The Ford Econoline of the Philippines
I spent a month looking for a vehicle before I got on the plane to come here. I knew I wanted a van of some sort. I’ve always had vans. Love their versatility. But there are many transportation options available in PH. Multicabs fascinate me, but I am too tall. Cars, pickups, and vans — especially Toyotas — are easy to find.
In general, expect to pay top-dollar for a used vehicle, and do not expect much of a discount or negotiation.
I spent hours scouring FB Marketplace, Philkotse.com, and Carousell.ph looking for a nice Nissan Urvan or Toyota Hiace. The only website that really produced reliable listings was Carousell.ph. It was a great source. Over that month, I narrowed down the geography (how far I was willing to travel to view a candidate), the model year, trim levels, and options I was interested in. I also identified the normal price ranges depending on condition, mileage, options, and location of the vehicle. Be advised, there is nothing like the Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds.com or the NADA pricing guide here. You are on your own, Jack. Prices vary widely.)
I built a spreadsheet of about twenty possible vehicles and ranked them. I concentrated on vehicles in Metro Manila because there were so many choices compared to everywhere else. I looked at more than a dozen, narrowing my selection as I went. I had reserved three days in Manila for the task of securing the van.
I spent ₱1,100,000 on a 2016 Toyota Super Grandia with leather Captain’s Chairs. This was in 2022, purchased from a private party in Makati City, NCR. Vehicle was obviously treated with loving care. Garaged in a beautiful, private neighborhood. Perfect paint. Extra flooring protection everywhere: driver, passenger, and rear seating area. Seating for 11. Low mileage — 16,000 km. Excellent Bridgestone Dueler tires. I could bury my knuckle in the tread. And really nice people to deal with. A well-loved vehicle from a loving family, hallelujah.
I did not negotiate the price. It was a fair price. In return, the lady declared that she would shoulder all of the transfer fees, taxes, stamps, inspections, and paperwork needed to change ownership.
I had no idea how big a blessing that was.
We agreed to meet the following day at my bank. I was using Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) at the time. The manager kindly let us use his office for payment, signing, and notarization, which he also provided gratis. Then we moved on to the bureaucracy — the Land Transportation Office, LTO.
Don’t ask me why, but we couldn’t use the local Makati LTO office. We had to drive to “where the vehicle was originally registered.” IT TOOK ALL DAY to get the transfer done. It was dark by the time we said goodbye.
This vehicle has been great for us. We took the family to Minalungao National Park last year. Seating for eleven, right? We had 20 Filipinos and one American in the Grandia, plus all of the food, drinks, supplies, water, shoes, bathing suits, etc., for the whole day. We’ve put 54,000 km on the van in four years. Lots of trips to MNL and CRK for family members coming and going to Dubai, plus monthly drives to S & R and more frequently to WalterMart. Many trips to drop off & pick up the scholars. And a couple of vacations.
I can haul ten sheets of laminated marine plywood or six balikbayan boxes and six passengers. The rear seats fold out of the way and the captain’s chairs swivel 180°. During house construction, the van was my remote office. I would meet with the two engineers inside the van. Aircon. Chairs swiveled. Nice place out of the heat for clear-headed thinking 👍
Your vehicle will be one of the most important decisions you make. If you want to provide transportation to family members, I highly recommend the Toyota Hiace family. The Super Grandia is the high-end of the trim level but all of them are capable vans.
And regarding the dreaded LTO, things have changed for the better. At least here in Central Luzon. We mostly use an LTO-authorized private company for our vehicle inspections, registration and ownership changes. The company is called “Five S,” working out of a new, large facility in Cabanatuan. Service is fast and efficient. Well worth the ₱950 expense. Very little waiting.
Sidebar on Group Travel — This was a surprise to me. Around here, if anybody goes anywhere, someone else goes with them. Very different from America. Going to the doctor? Two or three people are needed. Taking someone to the airport? Expect the van to be full of family. Even going to the tailor or palengke, no one goes alone. There is always a brother / sister / cousin / Tita / Tito with them every time.
Stef
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