[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by AirWind

Are you open to considering a used Mitsu Cedia? Excellent used examples should be available for sub 6L but are hard to come by...

+1. I am surprised as to why none recommended this. Ok, this might not even be an 'upgrade'. But from a driver's POV, it surely is. Do give this a serious thought.

[flipsyde]

@dot - 9kmpl is fine with me. In fact its near as makes no difference. The second owner car has very clean service records. In fact its been services hardly 2 months back. I am looking into it though I am not very much for second owner cars. I am sure it will be hell when it comes to resale.

@shuvc - Thats exactly my problem. Now all I should make sure is whether my itch to switch is worth 3.5L!! I am not particularly a big fan of korean cars but I would make an exception if I do get a Sonata Embera CRDi in good shape for my price bracket. The Accord is actually perfect upgrade. But the mileage is a killer. I won't get more than 6-7kmpl inside city and thats gonna make sure I don't use it too often and that bothers me. Apart from the mileage I don't see any reason not to look around for an Accord.

@sachinj12 - Other than being a drivers car the Cedia doesn't have much going for it. Besides its close to impossible to find one in the used car market.

[camchennai]

Originally Posted by flipsyde

I am worried about. The A/C Compressor, Alternator etc etc are expensive to replace and are likely to fail around the 1L km mark.

@dot - Lot of very valid points in favour of the Civic. But I am not sure about the mileage bit. I have heard people getting around 8-9kmpl inside city. My Corolla gives me 10kmpl inside city and 13kmpl on the highway runs.

I have come across a two owner Civic for 6L. Its got only 30k kms on the clock and seems fairly well maintained. Is it really worth considering since I save close to 1L?

A/C compressor will not fail around 1L mark, I had a Corolla (2003 model) and it has clocked 1.3L KM when I sold it, there were no issues with AC compressor or Alternator. Corolla comes with Denso OE AC and they are known for their solid built and long lasting capability. A new Denso compressor from a dealer(read - after market) would cost you 16 - 20 including labor and part. Let me know if you need any help with AC, I know a good AC mechanic in T.Nagar who usually deals with high end cars.

With Civic you will get around 8-9 or even lesser, Corolla MT gives solid 13 KMPL inside city and I got the same with my car. I am not sure why are you getting only 10 KMPL, is your model AT??In highway I used to get 16-18.

What is the price your expecting for your 8 year old model?? I read you have spend 1L on this car, so its not wise to sell at this point as it would be a overall loss for you.

A second owner Civic is not a good option, how come it has only done 30K when two different owners have driven the car??How sure are you with the ODO KM??

[flipsyde]

@camchennai - Its not that the AC compressor will fail but it does fall under the bracket of expensive parts which can fail in an 8 year old car. Of course that is a general statement and don't mean to say Corollas inherently have failed compressor units at said age and kms.

I have recently replaced the cooling coil on the car and cooling is quite good. But that said please do PM me the AC persons number.

I am not a very light footed driver. I do gun the car every once in a while. With under 3k shifts and AC on all the time I consistently get 10kmpl which I guess is pretty good. 13kmpl is amazingg! Mine is an MT too. The Civic I drove for about 300kms inside city and on the highway returned 9kmpl in bangalore and 13kmpl from bangalore to chennai. I guess it might give 10kmpl here in chennai considering the traffic here is better.

I am currently offered 3.5L including the Audio system and 3.3L without the Audio system. I have spent close to 1L including the audio system which alone cost 60-65k.

About the second owner car, I checked with Sundaram Honda and the ODO reading seems genuine. I guess the buyers had other cars in the house or they just didn't move around a lot

[camchennai]

Originally Posted by flipsyde

I am currently offered 3.5L including the Audio system and 3.3L without the Audio system. I have spent close to 1L including the audio system which alone cost 60-65k.

Price what they have quoted for your Corolla seems to be reasonable and if you are sure of Civic service records then you can go ahead. I have sent a PM with shop details and his mobile number.

My take is stick with Corolla as it is reliable and less prone to failure. Apart from the jazzy look and cockpit styled dashboard you don't get anything special or additional in Civic. Corolla will give out a descent mileage if it is driven with a light foot.

[konjaril]

Hi there Flypside. i can understand your dilemma. I here first of all dont want to be biased, but have driven both the cars extensively and would like to really point out that the option really doesnt look like an 'upgrade'. Sure the civic looks good and has funky interiors, but come to think of it, will you be pleased just for these factors after you bid your corolla goodbye? you need a car that pleases you not just aesthetically but should be workhorse for you and formost doesnt make you miss your old car .Now that i am not against any car maker, its just my point of view which i am stating after driving both the cars in my family circle.

someone here sugested a used Laura, why not look into that option? Also your Sonata embera option too looked tempting.

cheers

[dot]

Originally Posted by konjaril

the option really doesnt look like an 'upgrade'.

