need some advice and tips on buying a car.

**jlexuz** · June 22nd, 2010 03:50 AM

Me and my wife are planning to buy our first car. Some of our friends told us to buy either honda or toyota. We decided to buy a 2nd hand honda car. We can only afford Honda Esi 93-95 / honda lx 93-95 model(120-150k price range). We want it to be fuel efficient but we don't know how to look at the engine. What do you think guys? Could you give me some tips or some questions to the seller? any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

**Green Accorder** · June 22nd, 2010 08:55 AM

Well, in my honest opinion before buying a second hand car bring along a well-trusted mechanic(mekaniko). let him check the engine and ask to have a drive test. if the seller refuse to have drive test, then leave him alone. never compromise. believe me, there's a hocus pocus in there.

**jlexuz** · June 23rd, 2010 02:10 AM

thanks for your advice. actually nag ddriving lesson kami ng asawa ko and nabanggit namin sa instructor namin na bibili kami ng sasakyan. He offer his car which is yung dina-drive namin. nissan sentra 97 model, 110k niya nga lang ino-offer samin nung nka close na all windows ng car may naririnig ako ingay ang sabi naman niya yung shocks yun. well maintained naman daw yung car kasi nga ginagamit sa driving school. pero bago niya raw ibenta samin papalitan nia raw muna yung shocks. actually hindi ko rin gano naintindihan yung mga sinasabi niya.
ill take your advice siguro mag hahanap muna kami ng matinong mekaniko and ang gusto kasi ng misis ko honda.

**Green Accorder** · June 23rd, 2010 09:41 AM

There's nothing wrong offering the car but take it into consideration that his car used for pratice driving. There are other people using it as well and it might get spoiled everytime they use. Have a second thought about buying it.

buying a second hand car has two things: either you win a jackpot or the way around.

I bought a second hand car last month. Sadly, nakatiempo ako ng sindikatong pamilyang car dealer. Upto now, hinde ko pa magamit.

I would not recomment these car dealers : 4973 Pasay Road. Makati City and another one in Rockefeller St. Makati City, as well. Those car shops are operated by the following: JON UMANDAP, JAY UMANDAP, ESMIE UMANDAP, JULIO UMANDAP. In www.ayosdito.ph the aliases they used are "JONMET" and "MARGERIE".

**Gecko Guy** · June 24th, 2010 02:10 PM

My take:
If your going to use the car as a daily driven service car...I suggest that you go for a bnew one. Get a smaller car (Rio, i10, Picanto, swift) or better yet try Hyundai Accent (10K d/p x 16-17K/month for 5 years)
The problem with old cars is that something will give in no matter how meticulous you are in your maintenance.....that is after you got it. (unless you know the seller and the history of the car you're buying). If you will put into consideration the cost of long term maintenance/repair of an old car then you'll be surprise that it adds up big too!
But if you and your wife loves cars then that's a different story! The satisfaction of restoring/modding or maintaining an old car is priceless!

(I bought a Mustang GTLX 88model and up to know I'm still trying to restore the thing...) HTH

**p_borj** · June 24th, 2010 02:21 PM

get a cheap but affordable brand new car like mine, Suzuki Alto. ipang-down niyo nalang yung 150k niyo. 7k per month for 3 years siguro kayang-kaya niyo na iyon for sure. I assume starting family palang kayo which means kaunti lang kayo (kung may anak na kayo).

Alto kasi maganda as a first car, sa medyo kapos ang budget but yearning to buy a brand new, affordable and reliable car.

kung sabihin kong mag-vios na kayo, then, malaking budget na talaga ang kailangan niyo hehe.

yung mga Civic ek, you can get one for 150k nga, pero hindi yung pagkabili mo pwede mo nang gamitin ang kotse kaagad with ni hassles, marami pang kailangan ipagawa. isama mo na yung mga flooded cars, sana hindi flooded ang makuha ninyo.

try these new cars.

Suzuki Alto/Celerio or Hyundai i10

**Epats** · June 24th, 2010 02:35 PM

If i were buying a 2nd hand car, I wanna make sure i'm getting it from someone who knows the car personally, and not a mere buy & sell individual out to make money out of me.
1. First thing I would find out is the market value of the kind of car I'm looking at.
2. Then I'll ask for the reason why he's/she's selling.
3. I'll ask for the service record of the car.
4. Test drive it well. (not just around the corner)
5. Look for rusty parts esp under the door panel.
6. Ask for at least 20k discount. (good luck on that) That way you factor in what you might spend on a future repair.

