[razor4077]

The Challenge: to find and purchase a used D segment sedan upon relocating to Kolkata from Mumbai. The car should be good to drive but also be spacious, comfortable and safe enough to double up as a chauffeur driven family car in the future. Would be primarily driven in the city, so a petrol car would work.

The Contenders:

Skoda Laura TSI
Pros: Best driver's car south of 20L, brilliant engine, typical understated yet classy European looks, solid build quality
Cons: TSIs rare in the market, Skoda a.s.s concerns, not cheap to maintain, fairly expensive to buy, poor equipment levels

Honda Civic
Pros: easily available, good vfm in the used car market, great looks - inside and out, typically rev-happy Honda engine, Honda a.s.s fairly reliable, drives and handles very well
Cons: poor ground clearance, poor equipment levels by today's standards, low seating makes it tougher for elders to get in/out of the car, low seating position also not ideal for my (surgically repaired) back

The also-rans: Corolla Altis (bit boring, too common a choice with cab fleets), Cedia sport (excellent but rare car, dodgy support), Cruze (too expensive, not really fun to drive) and Optra Magnum (too dated).

How it all unfolded:
A few days prior to my relocation, I got a call from my friend Karan, who had just got into the car dealing business. He told me of a 2007 Civic S MT that he was picking up at a very good rate, which seemed to be in good shape. Karan was going to hold the car for me till I got to Kolkata and judged for myself. A few days later, the car was dropped off for me to evaluate carefully.

It was not mint, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, my first impression wasn't that favorable. The bumpers were scratched and needed repainting, the right rear tail light was broken, the interiors looked dull and the silver paint on the driver power window console as well as the gear knob had faded away. But then I looked more closely at the things that really mattered. The battery was new, the tyres had been changed recently to Pirelli P4s, the stepney was still brand new and there was seemingly no major damage, inside or out. Then I drove the car. And I was nearly sold. Nearly, because I wouldn't settle for a used car without going through its service history and getting a check done at an a.s.s. But nearly...
Suspension was in good nick, car handled and rode very nicely on the Pirellis, there were no tell tale signs of a faulty engine mount, acceleration was clean, the clutch seemed ok and the A/C very effective. Surprisingly, the car didn't bottom out or scrape any of the bumps and speed breakers I threw at it. That was a very pleasant surprise. Mechanically, I honestly couldn't find anything wrong with the car. Finally, I took the car to a Honda a.s.s, Pinnacle Honda. After some initial confusion (they thought I wanted to sell the car to Auto Terrace), I was quickly assigned a service advisor who inspected the car and then took it for a rigorous (really rigorous!) td. He found no faults per se, and also checked the service history to be doubly sure. The only points of note - there had been some denting/painting work on the front doors and front bumper and crucially, the engine mounts had been replaced (yes!). And that was that. Had a word with my wife, and we decided to go for it.

Then came the inevitable twist. I had earlier asked a friend who had good relations with Pinnacle Honda to check up on the car. A day after I had got the all clear from Honda, my friend called saying her service advisor (SA) contact had done some digging and apparently the car had been in several times with a complaint of engine knocking. The fuel strainer had been replaced eventually, but this still led to warning lights flashing in my head. Arranged with the SA to take the car back to them for another more thorough (and accurate) check up. This time the inspection was more careful and was carried out by a mechanic nominated by the SA personally. First the good news - no knocking, car in good shape. The bad - clutch needed to be overhauled (apparently not uncommon for driver driven cars, as this was) and possibly the front dampers changed. I have no clue how and why the first Honda dude had cleared the car!! So that was about 18k for the clutch and 12k for the two dampers.
The mind went into overdrive again. For about 30k the car would be mechanically sound again. Given the low initial cost that I was picking the car up for, I decided to go for it.

Without getting into specifics, all I can say is that I picked up the car at an excellent rate, definitely well below the market rate In addition to the initial clutch and dampers expense, there would be a pocket pinch of around 28k coming up in June when the road tax would need to be renewed (West Bengal has a weird 5 year tax period unlike the lifetime variety in most other states). That, and insurance, which I'd need to purchase straight away. Despite all this, would be a great vfm deal!

Things I need to get done after making the purchase:
- clutch overhaul
- repainting of bumpers, wing mirrors and other touch ups
- full exterior polishing
- full interior cleaning and polishing
- throwing out the art leather seat covers, which have become a bit frayed. Will make do with the OE fabric seats for now
- replace the broken tail lamp
- fit fog lamps
- power window consoles and gear knob: repaint or replace with Honda replacement parts (if the price is reasonable)
- getting the driver seat belt mechanism checked and fixed/replaced. The seat belt isn't retracting as it should
- tightening the seats, door pads and front centre armrest console
- replacing the wiper blades
- getting a full servicing done

Should do the trick, to start with
Down the line, will probably get leather/art leather upholstery done, upgrade the ICE and upsize the tyres. And then there's that front damper replacement, which I feel is something that can wait a few months.

