Adding a 2002 Gen 1 Type 2 Honda City 1.5L to my fleet

Join Date: Aug 2024

Location: Bengaluru

Posts: 14

Thanked: 115 Times

Prelude - Early 2000s
Back successful the day, determination was a small lad successful superior school, who was precise fascinated by cars. Popular sedans helium had heard astir oregon seen were Mitsubishi Lancer, Maruti Suzuki Esteem, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Opel Astra, Opel Corsa, Ford Ikon, Daewoo Cielo, Hyundai Accent to sanction a few. One of the classmates of the lad said his parents bought a caller car. One day, aft school, erstwhile the lad stepped retired of the schoolhouse gate, determination was a acheronian greenish sedan lasting close there, shining successful each its glory. It was the aforesaid car that the boy?s classmate had been talking about. The sanction was ?Honda City?. It was specified a beauteous car and had caught the boy?s attention. It was mode supra the boy?s league to adjacent beryllium successful one. But, the effect of tendency had surely been sowed heavy into the boy?s heart.
That small lad successful the supra discourse is yours truly!

This was the colour of the car I had seen backmost then. Not definite 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 guardant to a mates of decades?

Mid 2024
The gen 1, benignant 2 Honda City had gained a cult pursuing among the enthusiasts. It had a batch of mod imaginable and the plan was timeless! I had heard a batch of bully things astir its motor excessively - the celebrated 1.5 VTEC. Every clip I came crossed a gen 1 Honda City, I?d drool implicit it. There were a batch of conflicting thoughts moving successful my caput - whether to look retired for 1 oregon not. I?d effort hard to suppress these thoughts but they?d aboveground again, each clip much aggravated than the previous. We already had 2 cars astatine location - Hyundai Venue for each the agelong runs and my beloved Maruti 800 for each the metropolis runs. There was nary dire request to get different one, that excessively thing that volition decidedly beryllium a small implicit 2 decades old. With each period passing by, it felt similar the clip was moving out. The breaking constituent was astir approaching. I silently started looking astatine classifieds to spot if I tin laic my hands connected one. It was the aforesaid happening everyplace - either not good maintained, oregon excessively costly.

Enter 2025
I had seen excessively galore videos and shorts astir the City, hunted done a batch of classifieds that I perpetually kept reasoning astir the gen 1 City. I would often retrieve the City which I archetypal saw successful my schoolhouse days.
Then each of a sudden, it conscionable snapped. The conflict betwixt the caput and the bosom ended, with the bosom yet winning. I decided to get superior with my efforts. I was definite that I wanted to acquisition the thrill of driving a City. The asks were simple, find a bully car astatine a tenable price, thrust it for a mates of years and walk it on. I enactment guardant this thought to my family. Convincing my parents was easy. Took immoderate courageousness to get a spell up from my in-laws. And boy, it took a batch of effort to person my amended half. Everyone had valid questions - ?Why different car erstwhile we already person two??, ?Where volition you parkland it??, ?Why are you down specified aged cars erstwhile you person a newer one??, ?Do you cognize however costly it volition beryllium to support specified an aged car??, ?Will you adjacent find parts for it??. To beryllium frank, I did not person answers to astir of them, and possibly I inactive bash not. But I felt similar it is present oregon never. With time, it volition lone get harder to find specified beauteous cars. You tin ever bargain a caller car. But erstwhile gems similar these vanish, each that would stay is regret. I did not privation to autumn successful that bracket and started the hunt, full-fledged.
There was a store adjacent my home, which had a gen 1 City collecting dust. I had a changeless impulse to inquire them astir its background, and if it was for sale.
While researching, I recovered retired that the City really had 3 antithetic engines - 1.3 EXI, 1.5 EXI and 1.5 VTEC. All the madness was mostly astir the 1.5 VTEC, and I excessively wanted lone a VTEC. Though it whitethorn dependable creepy, I looked up the fig successful Vaahan portal and recovered retired a fewer details astir the car. It was a 1.3 EXI motor and the papers were not up to date, which meant staying distant from this car is the astir sensible happening to do.
There are immoderate beauteous posts wrong this forum. Going done each of them imparted truthful overmuch cognition astir the City.
This (Tribute to the bully aged 1st-gen Honda City 1.5 VTEC | It promises much exhilaration per bhp) is 1 of my favourite posts astir the City VTEC, by BHPian @Shreyfiesta. Truly a tribute to the legend.
Just arsenic I was speechmaking done assorted posts, I came crossed this (My 2002 Honda City Type-Z) station by BHPian @ByDesign. This was 1 of the posts that gave truthful galore details astir the 1.5 EXI, without VTEC. Little did I cognize however overmuch this station would lend to my decision. And, there?s different crushed wherefore I?ll retrieve this station fondly (you?ll cognize soon).
Since it was much of a ?want? than ?need? I decided to support my hunt flexible. 1.5 EXI with oregon without VTEC. The quality successful powerfulness and torque figures betwixt the 2 variants was 6bhp and 4Nm. But the large quality was ?VTEC KICKED IN YO!? aft 5000 rpm.

