New Driver - Recommended Car?

[KCboy]

april_ryan,
text me ha if u decide to get a car na, buy my galant. wala ka na isesetup sa porma. oks na. sounds nalang. kung marunong lang ako post ng pic, ginawa ko na......

[April_Ryan]

Any feedback on the Suzuki Jimny? Been looking at the threads, haven't seen one devoted to it.

To the mods,

I've noticed a good number of related threads, all about helping people find the appropriate cars - buying a new car, the P500T thread etc, recommended entry level cars - maybe we can list all of these threads in one topic (message) and make it sticky or something. Just a thought.

[phillipogi]

ako nag start kasi ako drive when i was 2nd yr high, pero i drive an old nissan sentra (w/c became my first car)....diesel sya kya very easy control ang clutch, compared to faster gasoline cars. Then followed with a kia pride cd-5, very small compared to the sentra, pero very agile, lalo na sa traffic. by that time, ok na ako sa driving ko, so i then pinasahan na ako ng honda accord vti na 96. until now i use the kia for driving around near areas lang, ung honda ang highway cruiser ko......in my opinion, d best ang kia pride....lalo na kung may power steering....

[B16ba-type-RSiR]

I agree with the majority..na u shud buy a sedan since pick-ups are long..and u'll be uncomfy with it...pero as long you can maintain a 2nd hnd car then go for it...mdyo pricey eh..lalo n pag may sira ung car na nakuha mo..pero kng gus2 mo trouble free..Bnew kunin mo..

[marvin13]

April,

Ako agree ako kay macky at kay kimpoy. Bagong kotse na lang ang bilhin mo. Kung me problema e may warranty pa. Kung mabangga ka naman e puwede sa casang accredited ng insurer ipagawa kasi kung bago e comprehensive sigurado ang insurance mo. Ipon ka pa ng kaunti para madagdagan ang 500k mo dahil may mga bago pa na malapit lang dito ang price.

[squala]

Of course, new cars will be much more reliable than 2nd hand in the long run. They may be almost twice as pricey, but you still get your money's worth. Also, cars are easier to drive and park than pick-ups. I should also recommend that you get an automatic first, but it's also ideal to get used to a manual.

For new cars:
-Corolla Altis 1.6 is great and reliable, but you might have a hard time coping up with its drooping front nose.

-Lynx is more like a girl's car. GSi will do, but get the Ghia if you want the extra features.

-The new Lancer is also a nice alternative. Get the MX!

-Any BMW!

For 2nd hand cars:
-Corolla GLi, the easiest and cheapest to maintain in the 1.6-liter segment. Corolla XE also has power steering but no automatic transmission option.

-Civic SiR, if you want great speed. The previous Civic LXi and VTi models are also of good reliability, but parts are not as cheap and abundant as Toyotas.

-The previous model BMW 316, a bit slow and expensive to maintain but seriously fun.

[April_Ryan]

To all who recommended buying a brand new car,

Many thanks for your input. I'll take that into account. I'm a bit hesitant about buying a brand new car, mainly because I don't have enough money for it and saving up would mean waiting for a longer period. The P300T (more or less) which I have earmarked for my car will be from a "soft" loan from my parents, which I hope to pay when able, without too much pressure.

Buying a brand new car would mean using that money as downpayment. Meaning, of course, that I'd owe my parents AND the bank (for the balance). Parang nanghihina ako just thinking about it. :lol:

Buying a brand new car would also mean a new dilemma for me. Which to buy, and should I settle for the lowest priced model or go for the ones with more features?

[Jj]

I would get a Corolla 1.6 Gli(98-2001)

[Yoda]

"Buying a brand new car would also mean a new dilemma for me. Which to buy, and should I settle for the lowest priced model or go for the ones with more features?"

Believe me, when you start talking about owning a car, there's no limit to these types of dilemmas. :D

[April_Ryan]

For brand new cars (the affordable ones, that is), I sort of like the Ford Lynx and the Jimny both of which I think can be had for less than P600T (at least for the Ford 1.3 variety).

There is a dearth of reviews on the Jimny, except for the mini-review at motioncars, which basically recommended the lynx and the honda city instead.

The Lynx has pretty good reviews all around (in this site and other web sites which conduct test drives), but people whom I ask seem to have a bad impression of it (sirain etc). Maybe from previous models?

All other cars (the Altis, the Civics etc), though great, are a bit out of my price range.

Oh well. I really appreciate your suggestions so keep 'em coming.

[Severus|]

:D 2nd hand na diesel at malaki! Intimidating na ang dating mo, wala pang pinipili na panahon.

[April_Ryan]

hi all,

just wanted to share my visit to 4 car dealers today, in my continuing search for my first car.

