[k.e.s.h.a.v.57]

I just turned 18 in the past month. The urge to build a car from what it was like when it came out of the factory was one of the biggest distractions in my complete student life. It's my 12th this year and as I will progress to college in the next year.
The joy of college might sound really cool but for someone like me who's more interested in what type of car will i get for college I cannot keep my mind off it. I would really like the experts here to advice me with some good cars in the pre-owned market with good potential to be tuned and played around with.

Being a VAG owner I love my Polo GT for sure, but I feel like a bit of restriction with my new 6-speed AT gearbox. For now I have got my eyes on the R18 Honda Civic and a 9th-Gen Corolla with low miles on the odo. The Laura or the Gen 1 Octavia would have been my personal favorite choices for a car but they come with their set of problems when bought from a pre-owned market.

The thought of a turbo R18 Honda Civic would be a good idea but i am really unsure of the reliability issues that would join me once i put in a turbo in that engine.

I also had the thoughts of a Cruze from the later generation but I am not very sure if I would get one in good condition and also about the long-term reliability of that machine.

A city V-Tec 1.5 is also a tough to find deal because most of them are on the verge of ending their life in a scrapyard and the ones in good conditions and low mileage are with owners well aware of the importance of that car in the tuner market.

The rare models which I would hunt down are also going to be the Ford Fiesta 1.6S and the Suzuki Kizashi. The Octavia and Laura would have been great picks but as mentioned, their set of problems is something my student wallet is to be kept away from.

Looking forward for the experts to help me out with this.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by k.e.s.h.a.v.57

I would really like the experts here to advice me with some good cars in the pre-owned market with good potential to be tuned and played around with.

The SX4 is an excellent simple and cheap platform to start with if you want something a bit better then I haven't heard of too many issues with the facelifted Laura. Accord is a great car as well. The Kizashi comes with a block rated to handle upwards of 500bhp and an engine bay with loads of room spare since it was developed with a GM sourced 3.6 V6 in mind, so that could make for a capable package. My advice would be to start with something cheap hence suggested the SX4. You can change nearly everything and still have money to walk away with if you eventually wrap it around a tree

[deepfusion]

Does a mahindra thar 2017 make sense as lifestyle vehicle (secondary vehicle)? I do not intend any offroading.

[jayanttalwar]

Originally Posted by k.e.s.h.a.v.57

Being a VAG owner I love my Polo GT for sure, but I feel like a bit of restriction with my new 6-speed AT gearbox. For now I have got my eyes on the R18 Honda Civic and a 9th-Gen Corolla with low miles on the odo. The Laura or the Gen 1 Octavia would have been my personal favorite choices for a car but they come with their set of problems when bought from a pre-owned market.

The thought of a turbo R18 Honda Civic would be a good idea but i am really unsure of the reliability issues that would join me once i put in a turbo in that engine.

Looking forward for the experts to help me out with this.

Hey, I was in a similar position with similar options, I went for the r18 civic which I got from a BHPian. The car is very fun to drive, handles better then most cars i have driven and that hydraulic steering wheel just adds so much more. The car has ample support for modifications too and is cheaper to maintain then Laura's etc.

[k.e.s.h.a.v.57]

Originally Posted by jayanttalwar

Hey, I was in a similar position with similar options, I went for the r18 civic which I got from a BHPian. The car is very fun to drive, handles better then most cars i have driven and that hydraulic steering wheel just adds so much more. The car has ample support for modifications too and is cheaper to maintain then Laura's etc.

Exactly but that also isn't the end to my confusion here! It is the fact that the R18 civic after being turbocharged would be a tough machine to maintain for a student considering the 3000km oil change services and everything as such! The city V-Tec on the other hand would somewhere be my pick as it has almost the equal capabilities and is much cheaper to maintain as well.

Please suggest more such options.

[DevSunit]

I am literally in the same dilemma as you are and also in the same age bracket. I have shortlisted some. Here are my views
R18 Civic
One of the best choices out there , an excellent handler, proper HPS, Nice rev friendly engine but it has a very low ground clearance. Just do some tasteful mods and it would be a great package. Major plus point is service network is still available.
Chevrolet Cruze
Drop dead gorgeous - I would literally buy this car for its looks alone
Peppy and Frugal Diesel Automatic options available - my choice in the lineup.
But finding a good example and later after service and parts may be difficult
Even my Dad simple adores the car, making it easy to convince
The VAG Twins - Laura/Jetta
The 1.8 TSI and the 2.0 TDI are the ones to look out for
Excellent engine - gearbox combos matched the real european class interiors
After sales would be a hit or Miss and Parts would be pricy
Kizhashi
Forget getting a decent one, spotting one in the used market is difficult (atleast here in Kerala)
You will get the OG Japanese quality car.

