[AnInternetUser]

1998 Honda City 1.5 EXi 'S' AT

This might become a long post. The first part gives some background into my decision-making process and how I went about buying the car. The second part focuses more on the car and has pictures of the exterior and interior. Finally, the third part contains my short review, driving impressions, work that I've done, as well as my plans.

The Background and Process

Introduction

My automotive journey so far has been quite interesting. Like most of us, I have been into cars since before I could walk or talk. The cars that I learnt driving on were the Maruti Zen and the Honda Brio, and both hold a special place in my heart to date. Recently, I took delivery of a 1998 City 1.5. What was supposed to be the hunt for my mother's surprise birthday gift turned into the hunt to scratch a quarter-life-crisis-fuelled itch.

Out with the old, in with the new: our “new” City with the outgoing Brio. I still miss the peppy little hatchback sometimes!

In 2018, we upgraded to a 2009 Honda City, Zonda, a car that has been my trusted partner ever since. It has taken me to college, endured my 'spirited' driving before I evolved into a better driver, and been a part of countless memories. My sentimental bond aside, this generation of the City is truly special, and the last “well-built” Honda in my humble opinion. So much so, that every time I drive a different car, I’m left with a newfound appreciation for Zonda.

The Itch For Something New

One of the best daily drivers in the market IMO.

As good as Zonda is, after five years of driving the same car, I could feel the itch for something new. The conversations to look for an upgrade were in full swing, but no car within our budget made the jump feel worth it. On one hand, we wanted a larger car that would be better suited for our occasional road trips and would be more comfortable for the five of us. However, on the other hand, Mumbai’s worsening roads and traffic conditions made the need for a smaller automatic hatchback stronger and stronger with every passing pothole and speed bump.

Around this time, I had a fleeting thought of surprising my mother with an entry-level hatchback for her birthday. And so began the search for a used i10 AT. I felt this would be a good way to hit three birds with one stone: my mother could get a stress-free automatic hatch, I could drive the i10 whenever I required some change from the City, and since the car wouldn’t be too pricey, we could retain the City. It fits perfectly!

Taking a look at the used i10 market gave me a good reality check. I test-drove three cars, and none of them felt particularly reassuring. They also felt (and possibly were) at least 40-50% pricier than what they should be worth.

But the seed had been planted. I took the disappointing i10 experience as a personal challenge and set out to find the most fun or interesting car in the market on a budget. Part of me felt like this was a challenge on Top Gear—find the most unique car for under £2,000, or ₹200,000 in this case.

I spent an embarrassing amount of time on classifieds, looking for that “perfect” deal. This is when I spotted an intriguing listing: a 1998 Type 1 Honda City 1.5 Automatic. The seller described it as an “original Japanese build very rare collectable car in original condition”, but I was quick to dismiss the car, and continued my search.

Later that day, a close friend of mine, Kushan, sent me the very same listing. I laughed his suggestion off, telling him that the car really didn’t fit the bill (oh, how wrong I was!) But he still insisted we go and have a look, since it really was quite rare. While I was really not sure about the car, I kept his conviction-filled suggestions in mind, since he knows and understands these cars and the market a lot better than I do.

I spent a few days toying with the idea of a few cars: the front-runners were the E280 CDI, the Toyota Camry, and the CR-V, among others. However, all of those cars would require putting in a lot more money than what I had initially anticipated (or budgeted for). At this time, the seller of the Type 1 City had lowered his asking price a little. The stars seemed to be aligning in the favour of the ‘98, and it appeared to be a good option after all. Looks like my friend really was onto something…

The Test Drive and Impressions

The itch to get a new car grew stronger and stronger day by day until I finally gave in and arranged a test drive with the seller of the 1998 City. Upon hearing this, Kushan was arguably more excited than me or the seller and shared something that really piqued my interest. As it turned out, he had spotted the exact same car back in 2017-2018, back when it was with its first owner. He had taken a few pictures of the car back then and sent them over to me. This was a very interesting development, since the car in these pictures looked nothing like the car in the advert.

