What to select from thes 'exotic' cars?

[tylerdude]

im buying a 2nd hand car soon and i only have a budget of around 300k. i have owned a toyota corolla and a honda civic in the past and both are great and reliable cars but i've grown tired of both since they are just too common. nothing wrong with being too common but im just looking at getting a more 'exotic' car.

here are my choices:

1. opel astra wagon 2001

pros: i've always loved a wagon and it's a very practical car especially for a family man like me. seems very solid and reliable.

cons: expensive to maintain and parts may be difficult to obtain plus opel brand seems to be synonymous to 'lemon'

2. nissan verita 2001

pros: cute looking car and parts are easy to get and quite cheap since it's nissan. 1.3 liter means very good in fuel consumption

cons: small interior and trunk space. can only be driven in the city.

3. volvo wagon 1997-1998

pros: it's a wagon and it's a volvo! what else can i say?

cons: parts are expensive and older model might give me headaches in the future

4. mb 124 wagon 1987 up

pros: its' a wagon and it's a benz!

cons: im looking for a diesel but it's still quite expensive for a 20 year old car. if it's gas, it would be a gas guzzler. and again, it's a very old car. i hate going to the repair shop all the time.

[boyscout]

assuming pare pareho lang ang condition. yung astra or the verita. at least its newer less headaches for you. a car was meant to be driven pag old car na kasi binili mo you will spend almost more then half of the rest of the cars life sa loob ng pagawaan.

[OTEP]

We have a '97 850 wagon (plain jane 2.5 GLE flavor) and it rocks. Very versatile. We are currently hauling a lot of stuff (furniture) and it's the vehicle of choice over my Pajero and my dad's Expedition.

A cargo barrier is standard (cargo stays in the cargo compartment), numerous lashing hooks on the floor. The rear seat folds (yeah, everyone does that trick) but on the Volvo, you also have option of folding the front passenger seat down so you can carry very long cargo (e.g. grandfather clock). And should the luggage fail to fit inside, higher end models are equipped with a functional roof rail. There's also a tow hitch standard on most models (like ours).

There are other neat touches like underfloor storage areas. Standard first aid kit and EWD, side impact airbags, and side impact protection system among others.

Some cars have adjustable seatbelt height, the Volvo one ups this by having AUTOMATIC seatbelt adjustment height. Add to that a headrest system that is always correctly positioned no matter what height you are (except for the rear center seat which is manually adjustable) and you've got a very safe car. Daytime running lamps can also be set simply by using a small screwdriver. Headlamp wipers, rear wash/wipe, rear foglamp, ABS complete the safety front. About the only thing missing is the passenger side SRS (apparently this only comes standard on higher end models).

Leather upholstery is standard.

The only things we have broken so far are the steering rack (nag-leak), replaced tailgate struts (can't lift tailgate anymore), and DIY repaired the tailgate lock. It's bone stock except for the Autopage anti-theft system. One weakness known to Volvos is the tendency for the odometer gear to break. Ours has broken. Actual mileage can still be checked via the onboard computer. We also have a faulty rear ABS sensor but it does not affect the standard operation of the brakes.

And because there are not that many Volvos on the road, most people really don't have an idea of how old it is. It still looks like a million bucks when parked next to the Picanto even though the Picanto actually cost more to purchase (brand new kasi).

www.volvospeed.com is a good Volvo 850 resource. Lots of DIY tips and online parts centers in their forums.

HABREC of Gruppo Talyer is the third-party (non-casa) outfit that services the unit.

[tylerdude]

what is your fuel consumption considering it's a 2.5 liter?

[OTEP]

Pasensya na po, hindi po macompute gawa nga ng basag yung odo gear. Try niyo na lang po ask sa Volvo forums.

[Horsepower]

why not replace the broken gear po doc?