I'm thinking of buying vehicle there, which would only be used a few months of the year. The rest of the time family members would probably be using it. I'm curious what the costs to own a car are. Assuming it is a mid range SUV, say 1.5M PHP, what are the costs to own a car like that? Licensing, taxes to buy, registration, insurance, etc.
Hmm, I would strongly advise to look at a second hand car in the circumstances you describe, or at none at all. When looking at a second hand, a simple car without much modern technology like a Mitsubishi Adventure, for which maintenance can be arranged at just about any local garage, sounds like the safest and cheapest bet to me (you should be able to find a second hand Adventure with low mileage around the 450k mark). As for cost, yearly test and registration, as well as third party liability insurance are all cheap, let's say around 2,000 peso a year in total. Why second hand? If "family members" would be using it, chances are they will not treat it as they would their own, because someone else will pay for any damage/maintenance anyway. Think about it though, why would something you wouldn't consider at all in your home country be a good idea in the Philippines? Anyway, if you'd still want to proceed then obviously the cost of maintenance and (all-risk) insurance will both be much more expensive if you persist in getting a new car.
Agreed, I will definitely be looking at a second hand car, ideally in the last phase of its manufactures warranty so 3-4 years old. I haven't owned a new car since I was in my early 20's. I could also get an older car and maybe that's best to begin with, I just like to avoid mechanical issues. I generally take care of my cars, hence the long shelf life. I definitely want a car if I'm there for an extended period of time. It probably makes sense to have an older car first and see if I end up being there full time and upgrading then. That way I could start with just liability insurance and eat the repair cost if there is an accident. I think the key is how much time I will spend there. In my home country, I have three cars and full coverage on all them, even though it's rare that all three are being driven at the same time and two of them are over 10 years old. It's expensive so that's why I'm trying to understand the costs of in the Philippines with a 3-4 year old car. However, doing something less than what I do at home makes a lot of sense, until/if the Phils becomes my home. Thanks.
My experience with family members and cars. Some years ago due to my job we had to move abroad for an unspecified length of time, we had a good condition 5 year old SUV with leather seats that i really liked and did not want to sell so we asked them to once a week start it up and let it run for 15 min then just move it a few metres back and forth along the driveway. After around 6 months we came back for a visit and tried to open the car with the remote but it would not open so had to open it with the key that's when we found out the battery was dead flat and the leather seats were starting to go mouldy. Enough said, sold it.
So the suggestion would be if you are only here for a couple of months is just to find a car to rent for that time? Is that pretty easy to do in Dumaguete?
As an alternative, you could buy a decent motorbike, at least a 125, and have a pedicab made and attached to the bike for about 28-30k php. Takes about a month. We have two in the extended family and works out find. My wife uses hers for short trips and saves on car wear. Another alternative is a Rusco.
I think I'd like the protection offered by a car. I see motorcycles splitting traffic in California and while the idea of getting somewhere faster is appealing, I like have some substantial steel surrounding me as I get older. I'd have to see if I feel that a pedicab offers similar protection.
My wife has a Rusco 4X4 with a bench in the back. The family uses it to haul stuff and to go to the mountains. I think the cost was in the 120-160k range. Parts are plentiful and mechanics are everywhere. Seems like there are thousands of them here.
Used cars are relatively expensive in the Philippines. Unfortunately. Anyhow, putting your specific situation into consideration, I do woukd recommend to buy a second hand car for let's say 500.000 Peso. Don't look too much to guarantee abd stuff like that. Even if you got it, you are in the Philippines. Go for a car from Japan, or Korea. Maintenance will be easy and spare parts as well as technicians are available. Don't look too much to age and mileage. Look to the owner and the way he treated the car.
