Yesterday my sister and I bought my father a car–an AUV to be exact. It’s not like we dropped by the shop and felt like buying him one. We’ve been in constant communication and research for a month on which to buy– economizing what we need, what we want, and what we have. Because we witnessed how our father rise and fall from his businesses, suffered a lot and remain strong for us, we decided to give back the lurv.
The toughest part was deciding between Toyota Innova and Isuzu Crosswind. Many of my sister’s friends said Innova is the way to go in terms of looks, engine, and fuel efficiency. My friends said we should go for Crosswind. Because. Even our uncles are divided on this: one voted for Innova because we can get a huge discount from his contact, the other said our family needs a Crosswind. Our hired driver yesterday, Kuya Roger, commented that Innova is the best buy because it saves a lot of fuel and Toyota engines will not fail you, while Isuzu can have some smoke belchin problem for some time, but change oil can fix this according to him. Many forums also say that Crosswind’s mileage and turbo power engine is better. Anyway, since the car is meant to be a gift for the father, he gets to decide. He likes Crosswind.
Now the next problem is: which Crosswind to buy? My sister and I were forced to learn about this stuff, but I was having the most problems understanding because me don’t understand this:
[box] ENGINE 4JA1-Low Charge Turbo Direct Injection Diesel, ( Euro 2 Compliant )Max. Output: 85/ 3,900 Ps/rpm ; Max. Torque: 18.9/ 2,000 N-m/rpm ; Fuel Tank Capacity: 55 Liters
DIMENSIONS Length: 4,480 mm Width: 1,680 mm Height: 1,765 mm
TIRES 205/ 65 Rim Size: 15” – Silver Alloy Finish
CHASSIS Suspension: Front: Independent Double Wishbone with Torsion Bar Springs and Stabilizer Bar; Rear: Flex Ride MOVE Suspension, Semi Elliptical Leaf Springs with Telescopic Shock Absorber; Recirculating Ball & Nut w/ Power Assist Steering; 14” Ventilated Disc Front Brakes & 14” Rear Drum Brakes
EXTERIOR Front Bumper: Upper: Body Color Finish, Lower: New Design, Plastic Material Black Finish; Full Embossed Isuzu 6-Hole Radiator Grille Body Color Finish; Halogen Projector Type Headlamps; INTERIOR Audio System: Single In-Dash CD/ WMA/ MP3/ Tuner with Front Aux-In, w/ 4 Speakers Seats: 1st Row: Bucket Seats, Sliding and Reclining/ Bench Type; Reclining 2nd Row: Bench Type / Folding 3rd Row: Side Facing and Folding Seat Material: Beige Color Sport Jersey – Vinyl Combination
COMFORT & CONVENIENCE Power: Steering, Door Locks (Keyless Entry), Windows
SAFETY & SECURITY 1st Row – 3pt. ELR Seatbelt both Driver & Passenger, 2pt. NR Seatbelt Lap Type for Center Passenger; 2nd Row – 2pt. NR Seatbelt Lap Type x 3; Side Door Impact Beams, Child Proof Door Lock, High Mount Stop Lamp
COLOR Glacial White, Midnight Blue, and Titanium Silver [/box]
Well, I did get the color part, so I suggested we get Titanium Silver, and everybody agrees.
The most expensive Crosswind is Sportivo, then XUV, both more than a million pesos. The cheapest is XL (Php794,000), so we initially picked that but when my brother and my father were looking at the Crosswind images, they said XT is just a hundred thousand pesos higher but with more features like keyless entry and those top load bars, etc. We, girls, considered this for some time, because a hundred thousand pesos is obviously not a small amount (plus we are going to starve for the next few months haha). But, we agreed anyway after painfully planning our finances.
The next problem was contacting the best Isuzu dealer. One of my highschool classmates (Abee) is with Isuzu’s corporate-ish department and I asked her to recommend a dealer–she contacted one bright dealer from Isuzu Alabang. My sister got in touch with another dealer from the same branch. We compared the freebies and discounts (Php10,000-25,000), until heaven-sent Ging (Micon’s friend) recommended Isuzu Inteco (Quezon Ave) because of their Valentine promo (Php30,000 discount) and because its CEO (Mr Ryan J.) is Ging’s friend.
Mcon had email exchanges with Ryan who gave us a special treatment yesterday from the moment we arrived till we drove the Crosswind back home. I was quite surprised that Ryan is younger than me, but I loved his professionalism and down-to-earth attitude (plus, his American accent is cute). He gave Marcus some coloring books, crayons, chocolate bars and drink while we (together with Papa) looked at the Crosswind and had its tint fixed. Manager’s cheque given, insurance paid, AUV tested, papers signed, we rolled and Papa’s so darn happy. Looks like he’s back in the game.
Wow! Congrats Ai! Or should I say congrats to your dad! Lucky man. I love the choice of color. We have the same taste. Silver is easy to maintain. You can’t see the difference when it’s dirty or not. I rarely clean my car and it works well for me. Hahaha. Best part, when they give you the key to drive home your ride. 🙂
Thanks, KC! cool, same taste we got. 🙂 kuya roger also said silver is the most expensive paint? agree with the best part. it’s not everyday that you drive home a new car.
Wow! swerte ni father! 🙂 congrats on the purchase!
haha! yan din sabi nung agent. 😀 thanks, Trip@dora 🙂
Wow, new ride! Cool gift! And winner ang pag-bili. Well documented, complete with pictures. *clap*clap*clap*
hahaha lakas lang ng trip namin sa “documentation”!
Nakaka-inspire naman to! I’m so proud of you Macalintal sisterettes!
ang lakas ng tawa ko sa sisterettes! parang adele laugh. HA HA HA! thanks svet!!! we miss you!
ang sweet! i can just imagine how happy your dad is!
thanks, friend : )
pasakay naman jan!
haha! tara!
cute ni marcus nakatingin lang hahah
hi ma’am ai! wow nakakainspire naman. pangarap ko rin pong bigyan ng car ang parents ko someday. matagal pang ipunan, like ilang years pa. haha! pero sana matupad. anyway, bonggang joyride na yan! lakwatcha-mode with your family=)
hi ai, saw your blog. i was just wondering, does croswwind xt’s 2nd row seat can be reclined? because my family and i are also torn between innova and crosswind. but i would prefer an auv where i can relax during a long trip.bcs i was browsing over the specs of crosswind and it doesnt tell or am i just not understanding it. hope to hear from you. thanks. hehe.
You can’t recline the second row seat on crosswind.