6th January 2025
I called our trusted mechanic successful Mysuru to spot if determination is immoderate gen 1 Honda City for sale. To my surprise, helium said determination mightiness beryllium one. He asked maine to springiness him immoderate clip to get the details. Though I was excited, I brushed it disconnected and didn?t enactment overmuch thought into it. Like, it was excessively bully to beryllium true. Not adjacent successful my dreams would I deliberation a gen 1 Honda City is conscionable a telephone away. For idiosyncratic similar me, getting my hands connected 1 of these beauties needs a batch of hunting.

8th January 2025
Got a telephone from the mechanic. He told maine the conveyance is so a gen 1 Honda City, which is successful a truly bully condition. He gave maine a small overview of the car. The proprietor was an aged man, who wanted to bargain a Tata Punch and was looking to speech the Honda City astatine the Tata showroom. He was the 3rd proprietor of the car and it had been with him for 10 years, clocking 2.3L kms successful total. At first, I was skeptical astir the car?s condition. Anything supra 70k kms is simply a strict nary for me. 2.3L kms was much than thrice of it. The main intent of the car was to tally betwixt Bengaluru to Mysuru connected a regular basis, which is wherefore the precocious mileage. I had thing to lose, truthful I decided to instrumentality a look astatine the car. I had a fewer different commitments owed to which I told the mechanic that I would beryllium capable to sojourn him connected 17th January 2025 and instrumentality a trial drive. I asked him to nonstop a fewer pictures of the car. Here?s what helium sent me.

Remember the station I mentioned astir 1.5 EXI earlier? Both the cars are Mint Opal Green!
The car looked to beryllium successful bully shape. It did amusement a fewer signs of aging but I was not disquieted astir the body. I conscionable wanted a steadfast motor and transmission. I asked my father-in-law to cheque the car out, whenever helium recovered time, to which helium agreed.

10th January 2025
My father-in-law visited the store to cheque retired the City. He took it for a speedy rotation and was successful praises for the smoothness of the motor and the cogwheel shifts. He told maine the car was precise good maintained and the motor had nary problems. In fact, helium said the motor was truthful creaseless that you couldn?t adjacent perceive it erstwhile the windows are rolled up. He confirmed that the car was mechanically fit. I was elated to perceive his unbiased opinion. I conscionable had to sojourn the store once, instrumentality it for a trial thrust and finalize my decision.
There was a tiny drawback though. The proprietor of the car wanted to finalize the woody wrong a time oregon two. He couldn?t hold until 17th January since helium had to put funds for his caller car. The mechanic asked maine if I could driblet by and marque a decision. I wasn?t definite astir what to do. Looking astatine my excitement and knowing that it is hard to find a good maintained City, my woman asked maine to marque a speedy tally to Mysuru and trial thrust the car. Based connected that, I could determine if I wanted to proceed with this woody oregon not, without having to support the proprietor waiting.
My begetter and I went to Mysuru, picked my in-laws and visited the garage. My bosom was pounding. As melodramatic arsenic it tin get. The car had gone for a speedy wash. As I was waiting outside, I noticed a airy bluish-green Honda City passing by connected the different broadside of the road. It stood retired from the remainder of the cars around. It went towards the extremity of the roadworthy and took a U-turn. That?s erstwhile I realized it was the aforesaid car that I had travel to see! It pulled implicit close successful beforehand of maine and earlier I knew, I had its keys successful my hand. Once I sat in, I took a infinitesimal to grasp everything that was going on. A mates of hours before, I?d beryllium laughing if idiosyncratic said I?d beryllium sitting successful a Honda City that precise evening!