Ford-Balintawak

The sales people were attentive and helpful, they had displays of all the cars they were selling (except, i think for the 1.3 GSi), and they let us fiddle around with it. No test drive yet, though.

Went in thinking of buying the 1.3 GSi, but after comparing the monthly amortization due after 30% downpayment, left with dreams of owning the Lynx Ghia M/T (cloth seats with moonroof, the works, including in-dash cd changer, for about P745,000).

Nissan-Balintawak

the salespersons were again ok, although they didn't have displays of some of their models. liked the looks of the Exalta, but the equivalent of the "Lynx Ghia M/T with the works" which we saw earlier cost about P8+++++. Loved the Nissan Frontier (4x2), and it costs about P775,000. However, we were advised that with the advent of the proposed new taxing scheme (which, btw, i know nothing about) prices of the Frontier were expected to go up by P40T by April 16 and again later. Going up to P775,000 is already a reach for me, so i guess it's bye-bye to the Frontier.

Honda-Balintawak

no aircon, only one salesperson. weren't interested in selling, only accepting reservations because of new taxing scheme which will allegedly take effect on June. Salesperson did say, however, that they will be launching by June (and will start displaying by April 25) a new Honda, in the 1.3 and 1.5 class, allegedly parang Altis daw ang looks. They expect their cars to be cheaper daw, with the new tax scheme except in the 2.0 class and above. Price of Civic equivalent to the "Lynx Ghia M/T with the works" was at P835,000. Whoa! Maybe i'll check out the new line of cars first.

GM Autoworld - Quezon Avenue

Checked out the JIMNY. In terms of looks, tops on my list (they had blue one on display). Leg room at the back definitely an issue. I'm 5'6" or so and I don't think I can sit at the back for a long drive without cramps or something. Good thing i'll be driving it (if ever, hahaha!). Not much space also for baggage (out of town trips, baby stuff like crib etc). A/T version costs only P655,000, the M/T special costs P629,000. I even scheduled a test drive, which I didn't do for any of the others.

Are there any safety considerations for the JIMNY? Because if it's just the bumpy ride, I think I can deal with that because I was prepared to buy a pick-up anyway. No test drives on it, no reviews anywhere so I don't know what to expect. I also don't know much about cars so I don't even know what to look for, what to be suspicious of, what to test.

Well, I hope my experience helps all others who are interested in getting any of the cars I tested. Keep posting!

[vinj]

If you plan to get a sedan (i.e. 1.3L), i heard that the prices of sedans will become lower with the new value-based tax scheme should it be implemented...

[tercons]

mag brand new ka na lng f u plan to use it for long term na. pero pag gusto mo pormahan pa, u can buy second hand tpos kaw na bahala.

_______________
ACME Autoworks

[newbee]

vinj, when will this be implemented?

[DeltaBravo]

Hi April_Ryan,

Palagay ko type mo ang JIMNY...... then go for it. Mahirap kumuha ng sasakyan na napipiltan ka lang. Dapat yung type mo talaga para walang sisihan pagdating sa huli. I think may JIMNY Special Edition and it is 4x4 na *P629K manual transmission.




ilovemyesteemwagon

[mbt]

April_Ryan,

ok naman yung jimny, although big issue talaga yung interior space (which may be big enough of an issue to steer you away from this truck). crash safety will probably be very poor, given the light weight and the ladder-frame construction. baka issue din yung rollover and crosswind stability (then again, maybe not)...

the lynx ghia is a good car and a great value, especially when compared to the altis and civic.

[April_Ryan]

hi all,

I will definitely wait for the new tax scheme, and I hope it will result in lower prices for sedans. I've seen a few newspaper reports stating projecting an increase in the total market share of sedans, vis-a-vis AUVs for example, due to more competitive pricing.

thus far, i'm partial to the lynx and the jimny. per my research, the 2002 lynx seems to be rated high. conversations with friends (who own cars) tend to reveal a not-so-good impression of the lynx (that it has a bad engine, that it will be phased out etc). i'm hoping that this was the aftermath of the earlier models of the lynx and is no longer true for the current models? re the jimny, many thanks to mbt for listing down the jimny's probable faults.

i'll try to check out the altis and the new lancer within the next few weeks.

i've done a bit of math and i realized that i need to increase my downpayment to about the 40-50% range so that my monthly amortizations won't be too high. which means if i want to get a brand new car, it will happen either end of the this year or early next year. my EQ is going to be tested. hahaha!

oh well, kung mukhang di ako mabubuhay with the monthly amortizations, will just buy a second hand car muna.

ang hirap!

[kimpOy]

good luck april ryan and happy trails

[mk]

try mo honda city type z vtec... mura na,easy to maintain pa...best of all, at's a honda.:mrgreen:try mo honda city type z vtec... mura na,easy to maintain pa...best of all, at's a honda.:mrgreen: