Below Php 1.2M budget

[justin_]

Planning to buy a new car around May or June this year. Max budget is 1.1xx million.

Original plan was to get a City/Jazz VX, but the parentals decided to raise the budget a bit higher to get a bigger car.

Considerations:

1. To be primarily used by me (early 20s), and to be occasionally borrowed by my brother in college. Been borrowing family cars lang so this is going to be my first legit car.
2. City driving only (to and from work, weekend pasyal with barkada), with some out of town trips here and there.
3. Priorities are, in order: comfort, pogi points (oops, sorry can't help it), driving dynamics, fuel efficiency, ease and affordability of maintenance.
3. Should be something that will make me happy driving it every day.

The options are:

1. Nissan Navara 4x2 EL Calibre AT: 1.113M
- 2018 model has been updated with 18 in wheels, around view monitor, roof rails -- basically looks like the TOTL VL model now
- price slash makes the most affordable truck in the market even more affordable
- ultra pogi exterior, so-so interior
- most comfortable pick up
- diesel engine
- base platform of the MB pick up, which is indicative of how good it is
- biggest among the options -- pros: less prone to being bullied on the road, more commanding view, ultra macho looks; cons: least exciting to drive, might be difficult to park esp. in very tight parking spaces, long bed will be a useless and unnecessary bulk because because the car won't be used for hauling anyway
- still feels kinda bare with no bedliner (could be haggled to be included in the freebies though), no bluetooth connection, no steering wheel controls, manual AC
- read in the NP300 thread that it has steering column issues, not sure if this has been resolved already
- parents' first choice for me because they really prefer bigger cars

2. Honda Civic 1.8 E: 1.138M
- the RS in rallye red has been my ultimate crush since its release, but its prohibitive pricing pushes it out of consideration
- great exterior, amazing interior
- beautiful startup graphics of instrument cluster leaves me in awe and excited to drive every time
- best driving dynamics among the choices
- sentimental because I learned to drive in a Civic FD
- only color I like (white pearl) is an additional 20k

3. Toyota Altis 1.6 G/V: 1.033M/1.105M
- safest option because it's a Toyota, and all our Toyotas never gave us headaches
- basically a mini Camry
- cheapest among the options
- not very exciting to drive
- replacement might be due soon
- again, white pearl has a 15k premium

Not exactly an apples to apples comparison, but these models are what we like most AND, more importantly, these fit the budget. Honestly a toss up between Civic and Navara though. Hoping you guys could help.

[StockEngine]

I drove the Corolla and Im not a fan! 🤦

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[Egan101]

Civic among your choices. Have you considered a diesel-powered sedan? There happens to a be a sedan with a 2.0L turbo Diesel engine at around the same price as a Civic 1.8L and Altis 1.6V.


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[justin_]

Civic among your choices. Have you considered a diesel-powered sedan? There happens to a be a sedan with a 2.0L turbo Diesel engine at around the same price as a Civic 1.8L and Altis 1.6V.


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Are you talking about the Jetta?

[justin_]

I drove the Corolla and Im not a fan! 🤦

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Too boring, sir?

[StockEngine]

Too boring, sir?

engine and transmission are good but suspension and steering are too boring. yes boring

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[Egan101]

Are you talking about the Jetta?

Give it a test drive and you might reconsider. That 2.0L turbo diesel is quite potent (150hp/350Nm). It is the same engine as the one used on the Audi A3 and Audi A4. By the way, it is quicker to triple digit speeds than your choices. The Civic 1.8L will give it a good fight to 200kmh as the Jetta has a heavier platform.


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[jut703]

Funny coincidence - I've owned a Civic 1.8E, Altis 1.6G, and pickup (Ranger though, not Navara).

Easily, my pick would be the Civic.







Comfort? Check. It absorbs road imperfections with more finesse than an Altis, and is certainly way more comfortable than a Navara.

Pogi points? Check. I'm not a fan of the stock rims though but that's a cheap and easy upgrade.

Driving dynamics? Check. It has very, very good handling without sacrificing comfort and is more fun to drive than the Altis and certainly more fun than a pickup. The Civic is also easily the fastest among the 3, 0-100 in 10ish seconds and over 200 kph top speed.

Fuel efficiency? Check. Though it has a bigger engine, I actually have similar consumption figures between my Altis and Civic. Not as frugal as a diesel pickup of course, but respectable given that it's a 1.8.

Ease and affordability of maintenance? Check. Among the 3, the Civic has the lowest maintenance cost. Hondas only need maintenance every 10,000 km or twice a year, compared to the 5,000 km intervals of Toyotas. And compared to the Navara, it uses half the amount of oil so each PMS comes out cheaper.

The Altis is a decent choice but I only really got one because it had a manual. If you're choosing between an automatic Altis or Civic, the Civic is better, hands down.

The Navara is a decent and practical choice but you nailed it with your concern on the difficulty with parking and tight streets, plus the pickup bed which you don't really get to use often.

So, yeah, Civic it is.

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[Lakwatsero]

Bro with your usage, getting a pickup will just be a pain in the ass. Parking, u-turns, driving along eskinitas, list goes on. A simple maneuver will take twice as long with a pickup. Navara has heavier than usual steering so expect a workout. All of this while having similar interior space as a sedan. So unless you plan on going into business which will require you to haul cargo at least once a week, don't bother.

Civic, Altis, any basic sedan would work for you. Civic is the default choice for your demographic. I'd pick the Mazda 3 personally but that might be out of your budget.

Someone recommended the Jetta, it's a good choice but be wary with the maintenance if you plan on keeping it long-term. It looks boring AF too. Though If VW brought the Golf 1.4 here, I'd be down for it.

[Egan101]

Someone recommended the Jetta, it's a good choice but be wary with the maintenance if you plan on keeping it long-term. It looks boring AF too. Though If VW brought the Golf 1.4 here, I'd be down for it.

Yep, the Jetta looks boring like an Altis but it drives really well. It does share its platform with the Golf. The platform feels solid and the suspension is tuned just right (not to firm, not to soft). Best of all, it is very fuel efficient. PMS is every 15k KM or 12 months, whichever comes first. We paid around 10k for the first PMS.

By the way, the Golf and Jetta 1.4T were released locally back in 2016. Both were initially priced around 1.3M. I drove the Golf 1.4T on a test drive in Laiya, Batangas and it is one good hatchback. The 1.4T engine is very responsive and has enough oomph to get the car moving in a fast pace (0-100kmh in 8-9 seconds). The platform has a lot of natural grip so you can be a bit aggressive on corners pushing the tach to the end of its torque limit (5k rpm) at 2nd gear. Think of it as a more refined and quicker Fiesta Ecoboost. With the eventual release of the newer Jetta 2.0L TDI and Golf GTS wagon in 2017, the Jetta and Golf 1.4T were sold at a bargain (950k for the Jetta, 1M for the Golf) on December 2016 to January 2017. The inventory was cleaned up before February 2017.