[TheStalwart]

Prelude - Early 2000s
Back in the day, there was a little boy in primary school, who was very fascinated by cars. Popular sedans he had heard about or seen were Mitsubishi Lancer, Maruti Suzuki Esteem, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Opel Astra, Opel Corsa, Ford Ikon, Daewoo Cielo, Hyundai Accent to name a few. One of the classmates of the boy said his parents bought a new car. One day, after school, when the boy stepped out of the school gate, there was a dark green sedan standing right there, shining in all its glory. It was the same car that the boy’s classmate had been talking about. The name was “Honda City”. It was such a beautiful car and had caught the boy’s attention. It was way above the boy’s league to even sit in one. But, the seed of desire had certainly been sowed deep into the boy’s heart.
That little boy in the above context is yours truly!

This was the colour of the car I had seen back then. Not sure what the colour was officially called.


I managed to find a link (The Brochure Corner! Attach discontinued car brochures here) to brochure of the Gen 1 Honda City, courtesy of BHPian @mukeshgoel.

Fast forward to a couple of decades…

Mid 2024
The gen 1, type 2 Honda City had gained a cult following among the enthusiasts. It had a lot of mod potential and the design was timeless! I had heard a lot of good things about its engine too - the famous 1.5 VTEC. Every time I came across a gen 1 Honda City, I’d drool over it. There were a lot of conflicting thoughts running in my head - whether to look out for one or not. I’d try hard to suppress these thoughts but they’d surface again, each time more intense than the previous. We already had 2 cars at home - Hyundai Venue for all the long runs and my beloved Maruti 800 for all the city runs. There was no dire need to get another one, that too something that will definitely be a little over two decades old. With each month passing by, it felt like the time was running out. The breaking point was almost approaching. I silently started looking at classifieds to see if I can lay my hands on one. It was the same thing everywhere - either not well maintained, or too costly.

Enter 2025
I had seen too many videos and shorts about the City, hunted through a lot of classifieds that I constantly kept thinking about the gen 1 City. I would frequently remember the City which I first saw in my school days.
Then all of a sudden, it just snapped. The battle between the mind and the heart ended, with the heart finally winning. I decided to get serious with my efforts. I was sure that I wanted to experience the thrill of driving a City. The asks were simple, find a good car at a reasonable price, drive it for a couple of years and pass it on. I put forward this thought to my family. Convincing my parents was easy. Took some courage to get a go ahead from my in-laws. And boy, it took a lot of effort to convince my better half. Everyone had valid questions - “Why another car when we already have two?”, “Where will you park it?”, “Why are you behind such old cars when you have a newer one?”, “Do you know how expensive it will be to maintain such an old car?”, “Will you even find parts for it?”. To be frank, I did not have answers to most of them, and maybe I still do not. But I felt like it is now or never. With time, it will only get harder to find such beautiful cars. You can always buy a new car. But once gems like these vanish, all that would remain is regret. I did not want to fall in that bracket and started the hunt, full-fledged.
There was a garage near my home, which had a gen 1 City collecting dust. I had a constant urge to ask them about its background, and if it was for sale.
While researching, I found out that the City actually had 3 different engines - 1.3 EXI, 1.5 EXI and 1.5 VTEC. All the madness was mostly about the 1.5 VTEC, and I too wanted only a VTEC. Though it may sound creepy, I looked up the number in Vaahan portal and found out a few details about the car. It was a 1.3 EXI engine and the papers were not up to date, which meant staying away from this car is the most sensible thing to do.
There are some beautiful posts within this forum. Going through each of them imparted so much knowledge about the City.
This (Tribute to the good old 1st-gen Honda City 1.5 VTEC | It promises more exhilaration per bhp) is one of my favourite posts about the City VTEC, by BHPian @Shreyfiesta. Truly a tribute to the legend.
Just as I was reading through various posts, I came across this (My 2002 Honda City Type-Z) post by BHPian @ByDesign. This was one of the posts that gave so many details about the 1.5 EXI, without VTEC. Little did I know how much this post would contribute to my decision. And, there’s another reason why I’ll remember this post fondly (you’ll know soon).
Since it was more of a “want” than “need” I decided to keep my search flexible. 1.5 EXI with or without VTEC. The difference in power and torque figures between the two variants was 6bhp and 4Nm. But the major difference was “VTEC KICKED IN YO!” after 5000 rpm.

6th January 2025
I called our trusted mechanic in Mysuru to see if there is any gen 1 Honda City for sale. To my surprise, he said there might be one. He asked me to give him some time to get the details. Though I was excited, I brushed it off and didn’t put much thought into it. Like, it was too good to be true. Not even in my dreams would I think a gen 1 Honda City is just a call away. For someone like me, getting my hands on one of these beauties needs a lot of hunting.

