If you have 150k cash, which basic car will you buy?

[chon961]

Baba pa nyan compared sa Old Mercs sir... Usually nakikita ko sa ads sa U.S. nasa 300,000 kms plus. Labo lang ako makakita ng below 70K dito sa Pinas.

siyempre iba pa rin sa tibay ang mga old mercs but considering the harsh road and traffic conditions here in manila, cars are more prone to premature wear, hindi katulad sa US, where the roads are better.

dito kasi sa pinas, once a car reaches 150,000 kms and above, takot na ang mga prospective buyers. iniisip nila agad, baka sobrang laspag na,etc..again unlike in the states, kahit pa mataas na ang tinakbo ng auto, lalo na miles pa ang unit of measure, it's pretty common.

[mbeige]

among the choices, i would go for the '97 Corolla XL. as long as it wasn't used as a taxi, you're better off with it than with your other choices. very solid and reliable, fuel efficient, safe (compared with your other choices, since it's larger), and you get stable resale value in case you want to upgrade in the future.

we have a '96 corolla with 213,000+kms on the odometer, but it still had no signs of slowing or breaking down

Yep, we have an AE92 with 230k miles, or translated, 370k km. Those Corollas are tough little machines, my mom bought hers for $2000 only or roughly PhP100,000 and to think back then it had 185k miles, so she nearly put 50k miles na in the course of around 4 years.

A friend of mine here bought a 1995 E300D in mint condition. Damage? $15,000. There that'd be PhP675k pero syempre may premium palagi sa atin so it'll reach around 700k siguro or more.

[poochie_albert]

Well, if you're lucky, baka makahanap ka ng well maintained lancer boxtype. Mga 50K-90K(dipende kung anong makina na nakasalpak dun) tapos the 60K-100k repairs(kung meron). I knew a guy na perfect running condition box type nya (as in wla ka na aayusin) nabenta 70K :D. Pero it's your choice :D

[chon961]

Well, if you're lucky, baka makahanap ka ng well maintained lancer boxtype. Mga 50K-90K(dipende kung anong makina na nakasalpak dun) tapos the 60K-100k repairs(kung meron). I knew a guy na perfect running condition box type nya (as in wla ka na aayusin) nabenta 70K :D. Pero it's your choice :D

ganda rin yan sir, kaya lang medyo mahirap hirap na makahanap ng matinong boxtype ngayon (yung maayos pa ang interior,kasi mahirap na talaga humanap ng ok na dashboard ng boxtype ngayon, at kaunti lang ang masilya sa kaha at least)

mbeige,

yup bro, those corollas are really reliable, i once rode in one of the severely beaten up "Lulu" taxis, and the odometer read 350,0++ Kms and it still runs well, well as for the body, nevermind

[ejr]

1997 Corolla XL pero siguraduhin mong hindi ex-convict este ex-taxi pala.maghanap ka lang ng ayos at makakakita ka ng hindi ex-convict,ex-taxi he he he . . .

[hellboy]

may friend ako binebenta yun 94 lancer itlog a/t glxi, 33tkm orig mileage,1st own, mababa yun mileage kasi pang coding day lang yun itlog.4 kasi yun rides niya.nice supension(la kalampag),super lamig a/c, power window, all stock. just need minor repair on some scratch and dents. asking price is 130k.

PM me if you are interested!!

hellboy

[Raive]

Sa apat, Corolla na lang. Try mo rin nga yung mga mas lumang lancer o sentra na all power na.

[alwayz_yummy]

if kaya mong bayaran ang amortization at interest, alto ka na.. otherise:

mazda 323-astina MT, kia pride GTX 1.3L MT, lancer GTI 1.5MT, ae90 toyota corolla small body, daewoo matiz (old gen chevy spark)....

[Memphis Raines]

Basing from the poll I voted for the Alto because I'm a sucker for brand-new rides. My take is just at least it's a new unit complete with warranty. Maybe it's because we had some bad experiences with 2nd hand cars before that were virtual money pits.

[orly_andico]

Well the problem with old cars is not necessarily that they are money pits.

It's that they have an amazing tendency to break down when you least expect it. Parang nahulugan ka ng pantalon and kita yung polka dot puruntong mo.

If you choose the right used car, maintaining it will not be that expensive. But you better know how to maintain it. Not worth it to have an old car maintained in the casa. But even the corner talyer will take you for a ride if they think they can.

I (still have) an old old car, a Mazda 626, which I bought for not much more than 150K. In the course of 4 years I've learned to repair many parts myself. I know more than the typical mechanic, so ako nag-uutos sa kanila kung ano dapat gawin nila. It's a somewhat rare car so mostly hindi nila alam how to work on it.

So that's the thing. If you get an old car, you will have many headaches, sometimes with really bad timing. Ang masama pa, things will break when you don't have extra cash for the necessary repair. Back to walking/commuting you go!

BUT, the old car will ALWAYS be cheaper than a new one. On our 626, I calculate that I spent about 30K per year on maintaining it. That's <3K per month. Compared to the amortization on a new Alto? mas maliit pa rin. And the 626 was a mid-sized car for its time, and even today has better sound insulation and power features than our Mazda3!

