Vehicles

[stevewool]

When you first come to the Philippines and you start to look around and you see all the shine big vehicles on the roads and then think wow I would love one of those, but after time you think , they are too big , everyone in the family will want a day out with you  plus running the thing, so I have been looking at the smaller car and two comes to mind the Toyota Wigo and Altis , both look nice and are cheap enough to buy new and 2nd hand.

Any members have such a vehicle like these and could recommend or say keep well away, 

[scott h]

30 minutes ago, stevewool said:

Any members have such a vehicle

Bought a 2nd hand Vios from my BIL. A bit small for tall guys but no problems in 7 years

[Marvin Boggs]

We were set to purchase either a Wigo, Spark, or similar.  But after test driving one, realized they are just too low-down for the driving we do.  Can't see over the surrounding vehicles, probably have difficulty getting on or off the RoRo, etc.  There are some taller cars such as the Isuzu Crosswind that I would strongly consider next time. 

 

[Gary D]

If you can get a family of 11 on a tricycle a Wigo should be a breeze.

[hk blues]

It depends on exactjy what you're going to use it for and the general environment around where you live. Partly cultural as well...you Americans do love your trucks despite not actually needing such a big vehicle in many (most) cases.

[GeoffH]

We have a Wigo as a second car, mainly used for shopping trips to the market and to go into the city.  It's nice and easy to park because it's small and there is enough room for 4 average size adults.  It's not the best on the highway, it manages at 80 kph ok but the wind from passing trucks and buses moves it around a bit and it's pretty noisy.  I'd happily recommend one if your primary use is in a town or city but not if you're going to be doing a lot of highway driving.

We've got an Innova 2.8 diesel which is more comfortable, has much better overtaking performance and carries more people.  It's much better on the highway but it's a bit hard to park in the city.

We used to use an Avanza (the family in Ozamiz use it mostly now) and I reckon if you're only having one car then it's hard to go past one of these.  They can carry almost as many people as an Innova (or as much stuff with the seats folded) but they're shorter and narrower so they're a lot easier to park.  They're a bit quieter and have better highway performance (nothing like the diesel Innova but still a step up from the Wigo).

There are plenty of good second hand ones around if you don't want to buy new and parts are really easy because it's a Toyota.

[Arizona Kid]

I bought a new Chevy Sail in 2016. Automatic. I got this car cuz it comes with a 1.5  engine. Most of the competitors had 1.2 or 1.3. I'ts got very good passing power when you need it. Very happy with it. 

[GeoffH]

53 minutes ago, Arizona Kid said:

I bought a new Chevy Sail in 2016. Automatic. I got this car cuz it comes with a 1.5  engine. Most of the competitors had 1.2 or 1.3. I'ts got very good passing power when you need it. Very happy with it. 

 

It was initially surprising to me how much difference there is in real world performance between the 1.2/1.3 motors and the 1.5 motors but I've come to realize the difference is both real and substantial.  A Vios 1.5 is much nicer to drive than a Vios 1.3 for example.

 

NB The Avanza I recommended in an earlier post comes in both 1.3 and 1.5, the 1.5 is preferable if one's budget stretches that far.

Edited December 25, 2019 by GeoffH

[OnMyWay]

42 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

NB The Avanza I recommended in an earlier post comes in both 1.3 and 1.5, the 1.5 is preferable if one's budget stretches that far.

Agree that the 1.5 Avanza would be the way to go, instead of 1.3.  Our 1.3 auto Avanza ran out of power at around 100 kph on the expressway.  Felt like it was revving too high with only a 5 speed auto.  Otherwise we liked the Avanza a lot.

The new Avanza 1.5s also have a lot more creature comforts that our 1.3 was lacking.

[Heeb]

Every time I’ve bought a small vehicle I’ve regretted it, someday you might want to bring some family or buy something big and put it in the back, we bought a used diesel Fortuner and I’m happy with it, just have to leave alone with the wife and not even tell anyone before you go, the look on their faces as we walk out is priceless