For a daily driver: AE101 GLi A/T or 7G Galant A/T?

[tanatej]

Hi,

I currently own an AE101 XE M/T, and I grew up with that car since my dad bought it new back in 93 and I literally learned how to drive in that car. But age, gaining weight and previous injuries in playing football in my younger years have caught up with me and I developed problems in my left foot that causes extreme pain after a few hours driving in Makati traffic. I have no choice but to get me an A/T car to replace it.

I am considering a GLi A/T because it's easy to find parts for it and I'm accustomed to an AE101. But I'm not sure if the 4AFE is built tough like the 2E, but what really worries me most is the tranny, and how reliable it will be at this age. I'm also not sure if it pulls itself well with the aircon on.

I'm also considering the 7G Galant because of its more powerful engine, it's roomier and (IMO) more elegant, and because dad now works with a Mitsu dealer :D I've driven his A/T Adventure many times before and I like how it doesn't lose power even if the aircon is turned on full blast because of the bigger engine, and I like how the A/T allows me to rest my foot. It's really worlds apart from my XE in traffic situations. The drawbacks would be fuel consumption, but I can live with that since I have a light foot, but I'm worried that durability will be an issue for this model since I heard balljoints, suspension and the transmission are the main problems of this car, and I don't have any idea if parts are readily available for this model in surplus shops in Banawe.

So I guess the deciding factor is, which has the better tranny in terms of reliability and serviceability, the AE101 or the 7G Galant?

Thanks for your insight on this.

[niky]

Transmission? Depends mostly on the previous owner.

The rest of the car, definitely the Corolla. Ball-joints are a common disease of the Galant... but even without that, maintaining a mid-sized car will cost more simply because the parts are more expensive and the fact that a big car will wear down its brakes and suspension more quickly.

But this is a case-to-case basis... A cherry Galant will give you less trouble than an abused ex-taxi Corolla with a blown headgasket. Shop carefully.

[voltscastillo]

more space and a bigger engine won't hurt. get the Galant. the V6 models daw are especially sweet.

i would recommend cefiro, and the 1st gen camry (1st gen here at least) and the good looking accord. big as quezon city inside, OK fuel economy figures...

executive class cars are also generally built tough and designed to withstand punishment. if you've ever replaced the shocks and springs on a cefiro you'll know what i mean, hehe.

[ronw123w124]

Why not consider the AE111 Gli? Masyadong luma na yung AE101 IMHO.

[tanatej]

Budget ko po kasi is only 150K lang, kasama na yung tradein/sale value ng luma kong XE which I guess is 100K? and I guess those 2 cars are the only ones I can realistically fit in that budget na maayos naman pagkatapos ng matinding tawaran. Kung makakakuha ng GLi na AE111 sa ganyang budget why not? Basta maayos which I don't think will fall in my budget since well kept ones still fetch around the area of 200K.

Hirap bang umahon ang GLi A/T pag may aircon, assuming nasa 2 or L ang position? Kasi yung parking namin eh multilevel na matarik kaya pinapatay ko lagi yung aircon ng XE bago umahon kasi di niya kaya, kahit naka first gear.

[fabilioh]

Budget ko po kasi is only 150K lang, kasama na yung tradein/sale value ng luma kong XE which I guess is 100K? and I guess those 2 cars are the only ones I can realistically fit in that budget na maayos naman pagkatapos ng matinding tawaran. Kung makakakuha ng GLi na AE111 sa ganyang budget why not? Basta maayos which I don't think will fall in my budget since well kept ones still fetch around the area of 200K.

Hirap bang umahon ang GLi A/T pag may aircon, assuming nasa 2 or L ang position? Kasi yung parking namin eh multilevel na matarik kaya pinapatay ko lagi yung aircon ng XE bago umahon kasi di niya kaya, kahit naka first gear.

kayang kaya naman sir, I once used my aunt's 92 GLi a/t and it was not in the best condition, kinaya naman yung matarik sa cloud 9 in Sumulong, Antipolo.

[roberto_minosa]

4A-FE > 2E in any case. BTW, I vote AE111. More modern looks and interior. Getting a GLi AE101 won't be much of an upgrade.

[tanatej]

Yeah I know it's not much, limited ang budget kasi may iba pang binabayaran pero ang important kasi sakin yung auto tranny and not necessarily yung looks kasi service car naman siya. As long as its A/C is cool and the tranny and engine works perfectly and reliably I couldn't care kung anu modelo niya.

So far I'm leaning towards the AE101 GLi, I'll never run out of spare parts nito for the next 10 years pa siguro.

[jut703]

We once had a manual AE101 GLi, and I've had the opportunity of driving an automatic GLi. What I've noticed is that it's much slower to react, but that can be expected of 90's slushboxes. Power-wise, I'd say it's about 10-15% slower when accelerating compared to the manual GLi. However, our old GLi was better maintained than my friend's matic GLi so that could've been a factor.

But clearly, if you're comparing the carbureted 2E vs the 4AFE, well the 4A-FE is leagues better. And is quite economical too. 8.5 km/l city driving for our old manual GLi. The matic would probably get 7.5-8. And even with the automatic transmission, the 4A-FE would still be much more powerful compared to the 2E.

Just be careful shopping around for units this old though. But given the abundance of AE101s, it's not that hard to look for a good one.