So, it seems we're getting a Civic! I guess it's worth mentioning here that my wife's always been a huge fan of the car, and owning a Civic has been a dream that she's had for a while now. So, she's understandably happy! I've done all I can to make sure we're getting a good car... so here's hoping that the Civic will give us plenty of fond memories over the next few years!

P.S: nearly forgot the Oscar-esque "I want to thank..." bit! My wife would be at the top of that list, having had to endure my automobile idiosyncrasies day in and day out. @ronk, @shuvc and @xetaglgrocks also lent a helping hand... thanks guys! And of course, Karan (@ace6120)... for finding me the car in the first place!

Pics coming up in the following post...

[razor4077]

Some pictures of the car, taken a few days after purchase.

Exteriors: no major dents or scratches on the body, though both the bumpers need to be repainted. The front doors had been repainted at Honda (minor accident - I checked the service history), but colour mismatch is fairly obvious in bright light. Will get a full polishing done, which will hopefully reduce the difference.












Picked up the car with just over 46,000 kms on the clock.


Fairly new Pirelli P4 Four Seasons tyres (stock 195/65/15 size). Initial impressions are good - tyres behave pretty well and offer a good combination of grip and comfort. Need to evaluate them more. I had planned to switch to new 205/65/15s straight away, but given the condition of these tyres, I'll wait a while.




Clean boot with brand new stepney inside.


Interiors are in decent nick, though require a thorough cleaning and polishing.



I used to think that the S variant didn't have the rear seat audio controls, so I was pleasantly surprised to see them

The problem bits:
Driver seat cover scuffed, needs replacement. I'm thinking of removing the art leather covers and using the OE fabric covers below for a while. Note the dangling driver seat belt. The retraction mechanism isn't working properly - will get this replaced at Honda.


Paint/chrome peeling off - Honda logo on steering, gear knob and driver power window panel. Need to get these repainted.

[razor4077]

Drove the car around for a week or so before handing it over for the first set of to-do items to get knocked off the list. These were primarily the cosmetic fixes. After a rather long wait of over a week, the Civic returned to me. Summary of the work carried out:
- bumpers, wing mirrors and both side skirting panels painted
- minor touch ups made elsewhere on the body
- full exterior polishing, including alloys
- full interior cleaning and polishing
- front power power window panels and gear knob painted
- fog lamps fitted
- broken tail lamp replaced

Some accessorizing also happened:
- Llumar window tints installed (forgetting the name... charcoal grey or something)
- foot mats
- a nice car perfume which sits conveniently under the driver's seat and doesn't hog any place on the dash or a cup holder
- HSRP replicas have been ordered (the IND ones); should be here shortly

Reaction:
The paint job was very nicely done. The work was carried out at the same place that my Lancer had been refurbished, so I was pretty confident that they would do a good job. Polishing was top notch and done with a lot of care. Some of the deeper scratches and nicks remained visible if one looked closely, but I could live with that. To make them go away completely would mean painting the whole car- not something I wanted to do.
The interiors saw a huge improvement - again, a job well done. A word on the seats - the art leather covers were removed to check the state of the fabric covers below. Turns out the fabric covers were pretty dirty and used, so there was no hope of reusing them. For now, the art leather covers will be used and later changed to new ones. Truth be told, after the clean up, the covers are looking pretty nice, but the frayed driver seat cover is an eyesore and demands a change.
The power window panels and gear knob looked decent - definitely a big step up from their prior faded/scratched state. But the finish on these isn't the best, especially on the gear knob. It looks ok, but the surface feels grainy to touch... will see what can be done.
The tints are nice... not too dark, not too light. These are apparently the darkest legal tints available.

Car detailing and accessorizing was done at Glix, while the paint and body work were done at AV Designs.

One issue:
The FL power window switch on the driver's panel has gone kaput. It was working earlier, but it isn't now. And the way it's wired, if the driver panel switch isn't working, the actual FL door switch doesn't work either. Am guessing it's wired in series. And Murphy's law struck - the window happened to be rolled down at the time, so I had to drive back home in that state. Car was parked overnight with a borrowed car cover, err, covering the problem! This will need to be fixed ASAP.

