Help a guy choose his first car.

**kablitz** · November 28th, 2011 05:58 PM

Hi guys. I've been lurking around this forum for some time to learn a bit about cars. I've decided to buy a car around March next year as a birthday present for myself but I haven't decided yet what car to buy. Hopefully, you guys can help me with this.

Some info to consider:
- I can shell out about 250k as initial DP.
- I can pay 15k+ for the monthly ng hindi tinitipid ang sarili ko for other expenses.
- Right now, my office is near my place (20php jeepney fare) so I will probably only use the car pag may date or lakad ako. So, about twice a week lang.

First of all, for my first car, should I get a brand new one? or would a second hand, well-maintained car suffice? What would you do in my place?

My cousin, not really a car expert, recommends a brand new Honda City since it sounds just right on my budget and Honda's a reliable brand. If I had more money, I would get a Lancer EX for the badass look. The new Ford Fiesta's looks good too and the price seems to be right up my alley.

Guys, help this guy make the right choice. Thanks.

**ghosthunter** · November 28th, 2011 06:15 PM

You can opt to buy a two or three year old used car which would give you the best value because you by-passed the initial depreciation of the car. But that still means you still need to shell out a big chunk of change.

Buying a new car, you can have it financed although you'll end up paying more because of the interest.

Personally, I would suggest the Honda Jazz 1.5L AT which gives great value for money and flexible interior means you can do more with the car aside from just carrying people around. Alternative is the Mazda2 1.5L AT Hatchback which is cheaper by around P50K (based on SRP).

**GTS925** · November 28th, 2011 06:49 PM

Nag inquire ako last week. Accent M/T. 200K DP, 15K ang monthly for 3 years.

**Retz** · November 28th, 2011 07:20 PM

Go for Altis.

**renzo_d10** · November 28th, 2011 07:23 PM

Buying a 2nd hand vehicle is always risky, however if you have a friend or a colleague that can be trusted when it comes to purchasing cars then looking at the used market would not be a risky thing to do. Also, your choices are plentiful compared to brand new vehicles wherein your choices are limited to sub-compacts/compacts only.

Assessing your budget, you can possibly get hold of big SUVs such as the Fortuner ( case-to-case basis ) or to older FM Pajeros, LC80 or even the 1st generation Montero.

You can also somehow get hold of a 2004-2005 Toyota Camry or even a Honda Accord. Those said vehicles guzzle somehow a bit more than expected but then, those cars are really worth the buck. Image-wise and comfort-wise. And besides, you wouldn't use these vehicles often, so fuel issues wouldn't be really a big problem. Plus pogi points pa ito sa ka-date mo. ;)

**Retz** · November 28th, 2011 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by kablitz

Hi guys. I've been lurking around this forum for some time to learn a bit about cars. I've decided to buy a car around March next year as a birthday present for myself but I haven't decided yet what car to buy. Hopefully, you guys can help me with this.

Some info to consider:
- I can shell out about 250k as initial DP.
- I can pay 15k+ for the monthly ng hindi tinitipid ang sarili ko for other expenses.
- Right now, my office is near my place (20php jeepney fare) so I will probably only use the car pag may date or lakad ako. So, about twice a week lang.

First of all, for my first car, should I get a brand new one? or would a second hand, well-maintained car suffice? What would you do in my place?

My cousin, not really a car expert, recommends a brand new Honda City since it sounds just right on my budget and Honda's a reliable brand. If I had more money, I would get a Lancer EX for the badass look. The new Ford Fiesta's looks good too and the price seems to be right up my alley.

Guys, help this guy make the right choice. Thanks.

do you consider buying a second hand mpv or suv perhaps?

**dr. d** · November 28th, 2011 08:36 PM

i was "lucky". i didn't have enough cash, and so opted for a used car.
boy, was i lucky! i got an ex-taxi! thru sheer grit, i repaired it to the best of my wallet's ability, and learned quite a lot about cars in the process! i should have stuck to two-doors!
my advise to you, is to keep a lookout around for real friends or relatives who wish to upgrade and are selling their old but well-maintained cars. you will probably save yourself some headaches there.
but if you are decided on brand new, i think every other brand and model will have a spokesman around here. i won't add to your confusion. just remember that a one-year old car is just a smidgen less reliable than a brand new one, minus the horrendous first year's depreciation.
and probably my most valuable advice: DON'T RUSH! it's a buyers' market out there! there are more sellers out there than there are buyers.

**GTi** · November 28th, 2011 08:49 PM

For the best bang for the buck brand new car you can consider the Accent (588k 1.4M/T base, 688k 1.4A/T + airbag + ABS/EBD, 808k 1.6GLS top of the line). For a 2nd hand car, how much is the total amount that you can shell out?

Take note that you'd be paying a lot more in financing than you would when buying in cash. And I'm emphasizing on the A LOT here.

Since you'd be using the car only seldomly, and you're after porma, you may want to get a 2nd hand Cefiro. Most feature packed car you can get for your money. Napakaporma niyan lalo na after sinalpak mo ng malaking rims. You can get a 2nd gen Cefiro 2.0V6 (165hp) for just 300+k to 400+k, and 3.0V6 (220hp) for 400+k to 500+k. Now the engine in the 3.0V6 is a real gem... the VQ30DE has spent ten consecutive years in Ward's Ten Best Engines List!