I also have thought about buying something cheap like the Esteems and modifying it with the remaining amount like swapping a G16B to it or even getting a Vtec City

Hope your search goes well. Please update the thread frequently

[saikishor]

I also toyed around with buying a used car for a little while but then dropped the plan altogether. Decided that I will buy a bike in Feb- Mar 2022. I belong to the exact same age bracket of yours.

Civic is the top choice for anyone who wants to get into tuning and stuff. But if I were to buy it, I will refuse. I feel Civic is too common among guys who want to enter this project car thing. Personal opinion only, nothing else apart from this regarding the Civic.

I toyed around with the idea of a 20078-13 Honda Accord. Dropped it due to low fuel efficuency; I simply cannot spend so much on fuel. If you dont care about fuel efficiency, Accord will be at the top of my priority list.

Regarding Cruze, I can assure to some extent that service will be manageable. Our Beat has no issues whatsoever regarding service and I expect it to be the same for Cruze as well. The problem with Cruze is, finding a good example is tough. Most of them are abused, high mileage examples. Woudn't really recommend a Cruze.
Heck i'd rather recommend a Beat, as finding a clean example isn't really a challenge.

Kizashi will be extremely hard to find. Other hard
to find examples I can think of are Chevrolet Forester, Nissan Teana, Skoda Octavia VRS Combi Mitsubishi Cedia(god knows where Mitsu is now). These are cars that you should probably avoid thinking about.

My advice: Stick with Honda. Civic, Accord and 1st gen City should be your bet.

Happy Hunting.

[Vedantoyota75]

Originally Posted by k.e.s.h.a.v.57

I just turned 18 in the past month. The urge to build a car from what it was like when it came out of the factory was one of the biggest distractions in my complete student life. It's my 12th this year and as I will progress to college in the next year.
The joy of college might sound really cool but for someone like me who's more interested in what type of car will i get for college I cannot keep my mind off it. I would really like the experts here to advice me with some good cars in the pre-owned market with good potential to be tuned and played around with.

Being a VAG owner I love my Polo GT for sure, but I feel like a bit of restriction with my new 6-speed AT gearbox. For now I have got my eyes on the R18 Honda Civic and a 9th-Gen Corolla with low miles on the odo. The Laura or the Gen 1 Octavia would have been my personal favorite choices for a car but they come with their set of problems when bought from a pre-owned market.

The thought of a turbo R18 Honda Civic would be a good idea but i am really unsure of the reliability issues that would join me once i put in a turbo in that engine.

I also had the thoughts of a Cruze from the later generation but I am not very sure if I would get one in good condition and also about the long-term reliability of that machine.

A city V-Tec 1.5 is also a tough to find deal because most of them are on the verge of ending their life in a scrapyard and the ones in good conditions and low mileage are with owners well aware of the importance of that car in the tuner market.

The rare models which I would hunt down are also going to be the Ford Fiesta 1.6S and the Suzuki Kizashi. The Octavia and Laura would have been great picks but as mentioned, their set of problems is something my student wallet is to be kept away from.

Looking forward for the experts to help me out with this.

Hello, I was also in the same position as yours the last year when I turned 18 and got my driving license with the same options but my parents refused to buy me a car as ''I was not old enough to have a personal car and a car that used to cost 15-20 lakhs back in the day''. But I have spent a generous amount of time studying all the cars in your given list even cars like Esteem, TypeZ VTEC, Lancer invex, Cedia 2.0 for some months I felt sad but later I was okay. From my personal experience, I would suggest you to wait for a while complete your board exams and then get into this because you're not yet enrolled in a college and for all the cars in your list many parts of them are rare to get(considering Lucknow, Sunny Toyota told me it would take them more than 15 days to arrange the front bumper for my ex Corolla Altis, back in 2017).See, buddy You are not enrolled in a college yet and you wont even be knowing which city you may go and how's the scene there for these cars regarding service and maintenance. Adding to The fact that any guy young is bound to be a little more of enthusiastic feeling and energy. This will lead to a rough usage of the vehicle, wear and tear will happen then parts will be expensive to replace. I Recommend you to Choose something from 2010-2015 like a Honda City I-vtec or a Vento Tsi . I have friends who tuned and run Civics, it’s really beautiful, but they're also elder in age. You need to age with the car, so I advise something only young, reliable and more pocket friendly!

