Advice Pls.: Buying a car for a Dummy Like Me

[Saint Charm]

Hi all, newbie here… don’t know much about the terminologies, the specs etc. heck I don’t even know the types, the brand, the make, not until now that I’m doing research (and still struggling). That’s how innocent I am with cars.

‘Coz for me cars = LIABILITY.

I’ve been a big fan of “saving money”, long term investments, pera mo palaguin mo – Colayco etc. So even if I have the means to buy a car, I rather invest my money on mutual funds etc. But at this point in my life it seems that buying a new car is more of a necessity than a mere want (still single and not getting any younger ). Below are my primary motives in buying a car.

• Improve my lifestyle to get more options and opportunity of meeting new people (esp. women ) and experience more out of life (e.g. travel, adventures, social gatherings that I usually don’t go to because of the hassles of commuting etc.).
• Going to work (pasig to makati), it’s not the traffic that I hate, it’s the waiting for a taxi, FX, bus during rush hours… I literally hate it! :furious: Grrrr….

With the above, my choice of car should be

• A chick magnet. Dapat masculine ang dating and stylish.
• Fuel efficient (They say mas matipid ang 1.5 kesa sa 1.3?)
• High resale value after 5 years. (They say Honda cars are better than Toyota when it comes to resale?).
• Should be worth its price (700k – 800k)
• Automatic

Can you please recommend a model, brand, color, etc. And what other things should I be looking for (given my above needs). I’m currently really considering a Honda City… may 2010 na ba? Ano pinagkaiba niya sa 2009 model. Here’s a quotation I got from Honda Makati this January… weird 2009 ang binigay, parang may 2010 na bagong labas.


MODEL SRP
Honda City
2009 1.3A M/T (with abs) 686,000
2009 1.3 S MT (with airbags, abs) 726,000
2009 1.3S AT (with airbags, abs ) 766,000
2009 1.5E AT (with airbags, abs) 816,000
Comparing 1.5E and 1.3S, is the 50K price difference worth it? Konti nalang 1.6 Altis G A/T na.

Thanks in advance!

[ghosthunter]

Have you also considered the Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris?

[renzo_d10]

The reason why the City 1.3S and the City 1.5E has a large difference among it's price, because of the features that comes with the vehicle itself.

For example.

The obvious one ... the " E " has a higher displacement, thus more power.
The exclusivity of the color ... only the " E " variant gets the color Tafetta White and the Polished Metal.
The alloy rims ... the " E " gets 15". ( I think )

etc. etc. check honda's website.

One more thing. CHECK OTHER BRANDS AS WELL.

The vios 1.5G gets more power than the 1.5E YET! It's price is close to the 1.3S of the honda city. AND! It gets more amenities than what you can get at the Honda.

[Saint Charm]

I haven't really considered or looked the details of Yaris and Jazz kase wala silang puwet . I saw in Discovery or NatGeo that these kind of cars are not safe for their back passengers because they don't have the ability to absorb the impact of a car crash coming from behind, thus all the force will be absorb upto the passengers. Aray! I don't know if car manufacturers today have dealt with this issue for the likes of Jazz and yaris.

[Saint Charm]

*renzo thanks for the info... what amenities can I get sa 1.5G Vios na wala sa Honda city? They said that it's much easier to get cool add-ins, quality parts for Honda

[niky]

I haven't really considered or looked the details of Yaris and Jazz kase wala silang puwet . I saw in Discovery or NatGeo that these kind of cars are not safe for their back passengers because they don't have the ability to absorb the impact of a car crash coming from behind, thus all the force will be absorb upto the passengers. Aray! I don't know if car manufacturers today have dealt with this issue for the likes of Jazz and yaris.

Might be an issue for the Yaris, as the rear seats are nearly at the rear glass... but the space between the Jazz rear seats and the rear hatch is pretty big.

The real danger of a hatchback is for third row passengers in small seven seaters, as detailed in the infamous Fifth Gear crash test. But that test also showed how strong the crash structure is... and those third row passengers would have survived the impact if they had an extra foot or two of space between themselves and the glass.