[voltscastillo]

150K is a bit low for your criteria of excellent reliability (i.e., sasakyan na lang).

a 96-97 cefiro goes for as little as 165-170 these days na lang. these cars are worlds apart from your ae101.

big body ae101s, while plentiful, ay marami na rin na pa karag-karag. malas mo pa if you get a flood damaged unit. although mura, you won't get much comfort and amenities in this model.

if all you need are seats, a steering wheel and an automatic gearbox, you can go for a 4 or 5 door kia pride, you know. merong ganito, and they were not used as taxis (a/t eh) so they should be reasonably well kept.

mas mura pa, than say, a run to the ground corolla with a cracked dashboard na binebenta ng 160K (kasi toyota reliable DAW eh). utang loob mo pa sa seller kung patawarin ka nya ng 10K.

tapos pag inuwi mo, mag ooverheat ka... hehe.

[niky]

A big car costs big money to maintain. If you can't stretch the budget past 150k, buying a car that costs the whole 150k will lead to problems down the road, when, in several months' time, you have to replace around 30k worth of parts. (Ever check out the price of a Cefiro CV Joint? I choked last time I looked...)

Buy a car around 120k that's small, cheap and reliable, then save the rest of your budget for possible repairs. That 30k should cover some of the more common possible incidentals like a flat battery, brake pads, tires, shock absorbers and new radiator hoses.

[GTi]

Get the AE101, its very durable considering the number of these still plying the streets. The GLi is quick enough that I'm sure a well maintained unit would still be able to keep up with the current 1.6 Corolla. As for the Galant, its a good car but the fuel consumption would definitely sting the wallet. Perhaps you can look for a reasonably priced '95 Accord EXi or better yet, add a little more for a '96 Accord VTi.

[basti08]

Get a 97 Honda City 1.3 EXi AT. Its practical, roomy(for its size), decent equipment, quick and fuel efficient and will fit your budget. The City has very good AC system and will be a good replacement to your Corolla XE.




Also this car is already fuel injected. So, you wont have problems using a cheaper E10 mixed unleaded fuel.

[[archie]]

agree with niky, bigger the car, the bigger maintenance. given the choice, go for the corolla. grabe mga pyesa ng galant, cefiro, accord (pag sanay ka sa mga civic corolla lancer)

also if budget permits, the city as suggested by basti08 is another great choice. may 1.3 pala na matic? ang alam ko lang yung 1.5 yung meron matic. hehe

pero ang alam ko yung GLi fuel injected na rin. tama ba, may "i" kasi yung dulo?

[basti08]

Yup, 97 palang pina uso na ng Honda ang matic option sa lesser engined models nila.

sa 150K madaming Honda City na pasok sa banga ;)

[tanatej]

150K is a bit low for your criteria of excellent reliability (i.e., sasakyan na lang).

a 96-97 cefiro goes for as little as 165-170 these days na lang. these cars are worlds apart from your ae101.

big body ae101s, while plentiful, ay marami na rin na pa karag-karag. malas mo pa if you get a flood damaged unit. although mura, you won't get much comfort and amenities in this model.

if all you need are seats, a steering wheel and an automatic gearbox, you can go for a 4 or 5 door kia pride, you know. merong ganito, and they were not used as taxis (a/t eh) so they should be reasonably well kept.

mas mura pa, than say, a run to the ground corolla with a cracked dashboard na binebenta ng 160K (kasi toyota reliable DAW eh). utang loob mo pa sa seller kung patawarin ka nya ng 10K.

tapos pag inuwi mo, mag ooverheat ka... hehe.

So I'll replace a bigbody XE that we've owned since new with a second hand kia pride? Maybe your mom would, but not me, no thanks. I'd rather commute. Or take a reliable Toyota taxi, for that matter. I don't think that Toyota taxi will break down on me when I'm running late for work, will it?

[tanatej]

We once had a manual AE101 GLi, and I've had the opportunity of driving an automatic GLi. What I've noticed is that it's much slower to react, but that can be expected of 90's slushboxes. Power-wise, I'd say it's about 10-15% slower when accelerating compared to the manual GLi. However, our old GLi was better maintained than my friend's matic GLi so that could've been a factor.

But clearly, if you're comparing the carbureted 2E vs the 4AFE, well the 4A-FE is leagues better. And is quite economical too. 8.5 km/l city driving for our old manual GLi. The matic would probably get 7.5-8. And even with the automatic transmission, the 4A-FE would still be much more powerful compared to the 2E.

Just be careful shopping around for units this old though. But given the abundance of AE101s, it's not that hard to look for a good one.

Thanks for your very helpful insight, from an actual user, no less. This is the kind of feedback I'm looking for, not inane suggestions like buying a Kia Pride.

[basti08]

Also, the last time i checked, Pride GTX AT costs around 120K still. For a very decent 97-98 models. Though for me, that's fairly steep for an old Kia.

[jut703]

Thanks for your very helpful insight, from an actual user, no less. This is the kind of feedback I'm looking for, not inane suggestions like buying a Kia Pride.

Happy to help. Thing is though, the cost of acquiring a GLi is over 150k already. If you can find a good-running 150k unit, that's great. So if you're set in getting one, I hope that you keep in mind that you're going to spend a bit extra on repairs. Though I must say, 220,000 km in our old GLi and nothing serious has gone wrong. Worst I've had was oil leakage. Had it fixed but it never really recovered. Other minor stuff include torn speakers, faulty power windows and door locks that lock only 3/4 doors. They're not really expensive to fix, just a trip to Banawe :D

[blue_gambit]

How about swapping your engine for a 4afe with an a/t tranny? if you have the budget. You retain your old car (nostalgia included) given that you know how it was maintained and the condition of your under pinnings, so your not in the dark as to how the car was maintained. Also it eliminates the fear of buying an Ondoy'd Car... In another sense it could also be thought of as a project car. change it to a euro look... etc...

One good thing about corolla's is that there is an abundance of choice for parts as well as surplus engines.... Why gamble on a second hand when you can improve the current one?