[Vedantoyota75]

Originally Posted by k.e.s.h.a.v.57

I just turned 18 in the past month. The urge to build a car from what it was like when it came out of the factory was one of the biggest distractions in my complete student life. It's my 12th this year and as I will progress to college in the next year.
The joy of college might sound really cool but for someone like me who's more interested in what type of car will i get for college I cannot keep my mind off it. I would really like the experts here to advice me with some good cars in the pre-owned market with good potential to be tuned and played around with.

Being a VAG owner I love my Polo GT for sure, but I feel like a bit of restriction with my new 6-speed AT gearbox. For now I have got my eyes on the R18 Honda Civic and a 9th-Gen Corolla with low miles on the odo. The Laura or the Gen 1 Octavia would have been my personal favorite choices for a car but they come with their set of problems when bought from a pre-owned market.

The thought of a turbo R18 Honda Civic would be a good idea but i am really unsure of the reliability issues that would join me once i put in a turbo in that engine.

I also had the thoughts of a Cruze from the later generation but I am not very sure if I would get one in good condition and also about the long-term reliability of that machine.

A city V-Tec 1.5 is also a tough to find deal because most of them are on the verge of ending their life in a scrapyard and the ones in good conditions and low mileage are with owners well aware of the importance of that car in the tuner market.

The rare models which I would hunt down are also going to be the Ford Fiesta 1.6S and the Suzuki Kizashi. The Octavia and Laura would have been great picks but as mentioned, their set of problems is something my student wallet is to be kept away from.

Looking forward for the experts to help me out with this.

Hello, I was also in the same position as yours the last year when I turned 18 and got my driving license with the same options but my parents refused to buy me a car as ''I was not old enough to have a personal car and a car that used to cost 15-20 lakhs back in the day''. But I have spent a generous amount of time studying all the cars in your given list even cars like Esteem, TypeZ VTEC, Lancer invex, Cedia 2.0 for some months I felt sad but later I was okay. From my personal experience, I would suggest you to wait for a while complete your board exams and then get into this because you're not yet enrolled in a college and for all the cars in your list many parts of them are rare to get(considering Lucknow, Sunny Toyota told me it would take them more than 15 days to arrange the front bumper for my ex Corolla Altis, back in 2017).See, buddy You are not enrolled in a college yet and you wont even be knowing which city you may go and how's the scene there for these cars regarding service and maintenance. Adding to The fact that any guy young is bound to be a little more of enthusiastic feeling and energy. This will lead to a rough usage of the vehicle, wear and tear will happen then parts will be expensive to replace. I Recommend you to Choose something from 2010-2015 like a Honda City I-vtec or a Vento Tsi . I have friends who tuned and run Civics, it’s really beautiful, but they're also elder in age. You need to age with the car, so I advise something only young, reliable and more pocket friendly!

[GreasyCarb55]

Now I'm not currently in the market for a car so this is just a curiosity post.

What cars do you think can be acquired for cheap (say within 3-3.5 lakh) that is mod friendly and fun to own (FE is not an issue as this car would probably not see more than 6,000-8,000km of use per year as we already have a 2011 Innova Diesel and a 2017 Honda City).

