Two years into the pandemic, my family of four has not left the house for a vacation, a quick drive to eat out, or just visit relatives. Apart that we are practicing strict health protocols and we have not conquered our fears of exposing ourselves to the virus outside, we also faced a huge challenge – when it comes to travelling. We only have our reliable motorcycle to transport us from point A to B in the past 2 years.
But as the Philippines eases up on restrictions, and as Filipinos are slowly going out of their homes to experience life in the “outside world” again, me and my husband have also decided that it is time to purchase our very first brand new car.
Me and my husband were just so lucky to be employed amidst the pandemic. We are work from home individuals, that do not need to wake up very early and seek public transportation to get to the office. For two years, we were both spared from the stress and anxiety brought about by daily commuting in the Philippines.
Pre-pandemic, I really did not have a problem commuting using the public transportation available – bus, jeepneys, taxi, MRT. But after two years, and who knows when will this pandemic end, as parents, we do not want to risk our family’s health via commuting. We realized that our health is of utmost importance. That is when we decided that we will purchase our very first brand new car.
We did a lot of online research before deciding on the purchase. And these are the things that we considered:
BRAND NEW CAR VS USED CAR
We had an unhappy history with used cars. Purchased a sedan and MPV years back that did not perform well. As a result, we did shell out a lot of money on maintenance. We don’t want that risk anymore. We wanted a simple vehicle that we can depend on. Besides, working from home for 2 years gave us enough savings for a brand new vehicle. A brand new vehicle isn’t a luxury, but an investment in the long run. And we don’t have to worry about your vehicle breaking down in the middle of nowhere in the pandemic or giving up on you while you battle the rush hour traffic. Having that peace of mind is worth the extra money a new car requires.
BUDGET (PRE AND POST PURCHASE)
Unless you have an available fund, if you intend to purchase a car with installment payment, you need to calculate the monthly payment. The common rule is not to pay more than 20% of your monthly income for installment buying. Budget and planning are very important during pre-purchase. https://www.carpaymentcalculator.net will help you calculate car price that fits a monthly payment or loan payment amounts. It also has a small gaming arcade that can entertain you while browsing.
Post purchase, I also included in our monthly expenses the following: fuel consumption, insurance and government registration. We also used http://carpaymentcalculator.net/calcs/gas-budget.php for calculating our fuel budget. For our family, it was important for us to determine how much money we can shell out for the purchase. Would it put a dent on our savings? Or drastically change our lifestyle for the worse? It is important to buy within our means.
EVALUATE NEEDS
Here are some of our family’s pre-buying checklist:
- How many people will it carry
- Automatic or manual (if price matters, we will choose manual)
- Sedan or APV (definitely an APV because we need to put a lot of things at the back when we buy stuff during out of town trips. We want a vehicle that can double up as a service vehicle)
- Japanese vs American brand (In the Philippines it is easier to get parts for Japanese branded vehicles)
- APV is our family’s choice because we also plan of converting it into a camper van for outdoor adventures
inspecting the Suzuki APV happy with our purchase :)
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