I've been reading a lot about cars again lately, not that I can afford one. I was looking at what kind of cars would be practical in our current situation and two cars come to mind. The Toyota Rush E A/T and the Kia Picanto EX A/T.
Let's explain why first. The Toyota Rush has decent ground clearance, can seat 5 to 7 people, and has decent cargo room. Sure some people might probably complain about it being underpowered, having only a 1.5L engine. To be honest the way my dad and I drive we don't really feel the need for speed anymore. We can just go with the flow. This car would be great not only for driving around Metro Manila but also for going to the province while bringing along a lot of stuff. Worst case scenario you can spend extra money, add roof rails and a roof cargo basket or roof cargo carrier for even more storage.
For the Picanto, it's small enough to be able to fit in most parking spaces in Metro Manila. The rear seats are 60/40 folding so you can still have 3 passengers and carry some luggage. Sure it has a relatively lower ground clearance versus the Rush, but then again you would be smart enough to consider your routes to avoid either big potholes or flood prone areas when you do drive around. Plus the engine is decent enough that you can still confidently bring this car on long distance road trips. Similar to my idea with the Rush, you can spend extra to add roof rails, and either roof storage or roof mounted bike racks.
What happened to the Suzuki Ertiga? I still like it because it is cheaper than the Rush and similarly sized. However it does have a slightly lower ground clearance and the Rush has more air bags compared to it. And if you regularly go on road trips then having more safety measures will always be the better option.
So what's my point in this post? Well my preferences for a two car garage have changed. It would be a Rush and a Picanto so you have a smaller car to use daily when just driving around Metro Manila and the Rush for coding days and when you need to transport more people. If it becomes a three car garage, then it would definitely be a Picanto, a Rush, and an Ertiga. So you still have two haulers and one city car.
Out.