These are the cars that come to mind when I think "Cheap Fun":

1. 7th Gen Honda Accord 3.0L V6
2. 8th Gen Honda Accord 3.5L V6
3. 7th and 8th Gen Accord 2.4L I-4 (K24)
4. 1st Gen Honda City 1.5L VTEC
5. Hyundai Sonata 2.7L V6
6. 1st Gen Skoda Octavia VRS
7. Old Maruti Suzuki Baleno
8. 2nd Gen K12 Maruti Suzuki Swift (maybe)

[k.e.s.h.a.v.57]

Originally Posted by DevSunit

I am literally in the same dilemma as you are and also in the same age bracket. I have shortlisted some. Here are my views
R18 Civic
One of the best choices out there , an excellent handler, proper HPS, Nice rev friendly engine but it has a very low ground clearance. Just do some tasteful mods and it would be a great package. Major plus point is service network is still available.
Chevrolet Cruze
Drop dead gorgeous - I would literally buy this car for its looks alone
Peppy and Frugal Diesel Automatic options available - my choice in the lineup.
But finding a good example and later after service and parts may be difficult
Even my Dad simple adores the car, making it easy to convince
The VAG Twins - Laura/Jetta
The 1.8 TSI and the 2.0 TDI are the ones to look out for
Excellent engine - gearbox combos matched the real european class interiors
After sales would be a hit or Miss and Parts would be pricy
Kizhashi
Forget getting a decent one, spotting one in the used market is difficult (atleast here in Kerala)
You will get the OG Japanese quality car.

I also have thought about buying something cheap like the Esteems and modifying it with the remaining amount like swapping a G16B to it or even getting a Vtec City

Hope your search goes well. Please update the thread frequently

Hey Dev,
The R18 Civic
The R18 Civic is not an issue. I can completely understand the appealing looks and easy to access performance of the car being in the same age bracket. Both the Civic and the Gen-1 City V-Tec is on the top of my list as one could gradually build those cars up. Especially for someone like me who surely is going to turbocharge one in future. The only problem with the Civic after doing any thing to it is the fact about maintaining the car. The city is easy to maintain but the Civic need your attention on very short time periods considering the 300km service interval after turbocharging.
Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevrolet is an absolute banger but most of them are on the verge of collapsing and a diesel engine is not something i am looking forward to work on. The looks have aged in the finest way out of the complete D-Segment. One of my knowns here in Lucknow owns a Stage-2 Cruze which is an awesome build but surely not something I would like working on taking in mind the fact that finding one in good shape is going to be a harder job than building it completely.
The Laura-Octavia/Jetta
The VAG twins are a blind buy in this segment, especially after watching the D segment collapse in today's day. The two main issues I will be facing with them would be
1. The Service Network
The VAG service network has been improving on a huge scale lately but they still have room for a lot of improvement. Considering the fact that, I wouldn't want to be a regular customer at some local mechanic shop nearby.
2. Replacing A Part.
This day is something half of the VAG owners fear till date. A known of mine owns a stage 3+ LauraVRS and had to pay off 26000 just for the power window motor in the company. Considering the fact that ever if some of these things turn up in a pre-owned car, I surely am not someone who'd bear expenses like this at all.
The Kizashi
Meanwhile, the Kizashi is something one could for one day find in a very good shape but will surely have to put a lot of time into the car as not everyone understands it in our country. Only a few tuners across the country are going to be good with it.


As for now the Honda City gen-1 is going to be something I am going to hunt for. The Civic being my 2nd option. A bigger reason to this is also the reason that I have been working on one VAG car already and for this time prefer putting a change in my routine for all of this.


I surely wish you all the luck in future for your search and would love to keep in touch with more such BHPians of the same age bracket. I will try my best to keep the thread updated.

[k.e.s.h.a.v.57]

Originally Posted by saikishor

I also toyed around with buying a used car for a little while but then dropped the plan altogether. Decided that I will buy a bike in Feb- Mar 2022. I belong to the exact same age bracket of yours.

Civic is the top choice for anyone who wants to get into tuning and stuff. But if I were to buy it, I will refuse. I feel Civic is too common among guys who want to enter this project car thing. Personal opinion only, nothing else apart from this regarding the Civic.

I toyed around with the idea of a 20078-13 Honda Accord. Dropped it due to low fuel efficuency; I simply cannot spend so much on fuel. If you dont care about fuel efficiency, Accord will be at the top of my priority list.

Regarding Cruze, I can assure to some extent that service will be manageable. Our Beat has no issues whatsoever regarding service and I expect it to be the same for Cruze as well. The problem with Cruze is, finding a good example is tough. Most of them are abused, high mileage examples. Woudn't really recommend a Cruze.
Heck i'd rather recommend a Beat, as finding a clean example isn't really a challenge.

