First car purchase. Can't decide which one to choose. (-_-')

[sLayEr08]

Hi Everyone,

Good Day. I am a newbie. 
I registered to TGP to learn more about cars and to help me decide which unit to buy.

Considerations in unit:
   - Spacious rear cabin (To comfortably sit 5 adults and a 3yr child)
   - Budget (600K - 800K)
   - Fuel efficiency
   - Performance
   - Design (I'm a suck*r for "pogi" exterior and "wow" dashboard.
   - Re-sale value

I'm choosing among below units and i'm confused. (@_@) 
   - Fiesta 1.6 AT, City 1.5, Vios 1.3G AT, Lancer GLS.
   - Mazda 2, Rio and Accent were suggested to me as well.

I would greatly appreciate your help.

Btw, i'm female. Thanks!!! ^_^

[maranello_5775]

based on your requirements the honda city 1.5 fits the bill though the dashboard is a bit spartan compared to the likes of high end fiesta and accent.

The rear is spacious and the trunk is a lot bigger than the vios which is very useful in hauling a lot of things. Due to Filipino's respect to the honda brand it offers higher resale value compared to others.

[sLayEr08]

Thanks Maranello. You're right, same reasons i have why i'm leaning towards City. 

 Fiesta got in the list since it's a close 2nd for me and almost all of my peers recommend it.

Do you think it's practical to purchase the more expensive cars (City or fiesta) for a practice car? Vios and Lancer got in my list since i'm also considering cheaper parts and maintenance. You know, in case of mishandling. 

[maranello_5775]

Actually there were lots of misconceptions with regards to maintaining cars, unlike before honda cars now were at par or sometimes even cheaper to maintain compared to its competitors.

For me a car's practicality is measured when you are able to use it up to it's promise. The city is a good first car/practice car because  it is a fuel miser, around 11km to a liter in moderate traffic city driving and drives well though one problem in driving the city is the long front overhang which makes it vulnerable to steep parkings and high gutters aside from that this car is worth the money (for 1.5 liter).

The fiesta's edge over the city is the lower price of entry and more solid feeling body aside from that the city is the clear winner.

[sLayEr08]

I see... 1 point for city. ü btw, is there a significant diff between the 1.3 at and 1.5 variants?  thanks!!

Btw, for all other readers, all your suggestions and thoughts are most welcome.   

Tally:
City - 1pt
Fiesta - 0
Vios - 0
Lancer - 0

[bvnzn]

I would suggest the Honda City as well. I've test driven the Fiesta before and the Honda feels more secure almost like a its big brother the Civic (I would know because I currently own a Honda City). But performance wise, I'm leaning towards the Fiesta a bit but the City comes in close as well. I prefer the dash unit of the Fiesta on the count that it looks good and has a lot of technical features like wireless bluetooth for both music and calls, but I'm content with the unit of the City because it looks good too - worth the money you paid for compared to its competitors.

Practicality, the City wins it and resale value comes with it as well. Very spacious although I wouldn't have a lot of people ride in it at the same time because the under chasis scrapes on humps and yes, I agree with maranello that the front scrapes on the road on steep parkings and gutters.

Over all, the City wins your requirements. Nothing more, nothing less. 

[sLayEr08]

Thanks bvnzn. 

My heart really goes to city, 1.5 to be specific. ü Everything in it is perfect for me. Although, i'm having second thoughts since it's a little over my budget.

Considering my budget, which is better between 1.3 at or fiesta 1.6 trend? Btw, i've read somewhere that 1.6 trend now have 2 airbags. Is it true?

Tally:
City - 2 pts
Fiesta - 0
Vios - 0
Lancer - 0

[Troy]

Honda City.

[bvnzn]

Thanks bvnzn. 

My heart really goes to city, 1.5 to be specific. ü Everything in it is perfect for me. Although, i'm having second thoughts since it's a little over my budget.

Considering my budget, which is better between 1.3 at or fiesta 1.6 trend? Btw, i've read somewhere that 1.6 trend now have 2 airbags. Is it true?

Tally:
City - 2 pts
Fiesta - 0
Vios - 0
Lancer - 0

Considering your budget then I would go for the Ford Fiesta mainly because the Honda City 1.3 is under power especially when you have many passengers riding it at the same time. It gives the engine a really hard time and you'll feel pity when you hear it cry for help.

Good on you to consider the budget. What I always do when I buy a car is look at my budget  compare it to the price of the car, then I make sure i have enough to support it for at least 3years. Example: If I only have a budget of 800k, then I would consider a price tag of probably a maximum of 750k so hopefully the 50k I saved up will be enough for maintenance for 3 years or so and also maybe gas if it can still fit. Anyways, just a side tip.

About the airbags, I'm not sure if they upgraded that bit of the car. I checked the website for the Fiesta and it seems they are working on it because nothing shows up on the site. Before buying it though make sure they do have those coz it will come in handy one day.

