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey, and now I10 Auto. Occasionally I used to drive Honda Accord (My wife's car) in the US. So, I like the high seating but low seating not outright no-no.

2. Transmission shift was not very smooth when I did bit more than sedate driving. My I10 AT Sportz felt better than this used Civic. I'm guessing that this problem is limited to this particular used car.
3. Steering felt bit tight but not terrible. I'm thinking that because of my I10's light steering I felt this steering is bit heavy in low speed.
4. On a normal road hump, I heard a big thud in the undercarriage. That indicates low ground clearance.
5. Owner said the gas mileage is about 8 kmpl in the city and 12 on highways. I'm getting better than this in i10 Auto even though it is branded as fuel guzzling small AT car. I'm looking for better than this mileage in my bigger car - atleast 10kms in the city and 14 on Highways with AC. ( thats why Verna AT is one of the contenders).
6. Even though the rear space is good it is not as comfortable as in Manza. I did a TD on Manza too. If they come up with Auto Diesel in that car I'll close my eyes and buy that car for VFM and my needs.
7. Price - Owner openly admitted that AT cars have low resale value in India as they had quoted 10L initially but now they have an offer of 8.5L. I guess they can settle for 8.6L. I offered 8L just see their reaction but they refused.
8. I'm not commenting on the positive points of Civic as the list goes longer.

Quote:
If you don't mind - why do you want a A/T box (ease of self driving I presume) and lots of rear seat space? Sorry if I misunderstood something.
Yes, I need an AT box for easy self driving. Also, I have some minor physical problem with my left knee joint and prolonged driving of stick shift will aggravate the problem. My wife also wants to drive the car and her choice is also AT.

I need bigger rear leg room because most my highway driving will be accompanied by my parents and they prefer higher seating and better leg room for easy access and comfort.

My personal opinion after driving this Civic syncs with many of your views not to spend 10L for an used vehicle. I love ANHC and I was about to buy that car in 2008 when it was 10.8L on road in Bangalore but now it is 11.75 on road. I changed my mind and bought i10 Auto. I hope they give some discount when VW launch Vento. I think I'm not going to buy Used Civic for now.

Slightly off topic. I just did 700 kms long drive in my i10 with 5 people in the car and trunk fully loaded. I got an FE of 15 kmpl with 90% AC. I'm extremely satisfied with i10 for that price. I hope I'll find another VFM car in a bigger segment.
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Old 30th August 2010, 13:52   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jayanth_yk View Post
I have done some spirited driving in highway even engaging in a cat and mouse race with Fiesta, I never felt that the car disappointed me in terms of handling, ride quality, even at speeds in excess of 145. Remember I was on my stock tyres (GY-165/65/R15). I only wished that it did the cornering better compared to the fiesta. I guess the tyre upgrade will help things.
Thanks. This is very good to know!
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