True, it is more of a lateral shift. However, "upgrade" is probably true when you consider that the 8th gen Civic is a better driver's car compared to the 2003 Corolla. As @flipsyde says, he likes driving hard.

[shankar.balan]

considering that the Civic itself is due for a facelift very soon I wouldnt consider this a lateral upgrade.
more sensible frankly would be an used Skoda Laura or even Superb as mentioned by Konjaril.
Else, you could consider the new Altis instead, which in my opinion would be more sensible for Indian road conditions than the Honda Civic - whether the current one or the likely facelifted version - this on account of ground clearance primarily.

[sgiitk]

I will avoid the Skoda family. There are enough tales about really bad service and expensive parts.

[flipsyde]

@camchennai - Yeah even I felt the price for my old car was fair. Though like any other owner I'm greedy for more! The general opinion seems to be working in favour or keeping the Corolla. Lets see!

@konjaril - Very true even after driving a few Civics around I don't get that upgrade feeling. Of course this is purely a lateral upgrade. My intentions of buying the Civic are quite simple - newer car, lower kms on the ODO and satisfying my itch to change the Civic doesn't have too much going in its favour. What I am not sure is whether these 3 factors really is worth 3.5L.

Skodas are yet to win my mind. MY heart really goes out to their quality interiors, brand image etc etc. but fat service bills are not something which I want. The Sonata Embera CRDi is something I might be interested in. But most of them have quite a few kms on them. Besides that car being a diesel it doesn't have too much going for it. Its just not fun.

[DarkEraser]

Toyota Corolla - Pros - Good low end torque + Good mileage + Known History + Good Music system
Cons - 8 year old car + 88k kms on the clock + Poor handling

How about selling current Corolla and buying new pre owned Corolla with less year old and less kms on the clock? This way you will remove 2 cons from your cons list.

BTW, if you want to do this then if possible buy next corolla before selling current one. And then compare and replace it's accessories with the current corolla's better one. For example if your current music system is better than the next corolla's then put it to the new car. Same you can do with tyres. Then sell your current car.

PS: If you have 7L budget then buy car for max 6L only. Keep 1L for additional work as generally all pre owned car need some work within next 6 months after buying..

[flipsyde]

@dot - The Civic without a doubt is a good handler but I am not sure how much I would appreciate that considering I potter around inside the city @ 40kmph most of the time. But certainly better handling car is appreciated but not a major selling point.

@shankar.balan - Skodas are pretty much out of question. They scare me.... literally! Actually I would love to get my hands on the Altis. I really the car though for some reason it does seem more sluggish than my Corolla. If for my 7L I get a well maintained Altis I am surely willing to consider it.

@sgiitk - Totally agree with you.

[shankar.balan]

Somehow Sir I feel that the Skoda woes as publicized are slightly on the exaggerated side. Three or four of my pretty close pals own these cars and none of them have reported anything terribly out of the ordinary.
But it is true that the service bills are pretty large and the cost of spares is pretty high - in comparison to other, non-european makes in general.
Overall I like the Skoda attention to superb quality fit and finish. Everything in the vehicles speak volumes about their attention to quality and detail - there's no doubt about it. And the marque is a good way to enter the Euro Car club. I also think their vehicles are priced reasonably well here (even though they are more expensive than abroad) and this, despite all these wicked import duties etc that foreign manufacturers have to contend with in India.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I will avoid the Skoda family. There are enough tales about really bad service and expensive parts.

[flipsyde]

@darkeraser - Thats actually a veryy good idea. But the only qualm is I would be driving a car which pretty much looks like the one I am replacing!! Besides that I really don't see any other problem with this point.

@shankar.balan - My problem mainly is the cost of spares. I don't rely on A S S and go to my trusted independent garage and procure OE parts from the market. And I am quite sure its harder to find these parts for the Skoda and even if I do are going to cost quite a lot in comparison to their Japanese rivals.

[mdsaab]

Well this is my view.
Compared to OP corolla. The civic would IMO be an upgrade.
Few points.
Better looks.
Better handling.
More legroom if i am not mistaken.
A rev happy engine.
Doesnt it sound like a lateral upgrade.
If OP had the altis then i would say otherwise as the altis is much closer to the civic than the previous gen corolla.
Again this is my perspective.