⌛ buying a car

Once I move to the PR I will need to buy a car of some sort. I would prefer a small Japanese (Toyota/Nissan/Honda) 4x4 auto with aircon, probably about 5 years old I should think. Having read the excellent post at http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/board/classifieds/car-wanted-1785-2.html#post17032 I can see I need to budget 250,000 - 300,000 peso, that's OK.

Here in Cyprus I drive a 1600cc Honda HRV auto, just perfect. Getting a vehicle with a full service history, so I could check it had genuine mileage and had been looked after - was a major hurdle. What are the pitfalls to watch out for over there?

I have seen the page at http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/kens-cars-atv-suv.php but am struggling to find any other dealers ... are there any others in Dumaguete? Is there a national car site like Autotrader?

Thanks
Adrian

 

Your best bet is to buy in Cebu. in your price range you will save 30-50k on average. Just make sure you know what your buying or take somebody along who does

 

Woaa. Slow down there Adrian. I hope you are not tempted to compare Cyprus being an island and Negros Oriental/PI being an island and that what you find in one is comparable to what you can get in another. Cyprus is very modernized and not too far off of European standards and much closer to a real civilization. The PI is pretty isolated. You are going to be sadly mistaken if you think you are going to get a used car here and then think that you will have some sort of factory certified repairs/service available. If you really want services like that you will need to rethink Cebu, even Manila. Dumaguete is still in the provinces and decades away from being able to provide very many services. It is rural and quiet here and most of the citizens here like it that way. Tourist and farmers are welcome, city slickers keep passing through to Cebu or Manila. Thats my take on the conditions here anyway.

 

We will be on Bohol and will need a passenger van. Whatcha think?

 

Buy one on Cebu and ship it over.....rather than a regular passenger van you may find the AUV's like the Revo and Crosswind better suited to your purpose. Particularly the Revo....parts are easy to get and most mechanics would have some experience with them...

 

Oh no Pedro, I am not comparing Cyprus to the PI (or should it be referred to as the PR?). Driving standards here are way behind European levels, but the number of cars on the road is small and that helps considerably.

Over here every vehicle has a service book which is stamped when it goes in for servicing, plus there is an annual checkup required that ensures the vehicle meets minimum standards with brakes, lights, etc. It's very much in the owner's interest to make sure these items are stamped, as the value of a vehicle is much less if this 'evidence' of routine maintenance is missing. Now I don't imagine anything like that exists over there, but surely there is SOME form of documentation that passes between owners that gives some clue about the way the vehicle has been maintained? May be just wishful thinking on my part it seems!

Thanks
Adrian

 

the minimum standard here is the horn... what is lights and breaks ???

for some peso you get all forms of documentation and stamps in a service book. it will even certify that the Toyota is a too hot washed mercedes, so you will basically make a good deal...

actually I get the stamps in that book anywhere in the world.
When I moved here, my cars I sold back in Germnay where ALL perfect serviced by reputable dealers... 3 Vans many years of stamps ...100Euro and a case of beer...

 

buying a car

Well "AUV" had me scratching my head, guessed it might be an all terrain acronym, but discovered Asian Utility Vehicle ... something new learned every day eh? The useful page at Toyota Revo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia brought me up to date with a list of similar vehicles like the Mitsubishi Adventure, Mazda Tribute (though they seem bloody BIG vehicles), I would much prefer a SWB RAV4 or similar - I'd certainly have another Honda HRV if those are to be found there? Clearly the more common a vehicle is, the better chance of finding a mechanic who's familiar with the model - essential really.

So Cebu would be a better place to buy eh? I did find CebuLive.com Car Finder | Cebu Online Car Finder fairly easily, guess there may be more like that - any other ideas?

Holy sh*t! Look at the asking price for this! Nissan Xtrail | CebuLive.com Car Finder ... are they MAD? 680,000 pesos for a 7 year old (probably 2002) vehicle with 90K on the clock! I have obviously got to re-think my budget if that's a reasonable deal.

Cheers
Adrian

 

buying a wreck ...

Hi Rhoody, can you let me have the tel number for that mercedes 'special edition' please? Gotta grab a bargain like that when I can!

I can tell my naivety is gonna get me into trouble, probably in lots of ways. Such is life!

Cheers
Adrian

 

Thats naivety is one thing what can cause troubles, or cost loads of money.

I still think after 8 years the people here are by far the friendliest in SEA and really mean it like that but most are 1000% "street-smart" and know how to take a dollar or two when offered.... or scooters and cellphones... nah that was another thread, but a brilliant example there...