[bigron]

Hey guys , i am in a predicament these days. need to pick up a new car . Budget around 11 with a little flexibility. I have short listed two cars . the corolla altise petrol or the old honda accord 2.4. ( 2007 model ). I am not looking at any other car like the civic /cruze or the laura etc. Dont like them for one reason or the other.
The car will be self driven all the time with a weekend outstation trip. i love spirited driving and would prefer slight performance. ( the accord v6 was on the cards but the average is going to kill me ).Now i am confused if i should pick up a new altise from a smaller segment or a bigger more comfortable accord but a generation older. i assume the service of both the cars should be similar owners can clarify ! The accords average should be in the region of 7-8 i understand and the corollas about 10. What do you guys suggest ? Will picking up the old accord now that the new model is already due for an update a sensible decision ? thanks people

[Tejas@perioimpl]

At 11 lakhs you can get a very good deal on a sparsely used civic. Will fit your requirement of spirited driving and performance as well.

EDIT: just read the statement you made saying no civic.

For performance between the two, i'd go for the accord.

[Akshay1234]

Frankly the Accord would beat the Altis hollow. Though it dosent exactly have sharp handling, its fine for normal driving and the steering will be much better than the extra light one on the Altis.

As for the 2.4/V6. If going for a manual then the 2.4 is your only choice, it would probably give you 7.5-8kmpl MAX and less with spirited driving. That said, the V6 will give you 6 with granny style driving and 5 with pedal to the metal. So think about it. And its much more likely to get a V6 run very few kms, I dunno why but check the market and youll see im right.

[musicmanaman]

I suggest go with the Accord, it feels miles ahead on the inside, the cabin is simply fantastic, the Corolla will never give you the feel the Accord will, by the by I just check out a 2005 Accord here in Kolkata, with Tax till 2015, white colour, clean interiors, 49k on the odo, for 550k.

[vkochar]

11 lacs is a lot of money for all the cars you have listed. So you will save a few lacs

Used Accord 2007 should be around 7 - 8 lacs depending on condition. I just saw a 2007 with 45k on the odo ( 2.4 ) for 8.2 lacs. Absolutely showroom condition.

Used Corolla Altis 2008 model should also be in the range of 8 lacs or so.

A civic 2008 model can be had for 7 lacs or so. So many BHPians have brought pre owned civics and are extremely happy with them.

[bigron]

Thanks for the inputs guys. Even i have a slight inclination to go in for the accord and i assume its a far comple package than the altise. I saw a 2007 22k done V6 ( and many more in superb condition) for about 8 lakhs but as akshay pointed out 5 kmpl in pedal to metal driving is absolutely brutal for me. The 2.4 is the one i would like to go MT/AT being not much of a deciding factor.
The thing holding me back is that i spend 8 /9 on a car and in 2/3 months i already feel a generation old coz of the newer accord model coming in. With the altise i know i ve bought a product still available in the showroom . Apart from that i guess the accord is a superior product in all aspects.

[Aroy]

If you are self driving most of the time, do you really need a bigger car. If you are ferrying a lot of people, then yes, else settle for a new Altis. You get a new car, Toyota reliability & peace of mind, and of course better FE.

Spirited driving always comes at a price and a low FE will kill most of us mortals.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by bigron

Thanks for the inputs guys. Even i have a slight inclination to go in for the accord and i assume its a far comple package than the altise. I saw a 2007 22k done V6 ( and many more in superb condition) for about 8 lakhs but as akshay pointed out 5 kmpl in pedal to metal driving is absolutely brutal for me. The 2.4 is the one i would like to go MT/AT being not much of a deciding factor.
The thing holding me back is that i spend 8 /9 on a car and in 2/3 months i already feel a generation old coz of the newer accord model coming in. With the altise i know i ve bought a product still available in the showroom . Apart from that i guess the accord is a superior product in all aspects.

The 'new' Accord coming in is hardly a facelift. Most people wont even be able to figure out that theres anything new on it.

Since mileage is a factor, I suggest the 2.4 MT since the 2.4 AT will hardly give 1kmpl better than the V6, and when you think about that the V6 makes more sense.

But try finding a low km 2.4 MT. IMO you shouldnt buy a car which has done more than 20k kms.

Originally Posted by Aroy

If you are self driving most of the time, do you really need a bigger car. If you are ferrying a lot of people, then yes, else settle for a new Altis. You get a new car, Toyota reliability & peace of mind, and of course better FE.

Then again the Altis is not a great self driven car. And like a Honda is less reliable.

