Best 400k A/T Sedan? Go old (but reliable) or younger model?

**leoblack9** · September 29th, 2019 09:31 AM

This is a segway from my other thread (Altis 1.6) as I am mainly expanding on my choices (max 400k budget) mainly:

Altis (08-12) - Old but reliable, parts availability, T-badge
Camry (Pre-2012) - cheap second hand because of low resale value, Comfort/luxury, T-badge
Mirage - Fuel economy, parts availability
Vios - (Pre-2014) - same as Altis
Ciaz - Fuel economy, comfort, elegant design, cheap second hand

Its going to be a coding car, but mainly used by my father so comfort is a priority. A/T is a must. Bumper-to-bumper traffic from Marikina to Quezon avenue twice to thrice a week.

I've been looking at Altises and Camrys and I'm still deliberating whether to buy an old but reliable workhorse or buy something newer like a second-hand Mirage/Ciaz with Low miles. Since a 10 year old car is still a 10 year old car, vs a 2 or 3 year old second hand car.

Cheapest option right now is the Altis and Mirage around 300k option. But most of the second hand options I've seen were used heavily as daily drivers. Hard to find a reasonably low mileage/low wear-and-tear unit. Same as Vios.

Older Camrys are easier to find low mileage/low usage. But I am still not familiar with the maintenance costs and parts availability of these units.

Ciaz - since its a low resale value car, I'm able to find a 400k 2017 model with 15k kms or less. It shares its engine with the Ertiga and Swift and the 1.4 K14B engine is one of the most fuel efficient, rivals the Mirage's 3-cylinder engine. Has no glaring weakness according sa Team-BHP forums. Main downside should be parts availability of Suzuki. But then again, I have a 10 year old Celerio that is nothing but fun to drive and reliable. Parts are cheap sa casa so I am aware of the costs of Suzuki ownership.

Inputs appreciated.

**sparc179** · September 29th, 2019 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by leoblack9

This is a segway from my other thread (Altis 1.6) as I am mainly expanding on my choices (max 400k budget) mainly:

Altis (08-12) - Old but reliable, parts availability, T-badge
Camry (Pre-2012) - cheap second hand because of low resale value, Comfort/luxury, T-badge
Mirage - Fuel economy, parts availability
Vios - (Pre-2014) - same as Altis
Ciaz - Fuel economy, comfort, elegant design, cheap second hand

Its going to be a coding car, but mainly used by my father so comfort is a priority. A/T is a must. Bumper-to-bumper traffic from Marikina to Quezon avenue twice to thrice a week.

I've been looking at Altises and Camrys and I'm still deliberating whether to buy an old but reliable workhorse or buy something newer like a second-hand Mirage/Ciaz with Low miles. Since a 10 year old car is still a 10 year old car, vs a 2 or 3 year old second hand car.

Cheapest option right now is the Altis and Mirage around 300k option. But most of the second hand options I've seen were used heavily as daily drivers. Hard to find a reasonably low mileage/low wear-and-tear unit. Same as Vios.

Older Camrys are easier to find low mileage/low usage. But I am still not familiar with the maintenance costs and parts availability of these units.

Ciaz - since its a low resale value car, I'm able to find a 400k 2017 model with 15k kms or less. It shares its engine with the Ertiga and Swift and the 1.4 K14B engine is one of the most fuel efficient, rivals the Mirage's 3-cylinder engine. Has no glaring weakness according sa Team-BHP forums. Main downside should be parts availability of Suzuki. But then again, I have a 10 year old Celerio that is nothing but fun to drive and reliable. Parts are cheap sa casa so I am aware of the costs of Suzuki ownership.

Inputs appreciated.

Since it's mostly going to be used by your dad, who we have to assume is, to put it mildly, a member of the Tito's Club already

, will a sedan, like the Camry or even the Altis, be a disadvantage because of their larger sizes compared with the other choices?

