Which automobile should I buy?

Lately I have been receiving quite a number of letters, both from the readers of this column and also from viewers of our TV shows Motoring Today (Sunday, 4 o’clock in the afternoon) and Auto Focus (Thursday, 10 pm), which are both aired on the Sports Plus Channel (Channel 35 on Sky Cable) seeking advice as to what kind and what brand of vehicle they should buy.

For a motoring journalist, this is one tough question to answer especially when asked just "off the cuff’ without much qualification as to the needs, taste and most especially the budget of the person inquiring. I must have been always giving those people who ask me the dumbest look in the world whenever this question is thrown at me, especially during cocktails or parties when shop talk prevails and a long serious discussion is out of place.

Some of those who wrote in to the column with such concern include Mr. Joel "The Fly" Cueva, Mr. Emmanuel D. Agustin, Mr. (or Ms?) Mow Choi, Ms. Cecil de Jesus and Mr. Leo S. Molina.

Mr. Cueva who, according to him, is a novice driver wants a good second hand car, thinking that a brand new one may not be a practical option considering his present driving prowess, or the lack of it.

Mr. Agustin said he was set on buying the Toyota Altis until the launch of all-new Honda Civic gave him quite a headache as to which among the two should he choose to get.

Mr. or Ms. (pardon me, I can’t really tell just by the name) Mow Choi needs quick advice as to what SUV to get — Toyota Fortuner, Isuzu Trooper or Nissan Patrol.

Ms. Cecil de Jesus wants to know what I think about the Hyundai Getz. And if ever she would decide to get one, which is a better choice, the 1.1L or the 1.4L?

Mr. Leo Medina on the other hand is on a dead end deciding between the Toyota Vios and the Honda City.

Let me first address the concern of Ms. de Jesus regarding the Hyundai Getz. I’m very sorry Cecil but I am utterly clueless regarding this automobile except what I have read in some of the print ads that you may have seen yourself. I haven’t had the chance to test drive this automobile nor was I in its launch, if there was any. I cannot also comment on the feedback you got regarding its durability being suspect. Although I do subscribe to the philosophy of waiting for the time to have the right budget to buy the right car rather than just get any car that fits your budget. Not unless getting the vehicle right away is of utmost importance.

Now, my kudos to Mr. Cueva for having that practical sense of setting his sights on a second hand car during the time that he’s, more or less, a "driving apprentice". Which second hand automobile to get would surely depend on what’s in the market that’s within your allocated funds and would suit your transport needs. A few weeks back I have mentioned of my intention to run a series on "What to look out for when buying a second hand automobile" as part of our column’s "Motoring Tip of the Week" and I’m still in the process of getting all my research materials together before starting it.

Will it be the Altis or the all-new Civic for his first brand new automobile was the quandary Mr. Agustin was in when he wrote me. Let me tell you just one thing, Manny, Emy or Noel. Whichever you would finally decide on buying would stay with you for a good number of years — considering that the durability of these two makes is beyond question — and you would be staying with it, riding it and seeing it until you decide to get rid of it. Make sure you give yourself a chance to test drive both vehicles. Feel them both. Take a long look at both of them before you decide and pick the one you really like. You have already saved enough to buy your first brand new car and a few more thousand pesos must not really hinder you from getting what you really, really want.

Now, in the case of Mow Choi, the list that you have contains some of the best SUVs in its category that you can get in the market presently — the Toyota Fortuner, Isuzu Trooper and the Nissan Patrol. I noticed though that they do not belong to the same price category making me think that the budget is not really of consequence, which leads me also to surmise that the other important factors in the decision-making process would be of better importance, which are, utility or function and aesthetics or taste. Now all these three models that you have mentioned, more or less, provide the same utility and therefore the only question mark left may be what among these three choices, appeals best to your eyes or liking — and that, only you can decide. Good luck on your choice.

Mr. Molina has actually made quite a detailed matrix of comparison of the two models that he’s currently undecided on which to buy — the new Honda City or the Toyota Vios. And judging from your letter you have actually narrowed down the elements that you would consider in making your choice and I think that you have placed your finger on what you actually need. Leo, what you actually need is what you should buy. Go for it.

STP, Prestone and Armor All are all going strong

It’s only now that I have the chance to acknowledge the letter of my good friend and once long-time supporter of our TV show Motoring Today, from "day one" in 1987, Mr. Ramon Calimbahin. But as the old saying goes, "It’s better late, than later."

He actually wrote me to acknowledge my acknowledgement of First Brands Philippines as one of the first sponsors of our show when I wrote about Motoring Today’s history in this column during our 19th anniversary last June.

Well, Mon wrote to report that their company was acquired by Clorox U.S.A and is now carrying that name, where he was retained as the president of the firm and the position he currently holds.

And most important of all is that their brands and remarkable products like STP, Prestone Brake Fluid & Coolant and Armor All car care products are all still doing great guns in the global market including the Philippines.

Nice to hear from you, Mon.

Mail Call

Now, while we’re at it, we might as well acknowledge some of the other letters we received from our readers.

Thank you to Mr. Giovanni Aligaen who wrote sometime back inquiring about the actual schedule of the airing of our TV show Motoring Today when it moved from Channel 4 to cable TV. He said he saw the show for some time and was already again following it after it stopped airing in NBN when it again stopped airing on cable.

I guess that was the time, Giovanni when we were moved to another slot, still on a Sunday but at seven o’clock in the evening, to make way for the "live" telecast of the French Open Tennis Championship. But we’re back to our regular slot, which is Sunday at four o’clock in the afternoon on the Sports Plus Channel (Channel 35-Sky Cable).

Mr. Godfrey "Doods" Genete writes all the way from Papua New Guinea saying he would appreciate photos of the automobiles that are newly launched in the Philippines.

Well, I normally do not have pictures in my motoring column, Doods, but the rest of the guys here in The STAR’s motoring section do not fail to come out with great photos and write-ups about any and all new automobile releases in the country. If you’re getting my column via the internet, I guess you can also access the entire motoring section, or can you? Let me check that out and I’ll let you know.

Mr. Ron dela Luna writes to ask where he can go in the event that his car gets emerged in flood waters and gets all the upholstery and carpeting drenched.

I cannot recommend any particular establishment Ron but I would do is bring it to the dealership of the car because they would be the expert in having you vehicle really cleaned up. Of course, the cost can be a lot more if you do that compared to having it cleaned in a reputable service station. But be sure to watch over it and have the carpets and upholstery affected thoroughly dried before it’s turned over to you.

Motoring tip of the Week

Well, we hope this would be the last time we’d have this issue on the revving up of the engine while driving through flooded streets as we acknowledge the letter sent in by Oliver Masillem who wanted further clarification regarding this. He also cited a contrary advice of his friend, which is to shut down the engine while your vehicle is in the middle of the flood and another vehicle of bigger size and bulk passes causing big waves, in order to avoid the flood waters from getting in to your engine.

Well, once and for all, keep your engine revving high while driving through floods in order to better ensure that it would not cease because as soon as the engine ceases, the tendency is for the water to rush into your exhaust system and into your engine and an eventual stalling would most probably happen.

Happy Motoring!!!

For Comments: (e-mail) [email protected].