Buying a car in the philippines

So as most of you know we're going to be moving out to the philippines in October. I think we'll end up in the Olongapo area. We will after a short while require our own transport, though at the start I'm happy with tricycle's, jeepney's and taxis. As we intend only to be there for 18-24 months I'll probably buy second hand. I've heard horror stories of people who have brought subic registared cars and wondered if anyone has any tips of what to look for or trust worthy / reliable dealers? Also any info about the required paperwork would be helpful.

Ta

Well you have to ask don't you?!

I know its all money etc but what about buying second hand, directly from a main agent ie the local Honda or Nissan dealer for example? Would that be a bit more secure?

I have a good friend in Subic and will ask him - after all, I will be doing the same myself soon enough..

One piece of advice from him is to beware of imports which have been converted to left hand drive - eg any secondhand import from Japan.

Jeez. Incredible. I thought the IoM was bad enough. How would that compare to new?

I would go for a new car if at all possible and most likely a Korean one.

It might be if they sold them. Which they don't.

Indeed, it's best to avoid secondhand imports altogether, be it from Japan or Korea.

There is no equivalent to Glass' Guide, the selling price is set by the owner and is often far in excess of the vehicle's actual value.

And remember, secondhand car dealers are simply advertising shop-fronts for owners: dealers don't buy the cars, they simply act as agents for the owners. They're not above winding-back the clocks in order to get higher prices.

Filipinos who buy new cars often abide by the principal that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that shiny 4 year-old vehicle you're thinking of buying may only have had just the one (free) service at around the 600 Km mark.

Two things to watch out for. The first is flood-damaged vehicles being sold off cheap (well, not that cheap either); the wiring loom is often damaged. The second is vehicles being sold with Manila plates in the Provinces (ie away from Manila); these have often been stolen, may have fake plates and/or papers and possibly resprayed. There is phone number you can send a text message to with a vehicle's registration plate number and you'll get a text message back giving the manufacturer, model, year first registered and body colour. If they don't match the vehicle you're looking at, walk away.

Bear in mind also that if you test drive a new or used vehicle, neither you nor the vehicle will be insured and if you damage it, you've bought it. As a Kano, you'll almost certainly be responsible for the damage to any other vehicle even if it was quite clearly the other driver's fault.

"Bear in mind also that if you test drive a new or used vehicle, neither you nor the vehicle will be insured and if you damage it, you've bought it. As a Kano, you'll almost certainly be responsible for the damage to any other vehicle even if it was quite clearly the other driver's fault".



This is why, as a Kano, you don't drive.

You pay a driver.

"It is the business of the wealthy man
To give employment to the artisan"

(Hilaire Belloc - Cautionary Verses)

I remember sitting in a friend's car being driven through Intramuros, where we had our office in those days.

Something struck us about the car in front of us - we could not say what it was...until it struck us - it had the same number plate as my friend's entirely legitimate, bought-new, Hyundai.

My brother in law bought a brand new Starex 5 years ago.. I can believe just how much rust on it and other 5 year old Starex`s in our area.. To be honest I think I`ll stick with Toyotas and Mitsubishis after witnessing that!!

You would think so but I'm afraid that's often not the case. If you, as the (Kano) owner, are a passenger and your vehicle is involved in an accident, then it's quite simply a case of 'he who has the greater means, pays'. As I found out to my not inconsiderable cost a year after arriving in Cebu.

New Japanese cars seem to be no cheaper here than they are in the UK, that's certainly true of the Honda Civic my wife and I looked at the other day. We passed.

If you want a European car, Peugeot have opened up here with a dealership in Manila as have Rolls Royce and Bentley who have separate dealerships. BMW and Audi are both well-established with dealerships in Manila, Cebu and Davao.

Here in Davao a new Pajero ("Shogun" in UK) will set you back around £35,000 for the 2012 model but they are about £1,000 cheaper in Manila. That price includes delivery (£1,000), Registration (£150), one year's compulsory insurance (£560) and dealer prep (£50). Shoguns are actually assembled in the Philippines but if you want a pukka Japanese built one, you'd be paying a couple of thousand on top. It's hard to do a direct comparison with Shogun because only one model is available here unlike the 3 or 4 models available in the UK.

For about the same price, however, you can buy a Lexus 4x4 which is altogether a much nicer and more comfortable vehicle. And I want one!

Yup and on Cebu that'd be Danny Noy who is the most reliable and courteous of the breed and who doesn't believe in the "long-nose tax". He has both saloons and vans available and is well-known and well-regarded by the Expat community.

I can't speak for Manila - I avoid the place where ever and when ever possible - but certainly in Cebu and here (Davao) it actually isn't that bad. All businesses tend to have parking spots right outside and there's usually a helpful guard who will stop the traffic for you to allow you to back out and be on your way. Almost all houses have a "garage" (means "car port"). There's a definite shortage of traffic lights in Cebu City and nobody pays attention to them anyway. Things are a little different in Mandaue City where the major roads are now covered by CCTV and the city's new traffic lights are controlled from a central control room.

Well yes. Petrol isn't exactly cheap here any more: pretty close to £1 a litre for bog-standard unleaded. Diesel is cheaper though - by up to 10 Pesos a litre. The local equivalent to Road Fund Tax is (if memory serves) about £50 a year - and that includes compulsory third party insurance - and ah yes, the "fines" levied by traffic enforcers who are council employees, not plod; invariably levied against foreigners, rarely against locals.

In my travels around the country, I've seen some cars I wouldn't have expected to see: Mini Coopers (there is now a dealership in Manila), a lot of VW Beetles and more than a couple of Smart cars; I suspect the latter were imported privately.