Although Brunei is not that big, owning a car here seems like a necessity.

First, since public transportations (buses) run only from 630 AM to 6 PM, your travels are limited only within this period if you rely on them.

Second, buses in Brunei, or in any other place for that matter, have specific routes to take. If your destination is far from the bus’ route, then you have no other choice but to get off in the nearest bus stop and walk to your destination. It’s a real problem if your place is really far from the bus stop of when it’s either raining or very hot.

Third, buses follow certain intervals. Unlike in the Philippines where there are so many buses to choose from, Brunei has only 50 something bus routes and roughly around 100 buses. You’ll have to wait for 15-30 minutes to catch the next one if you miss the first ride.

These are the reasons why andrea and I are seriously considering saving up for one. Heck, we’re already browsing through each car insurance blog to find out which model would be the most practical to invest in.

Driving used to be fun and enjoyable, especially when andrea and I were just newly married. It was great to be able to go where we wanted to go anytime we felt like going. In fact, whenever I drove, especially at night, I felt free and at the same time, relaxed. However, things sort of went downhill after a few years.

When the red car started breaking down on us, driving started becoming risky. It’s not that I ignore safety signs or anything, but whenever we hear new sounds coming from the car, we couldn’t help but worry whether we’ll get home safely or not. (We’ve been towed twice in the red car by the way.) In fact, whenever we hear new rumbling noises from the car, I always felt like speeding up just to be able to get to the destination without breaking down.

Even after we sold the red car, and I started driving Papu’s VX200 Revo, driving never went back to the same enjoyable and liberating state that it used to be for me. With the malevolent and often unpredictable traffic, the cunning predators of the streets (MMDA), and the unstoppable oil price hikes, driving became more of a burdening task rather than a fun experience.

And, honestly speaking, I don’t think it would ever go back to the way it was. At least, not in the Philippines.

Looking back, I realize that we’ve been a very mobile family. When andrea and I got married, we rented a place in Taytay, ,a good 30-45 minute ride away from our parents. When we had mateo, we moved higher up to Antipolo, closer to our work place and mateo’s school. Now that we’re both out of work and waiting for our chance to go abroad, we’re back in andrea’s old home. Mateo’s only 3 and a half years old and yet he’s already called 3 houses home.

Now I wonder if owning an RV here would make better sense than doing all the moving that we did. However, the Philippines is not an RV-friendly country. Not only are the streets not suitable for such a vehicle, but no one would be brave enough to offer any motorhome insurance. In fact, people here only pay attention to car insurance after insanely destructive typhoons like last year’s Ondoy. Very few actually take care of their cars well enough to get them covered.

Don’t you just hate it whenever the car bugs down just when you’re all ready to leave? That’s exactly what happened this morning.

You see, we don’t use the Revo anymore for bringing mateo to school. Usually, we take a trike, drop him off, then walk home. This morning, however, was different. Since andrea’s mom (we call her mamu) and grandmother (nanay) are both going out, we decided to use the revo to provide transportation for all three – mateo, mamu, and nanay. The plan was to drop mateo off to school, bring nanay to the church (it’s her birthday today) and then bring mamu to the market (near the church). It was pretty convenient.

However, when we were all ready to go, I turned the key and nothing happened. No revolutions. No vibrations. Just clicks. The battery went dead.

So instead of trying to fix the problem there and then, we called for a trike, then the three went on their way. I then asked help from a neighbor and borrowed a battery to get the revo started. It roared back to life. I returned the battery, reinstalled the original one, then went around the subdivision hoping to get enough juice inside the cell. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

When I tried restarting the thing again, the same irritating clicks happened again. Great! We’re not even done with our problems from the delivery and now this! I don’t have any 5th wheel warranty or any emergency savings left. And both andrea and anika are due for a post-op checkup later within the week.

Maintaining a vehicle is not as easy as most people think. There are several problems that a car owner has to deal with from the moment he/she acquires the vehicle to the day he/she decides to sell it.

You see, from the very beginning, a car owner is a slave to gasoline. Since most cars require gas in order to work, the owner has no choice but to continue buying gas regardless of how absurdly its price goes up.

Secondly, a car, unlike real estate, is an investment that is bound to depreciate. The older a car gets, the lower its resale price tag becomes. It doesn’t matter if you have several car lifts at home or a whole crew to maintain your vehicle’s condition. The more years a car accumulates, the more wear and tear it experiences. This is what brings down a car’s price.

Third, aside from gas price hikes and unit depreciation, there is one more factor that plagues car owners. These are the emergency breakdowns – those instances when suspensions, brakes or other car parts decide to act up or break down completely.  You see, even the most careful driver or owner is not exempted from the worst driving conditions – floods, road bumps, snow, etc. All vehicles will eventually break down. It’s just the rate of decomposition that would differ from vehicle to vehicle.

Car owners or would-be car owners need to know these facts before deciding on acquiring a vehicle. Owning a car is not the same as owning a toy. It requires a lot of money, effort, and most specially attention.

How many times have I thought about owning a new car? I can’t even remember. The truth is, no matter how much I think about it, there’s pretty much nothing I could do right now. As it is, I barely get enough to keep our heads above water. What more for a new car?

What we currently have right now is our red car. I’ve posted quite a few entries about the heartaches and headaches we’ve gotten from it. Heck, I don’t even have to look for those entries to remind myself about how much trouble we’ve gotten from our car. It’s right outside in the garage, for almost a month now. The last time I tried to move it, the brakes gave way. It’s in such a bad condition that none of the car insurance companies would want to get their hands dirty with it.