[sLayEr08]

Great, thanks for the tip bvnzn. It'll be noted. 

Right, i forgot to include it in the list that safety is one of my top priorities as well. Better be safe than sorry. ü referring to fiesta brochure i got few weeks ago, looks like fiesta only have 1 airbag. It's one of my concerns for fiesta, 2nd to it's rather narrow cabin space.

If for instance i exclude city from the list, are vios and lancer gls comparable to fiesta in terms of fuel efficiency and performance? I asked because vios and lancer is within my specified budget as well. ü

[bvnzn]

Great, thanks for the tip bvnzn. It'll be noted. 

Right, i forgot to include it in the list that safety is one of my top priorities as well. Better be safe than sorry. ü referring to fiesta brochure i got few weeks ago, looks like fiesta only have 1 airbag. It's one of my concerns for fiesta, 2nd to it's rather narrow cabin space.

If for instance i exclude city from the list, are vios and lancer gls comparable to fiesta in terms of fuel efficiency and performance? I asked because vios and lancer is within my specified budget as well. ü

The Toyota Vios is excellent in terms of fuel efficiency, beating nearly all of your choices in that category. Performance wise, surprisingly it is quite fast and hard to outrun. I'm not sure though about handling, but what I do know is that the Fiesta handles better than the Vios based on the chasis and suspension of the Fiesta.

The thing about the Vios is that, though it is a good car, you have to sacrifice one of your considerations which is design. The Vios doesn't look bad, but Taxi companies gave it a bad reputation in terms of looks. The dash of the Vios is quite odd because the speedometer, rev count, etc., is placed in the middle dash which I think is just not appealing.

About the Lancer, I have no idea about the facts of it only that it is quite old and old fashioned.

[Troy]

3 pts for the city now man.

[reyjason]

@sLayEr08

Vios - reliable but common in streets kc naging taxi ito, parts are available outside casa though. if u want the vios go for the 1.5G kasi ang 1.3J/E is really underpowered

Lancer - reliable, affordable but old and ugly (in my opinion). I've heard mitsubishi phil will launch a 1.6 liter EX lancer here in phil later this year, if you can still wait for months then i would suggest the EX lancer

Fiesta - has a great fuel efficiency for 1.6 liter, not the most spacious in your choices, design is quite good, maintenance of ford is also high, if you want your car to be Casa maintained 

Accent - more spacious than the City, elegant design but resale value is not that high compared to fiesta, city and ang anoder problem of hyundai is their after sales services. Ang mga parts nila frm korea pa.

Rio - if you really look the design of the new rio from side to side, front to back, parang combination ng fiesta, vios, accent, mazda2, but i think it fits for a lady like you, rio is a great car though but i still dont trust the company's reliability (in my opinion), and a low resale value compared to vios, city

Mazda 2 - good car, price is within ur budget, not that spacious, kulang ang interior features nya and underpowered car for a 1.5 liter

City - best bang for the buck, great looks though the hood is quite long, roomy interior, interior features, reliable, easy to maintain, has a great resale value, performs well. if you can stretch ur budget then go for the 1.5E variant

[red-mosquito]

im a big Toyota and Honda fan... so either City or Vios is highly recommended for me... theres a bit pros & cons

if you will go for City its very stylish, powerful & reliable but based on what I heard from my friends it has a very expensive periodic maintenance

if you will go for vios the style is very common in the streets, reliable and has a cheap periodic maintenance.

common thing on City & Vios they are not gas guzzler, and current generations have lots of chrome parts which I dont like

[sLayEr08]

Great, thanks for the tip bvnzn. It'll be noted. 

Right, i forgot to include it in the list that safety is one of my top priorities as well. Better be safe than sorry. ü referring to fiesta brochure i got few weeks ago, looks like fiesta only have 1 airbag. It's one of my concerns for fiesta, 2nd to it's rather narrow cabin space.

If for instance i exclude city from the list, are vios and lancer gls comparable to fiesta in terms of fuel efficiency and performance? I asked because vios and lancer is within my specified budget as well. ü

The Toyota Vios is excellent in terms of fuel efficiency, beating nearly all of your choices in that category. Performance wise, surprisingly it is quite fast and hard to outrun. I'm not sure though about handling, but what I do know is that the Fiesta handles better than the Vios based on the chasis and suspension of the Fiesta.

The thing about the Vios is that, though it is a good car, you have to sacrifice one of your considerations which is design. The Vios doesn't look bad, but Taxi companies gave it a bad reputation in terms of looks. The dash of the Vios is quite odd because the speedometer, rev count, etc., is placed in the middle dash which I think is just not appealing.

About the Lancer, I have no idea about the facts of it only that it is quite old and old fashioned.

I see. With my budget, i can only go with the 1.3 variants. Is it any better with city 1.3 or fiesta? Thanks again! ü