Kizashi will be extremely hard to find. Other hard
to find examples I can think of are Chevrolet Forester, Nissan Teana, Skoda Octavia VRS Combi Mitsubishi Cedia(god knows where Mitsu is now). These are cars that you should probably avoid thinking about.

My advice: Stick with Honda. Civic, Accord and 1st gen City should be your bet.

Happy Hunting.

The Civic is a great option as agreed. It is just the fact that when in future I would prefer turbocharging it, it is surely gonna rise up with a lot of issues and even if it does not, it surely is going to cost me a huge amount to maintain one. The Civic also is almost in the same bracket as the Gen-1 City when it comes to maximizing the power. And as mentioned even by you, I do not wanna get into the group of ricing when we talk Civic, because that is a whole new world.

The Chevrolet is not on my list because I am not considering diesels in this lists for now. Also the fact that almost all of them are on the verge of collapsing so good luck to me for finding one in good shape first.

I hope you enjoy that bike everyday. Wish you all the luck.

[k.e.s.h.a.v.57]

Originally Posted by Vedantoyota75

Hello, I was also in the same position as yours the last year when I turned 18 and got my driving license with the same options but my parents refused to buy me a car as ''I was not old enough to have a personal car and a car that used to cost 15-20 lakhs back in the day''. But I have spent a generous amount of time studying all the cars in your given list even cars like Esteem, TypeZ VTEC, Lancer invex, Cedia 2.0 for some months I felt sad but later I was okay. From my personal experience, I would suggest you to wait for a while complete your board exams and then get into this because you're not yet enrolled in a college and for all the cars in your list many parts of them are rare to get(considering Lucknow, Sunny Toyota told me it would take them more than 15 days to arrange the front bumper for my ex Corolla Altis, back in 2017).See, buddy You are not enrolled in a college yet and you wont even be knowing which city you may go and how's the scene there for these cars regarding service and maintenance. Adding to The fact that any guy young is bound to be a little more of enthusiastic feeling and energy. This will lead to a rough usage of the vehicle, wear and tear will happen then parts will be expensive to replace. I Recommend you to Choose something from 2010-2015 like a Honda City I-vtec or a Vento Tsi . I have friends who tuned and run Civics, it’s really beautiful, but they're also elder in age. You need to age with the car, so I advise something only young, reliable and more pocket friendly!

I already own a TSI and would only prefer working with another TSI engine until the time it is a good difference between the displacement numbers. The Laura and Jetta are great to work on but I would surely want to work on something more raw or more NA in terms of us CarGuys.

The Gen-1 City V-Tec as of now is my safest bet considering the low maintainence costs and a great aftermarket support. I would prefer working on that NA 1.5L motor in it's initial days and then later turbocharge it for some increased power figures. Plus the city gen-1 had the looks like no other car from Honda in India. Neither too boyish like the Civic nor too catchy like the newer City models.

The college statement however is true. Wherever I go is gonna effect this choice by a huge margin so let's see what happens.
Until then, Cheers to tuning.

[ManualTribe]

Garage Update

Im going to mix it up a little here, and bring to you both ownership reviews of my babies.

2015 Hyundai i20 VTVT MT- Well, the name isnt that long, but Hyundai decided to call it the “Elite” I20, leaving me with not much of a choice.

I dropped out of my engineering after trying for two years and that kept things at home very volatile for me. So when i initially went up to my dad and said “Hey, Ive saved up some cash, could you help me get a loan so that I can get myself the new KTM RC 390?” the response was rather humbling.

I didnt give up, however, and turned up with double the ante this time, wanting to buy a car.(was always more into cars) To my utter disbelief, I was allowed to go car shopping keeping a budget of about 5 lakh keeping in mind I would pay the installments and was asked to look at the- beat/alto/nano even.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re great machines, but I wanted something to call out to me. Something to match my personality and driving traits.

The hottest hatch back in the day was the Polo in it’s GT (TSI/TDI?) avatar. The more economical option being the MPI which just wasnt juicy enough.
I knew I had to extend my budget if I even wanted to think premium hatch, and well, a couple of heated discussions and convincing later, I went ahead and zeroed in my probable choices. The Hyundai Elite I20 (as they call it), the Polo MPI, and the Punto. I test drove all three, and though the I20 was supposedly the worst driving/handling one amongst the three, I requested for a longer test drive in one and realised it wasnt all that bad as advertised. Having spent enough time in a previous gen owned by the family, I knew the ride had improved considerably. So it wasnt like they didnt listen.
However, the polo MPI lacked the power and the Punto left me a bit meek, as the guy told me a normal service could take upto a week. I couldnt imagine being apart from the car for so long, and the I20 on the other hand had a really strong hold in my mind.
In terms of premiumness back in 2015, it was a huge steup up from anything else in the market. It packs a decent amount of power, although its not the 100+ bhp mark which is currently hotter than ever.

