Thinking Of Buying Transportation

[robert k]

No plan ever survives contact with government. I hope they have it ironed out before I get back, or maybe I will buy another jeep or passenger school bus Tamaraw until they do.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I wonder about the value of paying 200k for such a vehicle when a brand new, never chopped up carry pickup with 1.6 liter engine is 465k and an APV passenger van brand new is 575k. Prices from August 2015, latest price list I saw. Did I mention that they have 3 year 100,000 km warrantee? I think this is the route I will go next time rather than the jeep although I enjoyed the jeep.

 

If someone were capable of spending 575K then your advice is right on the money.  But you have not given an alternative to those people who have to stretch to the very limit just to come up with 200K for the piece of junk that we call a multicab.  What is the alternative for people who only have that amount of money?  The used crap that sells for that much is not as good as a multicab so its either take your chances with the multicab or stick to using a motorcycle.

[robert k]

It's not possible to have everything you want wherever you live, be it in a first world country or the Philippines. I would recommend a new trike over most used multicabs in the same price range.

 

I would rather ride a paid for bicycle than push a broke down used Mercedes that the bank owns.

 

I think the eventual cost of ownership is not going to be that great between a 200k chop chop multicab and the 465k php pickup, call it 500k with a solid cover over the back. I can't help but think that with the chop chop multicab that you are paying 40% of the price for a vehicle that doesn't have 20% of the near trouble free life left in it.

 

Dave, poor people are preyed upon everywhere. If they can make payments on a 200k multicab that they have survived without up to date, maybe they should save up until they can afford something better?

 

Dave, what is your solution if they barely scrape up enough money to make the payments and the multicab breaks down multiple times after the laughably short warrantee period as very well could happen? Making payments and still being stuck on public transportation would truly suck, would it not?

 

Advise is just that. It is not marching orders, it is merely to inspire thought. Also, many people, even people who have lived in the Philippines for years do not know what a Suzuki Carry or APV van sell for new. I actually told someone who runs a Philippines forum and who had lived in the country for many years and he told me he would have to check on that.

 

Just putting out information here. Sorry if I offended your sensibilities. :tiphat:

[Dave Hounddriver]

Sorry if I offended your sensibilities.

 

Nope, did not offend.  Was looking forward to your input and you gave it.  Thank you.

 

Dave, what is your solution

 

I don't have one.  That is why I asked what your solution would be.   :tiphat:   I guess my "solution" was to buy the cheapest new motorcycle I could find and try to save up for something I would be happy with.  I have some friends who have multicabs and love them so I would surely consider one as I don't see a better alternative.  But I don't really 'love' multicabs.  I just see them as holding their value and getting a person from place to place.  That may work for me.  We shall see when and if I ever have that much disposable cash on hand.

 

Many people finance those Rusco multicabs and I don't see that as being a good financial decision but each to their own.

Edited January 23, 2016 by Dave Hounddriver

[robert k]

The op said he was looking at a truck, which the new Suzuki Carry are only 465k php not the 575k of the van. The new style is also supposedly safer in a collision with wheels more outboard, which also allows them to be roomier in the cab. I had to go back to the first post to see what the OP was looking at.

[Huggybearman]

I have to say that I like our Multicab. It's not particularly comfortable, especially as I am 6 feet tall, and it rattles a bit, even from new, but it has been very reliable, touch wood, and costs very little run. It's a great little run around, we've thrown all sorts of stuff in the back of, and being the 4WD version it's tackled some pretty rough terrain up on the farm with ease. I rate them quite highly.

Ken

[robert k]

My take on surplus multicabs is that they started life as great little vehicles. In Japan, it cost MORE in taxes to keep a 10 year old vehicle on the road so they become surplus at that age. The manufacturer of the multicabs know this so they build them to be relatively trouble free for 10 years with a margin of error.

 

Ever have anything that failed within a month of going out of warrantee?

 

Even the margin of error left on one of these great little vehicles would be valuable in my opinion ....if they were intact. People in the US pay as much as $7k USD-325kphp  for intact unconverted multicabs for farm and ranch use. These were imported whole to the US, never chopped up, steering not converted from right hand to left hand drive.

 

The ones that come from builders in the Philippines are chopped up and reassembled, converted from RH to LH drive and COSMETICALLY reconditioned. They use the same RH wiring harness for a vehicle that is converted to LH drive. I think it is not all going to reach. Some wires will have to be extended, wires hidden in and under the dash. In homes in the Philippines they think nothing of twisting the wires together and putting on a wrap of electrical tape. I wouldn't like it but this may work in a stationary house that doesn't get jolted (hopefully, typhoons forbear) but may not work well in a vehicle on road. Rough roads.

 

As to reconditioning, it is limited to cosmetic. Nice seats, nice paint/carpet but may not extend to rustproofing in areas you can't see because after all, if you can't see it, it won't stop you from buying. Used engine possibly with the same oil it had in it in the scrap yard in Japan. If manual transmission used clutch. I doubt they bothered to change brake pads or shoes if they had any life left in them at all. The thing is...How long is that warrantee? How much confidence do they have in their reconditioned product? I think 30 days is the standard. I think some may offer 90 days but charge 20% more for their product. Either they have some quality control or they expect that they will be fixing vehicles under warrantee or both.