Anyway, power window woes aside, am happy with the work done, and even happier to get my car back
Next up - take it to Honda for a full servicing and whatever other miscellaneous stuff needs to be done. I think I'll drive around for a little while longer before getting the clutch and suspension work done.

Some pics that I took after getting the car back. The exterior shots are in poor light with a cell phone, so excuse the quality. Will post nicer pics soon.

Newly fitted fog lamp switch


Spruced up dash


Newly painted gear lever


Exterior shots. Note the fog lamps.

[razor4077]

Update on the power window issue: The car was taken to Honda a.s.s, and they wanted to change the console completely - a cost of around 9k. Plus, the part wasn't in stock and would take at least 20 days to come in. Wasn't sold on this idea, so decided to explore the non authorized route. Will update with the progress.

The experience thus far:

Engine, Performance: The low end torque was always a question mark with the Civic, and I've felt that too. Especially after driving a torquey diesel Elantra and a peppy i10, the Civic seems a little lazy to get off the mark. This is especially felt in slow moving/ stop-go traffic in rush hour and on bad roads (a norm in Kolkata these days). There is also a slight hesitancy when I floor the throttle - it's possible that the injectors and throttle body need cleaning. Once the vtec kicks in though, it pulls clean and fast. Haven't pushed the car much yet, but 150 was achieved without much fuss. I think the overall driveability will improve after a service. The gearshift is nice to operate - gears slot in precisely. The clutch is a little hard, as mentioned earlier, and will be overhauled in due course.

Ride, suspension, handling: The suspension is slightly soft in the first-gen Indian Civic, which is good news given the terrible roads I encounter everyday. The ride is pretty pliant and the suspension filters out a lot of the bumps and craters. The sharp bumps are felt more, and I generally drive very slowly and carefully on the bad roads.
The softer setup does take away some of the handling sharpness though. I tried chucking the car around a corner and the back-end stepped out promptly. Not really a corner carver, this, but that's not what this car is for in any case. Having said that, the steering is excellent - nice and weighted, feels very "connected" and the car responds well to sudden steering inputs. This is in sharp contrast to cars like the City and Verna, whose steering wheels feel terribly light and disconnected. Overall, a good balance of ride and comfort in the Civic.
Ground clearance was one of my biggest worries, but till date the car hasn't scraped anything. I've been over speed breakers with 3 fairly heavy adults in the car, but no scraping (touchwood). Maybe I've been lucky and haven't really encountered the nasty bumps yet.

Tyres, brakes: The Pirelli P4 (Four Seasons) tyres are still fairly new and offer a good balance of comfort and grip. I still need to test them out further, but I like what I've seen so far. Noise levels are on the lower side, except on mastic asphalt surfaces (most tyres are noisy on those roads though!).
Brakes are good enough... car stops well and without a fuss. I have heard a "cheee" noise while braking from medium-high speeds, coming from the rear. I suspect the brakes need to be cleaned and maybe the rotors polished. The steering also shudders slightly when braking from high speeds - points to wheel balancing issues I think. All these to be sorted out at the servicing.

Interiors, comfort, equipment:The interiors are very spacious - no complaints there. The front seats have height adjustment which helps one find a good seating position. That said, lumbar support isn't that adequate, and I found the support in cars like the Laura and Superb to be better. The head rest is also not the most comfortable - it's angled forward a little, not allowing the head to rest completely. As a result, at most times my neck muscles are strained forward. I've faced this issue in the Honda CRV as well. I will have to play with the seat adjustments a little to get the best driving position for myself.. haven't found it yet. Rear seats are decent enough, though I haven't sat in the back much.
Equipment levels are decent - maybe a bit below par for a D segment car. Would have appreciated steering mounting controls, a USB/Aux-in port and maybe a bluetooth option. I guess the newer Civics have the Aux-in port but none of the other features. Kinda surprising, especially since the much cheaper Jazz and City have them (steering mounted controls at least). Climate control is good and the AC chills well. The electrically retractable ORVMs are a nice touch too. The OE ICE HU has a 6-CD changer, which is nice.. but it doesn't support MP3s, which isn't that nice. Stock ICE quality is decent, but I'll probably make some upgrades in this department going forward. Lots of storage options inside the cabin, and the interior lighting is also great.

Fuel efficiency: Haven't really done a proper tank-tank calculation since the car has been with me in spurts over the last few weeks (painting, polishing etc.). Will check this once the car has been serviced and all the minor initial fixes have been made.

