My husband and I are over forty and we don’t own a car yet. Those who are hampaslupa (dirt poor) like us who are considering buying a car maybe having second thoughts with the current rate of increase in the prices of gasoline and diesel fuels. On the other hand, taking the public transport doesn’t also look promising if you weigh-in the risks of getting COVID-19.
The public transportation system of the Philippines leaves much to be desired. Here in the province, the usual mode of transportation are tricycles at the barangays, public utility jeepneys (PUJ) within the towns and cities, and buses when traveling across cities and provinces. Public utility jeepneys (PUJ) have around 18 passengers with 9 persons each row facing each other. Add to the scenario the closed windows during rainy days and you have a good chance of contracting the COVID-19 virus.
Why are you buying car?
Like in most decisions I make in my life, I always ask why. All else becomes easier to answer if you have the answer to “why”.
I recently took a jeepney ride during a rainy day and sitting across me all throughout the ride was a man who coughs incessantly and has a runny nose as well. When I arrived home, I told my husband that now is the best time to buy a car.
We don’t own a car because we find it very convenient to use GrabCar whenever we need one, especially during the pandemic. Our daughter’s school adopted online classes in the past two years and my husband has a small tropical fish business at home so we don’t see the immediate need to buy a car. However, with the opening of classes in August, our daughter’s school will be adopting hybrid mode and slowly transition to full face-to-face classes by November as mandated by DepEd.
Our main reason for this decision is for our daughter to have less exposure to people whose health status we don’t know much about. The three of us at home and our immediate families are all fully vaccinated. Teachers in her school are already fully vaccinated and also most of the students. This at least gives us a little peace of mind.
How much can you afford?
After knowing the answer to why, the next question is, how much can you afford? It’s always best to do the math before taking the plunge. Can you afford to buy cash? If you are buying on installment, can you afford the monthly payment? Buying a car today is so easy. There are a lot of promos being offered. You can even take home a car with zero down payment but of course it goes with a higher monthly payment. But then, that depends on your finances that’s why it’s important to calculate your car loan payment. This site is very helpful carpaymentcalculator.net.
Once you know how much you need and how much you can afford, decide whether you need to have another source of income such as a side business or a part-time job another source of income. The question of whether to buy a new or a used car is easier to answer if you know how much you can afford. For first time car owners, this guide in buying a new car during the pandemic is very helpful
What car model?
Deciding on the car model basically depends on your lifestyle. For us, a sedan or a hatchback will already be enough us since we’re only three and will only be using the car mostly for city driving.. For those who travel a lot on off roads may prefer an SUV or a pick-up truck. For bigger families, an MUV or a minivan maybe more appropriate.
Manual or automatic transmission?
We are in the Philippines and manual transmission are still available here so we are still considering it. Traffic here in Bacolod City is not that bad … yet, and manual transmission cars are still cheaper and easier to maintain. That’s what most jeepney drivers I asked told me. Some tsismosa also told me that carnappers prefer automatic cars. They may not be the best persons to ask. Ask for the opinions of car experts in forum or car blogs. Better yet, test drive the vehicle before buying. This takes me to my next important question.
Do you know how to drive?
No, we don’t know how to drive much less have a driver’s license. Most people will argue that you should learn how to drive first before buying a car. Well, in our case, we will buy a car first so we can learn how to drive. We are obviously not experts but we can relate to the process of going through the decision of owning your first car.