Civic ESi vs E36 320i vs Corolla Bigbody - First Car for daily driving

[dr. d]

welcome, newbie!

my opinion only,

older cars (say, 2000 and below) are cheaper for a reason: they will probably require significant repairs and other fixin's, to make them relatively pleasure-able (and safer!) to drive. and the older the car, the more difficult the sourcing of spare parts...
i used to own an orphan car. i know how it feels, when the shop keeper says, "sorry. wala kami niyang piyezang 'yan." after several of these store let-downs, it slowly dawned on me, that "i should have purchased that other, more expensive but more popular or recent car..."

the fixes might not necessarily be the engine. it might be the suspension, the upholstery, the accessories (the toys!), and/or the body.
may nagsasabi na kung minsan ay mas mura pa nga kung makina lang ang dapat ayusin.
pay extra attention to the condition of the rest of the car. you might end up spending a lot more for them, even as the engine is in good condition.
thus, make sure you have some money available for fixing your new acquisition.

take your time in kilatising the car for sale. bring along a knowledgeable friend, person, or hired mekaniko or third party. one who is not too excited at the prospect of buying a car, and will therefore be more immune to sales talk and have an open-er eye for criticism. yespo, you need a conscience to help guide you during these exciting times.
and don't forget the test-drive!

some argue that the early 2000s altis might be one of the most durable cars still around. if you can get one at a good price...
i still have a 2003 altis AT with over 120K km. and i can say, it is still easy and relatively un-expensive to service, repair, and fix. apparently, marami pang piyezas and marami pang mekaniko ang marunong gumawa nito. so i am curious, why not a toyota?
i also used to drive a 1996 sentra MT. it was a pleasure to drive, back then.

i have always liked the bug-eye civic. alas, i never had the opportunity to acquire one.

older koreans? reliability issues and parts sourcing issues, real or imagined.

older europeans? i'd stay away, even if it were given to me for free. i'd sooner sell it and get a japanese.

good luck.

apologies for the long post.
got carried away.
the coffee was good.