Lights, Safety: The stock headlights are not that great, and I am thinking of upgrading the bulbs soon. I've had fog lamps installed, which have a decent throw.
The Civic has the basic safety features in place - ABS, front airbags, crumple zones etc. I've no intention of testing these out, but good to know they're there - I wouldn't have bought the car if they weren't.

and finally - Looks: Not much to say, is there? This is an absolute head-turner, to this day. And with the dents and scratches touched up/painted and polished, the car looks stunning IMO. I just have to throw it an admiring glance while walking away from the parking lot The interiors also look great, especially the fighter cockpit-like dash.

So, I will be taking the car in for a full service at Honda this weekend. That should take care of most of the issues I've noted, and (fingers crossed) this car will serve us well and reliably over the next few years. While this review hasn't really boiled over with effusive praise or plaudits, be assured that I am very happy to be a Civic owner

[razor4077]

Power window problem was resolved via the unofficial route. Got hold of a used and functional piece in decent shape. Cost me all of 4000 bucks, less than half of a new replacement part at Honda. Irony is, the original piece looked nicer after it had been painted

Service day
Took the Civic to Honda for its "first" servicing. Wasn't keen on synthetic oil, but the Honda fellow was very insistent. So what the heck, I went for it. Was promised delivery by the day-end. Then I get a call in the afternoon from the SA.
SA: Sir, the brake pads are nearly worn out. A few more days, and it'll be metal on metal. You need to replace them straightaway. The discs look fine though.
Me: (knowing I have no choice) What's the cost like for 4 new pads?
SA: around 12k.
Me: (grimacing) ok, go ahead. No choice, I guess (so much for cheaper ownership costs for Hondas!)

So another 12k down. Planning to get the suspension work done post monsoon, because the already rubbish roads will get even messier during and just after the rains. No point subjecting new dampers to those roads. The clutch work will also be done somewhere down the line... no urgent need yet.

Picked up the car from Pinnacle Honda at 6. The car was ready and washed, shining sexily in the fading light! Apart from the brakes, they had done a full service, tightened the door pads and seats and rotated the tyres (plus the other miscellaneous stuff they normally do). I was assured that there wouldn't be any further problems with the brakes, meaning no sound and no vibration of the steering. They had also inspected the car thoroughly, especially the suspension and clutch. The bad news? There was a small leak in one of the rear struts, but nothing major - would last the monsoon. The SA suggested I get both rear struts replaced after the rains. Now the good news. After bleeding the clutch, it was found to be in decent shape, so no overhaul required anytime soon (yay!), and the front dampers also didn't require any immediate attention. Phew!
The wiper blades needed replacement, but they didn't have the right blade in stock. I will have to go back sometime next week when the stock arrives. They've also committed to replace the faded Honda logo on the steering with a nice, shiny one.
At the end of it, the wallet damage was a hefty 17.5k for all the work, including replacement of 4 brake pads.

Initial Impressions, post-servicing:
Tanked up with regular petrol after the service. Car now felt smoother, especially in slow moving traffic. There was a slight jerkiness earlier at lower revs, which had disappeared, along with the minor hesitation that I was sensing under sudden acceleration. Brakes were much improved, as expected, and I didn't hear any noise or feel any steering shudder any more. Need to go on a longer drive to ascertain for sure, but I think things work fine now.

So, as I am about to request this thread be opened for public viewing, the only thing to be taken care of is the leaky rear strut post-monsoon. Time now to enjoy the car! Will post some nice pictures soon... tomorrow's a Sunday - will try to do a quick photoshoot.

[Vid6639]

Moderator's Note: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Ownership report. Thanks for Sharing.

Congrats on the Civic Razor. For 46K I'm surprised the plastics are so badly worn out especially horn emblem and power window switches.

Overall looks a good buy if it was cheap. I've seen Civics in much better condition I must say.

[jatinpatel]

Welcome to the civic club razor

How do you find civic as compared to your old lancer?
I have a lancer and civic and prefer driving the Lancer more cause i dont have to think twice before taking it thorugh bad roads or when parking is an issue.

Also you might feel this the rear end feels disconnected when you do hard cornering which is not a problem in lancer.


Oh and even my cars steering logo is faded bought the car used
mine is also an 07 but its a V-AT

DO upgrade the headlight bulbs as stock is super pathetic.

[shuvc]

Ah finally ! Let's plan to meet up.

The seat adjustments may take some time to fine tune. Took me a while too. But the headrest was never a problem for me. I keep it raised though.

Brake pad prices have increased recently. They were already high though.

Did you get any anti-rust treatment done? I'm thinking of getting one before the monsoons.

