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  1. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    6,385
    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by mikey177 View Post
    All those airbags would have been a comfort to have, but I look at it this way --in 2002 I got a Carnival RS, the lower-end variant that didn't even have ABS or airbags. I was trained to drive in the 80s and rely only on my seatbelt and my prudence for safety. I've had the Carnival for over five years and have driven it most of the time on provincial highways going head to head with unruly bus and truck drivers and suddenly appearing tricycles without taillights.

    I have never been in a nasty collision with the Carnival, and I hope I never will. The point, however, is that I drive defensively and do not take anything for granted. I do not push the van beyond its limits or ask it to perform like a slalom car. Also, I actually prefer a vehicle without airbags, because I figure that in our crime-infested country, I am more likely to need a vehicle that can ram another vehicle and not be disabled by suddenly deploying airbags or fuel cut-offs, than to need redundant mechanical safeties that give me a false sense of security.
    Well, you have a point there. Best to drive defensively. Although it would've been a definite nice-to have, IMO.

    Quote Originally Posted by minicoopal View Post
    Dealers will promise you a lot when trying to make a sale. Even if he airships a part, and assuming it is readily available at source, your unit will still be out of commission for a few days while waiting for the part to arrive.
    Yeah, that's true. There's still going to be some downtime. Unless he agrees to lend you a service unit ;)

  2. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,326
    #12
    Hindi kasi ako ang regular driver kaya gusto ko yung safety features eh. Hindi naman kami single car so hindi masyado problema ang downtime kung 2-3 weeks lang. Pero malaking bagay pag tumirik somewhere remote at walang makagawa o walang piyesa kaya palagay ko, out na yung Stavic on this basis kasi gagamitin din siya pang out-of-town siyempre. Kamusta po ba ang supporta ng Kia out-of-town?

  3. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    1,744
    #13
    If a Carnival breaks down in Pangasinan, expect to spend an extra day or two in the province since Kia Pangasinan only stocks parts for regular PMS. Naputulan ako dati ng shifter cable ng Carnival nung 2005, inorder pa ng casa sa planta yung part kaya next day ko pa sya nakuha. In fairness, other Carnival parts like wheel bearings and even disc rotors can be found in our local auto supply stores, dun sa shifter cable lang talaga ako nahirapan.

    Hyundai Dagupan seems to be better stocked, since they had replacement parts for my stabilizer link and idler bearing on hand when I went in for service. Yung wala lang sila nung isang beses ay rear signal light assembly, kaya inorder ko pa ito kay Jay Castillo.

    Thus, if parts availability at the casa is your concern, I think Hyundai has the edge here. Moreover, if the Grand Starex sells as well as its predecessor, then more auto supply stores will carry parts for it, but then again, that's a big IF.

  4. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    6,385
    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by mikey177 View Post
    Thus, if parts availability at the casa is your concern, I think Hyundai has the edge here. Moreover, if the Grand Starex sells as well as its predecessor, then more auto supply stores will carry parts for it, but then again, that's a big IF.
    Korek!

    But then, come to think of it, how well equipped are the out-of-town casas of the bigger Jap brands, like Toyota and Honda?

  5. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,326
    #15
    Oh no! EVeryone on the planet has an Innova!

  6. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    1,744
    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by pup2 View Post
    Oh no! EVeryone on the planet has an Innova!
    As Locutus of Borg would say, "Resistance is futile." :borg1:

  7. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,326
    #17
    Any more points of view here po? Malapit na test drive sched ko eh.

  8. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,326
    #18
    Quote Originally Posted by pup2 View Post
    Starex 9-Seater CRDi MT at 1.5M
    Carnival LWB CRDi AT at 1.6M
    Stavic 9-Seater AT at 1.3M

    Yeah, yeah. I know the Stavic is probably the fug!iest vehicle on the planet. It's pretty darn hard to ignore the fact that it's now the cheapest, most comfortable CRDi 9-11 seater whose features are pretty intact though.
    Tadaa! After over a year of searching and several test drives, eto na ang nabili ko -- Stavic 11-seater MT at a bit over 1.2M. Apparently, my family had the same priorities I did. Not only that, what I thought to be fugly they thought 'acceptable.'

    What you should believe is that it is one of the, if not THE best value van out in the market. For what it would cost to get a dressed up Innova or entry level SWB Carnival (both of which most people have and which seats much fewer people), you get:

    A) 11 seats

    B) a premium/veteran korean/MB CRDi turbo diesel engine

    C) dual side impact beams, multi-link coil suspension

    D) a 1-ton payload (Starex has 900 and Carnival 700) and rear-wheel drive

    E) Complete kit like rear wipers, backup sensor, alarm and keyless entry, 3rd brake light, and

    F) removable last row, and 360 degree 2nd row seats.

    Unfortunately, they only had 4 colors and since the dark blue I wanted was only available in MT, yun na lang kinuha ko. At least people can't say I have poor taste in everything! I figure we have a driver anyway who's not so used to AT and since MT would probably have less things to break down and would go faster, yun na.

    With the money I saved, I'm going to put a kick-a** DVD/TV player and large-ish roof mounted LCD screen with enough left over to compensate for maintenance and resale issues.

    As for out-of-town trips, marunong naman ng basic kuting ting yung driver namin -- enough to get back to manila, anyway. Besides, isn't that what the insurance towing service is for?

    The only question is now: is there a way to improve the look of the back end (near the roof line), or do I just put a paper bag over my head -- in leather because I can now afford it?
    Last edited by pup2; February 7th, 2008 at 07:44 PM.

  9. Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    2,284
    #19
    I think the Starex is still the most practical choice among the 3, not to mention that it is still the best looking of the bunch.

  10. Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    4,116
    #20
    congrats bro sa bagong ride mo... pag nagtagal masasanay ka rin sa hitsura nyan at magiging maganda na sa iyong paningin.
    seriously, here in malaysia there's a lot of stavic already hitting the road.

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Starex vs Carnival LWB vs Stavic (Gasp!)