While his pictures showed a near-immaculate, rare Type 1, the advert showed a tinted and stickered-up car with smoked headlamps—not a very pleasant look (to me at least). Regardless, this combined with a conversation with Kushan about the car gave me some much-needed confidence in seriously considering the car.

I was still quite sceptical of a twenty-five-year-old vehicle, and part of me was a little surprised that I was even entertaining the possibility of buying one. Heck, at this point, I was quite excited!

She was a real looker! Well, apart from the smoked headlamps and stickers.

Upon finally seeing the car in person, my mind went into fault-finding mode. I had done some research on the common trouble areas for these cars, and I was happy to see that the car was still well-kept underneath, barring a few spots. The actual test drive did not disappoint, either. I was able to identify some rather obvious mechanical problems with the car, but that is to be expected from any used car, let alone one that is this old. I also ran some of the obvious flaws that I noticed with Kushan, since he also has a Type 1 AT among other older Japanese cars, and he said most niggles were very minor. This gave me more confidence in the decision to make a serious offer. Surprisingly, the car felt monumentally better than the i10s that I had driven. Clearly, the car was growing on me.

I knew that this would be a bit of a project car considering that it did have a few flaws, and any car of this age will need work. To be honest, this was quite appealing since it would also mean that I would learn more about these cars in the process. And since the car was still in fairly good condition, none of the work I’d have to do would be time-sensitive or costly. I wanted my first project car to be easily manageable.

Negotiations, Inspections, and More…

In many ways, that test drive really sealed the deal for me. I had a number in mind, and I was willing to pull the trigger instantly if the seller fell for my “shrewd negotiation”. Well, much to my dismay, he was unwilling to budge beyond a certain point. In fact, he was expecting another chap to come and see the car right after I was. Unsure if this was legit or just a tactic, I gave him my final offer and asked him to get back to me if it works for him. While I was leaving his place, I did see the other party coming in to check out the car, so it turned out he was not bluffing after all.

While I knew that my offer was a little aggressive, I had to leave some wiggle room for immediate repairs. Alas, it was too late for rational thinking to prevail, for I had already fallen for the car. The next morning, after getting barely enough sleep because I was busy thinking about the ‘98, I called him up to enquire. As it turned out, the other party had agreed to a higher price, but they needed a day or two to arrange the funds. The seller had not accepted a booking amount yet.

Seeing this window of opportunity, I asked the seller to let me get the car inspected by my mechanic. I was hoping this would either uncover a problem that would help me negotiate, or it would ease my concerns a little and allow me to bid higher. My mechanic, who recently restored a Type 2 VTEC, said this was a very clean car. He put a few concerns of mine to rest and gave me the go-ahead to increase my max bid for the car.

While all of this was going down at my mechanic’s workshop, I heard someone pulling up to where we were standing in an Accord V6. “Woah! Is that a 1.5 EXi-S!?” The guy in the Accord exclaimed. At this point, I was visibly confused. Not knowing if this was a decoy by the seller or a genuine Honda enthusiast, I had my guard up. As it turned out, we had mutual friends in the Honda circle, and he had a Type 1, too. This worked out in my favour since I could ask him about the car’s condition, etc. He, too, felt the car was well-kept, and so did a few of his friends who were now checking the car out. Kamy, if you’re reading this, thank you for the help that day!

By this point, I was very clear about two things:

1. The car was rare, especially in the condition that it was in.
2. If I did not act fast, the car would sell quite easily.

Long story short, I did not want to pass up on a car this good over a few thousand rupees, so I decided to pull the trigger that evening. Could I have got a Type 1 for cheaper? Yes. But as cheesy as it sounds, this really wasn’t “just another Type 1”.

Delivery Day

Truth be told, I wanted to take delivery that evening itself. However, I had no option but to wait for a couple of days due to my schedule at the time. No prizes for guessing that I barely slept for those two nights! In a way, the wait and anticipation also reassured me of my rather impulsive purchase. It was a surreal feeling when the day finally came—this was my first car! It is also quite poetic how my first car is also a birth year car: we are both 25 this year!

On the way to her new home!

