Best Options for 300k Automatic?

[Starex_Gold]

better buy second hand cars kasi po mahirap maghanap ng BNEW car for 300-350k. maybe umabot ang Chery QQ pero parang di naman ok yung car

and yung mga pwedeng maging options mo sa 2nd hand cars. 02-03 Civic, 03-05 Lancer, 04 Mazda 3, or my optra

pero medyo mahal ng konti ang maintenance ng Chevys eh. but it suites you ;)

[renzo_d10]

better buy second hand cars kasi po mahirap maghanap ng BNEW car for 300-350k. maybe umabot ang Chery QQ pero parang di naman ok yung car

and yung mga pwedeng maging options mo sa 2nd hand cars. 02-03 Civic, 03-05 Lancer, 04 Mazda 3, or my optra

pero medyo mahal ng konti ang maintenance ng Chevys eh. but it suites you ;)

SG,

TS might be the person you`re looking for......the one who will buy your precious optra

[KERSMcRae]

a) 2nd hand first, then get a brand new after you mastered driving

b) first, get the same car you used on your driving lessons
others, get a Honda Jazz or a Toyota Yaris (small cars than a regular sedan)

HTH

[granro01]

You are a girl and absolutely knows nothing about car repair and maintenance. It will definitely be a suicide in your case to purchase second hand cars. Bukod sa midol kailangan magtabi ka na rin ng dolpenal for headaches Dont think twice, go for brand new cars. If your budget cant afford it right now then pwede namang downpayment yang money mo ngayon.

Happy hunting.....

[testament11]

hello TS, seems na bago ka lang dito sa tsikot... then i welcome you here sa masayang automotive site sa buong internet! welcome to tsikot!

well mam, as for your queries, i'll answer it to the best that i can

A. brand new or 2nd hand?
syempre mas maganda ang brand new, but you have a tight budget of 350k max only. so go for 2nd hand. having a 2nd hand car, sa perspective ko ah, is an advantage. madami nagsasabi disadvantage gawa ng mga sirang parts. but through this, i was able to enhance my automotive troubleshooting at syempre na din, sa tulong ng tsikot. madami ka matutunan sa 2nd hand, trust me mam... i've been there and i can say i enjoy my ride more than what i expected

b. what cars suits your budget?
madami pong papasok sa budget ninyo. you prefer a/t po ba mam? you said po na sumuko ang instructor mo sa yo while learning to drive a manual car. naku mam, wala lang yun tiyaga sa yo. if i were your instructor, i'll do what i can para matuto ka. driving a manual is not easy, pero you will be a more versatile driver pagdating ng araw. so if you would po talaga, buy a manual pero you need someone na magtitiyagang magturo sa yo.

now, kung anong kotse ang babagay po sa inyo, eto po ang aking suggestions:
1. 1st generation toyota altis - pwede na ang 1.6g dito at pasok na yun sa 350k budget. kung hindi, yung 1.6e eh swak na

2. 2000-2005 honda civic - most civics na papasok sa 350k budget are the 2000-2003 models, better get the vti or vti-s variant

3. chevrolet optra - like my friend sg said, one good car. but maintenance is a bit costly. you may not consider this car

4. 2003-2005 mitsubishi lancer mx cvt - this is my choice. fuel consumption is good and it is in cvt (continous variable transmission), meaning you can drive in matic and manual mode without the clutch

5. late model nissan sentra - this is also a good car but i'm not quite familiar of nissan, pero i can recommend this

also mam, try to buy a copy of car finder every week. this is a big help for you so that you can have an idea on what cars can suit your budget. if ever you find one that you think will suit you, you can consult us here at tsikot anytime and we'll give you our opinion on your choice. again mam, welcome to tsikot and good luck on finding your 1st car

[mda]

I'd have to agree on brand new.

Reasons:

1) If you're in it for hassle-free ownership - the moment magloko car mo, back to the dealer for repair free via warranty. You never know what's wrong with a 2nd hand car if you don't know where to look (different cars, iba-iba ang sakit)

2) Wala kang suking repairman/mechanic = you're likely to be conned by overcharging shops and repairpersons like rapide (see the long feedback/hate thread on them here).

3) We've owned a 1998 honda civic A/T for 11 years, and we haven't experienced any glaring breakdowns that weren't of our own doing. With that said, it's going back to the hassle-free ownership and taking proper care of the car. If it weren't for faulty wiring jobs back when the car was new, we wouldn't even think of disposing of the car now.

As already mentioned by some of the above, you could use the 300k for downpayment. You can check with the banks for lower financing rates naman.

As to what car I'd recommend, it would boil down to how much total you're willing to spend (down payment + aggregate monthly fees)

[JackFlash]

By now you must be getting dizzy reading all the tips. If you don't like the small, cramped brand new cars that fall w/in your budget, then go for used.

To help you shop, here's a link from Buy & Sell Philippines: http://carfinderphilippines.net/buy-...ing-used-cars/

I found the tips very useful when I bought a used car some time back. In addition to what's in the article, I also suggest...

1. Magnets. Yup, ref magnets. Stick them on the car's body, especially toward the corners, along the seams where bumps are most likely to happen. If the magnets don't stick, there's a good chance extensive body work has been done. Makapal ang masilya in the areas where the magnet can't come into contact w/ metal. Walk away when this happens.
2. When you find the car you like, you can text a certain no. (which escapes me now) to find out if there are no registered liens against the vehicle and that the vehicle is not stolen.
3. Be prepared to still spend some money for additional fixes. Even if you brought along a mechanic in your used car quest, remember that he ain't psychic. Some defects may still have escaped his eye during the pre-buy inspection stage.

That's it. Happy hunting and enjoy the drive.