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-   -   Want to replace my 11-year old Honda City with an SUV (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-car/253676-want-replace-my-11-year-old-honda-city-suv.html)

Dear members,

I have been driving a 2011 model pre-worshipped Honda City I-Vtec since 7+ joyful years. I opted a used Mid Size Sedan when I had a budget of a Swift/I-20 and this slightly more expensive car has turned out to be cheaper one for me exactly what is mentioned in this great thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buyin...to-longer.html.

City offers good performance, all the Honda's traits of spacious and comfortable interiors, reliability, still looks stunning has been extremely reliable and very easy to maintain from authorized Honda workshop in West Delhi.

Recently, the A/c compressor gave up bang in the middle of a highway during a family trip. Thankfully, it happened during day-time and we had another family in their car with us and I could send my wife and kid in their car. With some difficulty, I could travel back w/o Aircon for good 300+ kms. Changing compressor and condenser costed upwards of 20k (from local yet experienced mechanic) along with routine service that costed about 12+k, and 3k battery change. This is the highest ever amount paid on maintenance so far.

As the car is in its 12th year with just under 85k mileage and due to the aforesaid incident, I am in great confusion with various questions:

Q1. Is it time for a change or I hold onto it?

Pros to retain:
- Drives well
- Honda's reliability and once of the best yet Honda's product (quality-wise)
- Still easy to maintain
- EMI free ownership (biggest joy), EMI equivalent amount can be invested for a better future
- Love its design

Cons to retain:
- It is valued at a measly 2.5 lacs to 3 lacs today which would certainly go down as the car nears its 15 years period.
- Maintenance costs may rise
- All tyres need to be replaced soon

Q2. If change, which next car?
Usage: I love driving, most of usage is in city with twice/thrice road trips. My monthly usage is about 1000-1200 Kms, and I love to go for long drives, mountains and explore the unexplored. Honda City's low GC has not yet given me confidence to accomplish my wish-list of Leh-Ladakh road trip, hence would prefer a high riding car this time with performance and reliability similar to Honda if not better.

I prefer buying mint conditioned pre-worshipped machines from higher segments than my budget for new cars. Accordingly, my budget is about 12-15 lacs. Used cars I would consider to buy (in order of preference) are: Tata Safari AT (though it would exceed my budget but my heart wants it the most), Nexon EV, 5th generation Honda City AT or New Scorpio N. I also like Skoda's products (used Octavia / Slavia / Kushaq), however, their ownership stories (A/c, high maintenance costs) don't inspire confidence. Don't like Creta/any other CSUVs.

Requesting fellow Bhpians for valuable advices.

Thanks and cheers!
Mohit

11 years up, time to change and experience newer machinery :thumbs up. Cars, engines, safety, technology have come a long way in the last decade. The only reason to hold onto a decade+ old car would be if its special (vRS, Jeep) or a luxury German (as they age well).

Since you love the Tata Safari AT, by all means go for it. Great looks, nice engine & AT combination, but be mentally prepared for niggles & issues. Tata is not building the Harrier-Safari twins perfectly. Extended warranty with a Safari is as mandatory as an insurance policy is.

Would also strongly recommend the XUV700 AT, and do take a spin in the Scorpio-N since TDs will be available at dealers shortly.

I have found that post 2009/10 Hondas build quality is not that great (we owned a 09 Civic and 09 City for 7 - 9 yrs and ~65+k / 106k kms respectively). There could be a chance that the body of the car will not hold up as well in the coming years even if the engine is immaculate, so in that sense, it seems like a good time to move on at this juncture. You’ve bought it pre - owned so I’m assuming your cost of acquisition should be well recovered by now.

In terms of options today, if it is feasible a slightly higher budget may get you a much nicer car. In that sense, the Harrier A/T could make sense for you if 3 rows aren’t important (I’m suggesting Harrier over Safari more to stay as true to budget as possible) and at an increased budget, a 7OO.

The new Scorpio could also be worth looking at although of course be prepared that the ride quality will be chalk and cheese compared to the City. Other than that options are indeed limited to the Korean and VAG twins.

Do also consider used Honda CR-Vs and Hyundai Tucsons maybe. Modern sophisticated monocoques with the attributes and advantages of an SUV for urban use. You can always rent a Thar / Fortuner from Chandigarh (plenty such options) for that once in a blue moon Leh Ladakh trip.

The typical upgrade conundrum.
I would say unless there is something horribly wrong with your car, hold on for couple of more years. Not only will you save money by doing this, you will have ample time to find a good deal. Right now, it’s a sellers market and everything is being sold on exaggerated rates.

In general, the car you have is pretty reliable. Any expenses you incur over upkeep is going to be way-way lower than buying another car and maintaining it.

