Sonata Vs. Vectra [and then some]

[Reich]

I have a 1999 Honda City 1.5 Exi M/T (2nd owned). I opened it for swap for a larger vehicle (out of necessity) and have narrowed my options into two choices:

Option 1: A 2000 Hyundai Sonata GLS, 106km mileage, new tires, aircon newly repaired, engine and suspension ok, interior looks old, exterior average, all stock

Option 2: A 1998 Opel Vectra Sedan, 69k mileage, new tires, new compressor, all stock except 6 cd changer, engine and suspension ok, interior ok, exterior average

Both also 2nd owned. Vectra already registered, Sonata registration in June.

Please help me decide. Thanks!

[jim]

i would opt for the vectra gusto ko kasi ang features. even the engine of the vectra is impressive. my former boss swapped his honda city for the vectra and he was really happy with it. nagtataka lang ako at bakit 69K lang ang nasa odo nung vectra???

[niky]

A lot of city users don't travel very far, so it is quite possible for a 98 to have only 69,000 km.

I don't really like either as a secondhand choice, but the Vectra is a good looking and powerful car, and possibly the better choice of the two... baka nga lang mang-aray ka sa gas, coming from a 1.5.

How about an Altima? Good engine on that one.

Not considering any 1.4 - 1.6 compacts? The Sentra/Civic/Lancer/Lynx/Corolla/etcetera are all a size up on the Lynx and won't eat up your gas budget (as long as you get an MT) unduly.

[Reich]

thanks for the comments sir jim and niky... one concern really is the gas consumption... kaya lang diba u really have to sacrifice something to have larger space (except of course if diesel ang kukunin ko). I prefer kasi not adding cash at mejo bago pa ung model, so i narrowed my choices into these.

any other comments/advise?

[voltscastillo]

i've been hearing a lot of bad things about opels sold here. bad dealership, bad product quality, etc etc. i can't cite references either. maybe it's because opels sold here are made in china? again, no reference, just word of mouth so don't flame me re: racial bias ect ect.

that said, i'd still go for the vectra.

[Reich]

does it make a lot of difference if the vectra is a 4-cyl compared to a 6-cyl in terms of gas consumption? my city kasi is around 12-15 km/l, as compared to the vectra at 8-9 km/l (accdg to the trader)... in terms of PPP, hm much is the difference in gas consumption?

[woulfe27]

low maintenance but reliable car? go for a corolla. madami ka nga kapareho sa kalye pero di ka iiyak when it's time to replace major components hehe

[orly_andico]

you'll be sorry if you get the vectra!!

it's one of gm phils' all-time lemon cars! search ka lang dito for the horror stories like the 150k transmission repair.

[niky]

8-9 is lucky... just ask those of us who have 2 liter midsize cars. You're looking at 7 km/l for an MT and 6 km/l for an AT in urban conditions.

And yes, Opel maintenance is something of a headache, it being a GM car.

Like I said, there are better choices out there, but ALL midsizers in your apparent price range will cost you quite a bit in terms of maintenance.

[edl100]

What an unfair comparison naman? SONATA? it is not in the same league. Di ba Korean car yon?

Are you ready for OPEL???

read our threads under CAR CLUBS-- OPEL. And if you get it, you will learn alot about it from us.
http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showt...1&page=1&pp=10

The Vectra is a good car but it is not perfect.

Since napalitan na yung compressor, then that saves you already. It is prone to break after about 6 years max. OEM cost about P28,000. But any DENSO compressor can work. Even surplus.

Another thing to look out for is if it is Tropicalized. most 1998 vectras overheat. But it can easily be repaired by having a modified thermostat and a very clean cooling system.

Anyway, a VECTRA is not your typical car since owning it requires dedication and a special breed of car owner.

[edl100]

you'll be sorry if you get the vectra!!

it's one of gm phils' all-time lemon cars! search ka lang dito for the horror stories like the 150k transmission repair.

