Going to purchase my 1st car. After a lot of browsing through all of the threads, I really learned a lot. But there are a few, well they are not few really,- specifics that I want you guys to clear out for me.

My choices depended mainly on type, I basically narrowed it down to compact SUV's, AUV's and 2 cars.

I'm from the province and cars are not really that popular, its not that I want to be popular, but really going to my place from Manila, a car would take a serious beating. My budget is something suppose to be lower than 700K but right now Im bent on getting it to 900K.

The main reasons I liked the compact SUV is because of high ground clearance and ruggedness. For the budget the only candidate would be the Hyundai Tucson 2.0 gas at 880K, its not here yet, but be willing to wait (available next month). Iam not brand concious, we have one Korean car and it really surpassed all our expectations. I saw a lot of the Tucson when I went to Guam, it isnt that bad on styling, I really like it, and now that they are selling it a good introductory price, its #1 on my list. I hope they have the maroon color with 2 tones.

But the the Innova is close. There is no reason not to buy it practicality wise, but the top Gas trim is over my budget so........i dont know....tough choice....and then theres the Crosswind XT...what about this one? is it worth it?...Dmax 4x2 MT is above the budget but it has my dads vote, if only he can shrare the cost.

For the cars it came down to 2. The Chevy Zafira and Hyundai Matrix CDRi. Zafira is bigger and have lotsa good reviews. But, i kinda have a feel for a diesel car.

Guys, your comments would be greatly appreciated. There's a lot of discussion on the Jazz and City here, but they are not my cup of tea. But feel free to discuss their merits agaisnt my choices. They are worth listening to.

Thanks very much in advance.