Jazz rear passengers have that extra two feet. A fully grown adult can sit upright inside the trunk behind the rear seats with the hatch closed.

And the Jazz meets all your criteria. Relatively fuel efficient (as much as any small car with an automatic can be), high (very high compared to the Vios and City) resale value, chick magnet.

And the seats are more comfortable than the City's and more supportive (not as squishy) than the Vios's.

And it'll be easy to care for. Oil changes every 10,000 kilometers. Which means you go to the dealership half as often as you would in other cars. Requires synthetic, which adds to the cost... but since you're paying for half the service (and it's the service charge of dealerships that always costs twice as much as it needs to...), it all evens out... and when you consider the savings in time spent bringing the car there and waiting for service to be completed... you'll ask yourself why not all car companies give you this much luxury. (As we put over 4000kms a month on our vehicles... our CR-V's 10,000 km service interval is something of a god-send).

[Sniper Wolf]

Honda City 2009 is the latest generation of City. What you only get in 2010 was the Tafetta White variant exclusive for 1.5 E.

Just last year, I have to choose between Vios and City 2009. In the end, I chose City. Mas nagustuhan ni misis yung porma. Lalu na yung black.

But my personal choices would be Toyota Altis or Hyundai Tucson.

[number001]

Yes, its not a chick magnet, but if you were to add the cost of a new I-Phone 3GS to the price of the City or Jazz, you'd be able to net an Altis 1.6 G A/T.

Its a bigger, more spacious and comfortable vehicle than either Jazz or City. Their prices are very close and the fact that the Altis might be more like the proverbial "bang-for-the-buck" vehicle, makes it even harder not to consider it.

[niky]

Yes, its not a chick magnet, but if you were to add the cost of a new I-Phone 3GS to the price of the City or Jazz, you'd be able to net an Altis 1.6 G A/T.

Its a bigger, more spacious and comfortable vehicle than either Jazz or City. Their prices are very close and the fact that the Altis might be more like the proverbial "bang-for-the-buck" vehicle, makes it even harder not to consider it.

It's wider, but the Jazz has better legroom (subjective, yeah... but it's there) and the front-footwells are more comfortably shaped than the Altis.

And the new Jazz/City interiors are incredibly wide. You actually have to see them to believe them.

[Lanchong]

One more thing. CHECK OTHER BRANDS AS WELL.

The vios 1.5G gets more power than the 1.5E YET! It's price is close to the 1.3S of the honda city. AND! It gets more amenities than what you can get at the Honda.

Sir hinahanap yata ng TS is:

A chick magnet. Dapat masculine ang dating and stylish.

Kaya malabo siguro ang Vios para dito. Kung commuter magnet siguro hinahanap, pwede. joke

[[archie]]

at that price range, altis a/t na lang. for chick magnet purposes, its the altis vs jazz. ill still take the altis with that comparison.

for other reasons, its a higher class from city, higher resale after 5 years.

[LeOxe]

if "porma" and nothing else is your thing, i would definitely pick the Honda City 1.5E in Tafetta White shade.

but if you opt for a balance between "porma" and "comfort", the Altis 1.6G wins. it's a much more bigger car with a slighltly bigger engine displacement. the ride is very comfy too somewhat similar to the camry plus the interior and trunk is very roomy.

[Saint Charm]

at that price range, altis a/t na lang. for chick magnet purposes, its the altis vs jazz. ill still take the altis with that comparison.

for other reasons, its a higher class from city, higher resale after 5 years.

I never thought that jazz or hatchback types are chick magnets... now I'm confused, 'coz I'm looking toward buying the new honda city 'coz it's masculine... pero sabi ng mga ibang friends ko, parang transformer daw... is that something that lowers its aesthetic value?

Mga sir 700k - 800k lang budget ko Thanks sa mga suggestions.

[blue_gambit]

Vios 1.5 g a/t, laki discount dami freebies. and its a toyota so maintenance wont burn your pocket. Di naman po tayo nakikipag karera so reliability & easy maintenance and down the road resale value should be considered.

