1995 mazda 323 or 1994 daihatsu charade...

[lorenz75]

Hi! Need help. Im buying a 2nd hand car. Im choosing between a 1995 mazda 323 (100K) and a 1994 daihatsu charade (85K). which do you think is better. this will be my first car and I travel to the North once in a while. Thanks!

Lorenz75

[orly_andico]

323. more parts, bigger car. cheaper parts, too.

[niky]

Hmmm... the Charade is kind of small for highway cruising and there's not much "oomph" from the engine. It's also very light. The feeling you get from the driver's seat is that if you poke a hole in the floorboard, you can carry the entire car on your back, Flintstones style.

Kidding aside, the Charade is an okay commuter car, it's small enough to fit in tight gaps, but it doesn't really have enough power to shoot for them. The steering also feels kind of lifeless. The suspension is light duty only, and you run the risk of grinding the underside on humps if you've got a full load of passengers. The upshot is that parts are relatively cheap and the engine is frugal. It's also a good looking car (relatively) for the price and looks very nice if well cared for and set-up right.

The 323 (what engine variant? 1.3 carb?) isn't very economical in terms of fuel consumption, but interior accomodations are much much better and steering and suspension are very good. Parts aren't that expensive, but you have to go to certain shops to get them. Personally, the Charade is much cuter than the 95 323, but the 323 is a more practical car.

In your price range, I'd go for a Kia Pride. Cheaper than the Charade, has a bit more power (I think...), a bit more space and parts and maintenance are easier to come by. And if you're the type, a Pride with a Mazda 1.6 swap is as fast as a 2.0 and can get 14 km/l...

Kind of hard finding any of these cars with a decent body (no dings/dents/rust) so don't settle on one right away, take your time, check the condition of every car you look at carefully, and be cautious in your decision. It'll pay off in the end.

[OTEP]

Yep, you could buy a pretty decent Kia Pride with that kind of money. Parts will be easier too. Rebadge mo na lang into Mazda 121 or Ford Festiva para mas sosi. hehehe.

My cousin drives an E36 Bimmer, but a Kia Pride LX sedan is his 'war car'.

The Charade is ok. Toyota parts do fit (but you have to bring a 'sample'). But the 3 cylinder engine is inherently rough (as with most 3 cylinders). My aunt used to have one (brand new at the time). Quirky little car that got the job done. Baguio-Bulacan-Manila was its usual route.

[niky]

Hehe... nagkalat nga ang mga Ford Festiva dito sa Pinas', eh... and the fittings actually look good compared to the stock Pride.

"War car", eh? Hehe... if I only had the budget to fix up my personal war car... gads, almost 5 months na yung AD Resort, wala pang mods!

[orly_andico]

i was reminded. what is it with cheesy decorations and kia prides?

a couple sundays ago while coming from MoA, i saw a really weird-looking car with a Lexus logo on the grille. since it was going in the opposite direction i only saw the front. didn't recognize it at first, but it was a Kia Pride!!!

but nothing beats last Tuesday. i saw a Kia Pride taxi on dela Rosa street which had a kidney grille and propeller emblem on its hood. too bad i didn't have the foresight to take a photo with my phone. gulat nga ako saan niya nadekwat yung kidney grille na yun eh.. looks like it came off an E34 or E36 actually.

[lorenz75]

Thanks for the response, helped a lot. i am going to check out the charade this weekend andthe 323.

[v22]

i'd go with the 323 if you have the means... we still have our 95 323 glx and the only things done with the car are gas up, car wash, and change oil... still runs great

power, comfort, space and durability wise.. hands down on the 323 over charade..

though, i do like the cuteness of the charade and i dont doubt it beeing a great city car, in fact i still want one for myself, its just that the 323 is much more versatile if its gonna be your only car.

though there are a lot of good point with the pride, i almost got one 2nd hand, i have observed that a lot suffer from rust.. must had poor rusproofing from the factory..

[1D4LV]

i was reminded. what is it with cheesy decorations and kia prides?

a couple sundays ago while coming from MoA, i saw a really weird-looking car with a Lexus logo on the grille. since it was going in the opposite direction i only saw the front. didn't recognize it at first, but it was a Kia Pride!!!

but nothing beats last Tuesday. i saw a Kia Pride taxi on dela Rosa street which had a kidney grille and propeller emblem on its hood. too bad i didn't have the foresight to take a photo with my phone. gulat nga ako saan niya nadekwat yung kidney grille na yun eh.. looks like it came off an E34 or E36 actually.

ako naman siguro mga 3 weeks back. may nakitang kia pride na cd-5 na naka intercoolers ala evo yung pagkakagawa. nanliit yung oto ko eh.

pero back to the question, since you are doing out of town trips once in a while, dun na ako sa mazda.

pero kung talagang pure metro manila and city driving lang, pwede na yung charade.

[lorenz75]

what will be the things that I have to check when i inspect the car? i will be meeting the sellers this weekend. do u think that i will be spending much for repairs? i read on the other thread that one should prepare 50T for repair! mazda 1995 323's mileage is 120T? 1994 charade's (5DR) mileage is 90T km. i'm leaning on buying the mazda 323, but i will have nothing left for repair...=<

[v22]

check for the engine if its blowby.. check the wheel wells especially the rear, dun madalas magsimula ang rust, test drive it and feel the suspension, drive it at full turns both left and right to check if the CV joints knock...

orig paint pa ba??also ask the seller if he had changed the timing belt na, if not, its long overdue. Also check if it had previous accidents etc.

[NazQ]

hmm.. 100k for a 1995 323 (already ran 120k). Im pretty sure you need a budget for maintenance and repairs. you'd never know what going to run into.. ex. tires might be due for a change, fluids, underchassis/suspension parts, transmission parts, timing belt, oil seals, etc.. dami pa kasi talaga e.

just be ready for repair bills when your buying a 2nd hand car..

[orly_andico]

medyo mahal yung 100k for a 1995 323. siguro may mahahanap pa na 70k - 80k. since mataas na mileage you will have to fix stuff anyway. so kahit mas "laspagin" yung 70k - 80k ganun din naman the suspension will need fixing whether on a 70k - 80k or a 100k unit.

[caloyski5]

323. bigger, better, safer. gas consumption? highway driving naman so not bad ang consumption niyan


re: sa engine, may kilala kami (PTP) nag-e-engine swap :D

[BlueJazz]

323 - good to kung first owner ka.. pag second hand with more than 100 km mileage.. buti pa inuntog mo na lang ulo mo sa pader.. dami problema to at mas malaking gastos i-maintain... I learned this through experience.. nabutas bulsa ko dito kaya binenta ko uli..

Charade - mahina makina.. baka everytime dumaan ka sa matarik na lugar.. mapaatras ka uli..

Try to consider a Kia pride.. mas worth bilhin..lalo na yung 1.3 GTX..

[basti08]

323... kung kaya naman ng budget eh... kahit pa sa Kia Pride.

[Syuryuken]

For me mas ok pa KIA PRIDE kesa MAZDA 323. Marami at mas mura parts ng KIA PRIDE.

[caloyski5]

may nagbebenta ng 323 sa ptp a. less than 100k lang.

[basti08]

Mazda rin ang Kia pride eh LOLz....

kaya mas mura ang parts kase mas luma!!!

its like comparing prices ng pyesa ng AE86 at AE101 Corollas.

[BlueJazz]

Exactly..parehas lang ang 323 sa Pride.. so saan ka pa.. e di sa Kia na.. pareho lang namang luma eh..