And so, after a quick snack break for the ‘98 at the petrol pump, I brought her home.

Surprising my parents with my first car was quite the feeling! Up until that point, they knew I was looking at cars, but I was very hush-hush about the details. So, seeing that I actually went ahead with a fleeting thought of mine was a bit of a shocker for them, too.

First night with her new stablemate at her new home.

[AnInternetUser]

The Car

Not Just Another Type 1?

Earlier, I mentioned how this wasn’t just another Type 1. There are several reasons why I feel this way. Firstly, it’s a rare car to begin with. My information on the Type 1 EXi-S is a little patchy, so perhaps someone could fill me in, but from what I know there were very few S variants out there. The S came with a body kit, a spoiler, and a few other different knick-knacks from the factory, and was priced at a considerable premium.

From what I could tell, the S was only offered as a manual. However, this particular City is automatic. That either means that the first owner got every single S option fitted by the dealer (and presumably paid through their teeth for this), or the AT S variants were introduced later on. Either way, this makes the car quite special in my eyes.

A special thanks to BHPian cityvic for sharing pics of the features list and the spec sheet:

We can see that the EXi-S was only offered as a manual. I'm not sure if Honda introduced an AT variant later, or this car got its S treatment at the dealership level.

Honda dealers offered various optional extras for the Type 1. This particular car, from what I could find, seems to be the highest-specced example out there. Here are a few things that the car came with:

• A sunroof.
• Stanley side marker lights on all four sides.
• Black leather seats (presumably changed to cloth by the previous owner).
• Black striping across the car.
• Rear spoiler.
• Wooden interior trim.
• CD changer.
• Fog lamps.
• Scuff plates on all four doors.
• Alloy wheels (including the spare).
• Digital clock.

Regardless of how rare the options may be, I’m truly stunned by how a car from 1998 was offered these features, even if they were optional extras!

Another bit that made this car special to me is the story of its past life. When Kushan first saw this car in 2017-18, he had actually tried buying it from the first owner, a senior Parsi gentleman. To say the car was babied would be an understatement. Apparently, it was driven by a uniformed chauffeur for most of its life, and had tremendous sentimental value to the first owner, despite being garage mates with some sweet Mercs. Its morning duties included ferrying its owner to the golf course and back, and evening duties included grocery shopping at Breach Candy.

Not much is known about its life with its second owner, but I imagine that it was well taken care of there, too, since the last service record (from Honda) was just about 8,000 kilometres ago.

Exterior

Here are the pictures my friend, Kushan, shared with me. He's someone who has an eye for rare Japanese cars and has owned quite a few of them.

Notice the side markers, black beading, orange bulbs, and the faux hood vents:


The black leather upholstery had seen better days, but the rest of the interior looked good. You can see the switch for the side markers (extreme right) button for the fog lamps (partially covered by the steering wheel) and controls for electrically-adjusted ORVMs (this was offered in 1998!)


I love the number plate design. While the car a different plate design now, the seller did give me this plate, too. Also notice the AAA sticker—I'm trying to source a similar one since it was removed by the second owner. I'd appreciate some leads!


The sunroof, I'm told, was a dealership option for these cars. This was removed by the seller, but I have the assembly and the glass panel with me.


A fellow Honda enthusiast, Yashraj, shared this picture. He spotted the car in 2020 at the second owner's parking:


The car didn't look too different from these pictures when I got it. Well, apart from the stickers and smoked headlamps (have I mentioned how much I dislike them?) Naturally, they were the first item on the to-do as soon as I took delivery. Here are a few pictures of the car that I took during the first couple of days of ownership:

The Monster logo around the headlight gave it a boy racer vibe:


The smoked headlamps were a serious safety hazard. They severely impacted the headlight's throw. It's beyond me how people willingly install these vinyls. The other stickers placed on the hood above this headlamp will be going soon, too. I have warmed up to the orange vinyl on the headlamp though. It will be staying on for a little longer:


Surely, I can't be the only one who sees hints of the Maruti Esteem, BMW E36 and E46 in this car, right!?