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

The 'new' Accord coming in is hardly a facelift. Most people wont even be able to figure out that theres anything new on it.

Since mileage is a factor, I suggest the 2.4 MT since the 2.4 AT will hardly give 1kmpl better than the V6, and when you think about that the V6 makes more sense.

But try finding a low km 2.4 MT. IMO you shouldnt buy a car which has done more than 20k kms.




Then again the Altis is not a great self driven car. And like a Honda is less reliable.

Can you shed some light on the "less reliable" part of the Altis or any Honda like you mentioned?

If you leave the cornering and high revving capabilities of the Altis aside, I do not see why it is a bad self-driven car. I assume one does not red line the car all the time.

A new car is always a better proposition than a used car, no matter if its a segment higher. You can never tell what the car has undergone through the hands of the previous owner.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

Can you shed some light on the "less reliable" part of the Altis or any Honda like you mentioned? You misunderstood. I said like a Honda is less reliable than a Toyota, meaning that both are as reliable and trouble free.

If you leave the cornering and high revving capabilities of the Altis aside, I do not see why it is a bad self-driven car. I assume one does not red line the car all the time. Its not a bad self driven car, but for an enthusiast driver he would look at the points which you have asked to be left out i.e cornering and high revving. Personally I hate the steering on it.

A new car is always a better proposition than a used car, no matter if its a segment higher. You can never tell what the car has undergone through the hands of the previous owner.
I disagree. It depends on how old the car is and how many kms it has run. Again this view depends from person to person.

comments posted above.

[johy]

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

I suggest go with the Accord, it feels miles ahead on the inside, the cabin is simply fantastic, the Corolla will never give you the feel the Accord will, by the by I just check out a 2005 Accord here in Kolkata, with Tax till 2015, white colour, clean interiors, 49k on the odo, for 550k.

Hi,

Just chipping in and won't hijack this thread. Can someone please give me an idea regarding the maintenance cost for the Accord? And cost of spares? Which parts will likely need replacement at 50K and the prices?

For example, how much would a bumper cost? Or the grill? Headlights? Taillight cluster?

[ACM]

The new accord is just a minor facelift on the current one and it's arrival will neither make the earlier accord look older nor affect its resale prices. Infact the one that would be affected most is the current accord resale, but that too will be a minor effect as the new one is not much different.

Actually for about 11-12L you should be able to get your hands on a used accord in the current shape. That is the best bet. followed by either an AT V6 from previous generation - for about 5-8L (2004-2007 models) or an earlier 2.4 MT.

If you consider that you buy a 2005-6 V6 for about 6.5L then the savings of 5L on you corolla budget 11.5L budget should sponsor the fuel effeciency loss of 5-6 that you will get for a long while. That's another way to look at it, this also gets you an AT, superb engine, bonnet lift, blinkers on mirror, cruise control and TC, and steering mounted controls. (The 2.4 AT & MT did not have this.)

[thedreamcatcher]

As you have already stated your reason not to look for Civic, Laura or Cruze, I will not harp on them

Between the two you have in mind. The Honda is far better a car than the Corolla Altis. But remember one thing, this only applies if the Accord has been treated well. A new car is generally, any day more peaceful to own, does not throw up surprises, low on maintenance and definitely the Corolla is a decent VFM car. If the Accord is very clean, then please go ahead for that.

[superboy44]

@bigron
get the accord man, its really a brilliant car to drive and the spares if i am not wrong are pretty reasonably priced nearly in the same ballpark as the civic (talking about the 07accord)
speaking from the spare parts comparison of autocar mag, though i don't remember the specific edition but remember them being nothing exorbitant.

the interior quality is pretty good,you get a truly big car feel that feels much more secure and planted on the road when compared to the altis.

with the rising petrol prices which are gonna rise even further in the coming time its going to affect the value of these big petrol guzzlers even more, making them even better value for you as you can bargain harder.

leave a word with the local honda dealerships at both the showroom and the workshop, i am pretty sure you will get a call back soon enough.
there are a good number of accords on sale so don't fear walking away from a car that has even a minor flaw.

[Vibhanshu]

Hi bigron, As you can see all our members are writing at least 1 line about the Civic, I wont break the trend. Did you had a chance to test drive a Civic? It's an awesome machine!

For your dilemma, you have 2 extreme choices. Altis (comfort, space VFM etc) and on other hand a powerful large sedan. Both serve 2 different purpose.

But again, plz test drive a Civic - you can get a used Civic post 2007 model within 7-8 Lacs. However, a new Civic will also make total sense.

Goodluck!