Best car or SUV for Philippines

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Greglm said:

Be careful buying a used car here. Fellow I know in Manila is in the car business. They mostly buy bank repossessions.  He said even some of them show signs of flood damage as repossessions seem to increase after floods. His suggestion is to take off the door threshold at the bottom of the door frame and inspect for water damage. He said flooded cars get cleaned really well so they can be sold but they usually miss this area. I saw a photo and there was dried mud inside and this was a 2 year old car.

Yep...as I said I'm fully aware of the risks involved in buying a used car rather than new. Every transaction here is fraught with risk but we gotta get by. 

[Kingpin]

13 hours ago, Old55 said:

 Suzuki Jimny

Love em, endless accessories, still can't get em in the US.

[Jollygoodfellow]

21 hours ago, mountainside said:

 Next car in the Phils (unless I can talk my wife into going without a vehicle) will likely be a Toyota.

 

I looked at many pros and cons and ended up with this model.

 

[RBM]

20 hours ago, hk blues said:

As we're on the topic if cars. I've finally (almost) relented and agreed to getting a car even we don't actually need one. 

My wife will drive (let's see) and has no experience so I'm pushing for a used car at first to let her bang it around before getting new later.

So, what's the protocol on pricing (I'm well aware of downside of used cars so no need to get into that if you get my drift) - how much negotiation is 'normal' here? Is negotiation normal? And, what kind of warranty would be normal.

I fully appreciate it may be a 'how long is a piece of string' question but do always appreciate the input of those who've walked that path before. 

TIA.

Our experience when it came time to purchase a small car for the other half was most unpleasant, just pack a huge bag of patience. First off very few if any advertisers will ever reply if one goes on line. Many dealers buy repo cars from Banks and the condition reflects this.

If your unaware of the paper work have a trusted friend guide you here, most cars we checked had a paper work issue, having owned many motor cycles here I am I think, I am up to date with the procedure. 

Once happy with  car and papers I advise do the paper work yourself or be prepared to wait an eternity.... From corrupt HPG to having to pay through the nose is all part of the procedure, a trusted fixer can assist in the final process.

Took us 5 months of stress to find the right vehicle, another 2 months of unnecessary expense and stress to arrange her licence and insurance. 

[OnMyWay]

5 hours ago, Kingpin said:

Love em, endless accessories, still can't get em in the US.

Might be fine for driving around town and not too deep water in the rain..  For offroad?  100 hp and 130 nm torque will not get very far offroad.

[BLM]

We looked getting a repo, but the price of a new one looked much better. Many cars here are bought new and never get maintenance as long as they keep running. In 2014, we could only afford the cheapest new car, a Suzuki Alto 800. Good for the city, it was narrower than a trike, but too small for the highway. Upon our return in 2020, we bought a new Celerio. For city traffic, you need an automatic. This car was still inexpensive, but is good for any driving highway or city and of course I know it's maintained, especially the AC. It's in the wife's name and I let her drive all the time, so I can't be blamed for any fender bender, although they might try to. I prefer sightseeing and she has gotten a lot of city driving experience. I'd say get a new Wigo or Celerio because of price and reliability. The only change I made to ours was spring boosters to get an extra inch in height. The gas mileage is another plus. 

[Sailor Jerry]

Hi @hk blues if this helps, my story here is over a month or two of first deciding on brand and model, then looking (mainly on used car private sales on the internet.) I bought a 6 year old 2.4 Ltr Honda CR-V with low klms. I wanted a mid size SUV a little higher off the ground and also the bigger motor option after my research. As also being my first car in the Phillipines, I didn’t want anything brand new first & after living & driving in many countries left/right side of the road over the years I wanted to get the feel of driving here in Phil’s & be made aware of how to drive here first.

I’ve had it now for 4 yrs & apart from a small radiator issue during one of many long road trips it’s been faultless. I’d never owned one of these before & my main reasoning of buying this type of vehicle was I wanted something that is around everywhere here in the Phillipines, so parts available, the bigger engine to fit my needs comfortably, reasonably economical & possible good resale value. I soon will start looking for that new car I wanted & as I’ve looked after mine am lucky enough to have a few ppl I know asking when am I selling as they’re interested in buying. As a person who doesn’t like wasting money, it seems weird selling it now but I figure I can afford it & have always wanted to get a new car here eventually.

Apart from recommending having an idea of what your actual requirements are, then taking a close look around at what is available here in Phil’s the only other thing I would have done different is I would’ve bought a used vehicle in the Province that I live in. It took 3 to 4 months of hassle to get my registration sorted out as I bought my car from a lady in Benguet & I live in Pampanga. LTO in different Provinces don’t seem to do things the same lol. Anyway, Good Luck to you!

[OnMyWay]

38 minutes ago, Sailor Jerry said:

Honda

Excellent choice!  I have owned 3 Honda / Acura in the U.S. and loved all of them.

Next month I will have the perfect expat car for sale:  2016 Honda Brio with only 31,000 km on it!  

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by OnMyWay

[jimeve]

 

Small hatch-back for the wife with a decent ground clearance. as we live in the jungle. There's a new Suzuki S presso. Interested in your thoughts on this budget car.

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by jimeve
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[BLM]

That's the car we were going for, but it doesn't have an automatic version. With the traffic here in Subic it's tough to work the clutch all day. Suzuki says it has an auto version soon, but that would take away sales of the Celerio.