So I made it happen! 21st November, 2015 I took delivery of the I20, named it Leena and have driven 108,000 kms since.

This car has literally seen it all, as cliche as it is saying that. I was a 21 year old college boy who took up multiple internships to be able to afford what some would call a needless possession.

I gave it my all to have enough money for fuel and expenses at all times. That’s where my hustle started.

The first road trip was from Bangalore to Hyderabad and back. I was accompanied by both my parents, and it went by a breeze. It was as comfortable as a hatch can get for three occupants. This is where I learnt for the first time, that this car has one downside- being mileage. The FE was an absolute joke! While driven spiritedly, I get about 7-10 kmpl, no joke. When you really do try to get some solidarity in your wallet and shift under 2000 rpms, she manages about 12-13 kmpl. This obviously made my dad a bit upset as he thought any sensible guy in my place should’ve chosen something like the swift, or ANYTHING but with a good FE.

To be honest, I loved it though! I loved the note of the stock exhaust, I believe its one of the nicest sounding petrols in the segment. Needs stainless steel piping and she’ll be a screamer! When your car sounds and shifts like you want it to, you’ll never be able to complain about the kilometres per litres it achieves.

Life went on, I graduated and started working, while changing multiple jobs thanks to luck, decisions the pandemic etc. One thing that remained constant in my life was this baby.

Once i strated working, i obviously had a larger amount of disposable income and well, it all went to experiences. I have driven this car with its FE all over the place. Multiple Goa trips, multiple Blore-Hyd runs and a trip to Kolkata and back.

It has always been the most comfortable ride ever. A gear down whenever im in need of a bit more oomph and it never dissapoints.

I’ve made sure this car always got the best. A single ding or scratch would mean an in surance claim and making the guys at hyundai go mad! Because I just couldnt let them not take my pride and joy seriously! It was always taken care of by authorized Hyundai service centres and runs stock to the day. (Recently got a set of forged rims and Yoko rubber).

The clutch on this is a bit of a tricky one. Not boasting or talking smack here, but if you ever look up TGE TV’s video on him purchasing his dream Porsche Carrera GT, youll hear him say that he got practice of the clutch on a 1.2/1.4 Hyundai.
While you disengage the clutch, it takes a bit for the car to move.

Considering my username, you know by now I’m a sucker for a good shifting knob of happiness. This gearbox on the I20 is just butter smooth as they say. It is just so slick, and fits into the groves like a glove! Though its also stupid expensive to replace, it’s quite the cherry on the icing when it comes to this car as a package.

Ever since the change of rubber, a wider set of tyres have honestly improved handling dynamics by a mile! However, my ideal spec was this car with a set of Lenso Dyna Jager’s, I’ll make that happen soon, I promise.

Needless to say, this car will stay in my garage forever, as it just means so much to me. I quite really grew up through this ownership experience and I find myself sitting back and looking upon all things cherishable rather amused. Yes, it has been a bit of a money sucking machine, but which fine automobile isnt?

Im currently trying to limit tthe kilometres on this thing, as I said earlier, I want to retain this for as long as possible, and not rack up more miles and service bills for a while. She’ll still get the best attention possible, but just no more daily driver duties. I’m considering the rims afore mentioned and ss breathing for this thing. WIll update this thread with time.

2001 Honda City VTEC MT

As life and car enthusiasts go, the hunger never really dies and you want more and more once you’ve tasted what experiencing a car to the fullest means.

I always wanted to take up a project car. The idea of bringing back an icon to its former glory is just stuff that dreams are made of right? I’ve already spoken about why the VTEC in my previous post so I wont bore you with it again.

But here is how it has been going.

Note: Considering this was my maiden attempt at building a project car, do excuse the times you’d probably say “Why the hell would you do that?”, just bear with me. I’m still learning, and I will keep doing so till my last breath.

