Go for brand new, Isuzu urges

Although used trucks could be had at a much lower price, its main drawback is the fact that it has questionable quality.

“Whether the dealer has worked the vehicle to make it attractive for a test drive, the would-be buyer is still uninformed about its repair history, its reliability, emissions and fuel economy. When the buyer disregard these issues, they will end up with much bigger problems,” warned Isuzu Philippines Corp. SVP Arthur Balmadrid.

Balmadrid urged buyers to look beyond the price.

“Imported used trucks do not come with any service history, and so their condition is ascertained only through visual inspection and speculation. To make things much worse, most of these vehicles are not accompanied by any warranty, putting the buyer at risk,” said Balmadrid.

Statistics show that trucks involved in major accidents are mostly unmaintained/dilapidated used trucks.

Balmadrid reported that when it comes to brand-new truck, the market still trusts an Isuzu: “Somehow, IPC trucks have established a reputation for being reliable, durable and fuel-efficient. Proof of this is that they are among the most popular brand-new trucks in the local market, with the highly regarded Isuzu N-Series leading its category for the past 13 years.”

IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki added that Filipinos have loved and have put their trust on Isuzu trucks for decades, as the trusted Japanese brand has been present in the Philippines since the 1950s.

“The Isuzu brand has become synonymous to trucks and diesel power. Wherever there are long drives and hard-to-reach places, there will surely be an Isuzu reliably rolling by,” Yamazaki assured.

“Generally, new trucks have a useful lifetime of more than 10 years while imported second-hand ones may last only for three years. Plus, after a decade of reliable service, our trucks that were bought new can be resold at a much higher price.”

Balmadrid added that their truck’s maintenance schedules are followed and guaranteed by IPC’s highly trained technicians who strictly follow the manufacturer’s specifications.

A brand-new NKR light duty-truck priced at P855,000 still has a current resale value of P650,000 after five years. Compared this to imported second-hand trucks that will only have a value of less than P100,000 after just a few years of service.