Recommend a car

[chris49]

13 minutes ago, johnbarley said:

 

Yeah, I have parking. I'll be staying in Cebu. Is flooding a problem there? 

I rode in a Toyota Hillux before. I really liked the interior. Very spacious large cab. Is the DMax similar?

However, I have no use for the truck bed. 

Per reports flooding is a problem. And traffic. Cebu City? Why do you actually need a car there?

Similar yes. The DMax engine has a better reputation for reliability. The Hilux is slightly bigger if you check the dimensions. The Ford Ranger is leaping ahead in popularity and those are the eyecatchers you see on the road.

 

[robert k]

21 minutes ago, johnbarley said:

Doesn't good ground clearance also mean a high center of gravity and therefore make it less stable?

At what I consider normal Philippine speeds 30-40mph and equivalent, you are not that likely to roll over.

Parts of Cebu do have flooding problems. It's good to have some elevation. Of course even if your area isn't flooding, you will probably develop and instant desire to go some place that is flooded like that nice Chooks to go down the hill.

Used cars are a case by case basis. A 3 year old car might really only have 30k km on it. If it started life with synthetic oil which was never changed, the engine might have endured no damage at all but better if it at least got the first free oil change.

Toyota Fortuner is the SUV variety of the Hilux. Sort of the gold standard for SUV. I drive a 4Runner in the US but it wouldn't be worth transporting mine but a great vehicle.

SIL drives Nissan Pathfinder called a Terrano in the Philippines, another good car if you don't keep it past 10 years. Really good SUV until they go bad.

I like an SUV that the design started life as a truck because they are still trucks underneath and tough. They ride rougher though.

[mogo51]

When we come to Phils next year, I will be looking for a small car, which is what I drive in Thailand.  I use the car very rarely, the one I have had for nearly 2 years, I have only drove for 8k in that time.  It had 8k on it when I got it as a repo by finance company, saved 170k bht on new price!

[Reboot]

Those Ford Rangers look nice! I wish we had them available in the US. Would be a nice step down from a full size F-150.

[Reboot]

I rode around Mindanao in my GF's uncle's Ford SUV.  It was a late model Everest, another one you don't see in the US. 3 row seating. Very comfortable and luxurious. Good acceleration with a diesel. Decent ground clearance too.

[chris49]

10 minutes ago, Reboot said:

Those Ford Rangers look nice! I wish we had them available in the US. Would be a nice step down from a full size F-150.

They are dynamite and it's reflected in the price. Their overall rating is pushing them to the top. And Asian compatible as far as parts and servicing.

The DMax beats them on fuel economy and about 300k pesos lower price. But tell that to my wife. She's paying close attention. And the Ranger has a nice color range. As she would like.

[DavidK]

Also depends how many people you need to carry about. I bought a second-hand Mitsubishi Lancer, 6 years old with only 28k kilometers on the clock, cost 380,000 peso. So far so good (touch wood). Had to put in a new battery (for some reason they don't last long here) and just put new boots on it. Benefits from anonymity but has decent performance or at least as much as you need driving in Cebu. The wife however has a Ford Everest which is like driving a truck. I think that's a stature thing though, if you're a midget Filipina you drive the biggest car you can find.........

[Jollygoodfellow]

11 hours ago, Reboot said:

Decent ground clearance too.

I would go for one of these, good ground clearance for flooding and can be purchased in multiple carabao configurations for speed or conditions. 

[bows00]

I would make sure you really need a car first.  There have been expats regretting their car purchases once there, especially within a crowded city environment.  They end up buying scooters to be able to weave through traffic. 

I would heed the advice of an expat who said "Don't make any big decisions for at least a year there", and that includes any big purchases.

[robert k]

38 minutes ago, bows00 said:

I would make sure you really need a car first.  There have been expats regretting their car purchases once there, especially within a crowded city environment.  They end up buying scooters to be able to weave through traffic. 

I would heed the advice of an expat who said "Don't make any big decisions for at least a year there", and that includes any big purchases.

Good point and you can get most bulky items delivered or hire a truck.

I have also heard of people who sold their car and went totally 2 wheel and turned around and bought another car because long trips are more pleasant in an SUV. There is also the matter of potentially a bug out vehicle. If a Yolanda class storm is coming I would monitor it and if it looked like I was in the path about 24 hours before it hit, I might visit somewhere else. Cebu had a heck of a drought this last summer and you couldn't get water on demand from the tap, people filled up barrels of water when the water was turned on for an hour or two. I might want to visit someplace else for a month or three.

When the power is out a car can become a man cave, with aircon, laptop charger, tethered to your phone for internet, stereo system. The malls will be crowded when the power goes out.