Haha. You think that is bad? How about my 2 year old FORD LYNX that had a failed A/T. Cost P185,000 for a transmission repair at FORD BALINTAWAK

[orly_andico]

well mr. edl, your avatar alone tells us something.

but i believe there really IS an "opel vectra lemon" thread here on this forum. i haven't found a "ford lynx lemon" thread yet..

it's like the chevy optra (also a *cough cough* GM product). a lot of people are happy with theirs. but comparing its reliability even to the hated ford lynx, i think most people will agree that the optra is more lemon-y.

of course anyone's mileage will vary. i'm sure you've got really good mileage out of your opel. but IN GENERAL i think most people will agree that the vectra is not that reliable given the price of the parts etc.

but it's no comparison to a sonata, yes. the sonata is probably unreliable too but has much cheaper parts.

[orly_andico]

http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showt...ghlight=vectra
http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showt...ghlight=vectra

[OTEP]

If you need space, there is a Zuk Esteem for sale near my place. Hehehe.

I'm not very much into Hyundai cars of that era as most current dealers don't stock parts for them. You can usually source them from third-parties, though.

[orly_andico]

http://www.motioncars.com/archive/ca...w3/content.htm

a '98 vectra would probably cost in the 250k range nalang. the motioncars review says its sized more like a corolla than a camry or accord. cheaper new than a camry or accord either. for that price one can get a '96 accord. i'd take the accord.

[Hero]

i would agree with sir orly about the accord.. i really find it odd why you were choosing between the two cars mentioned, its like fixing something with a bigger problem ehehe.. an accord or galant would be better choices..also dont expect your consumption to be same as your city if you want a bigger engined car..

[Reich]

i'm learning a lot of things here... thanks a lot guys ... ur saving me a lot of problems here...

cguro by the end of the day, i'm not choosing na lang between the two and go for other options instead hehehe...

lamang ang negative comments ha... no more positive ones?

[orly_andico]

err...
in spite of my prior posts, i think the Vectra is by far the better car than the Sonata.

BUT: the Vectra comes with expensive maintenance. It IS a euro car after all. haven't seen any 2000 Sonata's at all. is this the Jaguar lookalike? ang alam ko maraming interchangeable parts yan sa Galant. still, pareho silang midsize.

1) the Vectra is nice, but has a bad reputation and expensive parts
2) the Sonata is Korean, and not one of the newer ones, so build quality is probably below-par

for the indicated price (250k-ish?) yung Esteem nalang ni dr. OTEP! mga 180k lang yung 1997 na Esteem. and it has quite a lot of capacity. Ang alam ko a 1999 City 1.5 would also cost ~250k. ano yan, no-cash out tradein? if you want a midrange car in that price range, you'll end up with an OLDER car (e.g. 1996 Accord or maybe 1997 Galant). so definitely mas maraming problems yun.

i question whether it's wise to swap a 1999 city (honda.. reliable.. tipid..) for an older big car. maybe you should just forget it (or, add cash to get something better).

there was a 1999 626 on sale in buy & sell for 208k though. so halos same age dun sa City, and larger. but that resale value tells you something: the parts are expensive (but less than a Vectra.. hehe.. e.g. clutch master cylinder for 1200, clutch slave for 400.. but brake calipers are 5000+ each) and it's not as reliable as an Accord or Galant. i have a (much older) one and have spent about 100k for maintenance (!) over the past 25000 kilometers. ouchie.

[nestordreamin']

2000 Sonata ok din. Kaya lang bakit hindi ka kumuha ng ibang brand. Honda City?

[funky_monkey]

i had a Vectra before. Simply put: Dont buy it.

I think GM is the problem, yung local CASA. I had 2 friends with the same car and the same experience as me. No problem for 2 years but once you bring it in for service to GM, you'll come back every 2-3 months after that. Baka they have a quota for monthly repairs. Call it conspiracy theory but 3 of us have the same experience. Its like when you bring it in for repairs, they break something else and you'll be back for repairs after 2 months.