Something about knowing you bought the right car when you turn around and snap a picture or two while walking away


Here are the side markers in action. They're quite bright:


This pic is one of my favs. Don't miss the Defender in the background:


One of (and from) the rear. This is the number plate currently on the car. I might replace it with the older one, but I haven't made up my mind on this yet.


Interior

The interiors have held up surprisingly well. No rattles, no clunks. Not only is this a testament to the build quality of older Hondas, but it also goes to show just how well the previous owners kept the car. This might sound silly, but seeing how babied she was makes me want to restore her back to her former, near-showroom condition glory. You might notice a few white packets scattered across the car. Those are silica gel packs that I've placed to reduce mould owing to the humidity here in Mumbai.

Here's the dashboard in all its late-90s glory, with a guest appearance from Zonda, the 2009 City. The quality is surprisingly good, with most of it being soft to the touch. The vents work well, and the AC is a chiller! It's arguably better than the aircon in the '09. You can also see the Honda dashboard mat in this picture:


The first owner had applied two AAA stickers—one at the rear (visible in the 2017-18 pics) and one on the IRVM. While the one at the rear faded and was removed before I bought the car, the IRVM sticker is still in good condition:


There's something super special about these simple, old-school analogue dials, no? I sat in the car for a good minute or two admiring the gauge cluster.


The controls for the electronically-adjusted ORVMs. This is a feature even our Brio didn't have when we bought it new in 2012. The metal switch to the right controls the side markers. The one to the left of the controls seems to be for the heated windshield (?), and the left-most button is for the fog lamps.


Power windows on all four sides—another feature that I was not expecting! The master-control for the power windows works as well.


If you had entrusted Honda with your hard-earned moolah back in 1998, this would have been your throne! The seats are too soft, but the experience as a whole is quite comfortable. Space is limited by modern standards, but a 5'10 passenger can sit behind a 5'10 driver without much fuss. The driver's seat is set at my usual driving position (I'm 5'10) and the front passenger seat is set as per my father's preferences (he's 6'). This should give a clearer picture of the space on offer:


Here's the boot. The car didn't have a spare wheel cover, so it looks uneven:


The spare wheel—a fifth alloy! A rare sight these days The wheel and the bay have both seen better days and are one of the first non-mechanical issues I will be addressing.


Bonus: here's the original first-aid kit, as it came from Honda in 1998!


Initial impressions

The first thing one notices as soon as they enter the cabin is how low the car is. I knew these cars were low, but I was taken back to my good ol' Zen days. Even cars that are objectively low, like the Accord or the Civic, for instance, feel like SUVs with 6" lift kits. Just yesterday, a Nexon passed me from the right, and it felt like a monster truck! This has also resulted in me being ultra-cautious on rough roads, bumps, potholes, and slopes. To give you an idea of just how low the front bumper is, a friend who drives an F90 M5 Competition told me he's never once scraped while exiting his building. But, as you would've probably guessed it, the City's bumper scraped even after taking the slope sideways.

Next, you notice the solid build quality. The doors feel quite heavy, the cabin feels like it could withstand a tsunami or two, and roads with smaller undulations feel as supple as freshly-laid tarmac. There's no fuss, no noise, and no rattles. This took me by surprise, as I expected a car of this age to be a bit of a delicate darling.

Perhaps the most interesting initial impressions I got were from my friends. From a gravely concerned “bhai… le raha hai?” (“bro, are you seriously buying this!?”) to “woah, this reminds me of Tokyo Drift!”, it was fascinating to see how car people and non-car people reacted to this purchase. When I first shared that I had bought a “project car”, one of the first comments I got was “ye mechanic banne ka shauk kaha se aaya?” (“from where is this sudden urge of becoming a mechanic coming from?”)—cracked me up!

The reactions from non-car people, I was prepared for. In fact, the internet troll in me was looking forward to them. But what I wasn't prepared for were the reactions from car people. The first such instance was when Kamy spotted the car from a mile away and asked me about it (at the mechanic's place, if you recall). Later, after I took delivery and went for a quick fuel stop, two young chaps stopped to click a few pictures of the car and were staring at it. This was the case during a quick drive around Hiranandani, too! And these are just a few of many such instances.

