(My Early Retirement Car) Best 2nd Hand SUV for PHP 400K budget

**gilbert1614fnt** · March 10th, 2024 12:50 AM

Hi mga Ka Tsikot, i need help from you guys to decide on what best car to buy with the 400K budget i have. I am on my late 30s already and currently working as a corporate guy but planning to grab early retirement if ever the company offer it this year. I plan to pursue and focus on my small guitar business. My wife is pregnant to our 2nd and 3rd babies so in total we will be 5 in the family this year. My initial choice was a Montero but after knowing that my wife is carrying twins on her belly that i decided to lower my budget to allocate some on her pregnancy. I need help to decide what kind of SUV will fit to our needs. I listed the criteria below.

- Automatic
- Fuel Efficient (Expecting to travel a lot from Rizal to Pampanga and vice versa)
- Big Space since i will be carrying guitars for business and churchmates on Sundays
- Mura at Maraming Pyesa sa Market
- Will be serviceable by mechanics in the next 10 years (If i didnt make it sa aming business baka 1st and last na car na to hehehe)

Sana po matulungan nyo ako, i asked advice from my in laws and friends but the common answer to me is Innova and Sportivo. I want to know the opinions of other people din.

Maraming Salamat po and God Bless sa ating lahat na mga nagmamaneho.

**dr. d** · March 10th, 2024 01:40 AM

growing family?
aside from the five of you, you'll need space for the nanny and the baby equipment.
sure, you'll fit in a monty or innova, but it'll be like 555 (sardinas) inside. you'll fit, but it will probably be a bit tight.
toyota van. used or brand new. i used to besta, back when my two kids were under-three years of age.

**_Cathy_** · March 10th, 2024 01:47 AM

I think the Innova is a good suggestion. It's practical and I dont know anyone who complained about their Innova. We have a neighbor that replaced his old Innova with another Innova [emoji14]

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**n_spinner06** · March 10th, 2024 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by dr. d

growing family?
aside from the five of you, you'll need space for the nanny and the baby equipment.
sure, you'll fit in a monty or innova, but it'll be like 555 (sardinas) inside. you'll fit, but it will probably be a bit tight.
toyota van. used or brand new. i used to besta, back when my two kids were under-three years of age.

I second this. I currently have 2 kids and by next month, my wife will be giving birth to the third. Kahit 2 kids lang at isang kasambahay, tight fit na sa 7 seater vehicle. What more with another kid and another kasambahay? Car seats pa lang ang bulky na. Will be purchasing a van myself.

Edit: toyota vans are very expensive though. 10yr olds with 100k kms nasa 1m territory pa. Sa 400k na budget, you might want to consider other brands.

**travajante** · March 10th, 2024 03:09 AM

The RWD 2.8 Innova ticks all the boxes.

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**glenn_duke** · March 10th, 2024 05:48 AM

^^ 2.8 Innova? not with the 400k budget.

What you will get for 400k are the likes of 2nd hand 10yr old adventure and crosswind or starex grx.

For 150k (550k) more you will have more choices including >5 yr old innova E or a 2015s Grand Starex or a 2nd gen monterosports, or 1st gen fortuner.

**gilbert1614fnt** · March 10th, 2024 08:41 AM

Wow, in just few hours i got lots of replies already. I really appreciate your help po.

Sorry van is not an option since budget for now is really tight. I will put aside riding comfort as long as the 5 of us will fit inside the car, that would be fine for now.

Hope we can streamline the discussion to the best 7 seater in the market within my budget. Primary concerns po talaga will be fuel consumption and inexpensive parts available in the market. Does old model diesel Innova is practical to buy or there are other gasoline brands out there that can match the Innova? I'm seeing a lot of 2nd Gen Avanza, Escape, Ecosport, Rav4, CRV, Outlander, Tucson in marketplace, what are your thoughts on these cars po?

Thank you again for your responses.

**dr. d** · March 10th, 2024 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by gilbert1614fnt

Wow, in just few hours i got lots of replies already. I really appreciate your help po.

Sorry van is not an option since budget for now is really tight. I will put aside riding comfort as long as the 5 of us will fit inside the car, that would be fine for now.

Hope we can streamline the discussion to the best 7 seater in the market within my budget. Primary concerns po talaga will be fuel consumption and inexpensive parts available in the market. Does old model diesel Innova is practical to buy or there are other gasoline brands out there that can match the Innova? I'm seeing a lot of 2nd Gen Avanza, Escape, Ecosport, Rav4, CRV, Outlander, Tucson in marketplace, what are your thoughts on these cars po?

Thank you again for your responses.

in my opinion,
an old innova, even the 2005 ancient one, is fine, as long as it was treated reasonably well by the previous owner.
innovae are well built.
many folks feel the diesel variant is better than the gasoline variant. but it's up to you, sir.
good luck.

**Walter** · March 10th, 2024 10:20 AM

Strapped for cash? ... don't buy a car ... the most expensive car you can buy is the cheapest one ... frequent breakdowns will drain your funds ... very quickly ... allocate your extra funds to your business ...

and if you really must buy ... (which is not recommended given your financial status) ... avoid Ford and Korean used cars ... stick with Toyota ... get a Toyota Vios if you want easy to maintain with cheap parts ... that said, Toyota Innova is still the better buy but resale value of these are high ...

**Vodka** · March 10th, 2024 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Walter

Strapped for cash? ... don't buy a car ... the most expensive car you can buy is the cheapest one ... frequent breakdowns will drain your funds ... very quickly ... allocate your extra funds to your business ...

and if you really must buy ... (which is not recommended given your financial status) ... avoid Ford and Korean used cars ... stick with Toyota ... get a Toyota Vios if you want easy to maintain with cheap parts ... that said, Toyota Innova is still the better buy but resale value of these are high ...

agree w/ this. a lot of us here grew up riding at the back of a sedan. 3 kids at the back worked just fine back then

your vehicle purchase should be a tiny percentage of your income or savings. focus on growing your income. when it does then nicer cars will be available to you