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susuki muti cab / carry . mini pickup , anyone have experience ?

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minocqua
  8/28/2015 15:36 EST

whats your opinion ? are they ok ?
thanks .

poochewer
  8/28/2015 17:30 EST

They are the best vehicle for the philippines. They have an extremely efficient 3 cyl motor that uses almost no fuel. They are tough as nails but very light. You can go in any terain. They are especially good for the provinces. Also they are the easiest to get and cheapest parts. I say go for it. You wont be sorry.

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minocqua
  8/28/2015 19:45 EST

poochewer ..
thanks for the advice .
im still in the far northern usa .
watched some youtube vids ,
showing the suzuki ,,mini's .
planning on moving to palawan,,
in several years . im used to rural living , wolves , bears can be seen out my windows . ive read some of your posts , smokes $20 a pac , oil change $180 ? [[ wow !
are you living in phil ..?
or still down under .

trappedinhell
  8/28/2015 23:13 EST

They're pretty common here in PI and used commercially, like loading it with LPG tanks, construction materials, produce, etc... It's better than buying a tricycle (as most expats do) since they're almost on the same price range. Mostly second hand ones comes from Japan (surplus/used) and is converted here for left hand drive (heard its problematic). Brand new ones cost about 465,000 -540,000 Philippine Peso (MSRP). I've talked to one owner here at my place who runs an LPG business. He's happy with it (second hand bought) and says it seldom gives him problems. Suzuki Motors Philippines has about 4 dealerships in the south
They're classified as APV (All Purpose Vehicle). Here's a link for SMP: http://suzuki.com.ph/auto/pricing/

pdronen
  8/29/2015 02:26 EST

mostly considered a throw away car-cheap but no air and very small=in the providence even with 4 whl drive they often get stuck-essentially a golf cart-u should consider new as 2nd hand here typically not serviced well-good luck

JPH
  8/29/2015 10:46 EST

The cost of buying any vehicle in the Philippines makes you want to cry compared to value/condition of what you are used to, but the Suzuki MultiCabs are very common for the reasons given above. Do think about what type of roads (holes & hills) you will be driving over though when you chose.

Just general info: Surplus Japanese vehicles can be difficult to register unless currently registered and you can actually have the registration transferred.

Apart from the Suzuki MPV - at least in the Davao area you have not been able to register a newly imported Japanese Surplus vehicle since at least September 2014 if not before due to Importers not paying Customs. I narrowly missed getting caught out by an Importer on this issue in December but managed to get my deposit back on a Mini Pajero after a bit of pressure....bought one registered by a Pakistani Importer-at least we were on the same page with it all... ALWAYS CHECK.
Also check that when changing over to PH that the a/c is also transferred & works and not simply cut-out due to changeover.

Personally, given the screaming of a small engine & driving conditions I now would prefer a stick-shift over an auto as many time you need some power to get up hills /overtake quickly. Next time !!

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brslomo
  8/29/2015 16:09 EST

In order to understand the Suzuki multicab (and similar) vehicles, you need to understand two basic things about the Japanese car market.

The first thing is a term known as JDM, or Japanese Domestic Market cars. JDM refers to Japan's home market for motor vehicles. Such vehicles are designed an manufactured to conform to Japanese regulations and to suit Japanese buyers. At no point were they ever intended for Japan's famous and extensive export market. As a result, they may not and in fact probably will not meet many of the needs and requirements of other world markets.

A special example and special category of such vehicles are the so-called KEI cars. This category of small vehicles was designed after WWII to comply with Japanese tax and insurance regulations and to promote the motorization of the country (much as the VW was in Germany) as a means of modernizing it and stimulating its economy.

The gasoline engines used in these vehicles were initially very small (150 CC two-stroke engines). The size has grown since then to the current limit of 660 CC four-stroke engines. Limiting the size of these engines has allowed the manufacturers to provide certain financial advantages to the buyers. Examples include excise tax amounting to 3% of the purchase price vice 5% for larger vehicles.

Since they are smaller and lighter, they fall into a lower category of vehicle weight tax which is significant. Liability insurance premiums are much lower than for larger cars. Road tax is smaller since it is based upon the engine's displacement. There are, of course disadvantages, including reduced safety, unsuitability for higher speed roads, and so forth.

Since the car was neither designed nor built for export to international markets, it is illegal in Japan to export them. It would also be illegal and expensive here in the Philippines to import them. As with most other things here, there is a way around this.

As with many other developing countries, the Philippines has a developing automotive industry. In order to protect that industry, there is a high tax on importing finished automobiles. Importing parts and assembling or re-assembling them here is encouraged with lower taxes on those parts. Therefore, that is what is done with KEI car parts.

So when you buy a "new" KEI car such as the Suzuki multicab with its F6A engine, you are purchasing a car which was not designed for this market, no matter how well suited for it the car may seem to be.

The other thing we need to mention is that in Japan, owners must contend with a strict vehicle inspection system which forces them to either pay dramatically more each year to own a car or to sell it for scrap or parts value after an average of three years. So that is typically what comes into the Philippines.