[AnInternetUser]

Short Review

Driving and Performance

The heart that powers this young gal!

The City 1.5 came with a 1,493 cc 4-cylinder that produced 100 hp and 120 Nm of torque. This engine was mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed torque converter. A smaller, 1,343 cc (1.3-litre) engine was also on offer, producing 90 hp and 111 Nm of torque. This is not the famed VTEC, that came in later. My impressions will be based on the 1.5-litre engine and 4AT gearbox. Also, I have driven the car for just about 200kms so far, so this is by no means an exhaustive review.

The car, as-is, was quite brisk. Even though the '09 is +20% more powerful, it is also around 135 kg heavier and was tuned more for economy. This is quite evident, since the '98 packs quite a punch. Acceleration, for what is basically a quarter-century old entry-level sedan, is ridiculous. I have not done a speed test yet (let's be honest, it's a little redundant here), but the car goes.

Mash the throttle to the floor and the engine is lightning quick to respond, with the gearbox following shortly after. Just like that, you're pushed back into the seat. What aids the feeling of “fast” is the melodious engine. The symphony of the pistons marching harmoniously together ensures that a 10-second 0-100 feels like being strapped onto the Saturn V. The gearbox, with the throttle fully mashed, complies with your inner racecar driver very well and lets the engine reach its redline. The gearbox then shifts up with a reassuring tug, and the cycle repeats itself.

Ease off the throttle, and the car's persona changes dramatically. What was once an angsty, young teen becomes a mature, dignified adult. Be easy with the throttle, and the '98 will be quiet, refined, and the perfect car to putter around town in. The screeching Honda engine is now barely audible, especially below 2,000 rpm. The slight jerkiness that is characteristic to these older torque converters remains, but the shifts are butter smooth when you lift off the accelerator in anticipation of the shift. Since I'm relatively new to automatics, I've found that the accelerator works quite differently, and can almost work like a paddle or tiptronic shifter. The only other automatics I've driven have been modern ones in cars that cost several times what the City did when it was new, so please take my views on the gearbox with a grain of salt.

Now, this split-persona shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, most cars are capable of being hoots to drive, and can also ferry around four in comfort. But I had to remind myself that this wasn't just another “modern” car. This car is twenty-five! When this car was serving its first owner like a loyal soldier, I was still in my mum's belly!

Admittedly, this is the first “old” car that I've driven, let alone owned. Perhaps those who have enjoyed cars of this era would be less impressed by how modern this feels, since this may be the norm.

I have always heard that these cars are wonderful handlers. The steering is quite direct, and the car feels light and nimble. However, I expected a lot more feedback from the steering, especially since it's a hydraulic unit. This might be because Honda went with a more comfort-oriented setup because the motion is a lot smoother and lighter than I expected. It might also be because the car is yet to undergo suspension work and needs a new set of shoes. Considering these reasons, I will be waiting till the car is mechanically complete before sharing my verdict on how adept it is at handling the twisties.

Braking is adequate. I would have preferred more bite, but it still has enough stopping power than many other cars I've driven.

Many of you might have the classic "kitna deti hai?" question in mind. I did, too. When I first got the car, the fuel economy was quite disappointing. From what I estimate, the car returned less than 5 kpl at this point. I was still getting used to the gear shifts at this point, so my right foot was heavier.

However, fuel economy seems to have picked up a little after a basic service. I'd estimate it at 6-7 kpl now, with the number going higher for when the roads are less crowded. This is in line with what I had expected, and not that much lower than its garagemate, so I'm not complaining. Keep in mind that these numbers are considering a relatively light right foot and in Mumbai traffic. I will do a tankful-to-tankful test soon, but I doubt the numbers would be too far off my estimates.

In addition to making the car less of a gas guzzler, the service also helped the engine run quieter and smoother. The brakes and steering felt miles better as well, but that is largely due to the brakes being worn out and the power steering fluid running low before the top-up.

1998 Honda City vs 2012 Hyundai i10

In today's episode of comparing apples to oranges, let us dig deeper into how the car I set out to buy compares with the car I actually ended up buying. This will be a very rough and quick review, since I only took short test drives of three different i10 ATs, and mine is the only '98 City I've driven. So please take this with a healthy helping of salt. Also, since I drove multiple i10s, I will only consider the common talking points instead of picking on issues that may have been specific to one particular car.

Right off the bat, the Honda felt better built. This is despite the car being twice as old with thrice as many kilometres on the clock. Everything in the City felt like it was screwed on a just a little more tightly than the i10. The car as a whole felt a lot more substantial.

The City also felt significantly more powerful from the moment you let off the brake. I felt like I needed a minimum of 15-20% throttle in the i10 to get the car going, while the City picked up slow-moving traffic speeds with less throttle. This difference carried forward for the entire drive, pretty much. Flooring it while doing 10-20 kmph in the i10 reminded me of browsing the internet on a 256 kbps internet connection. The City, in a similar test, felt a lot punchier.

And when you brake for the inevitable pothole or speed bump, the i10 had alarmingly little bite and a spongy feel. The City, while not that much better, felt a lot more sure-footed.

The i10s felt a lot better insulated though, something that Hyundai has nailed across cars and generations, IMO. All three i10s felt more insulated and were quieter than even the '09 City.

So, which is a better car? Naturally, I'd go with the City, literally. However, for the average Joe, the i10 AT makes a lot of sense. I do get the appeal, and it's a lovely car, but it is the polar opposite of an enthusiast's car.

1998 City vs 2009 City

With one obvious conclusion out of the way, let us get to the second one. This one is a lot harder, though. The two cars are very similar, yet so, so different.

Both Citys have the “split persona” that we talked about earlier. The '98 is punchier and feels more visceral, but only when you're really pushing it. The '09, presumably due to its weight and economy-focused tune, doesn't pack as big a punch from the get go. However, I found it to be a lot lighter on its feet. I could effortlessly chuck the '09 into any corner with complete conviction since the day I first drove it. With the '98, I don't feel that yet. The few times that I have chucked the '98 into a corner, it darted to wherever I pointed the wheel, but it still lacked the crisp feedback I was looking for.

This might be due to several reasons. For instance, I drive the '98 a lot more carefully, barely pushing it. Also, as I mentioned before, the car needs suspension work and a new set of shoes. Perhaps that might change my opinion.

The 1998 City is the undisputed king of cruising, though. My night drives, or most leisurely drives for that matter, feel a lot better in the '98. As cheesy as it sounds, it feels like the car has character. Whereas cruising in the 2009 City can feel like just another commute.

I will be sure to update this comparison as and when I form new opinions!

Repairs and Maintenance

The very first test drive I took made it evident that the car had problems with the suspension and brakes. This is, of course, in addition to the basics like fluid changes, hoses, etc. However, with Mumbai rains in full swing for the past two weeks or so, getting work done has been a task. I was always going to go about it in a staggered manner, but the rains forced me to take longer breaks between phases And speaking of rains, the car has held up quite well with just one negligible leak!

Here's the work I've done so far:

• New iridium spark plugs from Honda.
• Mobil 1 5W-40 fully synthetic engine oil.
• Changed the power steering fluid.
• Transmission fluid top-up (considering doing a change and cleaning the solenoids, but my mechanic disagrees. Not sure).
• Air and oil filters replaced. The fuel filter is pending, courtesy Mumbai rains.
• Complete front brake service: replaced the pads, resurfaced the rotors, cleaned the pistons and calipers thoroughly (there was some rust built up). The brake oil was changed.
• A minor leak in the power steering hose (from the pump to the rack) was patched. I'm waiting for a new hose.

Here's what will be done next:

• Fuel filter replacement/cleaning.
• Rear brake service.
• Fixing whatever is wrong with the suspension.
• Making sure the axle is fine.
• A fresh set of tyres.
• Power steering hose (pump to rack) and belt.
• The rest of the work is mostly minor and cosmetic, at least so far.

