Buying a 2nd Hand Car worth +/- 300k

[dakid]

I'm new here in Tsikot though I've been reading lots of threads here since last week.

This is a very noob inquiry since I'm not a car enthusiast, but I want to drive my own car soon. My parents are planning to buy a car for me and my brother. This will be our first car (my brother's and I) if ever, that's why we don't want to purchase the "wrong car". Primarily, it will be for every day use (e.g. city driving, going to work, etc.). The car, however, will be also be used for occasional trips to nearby provinces (Laguna, Tagaytay, etc.). We reside in Cavite and our work is in Makati. Other considerations in making our decision would be the car's fuel efficiency, looks (interior and exterior), reliability, and of course, maintenance costs.

Our budget is +/- 300k only. Lots of good 2nd hand cars fall within our budget. Some of the models that we are eyeing on are the following:

2001-2003 Honda Civic
2003-2004 Honda City 1.3
2003-2004 Mitsubishi Lancer
2003-2004 Toyota Vios

What would you recommend based on our considerations? Any advise and opinion will be appreciated. We would also like to ask for places/dealers where it is good to purchase 2nd hand vehicles.

Thanks!

[GTi]

The Honda Civic has the most power at 130hp. Its fuel efficient and quick too due to the VTEC3 system. Since your route requires lots of climbing and highway runs, the City 1.3 might be quite out of breath but the same era City 1.5VTi is a very good alternative and is available for your budget as well. I never once considered the Vios, its cramped inside even more so than the City and there are just too many of these on the streets already I get bored just looking at them let alone having one as my own car. The Lancer has a lot of features for your money and a 6 speed CVT tranny as well, but the engine is merely adequate not being exceptionally powerful (20hp lesser than the Civic) or fuel efficient and I'm not a big fan of the exterior looks. If you're not big on refinement and speed, you may also consider the Revo diesel as well. The 2.4 liter diesel pulls hard and will last a lifetime. Its thrifty on fuel not to mention that diesel is cheaper, and parts are readily available and cheap as well. It seats 10 and has lots of space for hauling stuff if you need to.

[dakid]

thanks for the reply sir. lancer is a bit reserved in terms of looks, imo. the city looks modern, and we are actually leaning towards the city 2003-2004 because we like the looks of its interior. sorry for sounding too noob, but is the city 1.5vti the idsi variant? i've read a couple of threads about users having a problem with the cvt of the city (automatic), and maintenance for that costs an arm and a leg. is this true for all 2003-2004 city models? hope we can find a 1.5vti that falls within our budget.

thanks for this info sir!

[dr. d]

get a corolla xe or xl! cheap. good build quality. lotsa cheap quality parts! and very reliable (daw, according to the taxi drivers i interviewed).

[ghosthunter]

thanks for the reply sir. lancer is a bit reserved in terms of looks, imo. the city looks modern, and we are actually leaning towards the city 2003-2004 because we like the looks of its interior. sorry for sounding too noob, but is the city 1.5vti the idsi variant? i've read a couple of threads about users having a problem with the cvt of the city (automatic), and maintenance for that costs an arm and a leg. is this true for all 2003-2004 city models? hope we can find a 1.5vti that falls within our budget.

thanks for this info sir!

The City 1.3L is the iDSi variant. The engine has eight sparkplugs.

The CVT of this car can be problematic because it is sensitive to abuse. Also it requires Honda's specific ATF for this CVT. If you use another brand, the CVT will quickly have problems.

[GTi]

thanks for the reply sir. lancer is a bit reserved in terms of looks, imo. the city looks modern, and we are actually leaning towards the city 2003-2004 because we like the looks of its interior. sorry for sounding too noob, but is the city 1.5vti the idsi variant? i've read a couple of threads about users having a problem with the cvt of the city (automatic), and maintenance for that costs an arm and a leg. is this true for all 2003-2004 city models? hope we can find a 1.5vti that falls within our budget.

thanks for this info sir!

The City iDSI is very fuel efficient but quite short on power (only 82hp), and yes the CVT tranny is quite costly to maintain. Its better to get the older City Type-Z. IMO it looks much better than the model that replaced it. The VTi variant I am saying is the City Type-Z with a 1.5 liter VTEC engine good for 115hp. AFAIK the 2004-2009 109hp 1.5VTEC City is not within your budget. Its better to get the Type-Z.

[ghosthunter]

I'm new here in Tsikot though I've been reading lots of threads here since last week.

This is a very noob inquiry since I'm not a car enthusiast, but I want to drive my own car soon. My parents are planning to buy a car for me and my brother. This will be our first car (my brother's and I) if ever, that's why we don't want to purchase the "wrong car". Primarily, it will be for every day use (e.g. city driving, going to work, etc.). The car, however, will be also be used for occasional trips to nearby provinces (Laguna, Tagaytay, etc.). We reside in Cavite and our work is in Makati. Other considerations in making our decision would be the car's fuel efficiency, looks (interior and exterior), reliability, and of course, maintenance costs.

Our budget is +/- 300k only. Lots of good 2nd hand cars fall within our budget. Some of the models that we are eyeing on are the following:

2001-2003 Honda Civic
2003-2004 Honda City 1.3
2003-2004 Mitsubishi Lancer
2003-2004 Toyota Vios

What would you recommend based on our considerations? Any advise and opinion will be appreciated. We would also like to ask for places/dealers where it is good to purchase 2nd hand vehicles.

Thanks!

I would suggest the Honda Civic.

It's a good car as is. No problems beyond the typical wear & tear issues. Good space inside the car. Looks great outside. Comfortable ride. Plenty of places to buy spare parts if needed.