8th January 2025
Got a call from the mechanic. He told me the vehicle is indeed a gen 1 Honda City, which is in a really good condition. He gave me a little overview of the car. The owner was an elderly man, who wanted to buy a Tata Punch and was looking to exchange the Honda City at the Tata showroom. He was the third owner of the car and it had been with him for 10 years, clocking 2.3L kms in total. At first, I was skeptical about the car’s condition. Anything above 70k kms is a strict no for me. 2.3L kms was more than thrice of it. The main purpose of the car was to run between Bengaluru to Mysuru on a regular basis, which is why the high mileage. I had nothing to lose, so I decided to take a look at the car. I had a few other commitments due to which I told the mechanic that I would be able to visit him on 17th January 2025 and take a test drive. I asked him to send a few pictures of the car. Here’s what he sent me.







Remember the post I mentioned about 1.5 EXI earlier? Both the cars are Mint Opal Green!
The car looked to be in good shape. It did show a few signs of aging but I was not worried about the body. I just wanted a healthy engine and transmission. I asked my father-in-law to check the car out, whenever he found time, to which he agreed.

10th January 2025
My father-in-law visited the garage to check out the City. He took it for a quick spin and was in praises for the smoothness of the engine and the gear shifts. He told me the car was very well maintained and the engine had no problems. In fact, he said the engine was so smooth that you couldn’t even hear it when the windows are rolled up. He confirmed that the car was mechanically fit. I was elated to hear his unbiased opinion. I just had to visit the garage once, take it for a test drive and finalize my decision.
There was a small catch though. The owner of the car wanted to finalize the deal within a day or two. He couldn’t wait until 17th January since he had to arrange funds for his new car. The mechanic asked me if I could drop by and make a decision. I wasn’t sure about what to do. Looking at my excitement and knowing that it is difficult to find a well maintained City, my wife asked me to make a quick run to Mysuru and test drive the car. Based on that, I could decide if I wanted to proceed with this deal or not, without having to keep the owner waiting.
My father and I went to Mysuru, picked my in-laws and visited the garage. My heart was pounding. As dramatic as it can get. The car had gone for a quick wash. As I was waiting outside, I noticed a light bluish-green Honda City passing by on the other side of the road. It stood out from the rest of the cars around. It went towards the end of the road and took a U-turn. That’s when I realized it was the same car that I had come to see! It pulled over right in front of me and before I knew, I had its keys in my hand. Once I sat in, I took a moment to grasp everything that was going on. A couple of hours before, I’d be laughing if someone said I’d be sitting in a Honda City that very evening!

First impressions
I used to wonder why people explicitly said the car was too low and it is quite a task to get into it. I have a Maruti 800 and thought what could be lower in height than that. But I was so wrong. The City is very low slung. It really does take some effort to get into it.
The interiors were mostly clean with new seat covers, and a leather cover around the steering wheel. There were a few age related stains on the carpet liners, steering wheel, door panels and dashboard but nothing too bad. A good interior detailing should be enough to get rid of those stains. The AC vents were either broken or missing, the wooden trim around the AC controls had a small crack, the clock wasn’t working, the gear knob had a crack and the power windows switches were not always responsive lacking feedback. These were all minor issues that I could either get fixed, or live with. It wasn’t much of a deal breaker for me.
The suspensions and tyres were newly changed. That certainly avoids me quite some expenses from my pocket. The headlights had seen better days, the paint had faded in a few places and there was a little rusting that needed immediate attention. What I’ve heard is, usually the gen 1 Honda City has more rusting near the inner lining of the trunk. In this case, there was no rust anywhere on the inside. It was all on the outside like the trunk lid, roof line edges around the windshield and rear glass. I showed this to the mechanic and he said he can fix those before handing over the vehicle to me.

The engine bay


The headlights had faded


The paint had also faded in a few spots, like the bonnet, front fender etc


There were a few rust spots too, near the bottom right corner of the rear windshield, under the Honda emblem




The decision
If the non VTEC variant is so thrilling, I am certainly sure that the VTEC variant will be even more thrilling. Since I have never driven a VTEC City, I do not know how it feels. For now, I am willing to keep it that way. Whether I’m missing out on more fun or not, I do not know, but this car was good enough for me. At a later point, if I do not find a well maintained gen 1 City, I do not want to regret passing this deal. And if I do come across a nice VTEC someday, I can still think about replacing this, if things look feasible. Again, there’s nothing to lose. So with the conclusion of all my thoughts, I decided to buy this old timer. My in-laws were kind enough to let me keep the City in their house. Since we visit them frequently, I can keep swapping between the 800 and City. After negotiating, we came down to a price that worked for both parties and sealed the deal. I made the advance payment and went home.