Seriously, it's not easy to find out if a car is in an A-1 condition just by looking at it, or even driving it for a while. The important thing is it doesn't have a major-major defect. Because 2nd hand cars can never be in a brand new condition. Otherwise, we won't be selling it.

**ghosthunter** · June 24th, 2010 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by p_borj

get a cheap but affordable brand new car like mine, Suzuki Alto. ipang-down niyo nalang yung 150k niyo. 7k per month for 3 years siguro kayang-kaya niyo na iyon for sure. I assume starting family palang kayo which means kaunti lang kayo (kung may anak na kayo).

Alto kasi maganda as a first car, sa medyo kapos ang budget but yearning to buy a brand new, affordable and reliable car.

kung sabihin kong mag-vios na kayo, then, malaking budget na talaga ang kailangan niyo hehe.

yung mga Civic ek, you can get one for 150k nga, pero hindi yung pagkabili mo pwede mo nang gamitin ang kotse kaagad with ni hassles, marami pang kailangan ipagawa. isama mo na yung mga flooded cars, sana hindi flooded ang makuha ninyo.

try these new cars.

Suzuki Alto/Celerio or Hyundai i10

Although the Suzuki Alto & Celerio are good cars, the casa itself has much to improve.

Very poor customer after-sales satisfaction. Poor in-house work quality.

Suzuki Shaw - avoid this branch like the plague.

**p_borj** · June 24th, 2010 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

Although the Suzuki Alto & Celerio are good cars, the casa itself has much to improve.

Very poor customer after-sales satisfaction. Poor in-house work quality.

Suzuki Shaw - avoid this branch like the plague.

yup, one of my club members was plagued at Suzuki Shaw hehe. magpapa-PMS siya, then after I think 30 minutes waiting, tapos na kaagad. only to find out na hindi pala pinalitan nang oil or in short, never serviced.

tiningnan lang yata.

I don't go to casa's for PMS (aside from the 1k PMS schedule), my next PMS was done at a gasoline station. and yes, my warranty is already voided since my car was only 7 months old (I don't believe on warranties anyway since casa's would just find a way to void the warranty. they will convince you na hindi na sakop nang warranty yan etc.).

sorry OT.

BTT : I think, a small car for a starting family with a tight budget is the best choice here. Then kapag lumaki na ang family, trade it with a bigger car by then.

Alto/Celerio, i10
Picanto and Getz (although ang price ay halos kapantay nang vios so I would go get a vios instead and I think way out of budget na)

**OldSchoolHack** · June 24th, 2010 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by jlexuz

thanks for your advice. actually nag ddriving lesson kami ng asawa ko and nabanggit namin sa instructor namin na bibili kami ng sasakyan. .....

If you are new to driving, then a second hand car is not really a bad choice. And asking in Tsikot means you are trying to do your homework.

Why 2nd hand? If you are new to driving, then some bruises and scratches on the way will happen. Imagine if it were a new car and you accidentally bumped it! A bumper serviced by a casa can rack the cost high enough. And if you do buy a new car you wouldn't want to have it serviced by anyone except the casa.

On a 2nd hand car you would easily save money and have all the bumps and scratches (assuming you wait for a while or do it immediately) done by non-case shops.

And after a year or three you might be ready to buy a new car. And far better in driving a car than you are now.

Now for a 2nd hand car you might want to do the following;
a. Budget 75% for the car. For a 150,000 budget, 112,500 for the car.
b. Budget 25% for the immediate repair. 37,500.
c. Test drive the car. Over steep roads/flyovers, etc.
d. Have it checked or assessed by a mechanic or better yet a car shop.
e. Expect to replace all worn out parts. Suspension - brakes, tie rods, shocks, rack ends, timing belt, battery, clutch packs, etc.
f. All fluids replaced and include filters. Fluids - Transmission, differential, brake, power steering, radiator. Filters - air, fuel, air conditioner, etc.
g. Expect to change the light bulbs, check electrical and have a grounding kit installed.
h. Lastly have the airconditioner cleaned, vacuumed and recharged with freon (making sure your service center is not fake. go to a reputable service center)

A lot. But after learning how to maintain an old car, newer cars are (hopefully) a breeze.

Good luck.