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

[reyjason]

@sLayEr08

your welcome

[weweng20]

for me you better choose mazda 2 for better driving hehe

[17Sphynx17]

I'd just like to weigh in.

I would like to disagree that Toyota's are prone to overheating. I would argue that it is actually related to something else when they do overheat.

We own 1995 Tamaraw Fx (sold because of age), 1999 Revo Diesel, 2001 Altis (sold because of Ondoy) and a 2009 Altis.

The mistake as far I know with most owners is that the engine requires specifically to use coolant only and not mixing it with water (unless otherwise specified). The issue arises then when these cooling pipes end up corroded because of improper cooling agents such as water are used. This of course will reflect towards poor cooling of the engine.

As for the aircon, our Revo's airconditioning system still is running good after 13 years with no major work done to it. The only problem we've had to address was a blocked up mesh filter near the intake which was affecting the aircon compressor's performance. The shop we brought it to simply took it off. This prevented our compressor from flicking on and off consistently which was a previous problem 5 years ago. The compressor was working overtime because of the clogged up filter and almost caused it to break.

The downside was that removal of said filter introduced a bit more outdoor smell into the airconditioning system despite it being in recirculation mode.

This was/is our family's Toyota experience.

For the overheating problem, our engine was displaying extremely high temperature when it was not. So we asked a mechanic to tinker with it which removed the "pverheat issue" without having to tamaper with anything other than the sensor. Basically, just a faulty sensor which caused the engine to go to safety mode for us.

All I mentioned were just for the Revo which were mostly quick fixes.

Total mileage for the vehicle is around 155,000kms and we just had its oil changed.

Cheers!

[17Sphynx17]

As for your question, the City is a good choice of car, but I would really advice you opt for the 1.5 if you are going with the AT. The 1.3 AT of the current generation feels anemic and weak especially if you compare it to the previous i-Dsi engine. I know it has more HP than the I-Dsi 1.3 (about 10 if I am not mistaken) since it is a 1.3 Vtec but still I really notice the difference when I drove both. Perhaps it is related to the actual weight of the vehicle but if you just load up the 1.3 with 4 adults, performance is lack luster and the engine already feels more strained compared to the previous generation for some reason.

We own the previous 1.3 I-dsi up to present and my uncle previously owner the 1.3 Vtec City. I've driven both more than once and we still own the I-dsi engine while my uncle sold theirs already because of the underwhelming performance (for him). He has also driven the 1.3 i-dsi and actually notes the same when he compared the two.

It was actually what compelled him to choose the 1.3 City in the first place only to find out that the performance was quite different between ours and the current gen.

Something to note at least if you are one to consider things such as responsiveness of the engine.

OVerall, fuel consumption, they average about the same in city driving, plateauing mostly around 8km/l to 8.5km/l tops with around 20kms maximum city driving distance. =)

Good luck!

[monrich]

You might also want to consider the warranty and after-sales service reputation of the different dealers/brands. Here is one of the many posts about Hyundai's after-sales service notoriety.
http://www.topgear.com.ph/board/index.php?topic=15727.0

Based on the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey, Hyundai's after sales service satisfaction rating is near the low-end of the range.
http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/where-can-you-get-the-best-after-sales-service-in-the-philippines

[TOYOTA 12R]

Honda Jazz. Spacious, efficient, powerful, pogi.