I've talked with a friend of mine who knows cars better than me, as well as car parts availability, and he has told me that it would be better to get a relatively older Honda Jazz. His reasoning was that Honda (and Toyota, but that's another paragraph) parts are easier to come by even if the Kia Picanto and Mitsubishi Mirage are newer cars.
What about the Toyota? Well as much as I want to consider the second generation Toyota Yaris I'm not so sure how easy it is to find parts for that car, though I have read in Wikipedia that that Yaris is basically the same as the second generation Vios, so maybe that might be the more economical choice? I really don't know.
The Honda Jazz has magic seats! It's been my "attainable dream car" since the first generation (GD) Jazz was released. However, it could be possible that Toyota parts are cheaper and more readily available here. Not only that but non-OEM parts might be easier to find. I guess I'll have to do more research.
One thing I am noticing though is that these specific models are getting harder to find at the budget I have. Maybe they're getting sold out. Unfortunately I can't act any moment right now since this is a pretty big decision and I don't really want to rush into anything.
All I do know is if I do end up purchasing a second-hand practical car the first thing I'll do is send it to a shop for some preventive maintenance. Oil change, fluid check, brake wear check. I may end up replacing the brake rotors and pads with Brembo OEM replacements, as well as removing the window tints if ever. Of course I'll also add those small, round blind-spot mirrors for the side mirrors, as well as probably investing in a good dash cam.
Other mods, like new rims, better sound system, new and louder horn, will be in the really far future. Might even get improved suspension.
A man can dream.
Out.
