Helping for a friend: best subcompact cars for 500k

[chronicle]

By the way, sa price range na yan. Might as well consider the swift. Better handling than mirage, but slightly cramped interior.

[Kestana]

sabi ko nga sa kanya and she nodded na bumili na lang ng bago para wala masyadong sakit sa ulo pagdating sa maintenance (for as long as masunod yung PMS ng future car niya)

so to summarize, eto ang choices ko na pwede niyang piliin na subcompact cars:

- Toyota Wigo G (either manual or auto) (top choice)
- Mistubishi Mirage HB GLX (manual or CVT) (#2 choice)
- Kia Picanto (1.2 EX manual or 1.2 EX auto)
- Hyundai grand i10 1.0E (manual or CVT)

I might throw in the Hyundai Eon and Chevy Spark as well, pero it will depend kung gusto niya (and kung recommended din sa inyo). Isasama niya ako sa pagcanvass ng cars BTW.

Also, how can we get those cars through bank via car loan? Paano ba ang kalakaran nito sa pagkuha ng kotse sa mga dealer?

(Sorry, I will not recommend getting her a car through in-house financing ng mga car dealers even if pinaka-priority ang kukuha nito just to get the car faster, since AFAIK, her company will shoulder part of the car purchase).

Here's a comparison review of the Mirage CVT vs the Celerio CVT, and the Celerio beats the Mirage in a lot of key aspects such as space, comfort and fuel economy. It's in your best interest to include the new Celerio in your list.

By the way, sa price range na yan. Might as well consider the swift. Better handling than mirage, but slightly cramped interior.

The Swift is above his 600K Php budget though. They actually facelifted the Swift recently and it now has a touchscreen headunit among other things, but it also incurred a price hike of 20K Php and they removed the steering wheel audio controls. Iirc, it's now 628K Php for the manual and 668K Php for the automatic. Used to be 608K and 648K respectively without discount. I got my Swift 1.2 AT two months ago for 608K Php (got a 40K discount since I bought it cash).

To be honest, I was in the same conundrum as TS as I was looking for a supermini for days when I need a small car. I actually had the Mirage CVT GLS, Grand i10 1.0 S and Honda Jazz 1.5 V in my shortlist along with the Swift 1.2 AT. Despite being the least spacious, the Swift's looks and driving dynamics won me over. Was definitely the most fulfilling to drive. Also helps that it was relatively cheap because the Jazz was just so spacious and versatile. No competition in those areas, but fell short on a few things: 1) its handling isn't sporty and fun at all despite its lower ride height and bigger 1.5 engine, which didn't provide as good a throttle response and kick at lower revs which is an important fun factor for city driving. 2) ride quality is only marginally improved over the previous-gen Jazz and the Jazz is known for having a so-so ride; would rate it below the Swift and Grand i10 in terms of comfort and ride. 3) it was 150K++ Php more expensive than my other options.

Here's a shameless plug of my Swift. Face it, it's arguably the sharpest looking supermini under 700K Php.

[myas110]

By the way, sa price range na yan. Might as well consider the swift. Better handling than mirage, but slightly cramped interior.

pero lampas 600k na siya di ba (kung malaki lang ang discount niya, pwede pa) kung hindi malaki ang discount, baka sa Celerio na lang.

[myas110]

I am also thinking of the Brio, pero nasa 600k range na siya at baka hindi magustuhan ng friend ko yung looks niya.

update sa list ng choices ng subcompact cars:
- Toyota Wigo G (either manual or auto) (top choice)
- Mistubishi Mirage HB GLX (manual or CVT) (#2 choice)
- Kia Picanto (1.2 EX manual or 1.2 EX auto)
- Hyundai grand i10 1.0E (manual or CVT)

shoo-ins:
- Mistubishi Mirage G4 GLX (manual or CVT) [pero nasa 600k range na siya]
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 (manual or CVT) [like the Mirage G4, nasa 600k range na rin siya]

[koykiks]

Why not the celerio cvt?

You get the fuel efficiency of the mirage plus the spacious interior of the wigo.

All for the price that is cheaper than both. Hehe

Reliability wise find a dealer that has a good track record for after sales service.

Was initially looking at the mirage cvt but when suzuki released the new cvt. I tried all of them and got the celerio. Tall passengers will be happy :-)

[deloelse]

was scouting for positive celerio reviews. gusto ko cya, the mt one..

[myas110]

yun nga eh...after what happened last night, diyan papasok yung pagbili ng MPVs (kahit yung Avanza level lang)...yung OK na condition from second hand market.

[dr. d]

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yun nga eh...after what happened last night, diyan papasok yung pagbili ng MPVs (kahit yung Avanza level lang)...yung OK na condition from second hand market.

and the most difficult aspect of the hunt, is "...yung OK na condition..."
don't we all wish...
happy hunting.

[monmendoza]

Celerio or a Mirage would be my top 2 choices.