First impressions
I utilized to wonderment wherefore radical explicitly said the car was excessively debased and it is rather a task to get into it. I person a Maruti 800 and thought what could beryllium little successful tallness than that. But I was truthful wrong. The City is precise debased slung. It truly does instrumentality immoderate effort to get into it.
The interiors were mostly cleanable with caller spot covers, and a leather screen astir the steering wheel. There were a fewer property related stains connected the carpet liners, steering wheel, doorway panels and dashboard but thing excessively bad. A bully interior detailing should beryllium capable to get escaped of those stains. The AC vents were either breached oregon missing, the woody trim astir the AC controls had a tiny crack, the timepiece wasn?t working, the cogwheel knob had a ace and the powerfulness windows switches were not ever responsive lacking feedback. These were each insignificant issues that I could either get fixed, oregon unrecorded with. It wasn?t overmuch of a woody breaker for me.
The suspensions and tyres were recently changed. That surely avoids maine rather immoderate expenses from my pocket. The headlights had seen amended days, the overgarment had faded successful a fewer places and determination was a small rusting that needed contiguous attention. What I?ve heard is, usually the gen 1 Honda City has much rusting adjacent the interior lining of the trunk. In this case, determination was nary rust anyplace connected the inside. It was each connected the extracurricular similar the trunk lid, extortion enactment edges astir the windshield and rear glass. I showed this to the mechanic and helium said helium tin hole those earlier handing implicit the conveyance to me.

The motor bay

The headlights had faded

The overgarment had besides faded successful a fewer spots, similar the bonnet, beforehand fender etc

There were a fewer rust spots too, adjacent the bottommost close country of the rear windshield, nether the Honda emblem

The decision
If the non VTEC variant is truthful thrilling, I americium surely definite that the VTEC variant volition beryllium adjacent much thrilling. Since I person ne'er driven a VTEC City, I bash not cognize however it feels. For now, I americium consenting to support it that way. Whether I?m missing retired connected much amusive oregon not, I bash not know, but this car was bully capable for me. At a aboriginal point, if I bash not find a good maintained gen 1 City, I bash not privation to regret passing this deal. And if I bash travel crossed a bully VTEC someday, I tin inactive deliberation astir replacing this, if things look feasible. Again, there?s thing to lose. So with the decision of each my thoughts, I decided to bargain this aged timer. My in-laws were benignant capable to fto maine support the City successful their house. Since we sojourn them frequently, I tin support swapping betwixt the 800 and City. After negotiating, we came down to a terms that worked for some parties and sealed the deal. I made the beforehand outgo and went home.

The interiors were cleanable for the astir part

The AC vents were broken, the cogwheel lever and the woody trim astir the AC controls had a crack

The odo speechmaking of 2.32L Kms!

The powerfulness model switches that lacked feedback

Thoughts aft the deal
I americium precise good alert that maintaining it is not that casual and getting parts mightiness besides beryllium difficult. I usually get precise attached to my vehicles and find it hard to portion ways with them. But I mean to support the City for a mates of years and past merchantability it disconnected (fingers crossed!). In lawsuit it gets excessively hard to maintain, I mightiness merchantability it disconnected adjacent earlier. Sometimes I consciousness similar exploring immoderate mods too. As of now, I americium uncertain astir the plans for it. I privation to thoroughly recognize the car archetypal and past determine what to do. One happening is definite though. I had a wide grin portion driving it and I consciousness that is what matters the most.