The community

While I have been a car guy for most of my life, I became a part of the “Indian car scene” or offline community fairly recently. I've made some great friends thanks to the lovely community so far, who have taught me so much about these machines we love and adore so much.

In the context of the '98 City, Kushan, who has been very, very helpful throughout the process (and continues to help me understand these cars better), is a friend that I made thanks to the car community. Kamy, a fellow Honda-enthusiast, helped me understand the car better while I was getting it inspected at the mechanic's. The SX8 India community (for Type 1 and Type 2 Citys) was also very welcoming and warm since the day I took delivery.

Getting a project car, even if it is a rather small project, helps you understand cars and the community in a more hands-on way. It's been a fun experience learning more about these modern classics. Sourcing parts, something that is laughably easy for the '09, is not as simple for the '98. This is an experience in itself, too!

Future plans

My intention is to make this '98 as much of a time capsule as I can. To many, this beats the purpose of a project car. However, I feel this is only fitting, and suits this car more than a performance-focused build. After all, there are plenty of Type 2 VTECs that are built to extract every last ounce of performance from the car.

[Aditya]

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

[Jassy1313]

Congratulations brother,

It's a beautiful car you have got.
I have owned a few Type 2 Hondas in the past and even a Type 1 for a cousin. These cars never let you down.
Drive and enjoy it as much as you can.

Heard a lot about the car from Kushan. I would love to see it in person.

:- Jassy

[condor]

She's BEAUTIFUL !
Congratulations on getting this one. As a recent convert to the Gypsy gang, I can gauge the fun when driving this one.

[07CR]

Congratulations on the acquisition!

This is a long lost Honda we all came to love. Wish you many more miles and smiles with this one.

[famousshoes]

Looking forward to seeing this absolute beauty restored to its original avatar, especially those smoked headlamps
Do keep updating the thread with pictures as and when possible.

[Mat095]

Buddy you’re a true-blue Honda Loyalist!

Congratulations on the acquisition, it is indeed a gem of a car, a car that people of our generation can only wish to own, thanks to NGT here in Delhi-NCR.

P.S: do keep this post up-to-date would love to see more pictures of this Honda.

[Oppanna]

Wow what a brilliant car. Congratulation on the new acquisition.

Wishing you happy miles ahead. I am sure this car is a collectible.

Keep updating the thread on the progress.

[yadavsid21]

Congratulations on this gem of a car.
Do try Adon-P (Indian Oil) fuel additive during one tank full.

[dr.aviansh]

Amazing car, congratulations on this rare breed.
Unfortunately, Delhi-NCR people can't keep such cars.

Anyways, please get rid of the black strips immediately, they're degrading the OG looks.
Also, yes the headlight vinyls and stickers should be removed.

I don't know why the front side markers were installed in a car which has wrap around turn signals that double up for parking lights. If you can find the front bumper then remove the front markers because they along with the strips are making the front look busy.

Refer to my thread :
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ad-safety.html (Side marker lights for added visibility & road safety)
I like the rear markers though.


Congratulations and do keep us posted on a long term basis.

[Chisels121]

We need GTO's comments in this thread ASAP. After all he is the vtec man of the gen 1 Honda city.

Nice car BTW(it really resembles an early e36 from some angles)
My part of India doesn't have this kind of old cars so this is eye candy for me

[Pythonista]

I remember those days when I drooled over these...it was way ahead of its time, from the inside and the outside.

This one's a keeper...congrats!

[Voodooblaster]

When Creta, Seltos, and Sonets are the rage especially among the younger brigade, congratulations on acquiring such an iconic car. Feel so happy that you listened to your heart over your head

The looks and quality of the iconic 1st gen City could never be replicated by the successive iterations

Even when I purchased the 4th gen city in 2021, I felt the 1st gen looked way better

Excerpt from my Ownership review, where I drool over a 1st Gen Honda City I caught in a parking lot. Link here (The Grey Stallion | BS6 4th-Gen Honda City SV-MT Review)

Old is Gold:

Meanwhile I feel that the first gen Honda City sold in India is the most handsome and distinguished of the lot. A 20 year old 1st Gen (the best looking) Honda City that I caught in the city