New Driver - Recommended Car?

[green]

April_ryan,

Here's my take on some of the cars being suggested here in the forum. We currently own some fo the cars so I guess I have to be as "unbiased" as I can regarding this. :mrgreen:

Toyota RAV4 2 door A/T

Pros:
Easy to park
Good engine, hindi siya underpowered
Kayang kaya ang baha
All wheel drive
very good fuel consumption (7-7.5 km/L) and its a 2.0 AND an automatic!
very comfy up front considering it's a small car (and I'm 6'1"!)
Cons:
no cargo space when the rear seats are used
rear end is a little bit loose and bumpy when driven without load

Conclusion: This is my sister's car. But I drive it once in a while. IMO its a pretty comfortable car to drive. Ours is a 1997 model with 65K kms on the odometer and we still havent had a major breakdown with any of the mechanical parts yet. We just bring it to the Casa for 5K PMS.

Opel Vectra CDX A/T

Pros:
Absolutely fun car to drive!
Fast and Powerful (The acceleration is absolutely sublime!)
Great stock sound system (CD changer is flush mounted in the glove! And it has seps both for front and rears!)
Nice and quiet inside the cabin
Hugs the road at high speeds (Didn't notice one time that I was already doing 160 on the Skyway. You just don't feel any vibrations)

Cons:
Bland interior
Sirain (at least our is! My Dad thinks we got a lemon)
Very low ground clearance, not ideal for Philippine roads (I wrecked the oil pan once when I ran over a small piece of hollow block)
Mahal ang parts... SOBRA.
GM Service sucks bigtime. (Buti nalang madalas yung Vectra sa talyer kaya parang suki na kami doon :mrgreen: )
Sometimes too sensitive electronic sensors (The car wouldn't start onetime because of a faulty air intake sensor. It wasn't working so the computer thinks no air was going in the engine)
Have to bring it to the Casa for reprogramming of the radio and computer everytime the battery dies

Conclusion: This the most exciting car to drive in our garage... WHENEVER ITS FIXED. I say this because the car has been in and out of the shop the most among our cars due to mechanical/electronic problems. My dad doesn't want to sell it because he enjoys driving the car, hell I do to! After driving this car made me realize the difference between German Engineering and Japanese Engineering. Fun car, but for a first car, the cost of ownership is pretty steep. I think your better off getting a brand new Jap sedan and pay the amortization. It could come out cheaper... hehehe :mrgreen:

Opel Tigra M/T

Pros:
Real good looking car (kaya di pinatint di erpats)
1.6 engine is perfect for the car
Great fuel mileage (my dad gets 12 - 13 km/L for a daily drive from Paranaque to Santa Rosa Everyday)
Handling is very stable
Front space is suprisingly roomy (Again I'm 6'1" and I don't feel cramped at all when driving this car)

Cons:
Same comments as above regarding GM parts and service
You feel very low to the ground
The ride is medyo stiff
like the Vectra, allergic sa lubak
Two seater disguised as a four seater

Conclusion: It's a nice car to have. Easy to drive, power is there when needed, handles ok, and great fuel consumption. Of course the cost of ownership is high also (mahal kung may masira, pero suwerte din kami sa Tigra kasi its not like yung Vectra namin na sirain). Yung normal PMS/tune up naman kung sa casa gawin is not expensive. I think the last bill came up to 2500 or so. Pero kung may masira na piyesa... magiging mahal na.

Like pajero kid, I would not count out the RAV4. Much more room than the Jimny. Available parts, pogi tingnan, and easy to drive.

Just my P0.02 worth

Cheers!
April_ryan,

Here's my take on some of the cars being suggested here in the forum. We currently own some fo the cars so I guess I have to be as "unbiased" as I can regarding this. :mrgreen:

Toyota RAV4 2 door A/T

Pros:
Easy to park
Good engine, hindi siya underpowered
Kayang kaya ang baha
All wheel drive
very good fuel consumption (7-7.5 km/L) and its a 2.0 AND an automatic!
very comfy up front considering it's a small car (and I'm 6'1"!)
Cons:
no cargo space when the rear seats are used
rear end is a little bit loose and bumpy when driven without load

Conclusion: This is my sister's car. But I drive it once in a while. IMO its a pretty comfortable car to drive. Ours is a 1997 model with 65K kms on the odometer and we still havent had a major breakdown with any of the mechanical parts yet. We just bring it to the Casa for 5K PMS.

Opel Vectra CDX A/T

Pros:
Absolutely fun car to drive!
Fast and Powerful (The acceleration is absolutely sublime!)
Great stock sound system (CD changer is flush mounted in the glove! And it has seps both for front and rears!)
Nice and quiet inside the cabin
Hugs the road at high speeds (Didn't notice one time that I was already doing 160 on the Skyway. You just don't feel any vibrations)

Cons:
Bland interior
Sirain (at least our is! My Dad thinks we got a lemon)
Very low ground clearance, not ideal for Philippine roads (I wrecked the oil pan once when I ran over a small piece of hollow block)
Mahal ang parts... SOBRA.
GM Service sucks bigtime. (Buti nalang madalas yung Vectra sa talyer kaya parang suki na kami doon :mrgreen: )
Sometimes too sensitive electronic sensors (The car wouldn't start onetime because of a faulty air intake sensor. It wasn't working so the computer thinks no air was going in the engine)
Have to bring it to the Casa for reprogramming of the radio and computer everytime the battery dies

Conclusion: This the most exciting car to drive in our garage... WHENEVER ITS FIXED. I say this because the car has been in and out of the shop the most among our cars due to mechanical/electronic problems. My dad doesn't want to sell it because he enjoys driving the car, hell I do to! After driving this car made me realize the difference between German Engineering and Japanese Engineering. Fun car, but for a first car, the cost of ownership is pretty steep. I think your better off getting a brand new Jap sedan and pay the amortization. It could come out cheaper... hehehe :mrgreen:

Opel Tigra M/T

Pros:
Real good looking car (kaya di pinatint di erpats)
1.6 engine is perfect for the car
Great fuel mileage (my dad gets 12 - 13 km/L for a daily drive from Paranaque to Santa Rosa Everyday)
Handling is very stable
Front space is suprisingly roomy (Again I'm 6'1" and I don't feel cramped at all when driving this car)

Cons:
Same comments as above regarding GM parts and service
You feel very low to the ground
The ride is medyo stiff
like the Vectra, allergic sa lubak
Two seater disguised as a four seater

Conclusion: It's a nice car to have. Easy to drive, power is there when needed, handles ok, and great fuel consumption. Of course the cost of ownership is high also (mahal kung may masira, pero suwerte din kami sa Tigra kasi its not like yung Vectra namin na sirain). Yung normal PMS/tune up naman kung sa casa gawin is not expensive. I think the last bill came up to 2500 or so. Pero kung may masira na piyesa... magiging mahal na.

Like pajero kid, I would not count out the RAV4. Much more room than the Jimny. Available parts, pogi tingnan, and easy to drive.

Just my P0.02 worth

Cheers!

[April_Ryan]

I think my head will have to win over my heart, in this round, at least. Probably not practical to get the tigra. sayang :cry:

pero paglaki ko, will buy this or any of the other sporty looking little cars in the market. :lol:

guess this means it's back to the following.

brand new:

1. ford lynx ghia
2. jimny

kung 2nd hand:

1. honda accord (preferably '96 up)
2. honda civic (preferably '97 up)
3. corolla gli ('98 up)
4. maybe the rav4

btw, what about the toyota echo? (in keeping with my small car syndrome)

budget: between P300k-400k

if anyone's selling, pm me.

[April_Ryan]

Another Opel offer.

Just got offered a 2002 model Opel Astra for 450,000. 7Tkm, acquired January this year (owner went on out of town trips to break in the car kaya mataas na mileage). Within warranty. Nabangga ng bus ang door, but it has been replaced (cost P25,000 btw). all stock. owner needs money daw agad, and likes the 2003 model better, so he wants to dispose of this.

What's up with this Opel owners?

Better deal than the tigra? Same problems about maintenance and repair though.

[buddyclub]

hmm... if i were you il go for the 97-98 civic body..hehe

[MAXBUWAYA]

ECHO verso

Matagtag
bigat clutch and steering(comparing to my SiR)
Car looks like a wuss

tipid sa gas
unique design
105hp but it reach 180k tops!
spacious indeed!


For the cho you could ask tjmaxx

[April_Ryan]

hi all!

I've decided to postpone buying my car 'til the end of this year. Budget constraints. If I wait awhile, I may be able to avail of a more "interest-friendly" way of buying the car, that is, by getting a soft loan from my parents to add to what I already saved, so I can steer clear of banks.

Many thanks to all who answered my queries (however silly) over the past weeks. I can't believe this thread is now 6 pages long. I hope some of what we discussed will also help other (similarly confused) new car buyers.

I will continue to post here at Tsikot in other threads, and here, especially when the new models of Toyota and Honda come out. I'm sure this thread will become especially active again, when the time comes for me to decide what car to buy. Sana sagutin niyo pa rin ang mga tanong ko.

Muli, maraming salamat. :D

April_Ryan

[RS Sprint]

I also like the Echo, very roomy inside and very ergonomic and a friend who races sa rally cross tried his daily-driven Echo (with the missus) on the track and according to him it felt very stable even with its relatively high CG.

Don't be fooled into thinking / believeing that the Opel is a German car (like a Benz / BMW is), with fine German engineering and all that nonesense the sales people will tell you. I'm not saying hindi maganda mga Opel. I'm just saying that Opel is regular/default motoring choice for Europeans, as Nissans, Mitsu's, Hondas, Toyotas, Mazdas etc. are to us. And a lot of Europeans buy them because of their cheap and easy financing deals sa Europe, not because they are models of efficiency, dependability, servicing and maintenance costs and performance.

Its designed to be a mass market vehicle / brand, not a full-on luxury vehicle like its other German stablemates.

Don't think of the Opels as a cheaper version of a BMW/Merc. Its more like a slightly more expensive / more exclusive option in a market dominated by Honda and Toyota. :D

[April_Ryan]

Sa second hand, my options are still the same, Civic, Accord or GLi Corolla. Maybe the Echo, pero wala masyado nito. Not too sure about the RAV4 though, kasi purely in the looks department, I like the 4-door model better (especially the new one).

Sa brand new, I'm eagerly awaiting the new Toyota Vios, the new City and the new Civic. (To add to the Lynx Ghia, the Jimny and maybe the Exalta)


Until then, tahimik muna ako.

[MAXBUWAYA]

nice move!

wait for the new tax scheme and the new model to come up and new manufacturers!

right now , but a colored cellphone (MMS) hehehehehe

[April_Ryan]

hi all,

what a great time to be a car buyer, what with the new tax scheme and the new car models!

on the downside, i am now confused, more than ever, about my choices.

i've raised my budget to about P600T, sana di na masyadong malaking dagdag.

based on the posts in other threads, i've decided to check out the new ford lynx rs. might be worth getting into debt for. hehehe. parang ang sakit nga lang ng P888T price tag.

will also try to check out 2nd hand honda crv, the toyota rav4 or the accord. baka mas within the budget.

siyempre, the city, the vios and the jimny.