Quote:
Originally Posted by HarshV10 On a side note, I am really rooting for a Honda Civic. I have never driven one, but based on reviews, I think it is the best that I could possibly get based on my priorities. I am only worried about its running and maintenance costs. |
Update on my Car situation:
Well, it's been more than six months since I asked you guys what car I should get, as my first. Thanks to you all, there were some really intriguing suggestions. But I want to really cut to the chase and say that I have been
gifted a white FD2 F/L Honda Civic by My Dad on 26th December! And the best part- I never told my parents I wanted one, nor did I ever test drive it. I had told them about the Type-2 Honda City and Maruti Esteem, and they had initially turned the idea down! And no, my Dad did not read my post here on Team-BHP nor did he ask any of my friends! Like the Universe answering prayers in some Bollywood movie, he answered Mine.
And boy am I grateful to him for this, for all that he has done for us and for all he goes through everyday to make our family happy.
Well, here is my situation update before the Civic bomb was dropped in December, and why it was an even more special moment for me:
1) I had decided on buying the Type-2 Honda City. But nowhere could I find a decently maintained example. One that I had my eyes on was sold in no time, for more than what I was willing to pay. Also, the lack of safety equipment was a concern, as I was going to spend a lot of time on highways. And Lets be realistic: owning a Lancer or a Cedia, in this day and age, is a hassle- Lack of spares and dedicated mechanics (atleast in my area). Although The Lancer Owners Club has played a key role in making the spare business much easier, I felt the ownership experience to not be rewarding enough. Plus, parents opposing the idea and no safety equipment!!
2) After posting on Team-BHP, I had a lot of interesting inputs from fellow BHPians. For obvious reasons, I really didn't want a Maruti Suzuki. Thus, Ciaz and Brezza (even though these were the only crash-safe options from MSIL, as per Global NCAP) were ruled out. I felt they are just too vanilla.
2) Polo GT was one more gem that I could not ignore, but was really out of my budget, even the pre-worshipped ones. The cheapest ones that I found were the 2013-14 models, with quoted prices just below the 5 Lakh-mark. I guess I could have brought some of quotes down to 4 Lakh, but then again, there are so many GTs in my circle, that I just couldn't see myself owning another. There is always this one car that is really great. So great in fact, that almost everyone owns one. It was the same with the Maruti Esteem in the early 2000s, the Zen in the 90s, the Swift in the late 2000s- I hope you get what I am saying. And the Polo GT is one such car. Anyways, so GT was out of consideration, and a regular Polo would make me a huge joke. I needed to make a statement- A bold, unique and yet a tastefully chosen beauty, atleast in my circle.
3) I couldn't bring myself to peace with the idea of paying a monthly installment for a brand new car either, when I knew that depreciation was breathing down my neck. Also, I am a hostelite living in Pune on a fresher's pay. And while I was fortunate enough to not experience any paycut, it would be just too much to handle. So, the brand new cars were concluded to be a big no-no in my case.
4) Honda City is a still a great option to have. And I did look for a lot of 2010 examples. A few tasty ones that I really loved, were in the 3-4 lakh bracket. I was about to book one, and then... disaster struck. All of my savings (which were not that much to begin with) had to be spent on coming out of a family emergency. I will not bore you with the details, but I was just glad, that we rose back stronger than we were before. But the inner ten-year old felt disappointed as my dream of owning a car was, in conclusion, put on a strong hold!
7) My Dad had other ideas. While I moved back to Pune, and threw myself at work immediately, he was approached by his friend (Let's call him Mr.Stig
) with an opportunity. Mr.Stig, a pre-owned car dealer, owed my dad some money, and offered to give him a car to call it even. He shared pictures of this white Honda Civic, which had done slightly more than 1lakh kilometres. These were the exact images which he shared with him:
My Dad shared these images to me, asking whether we should test drive it. The car was in Thane. Not knowing about his dues, I agreed, while wondering how I was going to come up with the payment. Now, here is the fun part- On 25th December, Dad called me saying he really wanted to celebrate Christmas with family, and that I should come to Nashik immediately. And how the stars aligned, it was a weekend- My uncle was going to travel to Nashik that very day. I reached Nashik later that night. And there she was, standing just outside our gate - A white Civic!
'Maybe Mr.Stig had left the car for test drive with Dad', I pondered. But then Dad handed me the keys and told me it's mine!! He had bought the car (merely based on pictures and on Mr.Stig's word), and got it delivered that very day, before I got home.