 

If you go to Youtube there is a video by Pop65z and his multicab experiences. He had a good one, 4wheel drive but it wasn't lifted and his road was particularly bad due to cane trucks using it so he bought a newer model lifted multicab which barely made it to his house before transmission problems. It was two weeks before the seller tried to fix it. The seller claimed the delay was for lack of parts. These easy to fix multicabs for which the parts are everywhere? Pop made them take it back in the end and bought a new Racal trike and seems to be getting on well with it although people will tell you Racal isn't a good brand.

 

It has been a year since I was in Cebu looking for a vehicle but at the time never on road in the Philippines "reconditioned" multicab pickups had an asking price of 120k php. They looked good. Shiny. Purty. But I passed.

 

Instead I bought a 97 Toyota Tamaraw f/x school bus from a guy who was selling off a fleet of them. The one I picked needed the door hinges repaired, a carburetor overhaul and I had the front disk brake rotors changed out because they were a little warped which wouldn't be necessary if you were only going 35mph. There was a gotcha. I had to pay the taxes for the last year to the LTFRB to get the commercial vehicle tags dropped which cost me an extra 6kphp. Live and learn. But the truck was 65k+6k+20k for new from Japan rotors and brake pads, rewelding the door hinges and the carburetor overhaul and painting over the commercial markings. After that I would have driven it anywhere. In fact it had been used regularly in the mountains heavily loaded already that was why the rotors were warped. Fuel milage was 16km per liter.

 

I also had an M-35 Willys jeep which I bought for 40k which had been sitting and needed some work but the rust remediation was already done. It had new top (6k) yokohama tires and fancy rims (tires alone worth 15k) included in the price. The seller was supposed to do some of the rest of the reconditioning but I gave up on that and took on the task myself. I did a front end alignment with a tape measure with 1/16th toe in and you could let go of the steering wheel going down the road until you hit a big bump. I had to isolate the brake lines so that they would not rub through. wires and oil pressure guage line were not isolated where they passed through the firewall and would have rubbed trough and shorted out and or leaked in short order, powertrain was Toyota 3k 4speed trans, seller installed new clutch disc under warrantee. I had to tighten up the fan belt on the side of the road one day and replace a fuel filter on the side of the road and that is about the extent of the troubles I had with it. I circumnavigated Negros on the Nat'l highway with it. The lights and all electrical actually were brighter and worked better after driving the Mabini road which was a car killer at the time. I loved driving the jeep up to the Twin Lakes, spectacular views. Amazing what a few thousand feet of elevation will do, so much cooler and drier, virtually zero pollution! No cell reception though. 18km per liter on highway only about 12km per liter in the stop and go, even less in the mountains but that is the price you pay for driving in the mountains. Turning radius on an M-35 is awful and ride isn't the most comfortable but it is rugged as hell. For use in place of a car I suggest a jeep with control arms (independent suspension) and coil spring suspension, they are out there. Cheap jeeps can be good if you know what you are looking at and are handy with tools.

 

I come from a car culture and love to drive. I can not imagine not being able to go to and explore things that are only 100km away from me. On an earlier shorter trip I hired a trike to drive me around for half a day for 600php. Some of the best money I ever spent.

 

I haven't actually owned a multicab but I have used them, one in the US a Daihatsu, ridden in many in the Philippines before I found vehicles of my own. My GF's aunt had one multicab that they paid 65k for which was perfectly satisfactory until it caught fire and burnt out. They had another multicab within a week this one costing 80k.

 

With any vehicle you pay your money and you take your chance. I bought a lemon of a $28k Nissan frontier truck in the US which the dealer refused to fix under warrantee, gasoline engine but belching black smoke and poor fuel milage. I drove it 95% on the highway to and from work. I had previously had the exact same model and it had been flawless.

 

I don't want to scare anyone from buying a multicab. I want them to be aware of all options so they can make an informed decision and make the best possible choice... especially if money is tight. I have been there, I know. look at my choice of Philippine vehicles above! I also know how rosy things look at the dealership.

 

Check out the Pop65z multicab videos on youtube.

Edited January 23, 2016 by robert k

[robert k]

I have no idea how well these things are made but Bajaj makes a 3 wheel 200cc trike like a Piaggio APE called  a RE 200 that is supposed to now be in the Philippines. I watched a video of a guy taking one apart with a metal cut off blade on a grinder and they are simply made. The MSRP sounds high at 150k php and I think it may be possible to get a better deal...or maybe not. I saw on line an ad for 18K down and about 3-4k a month payments. They supposedly get 35 km per liter fuel milage. These are considerable cheaper than a Piaggio APE with the worlds smallest diesel engine which the APE supposedly has.

 

If anyone gets one of these, slow down for corners and sharp curves. I haven't had one of these but I had a 3 wheel Cushman where I worked for awhile and while I didn't have any trouble we did have an idiot working with us who rolled his.

 

Personally I can't think of anything more cost effective than a Philippines style trike in the Philippines, if there were you would see them everywhere.

 

Bajaj has a vehicle that I don't believe has penetrated the Philippine market called a RE 60. Much like a small car, it has 4 wheels for stability but it is not classed as a car in India they call it a quqdricycle as it has a top speed of 70 kph- 43 mph and probably offers no crash protection although you might think it does because it is enclosed and resembles a subcompact car. It might save you from road rash and because you are on 4 wheels you may get the better of a motorcycle but possibly not of a Philippine trike. They claim 35 km per liter fuel milage for it also. I think these will show up before real electric vehicles show up, not withstanding the rascal electric trikes which are available now but are fairly short range. I haven't forgotten this thread was about personal mobility. If I see anything else that may possibly be of use I will continue to post. I hope things are going well for the OP.