350-400k budget. What will you get?

[VanessaG]

Very informative thread as I have the same dilemma.

I'm planning to go back to the Philippines very soon and such I would need transport. I'm used to sporty cars, having an Acura RSX myself. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed with the selection of cars in the country.. or lack thereof. Realistically, I'll just have to settle for a bland, cheap car that will just get me from point a to point b. Ehh, gotta be practical in the end.

I will be looking at the cars you guys mentioned. Thanks!

[GTi]

Honda VTi-S M/T nalang kunin mo. The newest that fits your budget. Parts are easy to find, performance and fuel efficiency is more than decent enough and build quality is excellent.

Having two 7th gen Accords (2.4 and 3.0), I can vouch that they're excellent and reliable cars. Absolutely no cheap interior bits, performance and handling are excellent, and maintenance cost is cheap. 5AT lacks manual shift override, but is very perceptive and responsive. But I have some things against them. It is quite hard to upgrade the sound system since the head unit is so fully integrated that even the A/C is integrated with it, so you can't really remove it. Sure, there's a 2-DIN slot at the bottom of the center stack in the form of a big covered storage bin, but that spot is very hard to access from the driver's seat. And then, once something electronic related with the HVAC breaks down (happened with the 2.4), sakit-ulo na since parts for these are rare, and extremely expensive. Honda na yun ah. There are supposed to be lots of parts for it!

The 6th gen Accord is also a good proposition, if you don't mind the age. It's much simpler than the 7th gen and so much easier to service. It's also the last Accord locally available with a manual.

[SiRbossR]

Honda VTi-S M/T nalang kunin mo. The newest that fits your budget. Parts are easy to find, performance and fuel efficiency is more than decent enough and build quality is excellent.

Having two 7th gen Accords (2.4 and 3.0), I can vouch that they're excellent and reliable cars. Absolutely no cheap interior bits, performance and handling are excellent, and maintenance cost is cheap. 5AT lacks manual shift override, but is very perceptive and responsive. But I have some things against them. It is quite hard to upgrade the sound system since the head unit is so fully integrated that even the A/C is integrated with it, so you can't really remove it. Sure, there's a 2-DIN slot at the bottom of the center stack in the form of a big covered storage bin, but that spot is very hard to access from the driver's seat. And then, once something electronic related with the HVAC breaks down (happened with the 2.4), sakit-ulo na since parts for these are rare, and extremely expensive. Honda na yun ah. There are supposed to be lots of parts for it!

The 6th gen Accord is also a good proposition, if you don't mind the age. It's much simpler than the 7th gen and so much easier to service. It's also the last Accord locally available with a manual.

220k nga lang cash on hand niya.

[cpsolt]

i'd get a lifted pickup. a nissan frontier or a previous generation hilux. but that's just me.