20th January 2025
As promised, the erstwhile proprietor dropped disconnected the car astatine the mechanic?s garage. The mechanic gave maine a call, and informed maine astir that the conveyance was handed implicit and that helium would commencement the assemblage enactment from the adjacent day. I sent the remainder magnitude and completed the payment.

21st January 2025
The car did person a fewer rust spots (nothing major) and the overgarment had faded successful a fewer spots, with the bonnet being the astir obvious. There were insignificant dents too, but I asked the mechanic to permission them for present since they weren?t excessively heavy anyway. The mechanic began the assemblage enactment and told maine helium would manus implicit the car successful the aforesaid week. I was wholly occupied with work, truthful I was not successful a hurry. I asked him to fto maine cognize erstwhile everything is done.

22nd January 2025
My woman was anyhow successful Mysuru and completed the formalities required for the ownership transfer. The exertion was past submitted to the RTO.

24th January 2025
The ownership transportation was completed and the City was ours! Getting the astute paper would instrumentality much clip though. Nevertheless, the ownership transportation was precise quick!

25th January 2025
The mechanic gave maine a telephone that the car was ready. I told him I would fto him cognize erstwhile I?d beryllium capable to prime the car. I discussed with my family, and we decided to instrumentality the transportation connected 29th January 2025. Informed the aforesaid to the mechanic. But owed to immoderate different idiosyncratic commitments, we had to postpone the transportation to the archetypal week of February.

3rd February 2025
Since it was a weekday, I could not spell to instrumentality the delivery. My in-laws visited the store and took the transportation of our beloved City! They adjacent got the customary pooja done and parked the City astatine their place. Now it was conscionable a substance of clip earlier I?d get to thrust it. I was eagerly waiting. Part of maine inactive successful disbelief, arsenic to whether each this was real!

After taking the transportation of the car

During the pooja

15th February 2025
I happened to marque a speedy sojourn to Mysuru and erstwhile I reached my in-laws? house, determination it was, truthful spick and span adjacent aft aging a small implicit 2 decades. My woman had got it washed that morning. What a timeless beauty! It was a show to behold. I rapidly grabbed the keys, got into the car and cranked it up. The motor roared to life. My father-in-law told maine that the AC did not look to beryllium working. After fiddling with it for a while, I realized that it was conscionable the instrumentality that was moving and not the AC. I called the mechanic and told him astir the issue. He asked maine to driblet by, since helium had besides not noticed it. It was a bully accidental to thrust the City and I headed consecutive to the mechanic. While driving to the garage, I was trying to recognize the car. It was rather astonishing that the car?s behaviour changed dynamically with input. Whether you?d privation to cruise successful the 4th/5th gear, oregon rev the nuts retired of the engine, it was acceptable to instrumentality connected anything.
Once I reached the garage, the mechanic inspected the AC and told maine that it mightiness beryllium retired of gas. He said we request to refill the gas, and cheque for immoderate leaks. I could either driblet the car oregon get it fixed later. Since I had precise constricted clip successful Mysuru, I decided to bask the driving acquisition first. I told him I?ll get it done astatine a aboriginal point, conscionable earlier taking the car home.
From there, I drove to Chamundi hills. The car was truthful planted and was a hoot to thrust successful those curves. It didn?t adjacent interruption a sweat. The ascent was truthful effortless and the motor had truthful overmuch beingness that I could cruise successful 4th cogwheel astatine 2000RPM. I had a large clip driving the City. By the extremity of the day, I had already covered astir 70Kms successful the City and I enjoyed each spot of it. After all, this was the acquisition I had been longing for.

The headlights were buffed

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

Conclusion
There are a fewer things pending and I volition dilatory get them done 1 by one, depending connected the necessity. Getting the AC repaired is my archetypal people and I person already ordered the vents for it.
Until now, I faintly believed that dreams bash travel true, and this full occurrence conscionable made it stronger! Who would person thought that a tendency ignited astatine an aboriginal age, would go a world decades later! Grateful to person gone done specified a scintillating acquisition and for being capable to stock it with you chap enthusiasts.