[shiva_shaan_5]

Hello Mates, I have two deals on Hand.

A Used, Honda City 1.5 EXi AT - 2004 model has run 53K, asking price 4.9L(nego)

and

A Used, Honda City 1.5 EXi AT - 1998 model has run 81K, asking price 2L(nego)

Both my mind and ease of budget are pushing me towards the 1998 model. Both the models are very well maintained but the 1998 model is excellently maintained. Is it a good choice to go for such an old car?

Iam very new to Honda cars and am a little scared of service costs. I see long time ownerships and good reviews of this car allover TBHP but still wanted the guru's to advice me.

[Poitive]

Am no expert either, but some basic thoughts.

Even if you need to incur expenses on the '98 model, you will still be saving a packet. Risks seem lesser. You also say that it is better maintained. Also someone with only 4k usage per year, seems to have kept the car with more care and probably as some prized possession. But of course there could be other reasons and the car may have been unused for extended periods (staying out of the country etc). If you can get to check the service record, directly from the seller or via a service centre, you may be more assured of your choice.

Usually would like a newer car, if the budget allows, but in this case the '98 seems slightly better from the information you provide.

[musicmanaman]

Stay away from the old gen AT's, a known person had the same, and the clutch was bad, and to repair the same at Honda would have costed more than the resale value of the car, not to mention they din't have the part in stock.

[dot]

@shiva_shaan_5, can you kindly elaborate the thoughts behind the purchase? For example, will this be a regular commute car, or weekend car. Will this be your first car? What are your average monthly runs. How many years you would want to keep the car. All these information may help folks to comment on your choice.

[shiva_shaan_5]

Iam physically challenged so this car will be customized to my requirement thus will remain with me for a long time, I am in no resale mood. This will be customized to be used by a person (me) who has a disability with the right leg.

My budget is very limited, all new cars are beyond my budget limits. <3.5L

The 1998 car I saw was maintained by a military general who used to drive it within Bangalore city only. My requirement is a drive of 18Kms(to and fro) everyday plus a long drive like from Bangalore to Munnar or Chennai distance twice a year with family. The car would also be used every alternate weekend for an outing for something like Bangalore to Mysore distance.

This is my second car, I took a great hit with my First purchase 4 years ago, I had purchased a Cielo Daewoo GLX and had the car for over a year, the maintenance was more than 10k everytime I took it to the garage and moreover the the mileage of the cielo was less than 6KMPL.

I drove the city and did not find an issue with the drive system, I approached Honda Whitefield here today and they have agreed to assess the car for 2,500/- to give a detailed report.

[nitin.rai]

Shiva - How about a new auto Maruti or Hyundai?
On special requests the manufacturers still do churn out auto trannys.
PM me if the idea makes sense to you. May be able to put you in touch with people at MSIL or HMIL for the same.

If it's down to the 2 cars; I personally never would go for a 12 yr old car; howsoever well maintained; age does take a toll!

[cityvic]

Dude 4.9L is huge.

Dont pay more then 3.5L.

Its a 7 year old car.

[Dippy]

Hi Shiva

Though I see the two cars mentioned in your post, can I make a suggestion? Since you have said the the NHC deal can be negotiated, I'm guessing you would get it for 4.5 lakhs max.(Still overpriced) In that price, I would say that you could also get a used Corolla AT. Its a very good and reliable car and they are quite a few cars in the market. Think about it.

As far as the OHC goes, its 12 years old. Hondas dont really require any special maintenance. Just change engine oil, filter etc at the proper intervals and youre fine. Are you getting the car assessed by Honda? That would be a good idea. But still bottom line is that its an old car.

Will you be modding the car you buy to accomodate hand controls?

[dot]

@shiva_shaan_5, I will agree with what other folks have expressed. The 04 is expensive at 4.9L and the 98 is somewhat old. You would need a car that can run for another good number of years without major issues. I like @Dippy's Corolla AT idea. In case that does not happen the 98 City maybe the next best choice. The first gen City is pretty bullet proof and 81 thousand kilometers is definitely not too much. You might need a suspension job, and change engine and tranny consumables. It is a great idea to show the car to Honda even if they charge 2500Rs. Let us know about your final decision.

[shiva_shaan_5]

Thank you all for helping me out here.

@nitin I did check with Maruti and Hyundai. Wagon R, A Star and I10 were in my list but could not afford the new car's cost due to my own reasons. One more important thing is that I am 6ft Tall, Heavy Built, hence cars like A*, Wagon R and i10 gave my family sitting at the rear seat a problematic drive during the TD itself due to leg spacing.

@Dippy Iam searching in vain for a used Corolla AT but could not find one in Bangalore(Maybe I am not approaching the right people)

Left Foot Accelerator was something I had incorporated on Cielo( it was custom made).

Iam trying to get the vehicle checked by Honda by this week at the earliest as a first step before making any further decisions.

Cheers

[camchennai]

As Dippy mentioned, I would also suggest you to go for Corolla AT.

Please check out the Toyota used car dealer below dealer in Bangalore.

Toyota U Trust - Dealer Locator

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by shiva_shaan_5

Thank you all for helping me out here.

@nitin I did check with Maruti and Hyundai. Wagon R, A Star and I10 were in my list but could not afford the new car's cost due to my own reasons. One more important thing is that I am 6ft Tall, Heavy Built, hence cars like A*, Wagon R and i10 gave my family sitting at the rear seat a problematic drive during the TD itself due to leg spacing.

@Dippy Iam searching in vain for a used Corolla AT but could not find one in Bangalore(Maybe I am not approaching the right people)

Left Foot Accelerator was something I had incorporated on Cielo( it was custom made).

Iam trying to get the vehicle checked by Honda by this week at the earliest as a first step before making any further decisions.

Cheers

Some of the Bangalore members will surely help you locate a used Corolla. At the same time avoid buying any used Maruti AT cars like the Esteem, Wagon R or Zen. Those gear boxes were 3 speed and horribly unreliable.

[dhanushs]

1. Both cars are highly overpriced.
2. You, being physically challenged, reliability should be of very high importance. A 7 year old car is much..much more reliable than a 13year old example.
3. No plans for selling it in the near future is even more reason to go for a newer car.

Well, IMO, in the used car market, AT cars do not have a premium, but, have poor resale due to the 'low FE' image.

Search well and you will get good examples for under 3.5L. Two good options would be NHC AT, and Corolla AT, though Corolla would be expensive to maintain.

[shankar.balan]

2004 model Honda City Exi AT should be negotiated down to about 3.9 lacs max - because of the AT and provided it is a single owner car.

the 1998 model is too old for comfort. Drop that completely from your consideration set.

As others have said, you could think of Toyota instead.

Look diligently for an used (2004-ish) Toyota Corolla H4-H5 model with AT - you are likely to get one for about 4.65-5 lacs range.
In fact do take a view of carwale - I just checked and they seem to have roughly what you may like/ are looking for.

[shiva_shaan_5]

Thanks for all your inputs mates, going after the carwarle ads now and also visiting U trust this weekend.