Vehicles & Servicing Buying a new car in Dumaguete

I've decided to take the plunge and buy a new car here in Dumaguete. My interactions with new car dealerships here have not inspired a lot of confidence. Makes me wonder how they will perform when I need warranty work. Any recommendations for dealers who are good to work with? Or any warnings about dealers/brands to avoid?

 

I had a Strada pickup from Mitsubishi Sibulan. I made two warranty claims in the 3 year period and there was no problem getting the work done. You may have to wait a couple of weeks for parts but there was no argument about who paid.

 

I had a terrible experience getting warranty work from the Chevrolet dealer out of Bacolod. I had to fix the problem myself and submit paperwork, which went ignored for months, even with my multiple follow-up phone calls. So, I finally got them....when it was time for the required oil change by the dealership, which was always overpriced, I took my car, let them do the oil change, then I handed them copies of my warranty work that I had paid for, and I said, "I am not paying for this, I will accept this oil change in exchange for the warranty work you guys refuse to refund me for". I had still paid more for the warranty work than the cost of the oil change, but I was willing to let it go for that. I expected to receive phone calls from Chevrolet, but never did.

 

My wife bought a one year old used Toyota with two years remaining warranty - she has not had to use the warranty yet but servicing and damage repairs were fine.

As you will know, other factors such as general reliability of the brand (and Toyota is good I believe), value for money, length of warranty (and exclusions) and the issue of ORCR (in that some dealers may help more than others) are all important. If you are not aware of the ORCR issue then it might keep your new car sitting on your drive for months before you can use it.

 

I recently purchased a Fortuner from the Toyota dealership in Sibulan. My experience with them, both sales and service, has been very positive.

 

Concur with Sedona, toyota in sibulan is great to work with. we've had our FJ since october, ordered in july. Was checking prices on a new side mirror and toyota was 30% cheaper than the car parts place across from rejoice.. (still lookin for a good parts place)

 

How do you like your FJ? Sharp vehicle. Is it pretty good for off roading?

 

FJ is great, powerful, good 4W. Off road is a relative term, considering we're 64 and 74, like a bumpy dirt road. If you can deal with the back doors and no openable windows in the back for the puppy, go for it...

 

My wife and I haven't purchased any new cars here, but we love the Kia Soul (we've had two of them in the U.S.). Has anyone dealt with the KIA dealer in Dumaguete? We hope to purchase within this year. Thanks for any help. 'Happy Camper' Good to know that we will be able to use USAA here.