Speechless as I was, I immediately hugged him, and cried for it had been a really overwhelming experience. Needless to say then, 26th December, 2020 was a memorable day!
Emotions all cleared up, let me tell you about the car:-
- 2010 FD2 Facelift Honda Civic 1.8 S, manual transmission; Completed 107000km;
- Scratch laden front bumper, and not so tidy rear;
No matter what the previous owner says, once you purchase a pre-owned car, you should always change all the fluids and belts in the car, is what I learnt as I nerded through Team-BHP, Wheeler Dealers,Fifth Gear, YouTube and whatever I could possibly find. So, we did that first in the nearby Honda Dealership. I think 80% of the problems were solved must have been cleared almost immediately.
1) The Engine and gearbox:
- Butter smooth power delivery, with short & crisp a gearshifts. And boy does that V-Tec further add to the drama. Torque too is decent by modern standards.
- The gearing though, very long, especially for spirited driving, but good for getting higher speeds on freeways.
- I, especially, like the fact that the engine is very tractible at lower speeds- third gear at 20kmph, and the car can still pull easily.
- Now, Civic is a very popular gas-guzzler. But I found that, if we sit on the highway at a constant 80-90kmph in fifth gear, I can manage well-above the company claimed fuel economy figures quite easily. And that works for me, coz now there are surprise speed traps almost anywhere, due to stricter traffic enforcement and I listen to Audiobooks as I cruise through the straights, and only spirit up in the ghats.
- In short, a mechanically fault-free powertrain;
2) Suspension & Chassis:
- The suspension setup felt almost brand-new, with no bumps tall enough to rattle or thud into the cockpit. And I feel this is a praise for an 11-year old car. The ride is as comfortable as it gets, and yet stiff enough to play around on the twistys. Classic Civic trait.
- The body is not very low too. It only seems low. I can manage easily over 99% of Pune's mega Bumps (Those who have been to Pune would relate here) without scraping the belly anywhere.
3) Steering:
- Honda's superb Hydraulic steering system ensures ample heft and feedback through the steering wheel.
- Accuracy is good too.
(I don't understand how the Team-BHP review of the Civic put it in such bad light. But then again, it's only my amateur experience against senior reviewers. Whatever that maybe, I am in love with the package so far.)
- The car is looong, by Indian standards. And maneuvering in the city can be cumbersome, but that is something I have made peace with as well. Afterall, it's a Civic!!
4) Brakes:
- Discs on all 4 corners;
- The brakes are okay. They have good bite, but on my car in particular, there is some serious juddering at triple-digit speeds. On inspection it was revealed that the front right disc is wornout unevenly, causing that judder. So, the discs have to go.
5) Interior:
- The dashboard simply inspires speed and luxury at the same time. The somewhat HUD and the swooping lines just drops jaws every time anyone gets into the car.
- The interior though was masked by a very dense Watermelon flavoured air-freshener. There were no seat covers. On removing that horrible air freshener, we quickly noticed the rotten smell that was coming through the seats and the carpet. Even after having a thorough interior cleanse from professionals, the smell persisted. And now, the seats have been removed and kept in sunlight for nearly two days. Let's see what results from this activity. Some more suggestions are also welcome here.
- No fancy touch screen, no Rear parking sensors and no bluetooth :(The AUX cable comes in handy for listening to Audiobooks and songs)
- The front passenger power window does not wind up correctly, due to old and worn out winder assembly. And a new one will cost me close to 15k. The front passenger window switch at the driver end is also gone, replacing which will set me back 11k. Maybe a month or two more, and I would have enough to sort them out.
- The Auto Climate control works like a joy, just like the rest of the car.
In short, couple of niggles aside, I feel I have been blessed with a genuine bargain. Dad claims he only had to pay 25k extra to his friend for the car. And he owed him about 2lakh rupees.
Thankyou for all your suggestions fellow BHPians, and thankyou for patiently reading through my elaborate and lengthy account. I will be posting the financials as well in sometime, as soon as I get all the issues sorted, and in so doing, I hope to answer the question- In 2021, an era when Petrol prices are through the roof, cars are becoming more compact and flimsy, and electric cars slowly creeping in, does owning an FD2 Honda Civic still make sense?
P.S. I am still new to this interface and am learning quoting people and all. I couldn't quote everyone's suggestion here. But I intend on getting there as quickly as possible, one post at a time. Apologies.