PS: I own a Honda City 3rd gen which is now 11 years old. That was bought second hand as well. Planning to keep it till it lasts!

The greater powers have converged and granted your wish, presenting the Toyota HyRyder rl:

PS : It was there for the taking

Apart from your choices I wanted to point towards a used T-Roc but rarity and more importantly the costs of maintaining a CBU(IIRC) VW pulls me back.

Rest have already been covered and I would second the Safari's desirability with TMLs hit/miss service hence max warranties please.
ScorpioN deserves a TD and so does the XUV700.

It's definitely time to change if your finances allow it! A 2011 Honda City, while a fantastic car, is now very outdated in terms of tech and overall feel and drive.

Try getting a test drive of the XUV700, which is a fantastic vehicle, although the waiting periods might put you off.

Also if you can wait a little bit you should soon be able to test drive the new Scorpio N, however there might be similar wait times.

The Tata twins while good, have numerous issues cropping up right from delivery. I believe there are three (minimum) threads already on the the forum about paint defects and other mechanical issues faced by Tata owners right from delivery.

I own a 3rd honda city arrow shot bought in 2011 and after 1 lac kms now, I have not spent anything more than normal maintenance routinely done at HASS. Infact my stock brake pads were changed at 1lac kms and now I feel suspension needs to be overhauled. So, a trouble free, addictive I vtec and a spacious sedan with only downside being a low GC and ride quality which is better in Fiat’s or VW. So, I will suggest keep it and I really think all the vehicle s today are overpriced and not really VFM. Of course, it is your call but I feel all the technology stuff is just over rated and a car should be mechanically sound with engine, gearbox and suspension combination being most important and honda city arrow shoot is perfect in this . Anyway, just my opinion. Happy motoring !

It certainly is time to change. If finances are in a comfortable place, don't think twice about it.

Given your requirements:
- preferably high GC / SUV
- pre-owned, mint condition
- 12 to 15L budget
This is a tough combination to achieve.

Tata Harrier/Safari appear to be the best fit and there may be some availability too given that they have been around for a bit now. Moreover, not too long waiting periods on new ones, so prices in the pre-owned market could be reasonable.

While XUV700 could be a great fit, I think it will be very difficult to find in the pre-owned market right now (especially with a meaningful depreciation which is the whole point of buying a pre-owned car in the first place).

You have mentioned Scorpio N as well, but unless you meant a new one and a lower variant, I can't imagine how that will fit with the above requirements.

You can try to look for a pre-owned Hyundai Tucson as well. Given the low demand and new generation launch around the corner, you could find a good deal. But only if you are able to find a good one in the first place (the population is quite small to begin with).

If you aren't someone who would want to spend a lot of time in the car buying process, I would suggest going with a sedan, maybe even a new one. Honda City 5th gen if you prefer reliability. Slavia / Virtus if you really want the high ground clearance. Both will fit well in your budget. No long-waiting-period nonsense too.

No going back once you have the itch to switch. 10+ years is a good time for change. Your budget would accommodate a new City/Slavia and would choose the City for its engine over the Skoda/VW twins.

Since you are enjoying the ownership of a very reliable car , when you shift to an indian brand the overall ownership experience wont be as sweet as it is now .

In today's scenario there is never a delay in changing your car except if it is earlier than 5 years. If you feel that cars are not VFM today and I should wait further that argument also does not hold true because a car which you drop today will be costlier in the future or I would say even lesser VFM. So just replace the car.

Definitely cars earlier were better built but does not mean you can hold your current car for decades.

So just plunge into the buying experience and enjoy your new ride :)

I would also suggest you hold on to your Honda City since it is working perfectly fine. Even though it misses out on many features and techs that these modern cars come with, the exorbitant pricing and quality control issues of your shortlisted cars are something that you would need to keep in mind before putting the money down. 85k km is very low for a Honda, and if there aren't many rattles or any major issues (other than the wear and tire parts replacement), it is best to hold on to your City.

If I were in your position, I would wait for a couple of years, since it appears that your cars mechanicals are sorted, and you just spent some decent money on the AC and service.

At present, the market is very seller favouring, which should cool down in a year or so.

Moreover, I think we are standing at the beginning of a hybrid / electric evolution in India, and you should have more new tech options in the next couple of years.

Since you have recently spent north of 35k on a reliable 12 year old car, with only 85k in the odometer, I would recommend to hold on to the city for another couple of years. Sell it at the 14th year and the by that time the Scorpio-N will be time tested.

I think it is the right time for you to upgrade to a new car. Since it is a seller's market, you would also get fair value for your existing car (even if you part-ex it for a new one).

I would strongly recommend the checking out the newly launched Venue facelift which addresses quite a lot of your requirements.

Do update the thread when if and when you move ahead with your new purchase!