I can’t help but long for a new one – a more reliable and better looking one.  I mean, I can always dream, right?

I’ve never given up on my dream of purchasing a brand new car… well at least until yesterday.

You see, I’ve always thought that somehow we could find a way to afford one. I mean, I always believed that it was only a matter of time before something comes along and provides us with an opportunity to actually go for it.

When I heard about Kia’s promo – the trade-in-your-car-to-get-a-new-kia deal, I figured this must be it – the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. Since they were accepting any brand and any model at any year, I thought I could finally get enough money for a down payment of a new vehicle by simply trading in our trusty old car. So yesterday, while I was out on a chore, I quickly passed by the nearest Kia outlet to have the red car appraised (without andrea’s knowledge that is). But as things turned out, the red car’s worth was not even enough to pay half of the down payment for the Picanto, Kia’s cheapest model. Even the general manager went out to inspect the red car in order to help with the trade-in, but 50k was the most that they could offer.

I guess this means we’re stuck with our beloved lancer, perhaps for the rest of our lives. Because the way things are going, we won’t be expecting any dramatic increase in the inflow of money any time soon. Huhuhu!

Last Saturday, when we went on a family outing to SM Taytay, I came across a car exhibit again. This time it was Hyundai that’s showcasing their two flag carriers – the Grand Starex and the 2008 Getz. I figured we could never afford the van so I chose to look at the econo car instead.

At first, I was excited to see that the car was on promo. I mean, for as low as 98,000,  you can bring it home already. It sounded really nice but after thinking about it carefully, I realized that’s still one heck of an amount. Not to mention, we’d still have to pay around 10k every month for  5 years even if we took the lowest installment plan available for the cheapest Getz model.

I realized, a brand new car is definitely not an option for us, at least not right now. That’s why I’m starting to give up hope. Instead, I’m trying to look at a different option – restoration. You see, andrea and I have agreed that the most affordable way for us to secure a vehicle is to put our faith on the old one – the red car (an 89 series GLX Lancer). All we need to do is to find a good detailing or restoration shop to make it road-worthy again. And I’m not just talking about city-driving-worthy, but close to brand new road-trip-capable kind of worthiness. I mean if we’re going to spend a small fortune anyway, I’d like the car to run the distance.

So if there’s anyone out there who knows of a good car detailing or restoration shop that’s a bit friendlier in the pocket than others, please, I need your help! I’m not dreaming of pimping my ride (although that sounds really nice too). I just want a worry-free, baby-friendly ride for me and my family.

Last week, andrea and I were reunited with our dream car, the aveo sedan. We went to SM taytay after work to buy some groceries when we saw her there, all shiny and seductive. So once again, we felt the desire we fought so hard to overcome last time – the desire to buy a new car.

So what’s the problem with getting a new car? Well, there is none actually, if we had the money. For us, getting the car, you see, would mean getting a loan. And that is what we can’t afford. I mean, we’d probably get approved but what’s the point if we can’t pay it off anyway. (Darn those loan sharks and their false hopes!)

So after reliving the agony of touching it again – the elegant seats, the leather-clad dashboard, steering wheel and shift knobs, we went home sulking. At least, it wasn’t as bad as last time because Mateo was there waiting for us when we arrived. He was the living reminder that we absolutely can not be careless with our spendings. We have to consider each and every buck we’d spend. And this sedan, is just too much of a risk. So we had to move on.

Or at least we tried to. I, still clinging on to the idea of a new car, just surfed the net to get my mind away from it all, when another idea struck me. Heck! If we can’t buy a new one, then we’ll just have to focus our efforts on restoring our current car. So I continued browsing, this time for car shops specializing on restoration.

I found this interesting shop, Leder interia, a shop specializing on leather restoration. When I saw the wallpaper and the gallery, I was instantly glued . I just had to know more about the shop so I kept clicking. Their services, aside from the obvious seat restoration, included tinkering with your dashboard, steering wheels, shift knobs, and even paint restoration. They can accessorize the inside of any car with wooden or metal panels, replace all mattings, and customize the type and shape of seats for you. It was heaven.

I kept picturing the red car with new sporty seats, glossy new paint, and an elegantly-accessorized dashboard… and I got excited. I know it may cost a bit but at least it won’t compare to the prize of a new car. Hey, I’m not that picky. If I can’t buy a new one then I’d settle for a fresh-looking one.

The only problem now is how to save up for it. Oh well.

A few weeks ago, we were invited to a birthday celebration. My Ate Cel’s first child just turned 1 last October and she invited me and my family to come and celebrate with them.

Since we rarely go out together, my parents and my own family (Andrea and Mateo) and also because we’re attending the same party, it is only proper that we go there together. Unfortunately the red car poses a big problem. Because of age, its shocks are a far cry from what they used to be! It already creaks with just me, Mateo and Andrea on board. What more with two additional passengers? In fact, for the whole trip, from the house to the party, it was producing loud noises that made it real hard for me to concentrate on driving.

And to add salt to injury,  it’s only been less than half a year since the car was brought to the repair shop for an engine overhaul, and even less than a month for a transmission overhaul. Now, after the ordeal, I’m guessing it’s due for another trip to the shop. And this time, it’s not an overhaul anymore but a replacement… of shocks! Shucks!