What to select from thes 'exotic' cars?

**tylerdude** · March 7th, 2007 06:54 PM

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** · March 7th, 2007 08:23 PM

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** · March 7th, 2007 08:41 PM

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** · March 7th, 2007 11:39 PM

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

**OTEP** · March 8th, 2007 11:15 AM

Pasensya na po, hindi po macompute gawa nga ng basag yung odo gear.

Try niyo na lang po ask sa Volvo forums.

**Horsepower** · March 8th, 2007 12:01 PM

why not replace the broken gear po doc?

**Mguy** · March 8th, 2007 02:22 PM

For practical reasons, I would go for the Volvo wagon.

But if you are just looking for a car that will take you from point A to B with no hassles, I would take the Verita. Lakas pa aircon coz its a Nissan.

**OTEP** · March 9th, 2007 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by Horsepower

why not replace the broken gear po doc?

Some reasons why I've not gotten around to doing the fix:

1) Because Volvo will not acknowledge that the odometer is repairable. They insist that it is not and that the whole gauge cluster should be replaced. As typical with most casas, they only know how to replace, they have no idea how to repair.

2) The repair kit is sold online and I'm not very good at this online shopping thingie. It comes with the necessary gears and an instructional DVD.

3) I'm still mustering enough courage to break open the instrument cluster. I'm not used to hacking up Volvos. I do have a service manual. But the chapter relating to disassembling the instrument cluster is a bit vague.

**squala** · March 10th, 2007 01:32 AM

Originally Posted by Mguy

For practical reasons, I would go for the Volvo wagon.

But if you are just looking for a car that will take you from point A to B with no hassles, I would take the Verita. Lakas pa aircon coz its a Nissan.

The Volvo 850 wagon is nothing more than an armored family hauler. It's capital uncool, with a shape made with rulers and t-squares. Its engine is buzzy and needs bottomless fuel, yet you don't get to drive really fast (unless it's the high-pressure turbo models). The warning lights go on even if there are no problems with the concerned components. Finally, it's a complete bore to drive.

The Verita is ok but there are safety issues, which is also why it never made it to the U.S.

**OTEP** · March 10th, 2007 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by squala

The Volvo 850 wagon is nothing more than an armored family hauler. It's capital uncool, with a shape made with rulers and t-squares. Its engine is buzzy and needs bottomless fuel, yet you don't get to drive really fast (unless it's the high-pressure turbo models). The warning lights go on even if there are no problems with the concerned components. Finally, it's a complete bore to drive.

It's utter geekiness is what I find cool about it. No one will think you're some middle aged guy reliving childhood fantasies nor would they think you're some 'import racer' out to play with 'Stangs. It's always prim and proper. It goes about it's job quietly and efficiently.

They're so square, after market wheels are usually referred to by the Volvo guys as 'pegs'

The later incarnation of the 850 (renamed S70) has more rounded curves and a more conventional interior. But you still won't mistake it for anything but a Volvo.