[SkyFlakes88]

Maganda nga reviews nang bagong Suzuki Celerio overall sa mini cars ngayon. Good handling at suspension not to mention the fc also.[emoji106]

[dos2]

Maganda nga reviews nang bagong Suzuki Celerio overall sa mini cars ngayon. Good handling at suspension not to mention the fc also.[emoji106]

May Philippine review na brod?
Alam mu naman kung FC lang ang usapan, yung heavy traffic sa ibang bansa eh very light lang sa Edsa/Makati/C5.
Wag din natin kalimutan ang walang kaparis na mga lubak natin sa kalsada.

[n_spinner06]

May Philippine review na brod?
Alam mu naman kung FC lang ang usapan, yung heavy traffic sa ibang bansa eh very light lang sa Edsa/Makati/C5.
Wag din natin kalimutan ang walang kaparis na mga lubak natin sa kalsada.

May reviews sa india. Road quality and traffic are comparable dito i guess (might even be worse).

[Kestana]

May Philippine review na brod?
Alam mu naman kung FC lang ang usapan, yung heavy traffic sa ibang bansa eh very light lang sa Edsa/Makati/C5.
Wag din natin kalimutan ang walang kaparis na mga lubak natin sa kalsada.

The Celerio vs Mirage comparison review on Caradvice has indicated that the Celerio absorbs potholes and road imperfections far better than the Mirage.

Quoting their review:

Despite wearing the same-sized tyres and being of similar frame, the Celerio’s suspension is for the class verging on sophisticated in the way it cushions pot holes and cats-eye divots in the road, yet it maintains neat control over speed humps.

The Mirage simply feels wooden, by comparison. Its suspension feels more like its walking over bumps on stilts than absorbing the imperfections, so the bodies of passengers are jolted around far more noticeably.

According to their review, the Celerio beats the Mirage pretty badly in terms of suspension, ride quality, stability, handling, driving dynamics, etc. It's simply the better car.

[WallyWest]

Weak spot nga ng Mirage ang suspension especially the rear na sobrang lambot.

I'm just waiting for the warranty to end then I'm upgrading my suspension.

[dos2]

The Celerio vs Mirage comparison review on Caradvice has indicated that the Celerio absorbs potholes and road imperfections far better than the Mirage.

According to their review, the Celerio beats the Mirage pretty badly in terms of suspension, ride quality, stability, handling, driving dynamics, etc. It's simply the better car.

Ang hirap naman mamili sa market na to, kakabaliw. Hahah

*myas110 : If with budget, Swift 1.2 ako kaso lagpas ng 500K. Practicality test drive na lang nya kung alin mas magustuhan nya sa Mirage GLX at Celerio, pasok sa budget yung mga MT variants with discounts.

[myas110]

thanks sa mga outputs...keep on coming lang.

speaking of these cars, ask ko lang kung saang mas OK na dealers na pwedeng makipagdeal when getting a car aside from getting discounts and freebies?

as of the moment, sa Toyota thread pa lang ako nagtanong, and they replied:
- Toyota Pasig
- Toyota Makati
- Toyota Dasmariñas (pero malayo na siya, hehe)

What about sa Mitsubishi, Hyundai, at sa Suzuki?

---------------

Ask ko din, since nasa market na ang new Mazda 2, available pa kaya yung old Mazda 2 1.3 (either HB or sedan)? and how much kaya?

[SkyFlakes88]

Wala pang review dito sa atin sir. Sa ibang bansa pa. Celerio at Mirage cvt's comparo. Si Celerio 5.8ltr/100kms at Mirage 6.8ltr/100kms yata. Not exactly sure pero ito yun naalala ko sir na figure. Overall rating better si Celerio. Yun head room,handling,suspension at fc.

[dct]

^usually malaki mag-discount citimotors ng mitsubishi. Ewan ko lang after-sales. Kahit saang casa naman ang pms

[RandMcnally]

What is the typical condition of a repo car? In the US kasi most homeowners trash their house before being repossessed by the bank. Iniisip ko it might be the same with cars here. Imagine if alam mo na marerepossess yung kotse mo at di mo mababayaran. Hirap kasi makita sa inspection at start ng engine if nilaspag eh bago ma-repo

[Kestana]

What is the typical condition of a repo car? In the US kasi most homeowners trash their house before being repossessed by the bank. Iniisip ko it might be the same with cars here. Imagine if alam mo na marerepossess yung kotse mo at di mo mababayaran. Hirap kasi makita sa inspection at start ng engine if nilaspag eh bago ma-repo

That's why you need very good eyes (for physical assessment), ears (for unusual noises), nose (for smelling the interior for mud residue left by flooding, etc.) and butt (for feeling any mechanical damage which will affect the ride). There's always the risk of the previous owner sabotaging the car, that's why you need to be on the look out for it. Most repo cars are high mileage (over 10 to 20K km in a year), but sometimes may mga iba na hindi talaga nagagamit yung car nila. Basically fresh, low mileage cars.

Most used car dealers actually get their cars from banks and they usually buy it in lots so it's even cheaper. Then naglalagay sila ng malaking patong when they sell it. Good detailing can make a relatively new car (<5 years old) look almost new.