I took out a personal loan to fuel this project and build a brand of my own. Which would be a community for like minded car enthusiasts. Enter ManualTribe.
I made a living out of writing once and considering that I can speak decently enough, I thought I would curate as much content as I can,the kind of content that I would like to consume and take it from there.

I found a car which had a lot of red flags. Thinking these flags would be good for the story, I just shut my eyes and jumped.
Do read the note a scroll up at this point if need be.

I found a VTEC which hadnt ben driven in two years. Went about doing a full overhaul in terms of mechanical and electrical fronts.
This, took a lot of time and money. At this point, i was based out of Hyderabad and all my car contacts being in Blore, would have to drive down for all these jobs.

Once it was running fine, and I had managed some more funds, I went about to change the breathing on the car. Man, let me tell you.
Also, a dual flow intake and ss piping for the same.
Once you experience a Honda Vtec with straight pipes, theres no going back. I don’t think I’d ever be able to drive one stock. It just sounds like a big block, foreign engine. You’d never believe it is a 2 decade old Honda!
This was my daily driver for the last year and I don’t think I’ll be able to find such an easy/fun to own/hoon car in the price bracket ever.

The roadtrips were all solo, and would you believe not getting tired in a 20 year old car with suspension issues? I didn’t either till the time i did the Blore-Hyd and back runs multiple times.

Also, once i changes the breathing with the exhaust, the highway runs were just orgasmic. I would be grinning from ear to ear throughout the 650 kms. It would literally sound like a bomber just crusiing about. That noise!!

This is one car that turns heads like no tomorrow! There have been multiple instances of people older to me walking upto me and striking a conversation. Just makes my day. No matter how late I am or how urgently I need to be somewhere, I ensure I give them my 100%, considering they’ve put in the effort of starting up a conversation.

You might now believe it, I was once dropping my boss home after a late night and considering the pay difference, it was obvious his locality was full of Mercedes, beamers and a couple range rovers. I saw a couple kids come up to me and say- “Anna, super car!” I was in shock. The little dude probably gets dropped off to school in an s 350, but he said my car was cool! How could that be?! A gent of fine taste I’d say.

Jokes apart, the utter symphony that is, the high revving VTEC unit is a gem. I wish I could one day have , a car built to my vision. This one’s halfway there for now.

I pity the generations to come, for they will never really be able to experience and know these few legends. Who are slowly being pushed off the roads in the name of FC, NOC and well the newest of them all- green tax and the 15/20 year rules.
The point is- a lot of us are actually ready to go through the whole ordeal. But the constant harrassment from the cops even if your car is totally legal and all papers accounted for is what ruins it for me.

Bangalore road regulations are pretty strict, considering back in Hyd, the VTEC was my daily driver and it never caused a problem.(there was also an instance when an officer pulled me over and said listen, i like the sound. Make sure when you get the next gree, you rip it!)


I have nothing but respect for the officials of the law, it’s just that rules in our country are a little obsolete, if I may.

So 20,000 kms after on the VTEC and another job and city move since, I’ve decided to part ways with it and make way for something newer. Just because I dont want to deal with any more paperwork related running around. It’s an MH car with a few things done and a few things not yet done in the Blore RTO.

For anybody who’s looking for a VTEC, you can take a look at mine, you’ll definitely have to take up the paperwork drama, but atleast I’ve got the fixing the car part taken care of rather well.

Will be sure to write more, as being read and understood by fellow enthusiasts is the next best thing, than to be able to share stories in one anothers garages.

A question to @GTO, could you please help me out a bit here? Hahaha. I think i need some help with the money management bit. I think a couple conversations with you will make me make better choices, because the bug has bitten me and I’m now hungrier than ever. To pick up something and build it as my own spec.

Currently considering a ’13 Cedia, as it wont have as many paperwork issues, and it seems to be the last of the true tunable cars.

Also, in case things do fall back to normal and office resumes, I’ll have 70 kms of driving to do daily and I’s rather have something fun. Loud exhausts can always have Valvetronic units installed and that should leave space for 0 complaints

[pandabear]

Originally Posted by ManualTribe

2001 Honda City VTEC MT

Congrats on the beauty, I feel a bold spoiler with rally stickering will enhance the looks, please post more updates as and when you do any upgrades.