[sgiitk]

OE parts like brake pads (on the manufacturers-not Honda label) can be found in the open market at about half the price.

@shuvc; I feel that modern cars come with enough anti-corrosion treatment so as not to need later treatment (esp.dealer variety). If you must then go for a proper treatment like Dinitrol, WaxOyl so something like that. These are also best done on brand new cars. Once rust gets in there is very little you can do.

[cityvic]

Welcome to the Civic Club Razor4077.
Congrats on your new ride.

Would suggest you to give the Red Honda Logos treatment to the car.They entirely change the look of the car.Any plans of adding a Lip Spoiler too?

Thats one transformation of the sad state of interiors and exteriors.
Looks like Karan Bhaiya has done a lovely job with it.


More pictures to please.

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For 46K I'm surprised the plastics are so badly worn out especially horn emblem and power window switches.
Overall looks a good buy if it was cheap. I've seen Civics in much better condition I must say.

Viddy, agreed. This was by no means the best used Civic in the market. But in terms of sheer value for money, nothing else came close. The premise for buying this car was that its basics were ok. Mechanically, it was fine - and what wasn't could be fixed easily. So even after factoring in 50k of repairs, it was a steal! Regarding the plastics, it actually is a fairly common problem in used Civics. Attaching a picture of the gear lever of my uncle's 08 Civic - observe the faded paint. And I've seen several examples of scratched power window consoles and steering logos. Also, I think I went a little against the grain by putting up the as-is pics. Had I put up the post-detailing pics up first, I may have got the usual "looks mint" kinda comments..

Originally Posted by jatinpatel

How do you find civic as compared to your old lancer? I have a lancer and civic and prefer driving the Lancer more cause i dont have to think twice before taking it thorugh bad roads or when parking is an issue.
Also you might feel this the rear end feels disconnected when you do hard cornering which is not a problem in lancer.

The Lancer was definitely a better handler, and its rear end didn't step out like the Civic's does. But honestly, I hardly get a chance to do any hard cornering in the city. On the odd occasion that I may chance upon a nice twisty, open road, I'll have to be a bit wary of the misbehaving rear.
And yes, given that the Lancer was more compact and had better ground clearance, it gave you more peace of mind while moving around. But then that's the price you pay for stepping up the ladder to a bigger car.

Originally Posted by jatinpatel

Oh and even my cars steering logo is faded bought the car used
mine is also an 07 but its a V-AT

As mentioned above

Originally Posted by jatinpatel

DO upgrade the headlight bulbs as stock is super pathetic.

Yes, this is on my to-do list.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Did you get any anti-rust treatment done? I'm thinking of getting one before the monsoons.

I asked them about the anti-rust treatment, but upon checking they told me there's no reason to do it now. Will get the underside re-checked in the next servicing to see if there is a requirement. I doubt your car will need a treatment so fast.

Originally Posted by cityvic

Would suggest you to give the Red Honda Logos treatment to the car.They entirely change the look of the car.Any plans of adding a Lip Spoiler too?

Thanks Rohin. No spoiler plans, I like the sans-spoiler look more. Red logo? We'll see!

Originally Posted by cityvic

Thats one transformation of the sad state of interiors and exteriors.
Looks like Karan Bhaiya has done a lovely job with it.
More pictures to please.

Coming up...

[Rudra Sen]

That's a fast one Abhishek! Selling, shifting and buying all within a month time. Congrats.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For 46K I'm surprised the plastics are so badly worn out especially horn emblem and power window switches.

Overall looks a good buy if it was cheap. I've seen Civics in much better condition I must say.

You've seen better condition Civics in Bangalore. Actually there's a big difference in climate pattern. Kolkata is essentially muggy most of the year. Acid from sweat can create havoc on these kind of surfaces if not taken care properly.

I've seen similar situation in Mumbai too. And yes, that too in a car with 18K on odometer.

[razor4077]

@Mods: creating a separate post for the pics, just for the sake of ease of browsing.

Pictures taken today morning. Most of the external blemishes have been fixed. Some imperfections remain, but nothing very noticeable. The car now looks at least half its actual age

Some exterior shots to start with. There is still a slight difference in the shade of the front door, but only in bright light. Will live with that for now.

[razor4077]

Some more pictures...









Shots of the interiors... sea change from the earlier condition. Excellent job done by Karan's team at Glix. Note the "new" power window console - this was a straight swap with the original (defunct) one.

[nandans2005]

no doubt the car you've bought looks Gorgeous. I would suggest you get the right hand front door repainted, as the difference in shade is very obvious. Try to match the shade with the rest of the car.

Happy driving !!!