The interiors were clean for the most part








The AC vents were broken, the gear lever and the wooden trim around the AC controls had a crack


The odo reading of 2.32L Kms!


The power window switches that lacked feedback


Thoughts after the deal
I am very well aware that maintaining it is not that easy and getting parts might also be difficult. I normally get very attached to my vehicles and find it hard to part ways with them. But I intend to keep the City for a couple of years and then sell it off (fingers crossed!). In case it gets too difficult to maintain, I might sell it off even earlier. Sometimes I feel like exploring some mods too. As of now, I am uncertain about the plans for it. I want to thoroughly understand the car first and then decide what to do. One thing is sure though. I had a wide smile while driving it and I feel that is what matters the most.

20th January 2025
As promised, the previous owner dropped off the car at the mechanic’s garage. The mechanic gave me a call, and informed me about that the vehicle was handed over and that he would start the body work from the next day. I sent the remainder amount and completed the payment.

21st January 2025
The car did have a few rust spots (nothing major) and the paint had faded in a few spots, with the bonnet being the most obvious. There were minor dents too, but I asked the mechanic to leave them for now since they weren’t too deep anyway. The mechanic began the body work and told me he would hand over the car in the same week. I was completely occupied with work, so I was not in a hurry. I asked him to let me know once everything is done.

22nd January 2025
My wife was anyway in Mysuru and completed the formalities required for the ownership transfer. The application was then submitted to the RTO.

24th January 2025
The ownership transfer was completed and the City was ours! Getting the smart card would take more time though. Nevertheless, the ownership transfer was very quick!

25th January 2025
The mechanic gave me a call that the car was ready. I told him I would let him know when I’d be able to pick the car. I discussed with my family, and we decided to take the delivery on 29th January 2025. Informed the same to the mechanic. But due to some other personal commitments, we had to postpone the delivery to the first week of February.

3rd February 2025
Since it was a weekday, I could not go to take the delivery. My in-laws visited the garage and took the delivery of our beloved City! They even got the customary pooja done and parked the City at their place. Now it was just a matter of time before I’d get to drive it. I was eagerly waiting. Part of me still in disbelief, as to whether all this was real!

After taking the delivery of the car




During the pooja


15th February 2025
I happened to make a quick visit to Mysuru and when I reached my in-laws’ house, there it was, so spick and span even after aging a little over 2 decades. My wife had got it washed that morning. What a timeless beauty! It was a sight to behold. I quickly grabbed the keys, got into the car and cranked it up. The engine roared to life. My father-in-law told me that the AC did not seem to be working. After fiddling with it for a while, I realized that it was just the fan that was working and not the AC. I called the mechanic and told him about the issue. He asked me to drop by, since he had also not noticed it. It was a good opportunity to drive the City and I headed straight to the mechanic. While driving to the garage, I was trying to understand the car. It was quite surprising that the car’s behaviour changed dynamically with input. Whether you’d want to cruise in the 4th/5th gear, or rev the nuts out of the engine, it was ready to take on anything.
Once I reached the garage, the mechanic inspected the AC and told me that it might be out of gas. He said we need to refill the gas, and check for any leaks. I could either drop the car or get it fixed later. Since I had very limited time in Mysuru, I decided to enjoy the driving experience first. I told him I’ll get it done at a later point, just before taking the car home.
From there, I drove to Chamundi hills. The car was so planted and was a hoot to drive in those curves. It didn’t even break a sweat. The ascent was so effortless and the engine had so much life that I could cruise in 4th gear at 2000RPM. I had a great time driving the City. By the end of the day, I had already covered around 70Kms in the City and I enjoyed every bit of it. After all, this was the experience I had been longing for.

The headlights were buffed


The paint was touched up, and the rust spots were removed


Conclusion
There are a few things pending and I will slowly get them done one by one, depending on the necessity. Getting the AC repaired is my first target and I have already ordered the vents for it.
Until now, I faintly believed that dreams do come true, and this entire episode just made it stronger! Who would have thought that a desire ignited at an early age, would become a reality decades later! Grateful to have gone through such a scintillating experience and for being able to share it with you fellow enthusiasts.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ajvee44]

Brings back memories of my two siblings and I being huddled in the backseat with my father. We had an automatic exi.

[Utopian]

This is the most drool worthy car of all times. You took the right call in not letting this go despite the age and miles it had munched. I have been in the Gen 1 type 1 version and even that was so amazing back in 2007 when I was doing my BE. It is just that you sit a lot down and closer to the ground.

Wishing you loads of happy memories with the car.

