In the Philippines, public transport is readily available. However, there has been steady increase of private car owners in the past decade. This can be attributed to cheaper vehicles which are subsidized by the government and lenient payment terms. This makes it possible for the average working class citizen to own a private vehicle.
pic from net
Thanks to this rise in demand, there have been extensive choices of brands to choose from. Everything from toyota camry hybrid of Japan to europen bmw 7-series and even not so well known saab 9-3.
Due to the recent increase in oil prices, the majority of car purchases have been more scrutinized by respective buyers based on their fuel consumption which made Japanese cars more appealing to buyers as compared to their European and American counterparts. It is mainly because they run more efficiently and offer small to mid-form factor vehicles, which run on a 1.3L engine while their American and European counterparts only offer mid range to high end models which consume significant amount of fuel. For more information regarding this you can proceed to wiki cars.
But my personal advice for prospective car buyers such as me is to acquire a used car to save money, lessen the cars on the road, and save the environment. Another option is to carpool with friends or family or you may also acquire a taxi service. Another viable option would be live in a vertical community where most of the places you need to go to can be accessed by foot which in turn will negate the need for a vehicle.