So... I'd find me an AE101 Corolla XE. I think they have those under 150K.

Or.. a Mazda Familia 323, the 1.3-liter version! (merong 1.3-liter na "big body" Mazda Familia). Not the 1.6-liter, because the 1.6 is electronic fuel injected.

On an old car, you don't want it to be EFI because EFI engines have tons of small, expensive sensors that suddenly break when you least expect it. On really, really old cars like our old Mazda, the electric wiring gets crumbly because of the heat in the engine bay. That wreaks havoc with electronics. So it's inevitable that there will be creeping electrical problems. So, the simpler the better.

And resist the temptation of all those power features. A power window motor for our old Mazda was 4000-plus pesos, and surplus na yun. Brand-new? 13000. Napilitan ako magbayad ng 4000-plus kasi di na ma-rewind yung motor (turns out the worm gear was destroyed) and di naman pwede na hindi maitaas yung driver side window right?

[orly_andico]

being an "old car hell expert," I will add more.

You know that four-way switch for all the power windows on the driver side? that thing costs 7000+ pesos.

The distributor on our old Mazda costs 25000 pesos, ours has a busted sensor so the fuel consumption is high and the engine can't rev beyond 3000 rpm. Pero at the price of a new distributor, tiis nalang.

So avoid EFI cars like the plague!! avoid power-everything cars like the plague!! this includes the 93-97 Corolla GLi, the Nissan Sentra 1.6, the Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6, the Mazda Familia 1.6... the Civic 1.6 ESi (EG body) or the Civic 1.6 VTi/VTi-S/SiR (EK body ) -- although malabo ang Honda Civic under 200K..

Eto pa... a same-year Accord costs less than a Civic of same year. A Galant of same year costs less than a Lancer of same year. Ditto for Mazda. Kaya nga I ended up with a 626. Pero the thing is.. ang lakas lumamon ng gas nung big cars. And ubod ng mahal ang parts.

Our 2007 Mazda3 actually has cheaper parts (casa pa yun) compared to our 1993 Mazda 626 na Banawe prices.

Another issue is that.. fuel costs will be eye-opening. Dun sa old Mazda, we spent around 30K a year on maintenance... and 40K a year on fuel. So you ought to keep that in mind as well.

If you get a 1.3L, manual transmission, carbureted car like a Sentra FE or a Corolla XE, you will probably get 9km/L. If you drive 30km a day, 200 days a year, that's (30 / 9) * 200 * 43 = 29K a year for fuel.

A good choice is the Nissan Sentra FE, which is 1997-99 model I think. Bago-bago pa. I'm sure under 200K na yun ngayon kasi 3 years ago meron nang nabibili for 200K.

[ooba99]

In my more than 30 years of driving and owning several cars, there is one big lesson that I have learned. And this I convey:

If you have the money to buy or if the money you got is good for a down payment and you can afford the monthly amortization, and if you are not a motoring afficionado / expert and your knowledge of car mechanic is at the level of grade or even high school, then, never, never get a second hand car. You will be better off with a brand new car. Basta wag lang brand new lemon ang bilhin mo. Just my two cents.

[emghee]

Having at least a Toyota Corolla as a first car with 150k budget is already enough. Ok din naman i-set up yung oto if may pera pa. Although karamihan ng taxi, ganitong oto ang ginagamit. Pero you can make the big difference...

[stroker_200]

Ok yung Corolla...madali mag-maintain.

Ok din Sentra. Madali din i-maintain kasi madami surplus parts.

Ok din FX (not the ex-taxi). super tibay...lalu na yung diesel.

Sa experience ko sa used cars, pinaka-sulit yung 5 year old or less. At least wala pa gaanong masisira na major. Pakikinabangan mo pa ng 3 to 4 years bago ka gumastos ng malaki. Yung mga 1.3 eh may makukuha ka between 180 to 230 K (Honda City, Sentra, Lancer, Corolla). Oks din sila ariin.

Dapat matyaga ka maghanap, at mabusisi ka mag-evaluate. Huwag kang masisilaw sa panlabas na anyo ng kotse....hindi lahat ng maganda sa labas eh ok na car. Give it 3 months, may maganda ka nang listahan ng candidates.

Happy hunting.

[Type 100]

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a second-hand 1997-2002 Honda City especially for learner drivers. It's one of the best cars to learn how to park in because it's very easy to judge the car's ends. It's a little spartan inside, but it's roomy for its size.

One of these things survived the thrashing of my rough college years, and mechanically it's still very sound. We bought it second-hand, too.

[teeyoh]

wait for a little while baka makarating sa 'pinas yung tata people's car!

[ooba99]

Kung mag-e-export ang India dito, pasok na pasok ang TATA NANO.

Brand new pa!

[Amazing]

i'd get the corolla big body XE. surplus parts on these vehicles are readily available in evangelista makati.

[jaredpogi]

Kung tibay lang ang paguusapan; get the Mercedes-Benz W123 pasok na pasok sa 150K yun

[ronw123w124]

Kung tibay lang ang paguusapan; get the Mercedes-Benz W123 pasok na pasok sa 150K yun

Ang mura pa ng parts compared to contemporary Japanese cars. Lakas nga lang sa gas yung 200G ko.