European car model you would like to own

talipandas9 · May 2004

Granted: most Filipino motoring enthusiasts dream or aspire to own a European car model knowing that European cars project a more exclusive image and advanced technology compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Given this premise, what European car model readily available in the Philippine market would you like to own? Let us exclude gray imports here.

Much as everybody would want a Ferrari (it's a given I guess - I want a 360 Modena Spyder myself), what other more "affordable" European car would you want to own?

Pao|o · May 2004

Could you put a price range of "affordable"? The entry-level Volvo S40 goes for P1.9M.

I'd want the Smart Roadster.

elyserva · May 2004

A "Mini"!:)

shun_sakurai · May 2004

Nice topic

Some non-exotic European cars I'd like to own...unfortunately they'd cost around PhP3 million or so here (with a few exceptions).

- Ford Focus RS
- BMW 1-series
- Audi A3 DSG Sport diesel
- VW Touareg V10 turbodiesel
- John Cooper Works Mini Cooper S

And a few Europe-only Japanese cars...
- Toyota TTE MR2 Turbo (ZZW30)
- Honda Civic Type R (EP3) 2004 model
- Honda Accord 2.2 i-CDTi diesel

shun_sakurai · May 2004

Oops...were they supposed to be "readily available"?

In that case maybe the BMW 1-series would be my only choice. My bad

kyle618 · May 2004

i would like to have the mini cooper s works... its gonna be pefect here... small car

16-Driver · May 2004

1st Choice: (of course) Ford Focus RS
"Oh how I wish its available in the US!"

2nd Choice: Mini cooper S
"The Italian Job got me very interested in this car!"

slamm · May 2004

Relatively affodable and available Euro car? BMW (325 M Sport, 530d, or M3/M5)

talipandas9 · May 2004

Sorry people, I don't mean to sound nasty or rude but most of the choices so far aren't readily available in the Philippine market. Although most of the choices so far are excellent and desirable choices, we still don't have the Mini Cooper, the Focus RS, the 1-series, the A3, etc.

So far we have only from Audi, the A4, A6, and TT. From Peugeot, the 206, 206CC, and the 307. From Mercedes-Benz, the C, E, S, CL, CLK, SLK, ML, ang G class cars/suvs. From BMW, we have the 3, 5, 7, and Z4 series. From Jaguar, we have the S-Type, X-Type, XJ, XJR. From VW, the Touareg and the New Beetle. I'm not sure if VW is stil offering the Golf and the Bora here.

I would probably want an S-type for myself or a BMW 530i. The latter has been badly maligned for its quirky styling but when I saw it in person, I think it's gorgeous. The former is a styling classic - I guess it will be beautiful even after 10 years.

wht04rex · May 2004

BMW m5.

shun_sakurai · May 2004

talipandas9...
The 1-series is definitely coming to local shores anyway

Give it a year or so.

Hmmm...I'm kinda strapped for choices. :(

Volvo S40 (gen2)
Peugeot 307
Mercedes SLK 200 (gen2) --- coming soon

I gotta agree with you, the S-type is gorgeous. I'm seeing a lot of them on the road these days, mostly in black or British racing green.

palin · May 2004

I want a

- Westfield
- Mini Cooper
- Volkswagen R32

talipandas9 · June 2004

Mea culpa... I committed some blunders from my last post.

First, I forgot to list that Volvo cars are available also in the Philppines. Volvo offers the new S40, S60, S80, XC90.

The Opel Astra is still offered as well by GM Philippines. Hmm.. this may raise eyebrows for sure because Opel cars or cars from GM in general don't have a good reputation. This is quite sad because I think at least Opel has the gall to offer affordable cars compared to say, Mercedes Benz or BMW. But, as said here before, the atrocious Opel maintenance costs is one of the factors that tarnishes the image of the brand.

Come to think of it, why can't European manufacturers offer cars that directly compete with popular Japanese sedans in terms of price? Peugeot has done this - but sad to say, there aren't many Peugeots going around Manila. Why can't we have other affordable marks here like Skoda, Fiat, and even Renault?

Second, my choices (BMW 530 and Jaguar S-Type) are also way expensive - at least for me. I would want to pick the BMW 316i or Mercedes Benz C180 Kompressor but I heard that both cars are jokes as far as their engine performance is concerned.

I would probably choose then the Peugeot 307. It's way too roomy and the styling is pleasing as well. It's got a Porsche Tiptronic transmission you wouldn't expect in a close to P1.0 M car.

By the way, the upcoming BMW 1-series is also a hatchback like the 307. I hope this would start the revival of the maligned hatchback styling that was popular before. Remember the Ford Laser, Mitsubishi Colt, and the Toyota Corolla Liftback from the 80's. I'm sure the build quality of hatchbacks now have improved tremendously compared to the 80's dinosaurs.

shun_sakurai · June 2004

The 307 would be a nice car too...I just wish it had a stick-shift instead. The near-minivan styling of this particular hatchback liberates a surprising amount of space. I gotta agree that it's priced quite close to Japanese makes...a lot closer than most European models.

The Tiptronic tranny is actually old hat. Clones of it abound on cheaper late-model Lancers (remember INVECS-II "Sports Mode"?). Even the current Lancers have INVECS-III CVT which has the manual override pioneered by Porsche.

The Merc C180 Kompressor is no performance joke...the supercharger it packs helps belt out a very useable dollop of HP and torque, as you don't have to strangle the engine to use it. The non-supercharged C180 would be the one to avoid IMO. Pitifully weak.

Pao|o · June 2004

Just an observation but the C200 Kompressor is weak. To add to talipandas9's list the SL55 and Smart Roadster are available locally. They were even the cover cars of C!

D'Transporter · June 2004

BMW 2005 E60 M5

wht04rex · June 2004

Originally posted by D'Transporter
BMW 2005 E60 M5

yummmmmmmmmy!!

shun_sakurai · June 2004

The problem with some European cars is that when engine upgrades arrive, they aren't usually readily apparent. Especially the case with BMWs and Mercs.

I know that the BMW 318i had an uprated engine (now a 2.0L 16-valve unit with 145-150 bhp) sometime in 2000. That was loads better than the old 8-valver.

The Merc C180/C180K/C200K also had a similar transformation a little bit later. Primary addition was a "TwinPulse" supercharger that made the engine respond better and more powerful than the old variant.

Despite the "180" badging the C180K's engine is also 2.0L...it's rated at 163 bhp. This engine is shared with the E200K.

If this is still on the weak side...get the diesel versions. Both German manufacturers have good small diesels.

Just yesterday I spotted a black BMW 330d...that's currently the BEST compact diesel-powered sedan in Europe, bar none.