Hi guys,

Hihingi lang sana ako ng opinion. My wife and I are contemplating of getting either the 1.2 Swift AT or a 2nd hand SUV. My wife will be driving this during weekdays on her way to her office and back (50kms per day) while I'll be driving during weekends for out of town trips (Baguio and Baler once/twice a month). We are getting an average of 2000kms mileage every month with our current ride ('98 Diesel Mits Adventure). Nagrereklamo na kasi si ang wife ko dahil pagod na sya magmanual, she can't bear the engine noise anymore and may kalampag na rin. may plan naman kami ipaayos.

We considering to get the Swift because we think this is the best for a 600k budget. But since we can pay in full, my in-laws mentioned that we consider getting a 2nd hand SUV since we usually go out of town and also because of the road conditions here in the metro (floods / potholes / uneven roads). Okay, point taken. My parents says otherwise. Iba pa rin ang brand new.

Based on our 600k budget, 2006-2008 Fortuner 2.7 VVT-i AT ang nakita namin. We read somewhere in the forum na matagtag ang fortuner which We believe we can already deal with it. mas matagtag naman siguro ang adventure namin. aside from the ride comfort, wala na ko narinig na common issue. please let me know if there's something else.

We plan to keep the car for a long term. No plans having a baby yet so just only the 2 of us. Also some of our friends for the out of town trips, usually 4-5 adults.

Based na napag pilian namin, eto ung naiisip namin pro/cons:

1.2 Swift AT
Pros:
1. Brand New. Also, we get to smell the brand new scent of the interior
2. Fuel Efficient
3. Good for city driving based on our test drive.

Cons:
1. Cramped space. It can get 5 people inside but expect that it will be cramped.
2. Small luggage space
3. I doubt that a 1.2 liter engine can easily traverse uphill roads with full of passengers and luggage.
4. We cant install a hitch receiver since it has small ground clearance. (for our bike rack) I don't like installing a cross bar on top or a strap-on bike carrier on the rear.
5. I'm not sure if Suzuki casas have good after sales service.

2006-2008 Fortuner 2.7 VVTi AT
Pros:
1. Big luggage space and additional passenger seats
2. Can wade knee-deep floods. We live near in flood prone areas. (Sta. Mesa)
3. We can install hitch receiver.
4. Can easily traverse uphill roads. Based on my observation on Fortuners traversing kennon road / nueva ecija - aurora road (going to Baler). Lampaso kaming naka adventure and any other vans.
5. It's a Toyota.
6. Wife may be get used to the ride height easily. (Was used to drive adventure, sta. fe, x-trail)

Cons:
1. It's a second hand. considering we can only get 2006-2008 model due to our budget limitations, we are getting an almost 10 year old car.
2. Fuel Consumption. (We expect poor fuel consumption on city driving)
3. I assume the spare parts will be scarce soon enough because I've heard there is a new model coming out. Please correct me if i'm wrong.

If you're in this kind of scenario, which one do you prefer? or any other suggestions?

Thanks.