So if you are buying one of these vehicles, you are purchasing a car which has been used in Japan for approximately three years and God knows how long subsequently here in Phils. Since these cars come into this country in parts, there is no owners manual, no service history, really no documentation of any kind.

I'm not saying they are not a good thing to buy. Just that you should know what you are purchasing.

chance2013
  8/29/2015 20:45 EST

As said by brslomo the multi cabs are usually bought in as parts and assembled here converting to left hand drive i think. Some rebuilds are good and some are really bad. But as a vehicle in the Philippines I think they are great, not for very long trips maybe and the lack of air on might be a bit sticky. But the people carrier converts into a good little van with plenty of carrying space, a nice little pick up, even a crew cab pick up. I was going to buy one to be honest but circumstances changed. On the whole I think if maintained properly they can be a cheap but very useful little vehicle

chance2013
  8/29/2015 20:46 EST

The big problem as usual here is finding a good one, that's the challenge

pdronen
  8/29/2015 20:54 EST

as others have posted be aware no ac and as a light weight vehicle even the 4whl drive can get stuck. If you plan to operate in the city an inexpensive way of transportation

minocqua
  8/31/2015 22:13 EST

thanks to all the members here ......
great feedback ........
im still in northern wisconsin .
planning on renting on palawan ,
for a year or so...in several areas ,
around the northern 1/2 of the island . getting a feel for it .
as well as seeing what the local
province people are like .
i did travel around palawan for 3 weeks , a year ago .

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JPH
  9/2/2015 11:47 EST

Just a question about Ph Domestic car market... Apart from Jeepney's what is actually produced for domestic consumption ?

PH does not make its own brand of vehicles and where factories are built - ie Luzon - they are Japanese Toyota/Honda and mainly exported using the cheap labour in PH.

Old & new Vehicles in PH are double the prices due to ring-fencing etc. etc. yet although cost-of-production in PH is much lower the real sale price is not evident in PH as a result... Comments ?

brslomo
  9/2/2015 12:24 EST

JPH,

That is really a question which you could answer for yourself by looking around a bit on the roads and in shopping malls.

But I will answer it for you in case you are not able to do that.

As I'm sure you are aware, the Philippines was a "colony" of the United States from the time the U.S. defeated Spain in the Spanish American war in 1898 until just after WWII. Therefore early examples of automobiles build in the Philippines were American manufacturers.

As you can imagine, it is very challenging to run any kind of modern business here in the Philippines, largely because of the corruption which hampers every aspect of business here. And since the Philippine government apparently forgot who their daddy was after Marcos was ousted from power in 1986, American companies rightly decided that it made good business sense to abandon this market.

Since that time, numerous world marks have come and gone. The Asian market crisis of the late 90's was responsible for most of these brands leaving the Philippines.

As of now, what you have left are companies such as Hyundai/Kia, Toyota, VW, Isuzu, and a few others. Of course you have numerous Chinese companies such as Chery, Geely, and the like.

As someone mentioned, the selling prices of these vehicles seems to bear no relationship to realities such as low wages for the factory workers who assemble these vehicles (mostly from imported parts). But once again, I'm sure these companies have their own challenges which probably include hefty bribes paid to various functionaries in order to conduct business. And of course the real losers are those people here in Phils who just want a motor vehicle for the same reasons that others around the world want them. And because they can't get them for a reasonable, the economy is stifled yet again.

Perhaps I am too cynical, but in my mind, the only way out of this sticky situation will be some sort of revolution or perhaps a military coup or something.

Until then, keep your powder dry and your assets fairly liquid.

charkee
  9/2/2015 19:11 EST

From what I understand and I could be wrong, It is Government taxes that raise the prices.

standupguy
  9/3/2015 01:22 EST

brslomo - "Colony"?? 1899 the USA brutally attacked the Philippines killing thousands, used scorched earth, massacres in Manila, etc. I am sure you know the routine. The USA defeated the Philippines savagely, shock & awe, & complete destruction. It wasn't actually "colonization", a more sanitized version of regime change. The USA wanted what Spain had. Stole it for the Philippine Nationalists.

poochewer
  9/3/2015 20:02 EST

Very well said by standupguy. Also don't forget that 50% of the entire USA was stolen from the Mexicans.in a similar fashion.

TitoMike
  9/4/2015 08:51 EST

@minoqua

Sorry to chime in so late, but just saw your post. Don't worry about a vehicle until you get here. When you need one proceed as you would where you currently live. Value for money.

[email protected]

JPH
  9/4/2015 11:06 EST

brslomo

Noted... actually have not seen any of the Chinese-type vehicles you mentioned the Japanese/ Korean brands abound as listed.

Cynicism and the PH actually go hand-in-hand..I tend to suggest 'follow the money' and one finds the answers to many questions. Probably best left like that.. otherwise go have a beer or something seems to be the next step from what I have seen !

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