1995 mazda 323 or 1994 daihatsu charade...

**lorenz75** · June 5th, 2006 10:15 PM

Hi! Need help. Im buying a 2nd hand car. Im choosing between a 1995 mazda 323 (100K) and a 1994 daihatsu charade (85K). which do you think is better. this will be my first car and I travel to the North once in a while. Thanks!

Lorenz75

**orly_andico** · June 5th, 2006 11:59 PM

323. more parts, bigger car. cheaper parts, too.

**niky** · June 6th, 2006 12:04 AM

Hmmm... the Charade is kind of small for highway cruising and there's not much "oomph" from the engine. It's also very light. The feeling you get from the driver's seat is that if you poke a hole in the floorboard, you can carry the entire car on your back, Flintstones style.

Kidding aside, the Charade is an okay commuter car, it's small enough to fit in tight gaps, but it doesn't really have enough power to shoot for them. The steering also feels kind of lifeless. The suspension is light duty only, and you run the risk of grinding the underside on humps if you've got a full load of passengers. The upshot is that parts are relatively cheap and the engine is frugal. It's also a good looking car (relatively) for the price and looks very nice if well cared for and set-up right.

The 323 (what engine variant? 1.3 carb?) isn't very economical in terms of fuel consumption, but interior accomodations are much much better and steering and suspension are very good. Parts aren't that expensive, but you have to go to certain shops to get them. Personally, the Charade is much cuter than the 95 323, but the 323 is a more practical car.

In your price range, I'd go for a Kia Pride. Cheaper than the Charade, has a bit more power (I think...), a bit more space and parts and maintenance are easier to come by. And if you're the type, a Pride with a Mazda 1.6 swap is as fast as a 2.0 and can get 14 km/l...

Kind of hard finding any of these cars with a decent body (no dings/dents/rust) so don't settle on one right away, take your time, check the condition of every car you look at carefully, and be cautious in your decision. It'll pay off in the end.

**OTEP** · June 6th, 2006 12:41 AM

Yep, you could buy a pretty decent Kia Pride with that kind of money. Parts will be easier too. Rebadge mo na lang into Mazda 121 or Ford Festiva para mas sosi. hehehe.

My cousin drives an E36 Bimmer, but a Kia Pride LX sedan is his 'war car'.

The Charade is ok. Toyota parts do fit (but you have to bring a 'sample'). But the 3 cylinder engine is inherently rough (as with most 3 cylinders). My aunt used to have one (brand new at the time). Quirky little car that got the job done. Baguio-Bulacan-Manila was its usual route.

**niky** · June 6th, 2006 12:49 AM

Hehe... nagkalat nga ang mga Ford Festiva dito sa Pinas', eh... and the fittings actually look good compared to the stock Pride.

"War car", eh? Hehe... if I only had the budget to fix up my personal war car... gads, almost 5 months na yung AD Resort, wala pang mods!

**orly_andico** · June 6th, 2006 01:38 PM

i was reminded. what is it with cheesy decorations and kia prides?

a couple sundays ago while coming from MoA, i saw a really weird-looking car with a Lexus logo on the grille. since it was going in the opposite direction i only saw the front. didn't recognize it at first, but it was a Kia Pride!!!

but nothing beats last Tuesday. i saw a Kia Pride taxi on dela Rosa street which had a kidney grille and propeller emblem on its hood. too bad i didn't have the foresight to take a photo with my phone. gulat nga ako saan niya nadekwat yung kidney grille na yun eh.. looks like it came off an E34 or E36 actually.

**lorenz75** · June 6th, 2006 03:22 PM

Thanks for the response, helped a lot. i am going to check out the charade this weekend andthe 323.

**1D4LV** · June 6th, 2006 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by orly_andico

i was reminded. what is it with cheesy decorations and kia prides?

a couple sundays ago while coming from MoA, i saw a really weird-looking car with a Lexus logo on the grille. since it was going in the opposite direction i only saw the front. didn't recognize it at first, but it was a Kia Pride!!!

but nothing beats last Tuesday. i saw a Kia Pride taxi on dela Rosa street which had a kidney grille and propeller emblem on its hood. too bad i didn't have the foresight to take a photo with my phone. gulat nga ako saan niya nadekwat yung kidney grille na yun eh.. looks like it came off an E34 or E36 actually.

ako naman siguro mga 3 weeks back. may nakitang kia pride na cd-5 na naka intercoolers ala evo yung pagkakagawa. nanliit yung oto ko eh.

pero back to the question, since you are doing out of town trips once in a while, dun na ako sa mazda.

pero kung talagang pure metro manila and city driving lang, pwede na yung charade.

**v22** · June 6th, 2006 04:08 PM

i'd go with the 323 if you have the means... we still have our 95 323 glx and the only things done with the car are gas up, car wash, and change oil... still runs great

power, comfort, space and durability wise.. hands down on the 323 over charade..

though, i do like the cuteness of the charade and i dont doubt it beeing a great city car, in fact i still want one for myself, its just that the 323 is much more versatile if its gonna be your only car.

though there are a lot of good point with the pride, i almost got one 2nd hand, i have observed that a lot suffer from rust.. must had poor rusproofing from the factory..

**lorenz75** · June 6th, 2006 06:59 PM

what will be the things that I have to check when i inspect the car? i will be meeting the sellers this weekend. do u think that i will be spending much for repairs? i read on the other thread that one should prepare 50T for repair! mazda 1995 323's mileage is 120T? 1994 charade's (5DR) mileage is 90T km. i'm leaning on buying the mazda 323, but i will have nothing left for repair...=<