
Originally Posted by
IslandGirl
Hi,
Any suggestions or help would be very much appreciated. I need to buy a 2nd hand car to use whenever I'm here in Manila (which is becoming more often because of business) and maybe Tagaytay or Batangas once a while. I used to take Uber around the city but now I find Grab too expensive and unreliable and also I couldn't really function well. I live in Palawan hence the name.
I can understand basic car language but not on the technical and maintenance side except checking water, oil, brake fluid and tires. I just rely on reading forums like this but some threads are too confusing for me. I learned that for Nissan Sentra, it's better to consider GS than GX for safety features and fuel consumption.
So far, I found these options online which are considerable (tsikot, FB market, olx and philkotse):
1. 2008 Nissan Sentra GS 1.6L Automatic with 50K mileage - PHP205K
2. 2013 Nissan Sentra GS 1.6L Automatic (no mileage details) - PHP268K (location is San Fernando, Pampanga)
3. 2013 Nissan Sentra GS 1.6L Automatic with 32K mileage - PHP295K
4. 2007 Honda Civic 1.8s Automatic with 60k mileage - PHP300K
5. 2008 Honda Civic 1.8s Automatic with 54k mileage - PHP340K
6. 2009 Honda Civic 1.8s Automatic with 40-50K mileage - PHP350K
I'm torn between getting a newer Nissan model with basic look but premium interior versus an older Honda with attractive exterior and premium interior (it's actually one of my favorite car design). I just really need to be mobile with less headache for maintenance. Is Honda worth the 100k difference plus some repairs?
What are the usual questions do I need to ask the sellers and precautionary measures I need to consider when buying a used car? I'm thinking of hiring a trusted mechanic to go with me.
Thank you very much!