[tanatej]

Corolla GLi 1993-1997. peso-for-peso the best value.

1. To be honest, basta may car ka na decent plus pogi points na yun sa chicks.

2. Pretty fuel efficient na rin siya kasi EFI na.

3. High resale value? Forget it... malaki na ang binagsak ng brand new car sa value the moment you drove it out of the dealer. Kahit Honda City pa yan. And what's to stop people from haggling you down? The Corolla GLi's value after 5 years, meanwhile, is negligible that you can practically give it away and won't feel bad about it... unless na-attach ka na sa car of course and decide to keep it til it falls apart (which is common with bigbody owners).

4. For between 150 to 180K which is just downpayment money you can fully own a well-maintained Corolla GLi... worth every peso you spend. Parts are plentiful and cheap, any grease monkey can fix it (including YOU since you seem smart enough), and doesn't leave you up to your neck in debt which is a cardinal sin for someone who's a big fan of saving money.

5. It's easy to find an automatic model. Usually these cars are owner-driven, so it shouldn't be hard to find one in good shape.

6. You wouldn't feel anxious parking this car at a public place and worry about scratches, dings, exposed paint... all those niggling details about a new car. Just keep it clean, neat and cool inside. Chicks like things neat and tidy and fresh smelling. Protip: Air Spencer.

7. Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE na di BINAHA yung SUPPOSEDLY BRAND NEW UNIT na ibibigay sayo? unless tatay mo yung mayari ng dealership I don't think they have your best interests in mind. They just want the sale.

8. And one more thing, pag yan ay NABANGGA or NASIRA for some reason at nagkataon na Honda yan... let's say na magkikita kayo uli ni manong jeepney driver ng madalas. Which brings down the resale value further, which means even more money lost.


Ang masasabi ko lang is explore all options, think outside the box. Madali lang bumili, mahirap kumita ng pera. If you must buy a car then go for it, I agree that a car is a very useful tool and will definitely change the way you live, but spend wisely.

[tanatej]

One more thing I forgot: You don't need to pay comprehensive insurance on an older car that you fully own. Just drive safely of course. With an automatic transmission you should be able to concentrate on the road and not the clutch.

[niky]

Insurance isn't just for your benefit. If you accidentally hit someone else's vehicle, insurance can help cover that.

Even our older vehicles have insurance. It's extra cost, but if you do a lot of kilometers every year, it's worth it for the peace of mind and elimination of hassle during accidents.

In other countries, it's actually illegal to drive without insurance... not just the pathetic money-racket they call third-party-liability here.

[oliver1013]

Whatever car you choose, remember that its not the ride, its the rider.

Kung gusto mo maging chick magnet make yourself one, kung gusto mo ng masculine, mag gym ka.

[tanatej]

Insurance isn't just for your benefit. If you accidentally hit someone else's vehicle, insurance can help cover that.

Even our older vehicles have insurance. It's extra cost, but if you do a lot of kilometers every year, it's worth it for the peace of mind and elimination of hassle during accidents.

In other countries, it's actually illegal to drive without insurance... not just the pathetic money-racket they call third-party-liability here.

That's true, but seeing as napakaunreliable at napakainconvenient pala mag claim ng insurance dito as evidenced by their snail-pace reaction to Ondoy victims, mas maganda pa siguro na mag-areglo nalang kayo rather than go through the hassle of claiming insurance. We are in the Philippines after all. The aforementioned Corolla can just go to any backyard talyer, straightened out and Bondoed there. Spare panels from donor cars, even entire nose and boot cuts and can be purchased at Banawe for a fraction of the price it will cost for a new card to be repaired. Namomonitor pa ang trabaho at minsan puwede pang hulugan.

Besides, kung wala kang insurance I'd like to think a driver drives more carefully that way as opposed to the mindset of "may insurance naman eh I can be a bit more aggressive driving and it's always the other driver's fault naman".

[Saint Charm]

*tanatej Thank you tol sa advice. Very useful, dami palang dapat tingnan... One thing though, is there really a possibility that there are flooded brand new cars? If I'll buy for example in Makati?

Anyway I'll consider all of your advice