Help me choose our first car for 200-300k

**bugoys** · May 21st, 2016 08:09 PM

Thank you for all your responses. Keep them coming.

Half of me wants to get the CRV, the other half (practicality) in me want to get the Vios 2nd gen. I'm really worried about the Altis' oil sludge problem. Since my wife will be driving the car 70% of the time (I get to drive only on my off and holidays), I want the most reliable car we can get, and don't wan't to think about the car every time she drives it.

**jettp0gi** · May 21st, 2016 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by bugoys

Thank you for all your responses. Keep them coming.

Half of me wants to get the CRV, the other half (practicality) in me want to get the Vios 2nd gen. I'm really worried about the Altis' oil sludge problem. Since my wife will be driving the car 70% of the time (I get to drive only on my off and holidays), I want the most reliable car we can get, and don't wan't to think about the car every time she drives it.

Vios 2nd gen sir hindi ba ito yung mga madalas open ang hood? Balita ko dahil daw hindi kinakaya ng radiator ang init (rumors lang).

How about pajero 2nd gen? Based on your budget and situation as you described, maybe it's a good choice (dagdag ka lang siguro konti sa budget). I do own one, at reliable pa rin naman sya until now. Yun nga lang, FC is around 6-8km/L city driving (w/ lots of traffic) [emoji22]. Pero diesel sya so medyo mura fuel[emoji108]. Maintenance wise, medyo mahal pyesa specially suspension pero sobrang tagal naman bago masira.

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

**bugoys** · May 22nd, 2016 12:50 PM

* jett- I think so, it is. Its commonly known as "batman" if I'm not mistaken.
I actually thought about the Pajero, the model before the fm, albeit it lacks safety features I want, it was compensated by the structural design and integrity of the body. Long hood, plus wide frame and a "thicker sheet of metal" as compared to the cars now. Then again, wife's the one driving and she probably would disagree with me. Largest she can drive, I think would be a cuv.

**jettp0gi** · May 22nd, 2016 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by bugoys

* jett- I think so, it is. Its commonly known as "batman" if I'm not mistaken.
I actually thought about the Pajero, the model before the fm, albeit it lacks safety features I want, it was compensated by the structural design and integrity of the body. Long hood, plus wide frame and a "thicker sheet of metal" as compared to the cars now. Then again, wife's the one driving and she probably would disagree with me. Largest she can drive, I think would be a cuv.

Yeah, medyo kulang nga sa safety features (matigas talaga sya as you said hehe). Fieldmaster ung akin (gen 2.5?), driver airbag, seatbelts, and reinforced stuff na lang talaga ang safety features.

In this case sir, I suggest you go for the "happy wife, happy life" route na lang hehe. I vote for the mirage G4. I have several friends who own the G4 and no problem naman daw sa reliability. Their only complaint is hirap sa bundok lalo na pag full at nasa mataas na lugar na. But that would be pretty much normal for a naturally aspirated and small (1.2) engine.

**GTi** · May 24th, 2016 07:39 PM

At your budget range, if you are looking at the CRV, you can also consider the X-Trail, Escape and Tribute. You can get much newer units for your money. All of them offer ABS and airbags. Go for the 4x2 variants for better gas mileage. Don't expect much in terms of fuel consumption though. Worst case scenario for our Tribute 2.3 (constant short trips in bumper to bumper Manila traffic) is a dismal 4km/L. You might get better results since you live in the province though. Just keep the revs beneath 2k rpm. Ask the owner what they have already replaced. At this point our 2006 Tribute's AC compressor and evaporator have been replaced already. The latter needing to disassemble the dashboard to do so. Expensive too. Underchassis is very solid and the body feels like a bank vault. Engine note at high rpm sounds like American muscle but regular trips to the redline drains the gas tank like you wouldn't believe, unlike diesels wherein the fuel consumption seems to be the same however way you drive it.

Of course you can always get an Adventure... Diesel engine, cheap parts and maintenance, seats 10, durable underchassis, the list goes on. No safety features besides seatbelts and panic engine braking of course.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

**bugoys** · May 24th, 2016 11:03 PM

* GTi- Thanks for your insight. I was also looking at the Xtrail and the Mazda/Ford cuv, but I have read a lot of negative feedback with the Escape, not with the Tribute though. I also looked at the Outlander, but I'm worried about parts availability, as the unit was long discontinued.

That 4kms/l is really scary and hefty. We we're used at using diesel for all our cars (parents car), the last time we used a petrol fed, was like more than a decade ago. Plus in using Adventure/Revo/Crosswind and the like, my wife always frequent Baclaran, and notorious ang ASBU dun. Don't want her to go through all the hassle in getting pulled over for a smoke belching test.

I guess a Vios would be the most practical choice. Oh well, I'll think it over and over.

**GTi** · May 24th, 2016 11:37 PM

That's probably because there are more Escapes sold than Tributes. What sort of negative feedback have you read? We've had a 2003 Escape 2.0 4x4 before the 2006 Tribute 2.3 so I'm quite familiar with the car and can probably tell some facts from fiction. 4km/L is worst case scenario. On a daily commute of Timog QC to Ugong, Valenzuela it gets upwards of 6km/L I'm told. I've never brought them out of town and the others who have never bothered to count, but folks in the forums have reported around 12km/L highway if I remember correctly.

We also have a 2001 Revo diesel and I've been driving it for the past 5 years. I've never once been caught by an ASBU nor have I ever failed an emission test. Proper maintenance is always the key, even when it comes to smoke belching. Under hard acceleration the Revo will only start emitting black smoke when going upwards of 3500rpm. But then even when running 145km/h (top speed) at 4600rpm on the highway, there was no visible smoke at all. I get a worst case scenario gas mileage of 7km/L. It can get up to 9km/L in the city under the right conditions. Highway gets me around 14km/L.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

**bugoys** · May 26th, 2016 03:03 PM

* GTi- Thank you for the usual assistance. I think it's the 1st gen Escape that was hit by some bad feedbacks with its transmission and some engine parts, if I remember correctly. Re ASBU, I've seen a couple of times that ASBU's flagging a fairly new Adventure, L300, Crosswind, some even without plates. I fully agree with you on the proper maintenance on old and even new diesel engines.

**Battlestar** · May 26th, 2016 03:15 PM

If you want just a basic car that will drive you from point A to point B, then Vios is the top choice.

**GTi** · May 26th, 2016 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by bugoys

* GTi- Thank you for the usual assistance. I think it's the 1st gen Escape that was hit by some bad feedbacks with its transmission and some engine parts, if I remember correctly. Re ASBU, I've seen a couple of times that ASBU's flagging a fairly new Adventure, L300, Crosswind, some even without plates. I fully agree with you on the proper maintenance on old and even new diesel engines.

Yes. We had the first gen Escape with the 2.0 engine. Ours was the slowest kind of combination. Base 2.0 engine, A/T and 4x4. Underpowered and very thirsty... The 2.3 Tribute felt much more lightfooted and had lighter steering. Tranny still felt somewhat inadequate. FC was better, though not by much.

Ever considered the 2nd gen CRV M/T?

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk