Sonata Vs. Vectra [and then some]

[OTEP]

Volvo V40:


Suzuki Esteem:

[orly_andico]

the interior of the esteem is... not very esteemed though. :P the switchgear is really cheesy. but what the hey.. in that price range i guess best bet na nga yan!

[OTEP]

As if the Honda City has a plush interior. hehehe.

Btw, the later models came with a revised interior.

Both interiors are functional enough, though.

[Jun aka Pekto]

what do you suggest sir? kasi sa accord, what i'll get is an older model... sa camry, expensive. sa cefiro, no comment

Surely there are other options beside those 2. I'd take the older Accord if it has less mileage.

[Reich]

As if the Honda City has a plush interior. hehehe.

Btw, the later models came with a revised interior.

Both interiors are functional enough, though.

sir otep, i checked a 2000 suzuki esteem wagon at alabang auto exchange yesterday... it has fresh interior/exterior (altough baka inayos na rin ng exchange for it to look good hehehe), all stock, cassette tape deck pa nga e good aircon, nice, roomy interior... mukang ok nga sya sa needs ko...

question: its a bit odd kasi na 21k+ lang ang mileage sa odo... so in 6 years, it averages only 3,500 kms. per year. altough possible, ndi kaya inatras?

in the event we decide to trade, ill bring a mechanic naman to check... though i wud really want to swap my indash cd/mp3 for the tape deck...

one more thing, i checked the reviews of the esteem, ok naman ang reliability, albeit mejo so-so ang performance... but matipid nga sa gas... also ive read na mahal ang parts... true?

[niky]

You've just got to know where to look... ganyan din ang Ford or Mazda... parts will seem expensive till you find "the source"...

Sounds good... keep us updated!

[OTEP]

Check the vehicle condition. Don't rely on the odometer. Even the odometer on my Pajero seems rolled. But there are instances wherein it is accurate. My brother's Sentra, for one, barely made 5,000kms in a year. Much to the delight of my uncle who later bought it. Just talk to the agent about swapping over your radio as part of the deal if you really intend on acquiring the unit (I advise you to shop around first). Get a copy of Buy and Sell newspaper. I checked out around 3 units from that paper and all were for sale by owners (not agents). Sunday Manila Bullettin is also a good place to look for units. Btw, what was the asking price? :D

As i've posted somewhere in this thread, OEM (Genuine) parts cost much the same as OEM parts from other Japanese makes. Pilhino handles Suzuki locally though GM did sell their own (sedan version) badged as the Chevy Cassia. It was a later model but the powertrain was the same.

Replacement parts are not as easy to source as say for a Mitsubishi or a Toyota. It's probably at par with the replacement parts network for Hondas. Though if you are really having a hard time sourcing parts, there are third party Suzuki specialists like Links (Banawe) and Olympia (Araneta Ave.). So far, I've no problem sourcing consumables (filters and fluids) from GlennSter's store. The most expensive part I have ever gotten for the Zuk was a brand-new brake master cylinder as the old one was leaky and a repair kit wouldn't work as the shaft it rode on had some corrosion already. It cost Php8K. Right now the axle boots have a small tear in them. Around Php150.00/boot at Glenn's store. I still have to pay standard labor rates for the mechanic to repack the bearings and install the said boots.

I'll drop by the Zuk Esteem for sale here (in Congressional ave.). Will PM you the contact number of the seller as well as any feedback about the unit. From my observation (I pass by the unit everyday) it's dark blue (looks shiny enough), still on the OEM wheel covers, no tint. Balitaan na lang kita.

[basti08]

the Vectra is a nice car... but i heard alot of problems about it and thinking that a German car's parts is not that easily available or even cheap... makes it a riskier choice...

but that doesnt mean that my vote goes to Hyundai...

instead let me make a suggestion if you dont mind...
i assume you're liking a midsize sedan and these cars were relatively the newest, most equipped you can get for your budget...

may i suggest you take a look at Mazda's 626 too. if your budget is well around 200s you can get a relatively new 99-even2000 model 626 at that range.

pretty decent accomodation and spacious, materials are 1st rate especially those later models, power is fine, features are in line of the cars of its days and relatively cheap to run too. parts arent as abundant as Accords, Galants, Coronas etc most of its rivals circa 90s but are more easily available than either Sonata or Vectra.

[orly_andico]

i mentioned nga earlier the 208k na 1999 626.
nasa autolink.ph yun

8k for a brake master cylinder na orig is scary. mas mahal pa parts ng esteem kesa 626. this validates my own experience, as a friend of mine has an esteem and i have a 626. yun nga lang you can't beat the cargo space of the esteem. the 626 has a rather small trunk. nakakainis.

[OTEP]

The repair kit is not that expensive. However, corrosion on the shaft [prolly due to former owner's neglect] did not allow use of the repair kit. And the vehicle was bought for keeps so a new mastery cylinder made sense. There are 'replacement' brake masters. Not interested in them.

Php8k is also around how much a brake master rebuild kit (not the whole unit) for a Land Rover costs. I wonder how much a similar part for an Opel costs?