I mention this because when my youngest uncle, he's nearing 70 y/o, bought his latest car he opted for a second hand Jimny, because according to him, it's easier to get in and out of and parking it is way easier than a sedan.

Just something to consider, maybe?

For me, among your choices I would go with the Ciaz, had a chance to ride in one and it was quite comfy. Plus a newer car means less potential break downs. Peace of mind when your dad needs to use the car.

HTH.

**leoblack9** · September 29th, 2019 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by sparc179

Since it's mostly going to be used by your dad, who we have to assume is, to put it mildly, a member of the Tito's Club already

, will a sedan, like the Camry or even the Altis, be a disadvantage because of their larger sizes compared with the other choices?

I mention this because when my youngest uncle, he's nearing 70 y/o, bought his latest car he opted for a second hand Jimny, because according to him, it's easier to get in and out of and parking it is way easier than a sedan.

Just something to consider, maybe?

For me, among your choices I would go with the Ciaz, had a chance to ride in one and it was quite comfy. Plus a newer car means less potential break downs. Peace of mind when your dad needs to use the car.

HTH.

He's almost 60 and yes matagal nang tito, almost lolo club na. To answer your question though, his daily driver is a Fortuner and he often tells me its hard to see whats in front of his car... gusto pa nga niya ipatanggal yung A-Pillar ng sasakyan niya but that's just not possible. A sedan would be an improvement since its lower and a lower front end = more visibility.

And yes, Suzuki doesn't have issues sa reliability with its K-series engine. They're highly rated everywhere I look. Part of the reason why I'm looking at it too. Toyotas and Hondas may have more parts but if you maintain any car religiously it might as well last 10 years or more.

**dr. d** · September 29th, 2019 11:43 AM

in my opinion,
the ciaz has more driver space than that altis.

my innova has about the same blind spot issue as the fortuner. my wigo has better driver view.
if driver view is a concern, then you should try these candidates out first.

**sparc179** · September 29th, 2019 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by leoblack9

He's almost 60 and yes matagal nang tito, almost lolo club na. To answer your question though, his daily driver is a Fortuner and he often tells me its hard to see whats in front of his car... gusto pa nga niya ipatanggal yung A-Pillar ng sasakyan niya but that's just not possible. A sedan would be an improvement since its lower and a lower front end = more visibility.

And yes, Suzuki doesn't have issues sa reliability with its K-series engine. They're highly rated everywhere I look. Part of the reason why I'm looking at it too. Toyotas and Hondas may have more parts but if you maintain any car religiously it might as well last 10 years or more.

There you go then, looks like your mind's already made up and you're just looking for confirmation.

I had a Suzuki Samurai (U.S. version) for more than 15 years and it only failed me twice on the road, and that was due to my own negligence even.

I miss my Suzie sometimes.

**chronicle** · September 30th, 2019 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by leoblack9

gusto pa nga niya ipatanggal yung A-Pillar ng sasakyan niya but that's just not possible. A sedan would be an improvement since its lower and a lower front end = more visibility.

Honda jazz? Good visibility.
Mas magiging hip pa si father nyan

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**_Qwerty_** · September 30th, 2019 02:03 PM

kung father mo mag drive.. hindi ba sya mahihirapan mag labas pasok sa sedan? mababa ang sedan, hirap ang matatanda pumasok lalo na kung masasakit na ang tuhod..

for 400K you can get an Avanza..

**ale828** · September 30th, 2019 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by leoblack9

He's almost 60 and yes matagal nang tito, almost lolo club na. To answer your question though, his daily driver is a Fortuner and he often tells me its hard to see whats in front of his car... gusto pa nga niya ipatanggal yung A-Pillar ng sasakyan niya but that's just not possible. A sedan would be an improvement since its lower and a lower front end = more visibility.

Early Camry models G and V (2006-2010) have front corner sensors that will help if your dad is having a hard time with visibility. i think only the late model 3.5Q models of the camry have these.
its a nice consideration since he complains of visibility. plus its the most comfortable of the bunch.