Buying a car in the philippines.

Crocken,  I too have thought about a vehicle to buy.  In fact I did purchase a used owner jeep, from an expat that will be moving back to USA when he can sell his condo.  The cost of a car can be high with many problems in a sea faring country i.e. Rust.  What I did was buy the owner jeep made of stainless steel.  It does not rust.  The metal frame did have some rust spots but getting it welded was not expensive.  That way the frame was solid.  I, unfortunately had to go through it with a fine tooth comb due to finding many things wrong with it after buying it.  Replaced and rebuilt the radiator, carbourator, brakes, fixed transmission, headlight, brand new tires all around, new pistons ring, valves, and head gasket, manifold, and lastly replaced the rotting vinyl top with a very good quality top (2layers with foam between) to keep sun and heat forming coming through.  New upholstery on seats and built a back bench seat, new seat belts and retractors.  One would think I spent a fortune.    Depends on your definition.  All said and done was about 135,000 Php.  So for about $3200 total I have essentially a new jeep from 1993.  Oh yes registration title and insurance were included.   There are some very good mechanics in the Philippines and not very expensive.  I forgot to mentioned I replaced all the writing in the jeep, new gauges etc.  that only cost 1000 Php and they worked on it 2 whole days.    I want to buy a new car in 2 years for my family a new  SUV.  But looking at prices of at least 2 million Php,  I am considering ordering a new larger jeep from Imus with all the bells and whistles on it, including power steering and good hard top cover with windows so a/c will work well.  Add on a good diesel motor for maybe 600-750,000 Php and I have the same thing and not have to worry about rust and getting in a wreck,  sleep better at night. So spending $7-8000 against $35-45,000 seems like a no brainer to me.   Consider getting a used jeep or even a new one, last longer and probably run better, certainly cheaper to work on.  rainrider9