[ssjr0498]

Congratulations on the purchase of this beauty, she looks awesome! The Old Honda City is one of the cheapest true enthusiast's cars to maintain today. The 1.5 variant that you have is by no means a slouch! A few pointers, please take her to a competent mechanic as it is very easy to mess with the mechanical/ignition timing and spoil her smoothness and don't change the factory setting unless there is an issue with the engine. Please stick to just getting the oil, oil filter and air filters changed timely. Stay away from modding the car unnecessarily. If you want to improve the handling, get yourself a set of gecko or DGR coilovers, front and rear top mounted strut braces and you will be amazed as to what this same car can do!

Also, the color of the car that you have pasted below was called the "nighthawk black pearl", it is the same color as my Old Honda City Vtec.

Welcome to the Old Honda City club and enjoy your ride!!

Originally Posted by TheStalwart

Prelude - Early 2000s

This was the colour of the car I had seen back then. Not sure what the colour was officially called.
Attachment 2728108

[Passatman]

Gem of a Car, Jewel of an Engine! This car truly deserved this tagline and congrats on your childhood dream fulfilled. I recall driving the 1.5 sometime around 1998 and this car with 100 horses surely felt far more powerful than the Esteem and the Cielo. A very low slung car and hence the driving position was as close to an F1 (or so it seemed to us guys back then). Back then I remember clocking insane 3 digit speeds in Whitefield on the road leading to Hoskote. Evokes a chuckle now, seeing the traffic packed roads.

As others have advised, try to keep it stock.

Happy motoring!

[TheStalwart]

Originally Posted by ajvee44

Brings back memories of my two siblings and I being huddled in the backseat with my father.

Glad that I was able to rekindle a few memories of yours, through this post.

Originally Posted by Utopian

This is the most drool worthy car of all times. You took the right call in not letting this go despite the age and miles it had munched...
Wishing you loads of happy memories with the car.

Thank you so much. It certainly feels good to hear from a fellow BHPian that I took the right decision in not letting this gem go!

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

Congratulations on the purchase of this beauty ... please take her to a competent mechanic

Thank you. If you have any references in Bangalore, please do let me know. I would definitely need a good mechanic to help maintain the car, once I bring it to Bangalore. I will get it serviced at regular intervals.

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

If you want to improve the handling, get yourself a set of gecko or dgr coilovers, front and rear top mounted strut braces

As of now, I have not decided on anything but will keep this in mind.

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

Welcome to the Old Honda City club and enjoy your ride!!

Thank you once again, and it does feel great to finally be a part of the Old Honda City club!

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

Stay away from modding the car unnecessarily.

Originally Posted by Passatman

As others have advised, try to keep it stock.

I have seen a lot of cars with aftermarket full system exhausts. I was wondering if I could get that done. But again, I am not completely sure about it. For the most part, I will keep the car bone-stock. Right now, I just want to enjoy it as it is. Before I do anything, I will thoroughly research all the options, seek advice, weigh out everything and then proceed only if it is feasible.

Originally Posted by Passatman

Gem of a Car, Jewel of an Engine! This car truly deserved this tagline and congrats on your childhood dream fulfilled...
Happy motoring!

That tagline is indeed very apt. Thank you so much.

[speedfreak]

Congratulations. The SX8 is a nice car to own. Jap reliability at its best. Enjoy it stock/ modified it truly brings a nice grin on one's face. I still get goosebumps whenever i drive mine. Just get the coil overs, brake upgrade and good tyres and you can have fun on the track.

[anandavinash]

This generation of Honda City (2nd iteration) till date is the most elegant looking one. I had the pleasure of driving an automatic car of this vintage that belonged to a friend. Back in the day, this car was a true luxury purchase.
The VTEC engine purrs nicely on highways.

[TheStalwart]

Originally Posted by speedfreak

Congratulations ... Just get the coil overs, brake upgrade and good tyres.

Thank you. I will explore these options you've suggested. The picture of your car is really awesome!

Originally Posted by anandavinash

This generation of Honda City (2nd iteration) till date is the most elegant looking one.

I couldn't agree more to this.

[Tvk1991]

Congratulations, no car will give you the raw feel and trouble free ownership as this.

Reading this brought back a déjà vu of when I bought my first City 1.5 EXI – a 2000 model – as a student. I owned it for four years before having to sell it due to the Chennai floods.

A few years later the idea resurfaced and I got a VTEC. I gave it a slight refresh but with work and other commitments I haven’t had much time to drive it. However, it’s always parked safely in a closed garage and I have no plans of selling it anytime soon.

[DrivingNirvana]

This is what brings me to Team-BHP and this is what sets the BHPians apart from normal car lover. Your love and passion for cars is reflecting from every word of this wonderful thread. Wish you many many happy miles with the gem of this machine.
Regards
Saubhik

[TheStalwart]

@Tvk1991, thank you so much. Your VTEC looks really elegant!

@DrivingNirvana, thank you for your kind words. It means a lot, since only a BHPian can understand another BHPian's passion for cars/bikes.