As of the moment, COVID-19 seems to show signs of slowing down; slowly, that is, but a slowdown nevertheless. Even then, with monkeypox on the horizon, it seems as if slowdowns caused by pandemics are going to be the norm for quite some time; and it cannot be understated, especially for one such as myself: a young woman living in the Philippines, currently in the process of transitioning away from my home, and into an independent path.

Though I may have planned to move out as soon as possible after garnering enough funds, the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns more or less put those plans on the backburner for me. But as time wore on, and as I grew my savings further, I figured out that there were better ways to show my independence as a woman, and what better way to do that- I wondered- than to purchase a car?

But then lay the immediate problem that seemed too daunting to conquer, and that was the singular word of “How?” And simply thinking about that one issue caused numerous others to pop up: “Would the current pandemic allow me to get a car?”, “Aren’t gas prices too high nowadays?”, “Isn’t public transport cheaper?” And so many other issues.

The biggest problem for me at the moment would be the prices of cars and the fact that with a cursory glance, I just couldn’t pay any of them off; how exactly was I going to buy these cars? Well, I found a solution by looking deeper into these sales of cars and calculating their payments- loans, rates, etc. And here, I managed to find out a good solution through simple budgeting; if I just adjusted some of my money, I could afford to purchase a car!

And here’s yet another cool trick to get those prices down even further: to look into purchasing used cars. Now I know what you’re all thinking, that going for used cars is a fool’s endeavor and is likely to get you scammed and that I should just invest in a more expensive but reliable new car. But the fact of the matter is that, if you just look in the right places, get in touch with the right salesmen, and give these used cars a closer, educated look, you’d be able to get off with what’s essentially a steal: a reliable and efficient car gained at a cheap price.

First, I must address the issue of people saying that I should forgo cars and just do commutes with public transportation. However, this is an issue to me due to the packed nature of these public transport services (especially with the pandemic still looming), their inefficiency, the discomfort I get when using them, and the poor state that they’re in, in general as is the case with the Philippines’ public transport infrastructure. Plus, I like the feeling of being free to drive anywhere I wanna go without being shackled to the predetermined routes of public transport.

So there you have it. All you need to do in order to get a good and cheap car is to look in the right places, scrutinize the cars better, and allocate your money accordingly.