The Importance of Having A Car in Times of COVID19 Pandemic

We all know that car is considered a status symbol and if you are a car enthusiast, whenever you see a car on the road, you already have an idea of its price. People are willing to splurge money on cars even though they are aware that a car is not really an investment because the value depreciates as time passes by. Despite that, people are still willing to splurge on cars because we believe that cars will make our lives easier. 

Well, I’m not really fond of cars but things change when I got married. I suddenly realized that we need to have our own family car, it is not a luxury but it is necessary. Even though having a car is an additional expense to our budget, there are so many advantages of buying one especially when a global pandemic happened. 

More than two years ago, President Duterte imposed a stay-at-home order or community quarantine. Traveling through land, air, and sea from Metro Manila was suspended but with exceptions. International travel is also restricted except for citizens of the country. Mass transportation vehicles are allowed to operate provided that they will follow the social distancing guidelines. Curfew was also implemented.

Importance of Having a Car in Times of COVID19 Pandemic 

1. Beneficial During Emergencies 

One of the importance of having a car is, that it is beneficial during emergencies. I’ve mentioned before that mass transportation vehicles are restricted and there is a curfew so you won’t see any public transportations after the curfew. Only private transportation can travel if they have an emergency. 

Lucky are those with private transportation because they can rush to the hospital if there is a life and death situation. This was the dilemma of my late sister, she had no car so her family had a hard time looking for transportation so they can bring my sister to the hospital. Maybe if they have their own car, my sister arrived at the emergency faster, and maybe she is still alive. 

2. Safety 

Since the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic, there is a decline in using public transportation worldwide. People avoid public transportation and ride share because they are considered a hotspot for COVID19 transmissions. Public transportation is often crowded, especially in third-world countries like the Philippines. So having your own car has a big advantage because you don’t need to worry about social distancing, if the seats and handrails are disinfected and other pandemic-related fears. 

3. Mobility 

During pre-pandemic days, having a car means having the freedom to hit the road but now, owning a car means having the freedom to travel in your own car while being protected from germs, bacteria, or viruses. Owning a car is very convenient and it saves you time because you can go to your destination on your own time. No need to wait for public transportation. 

4. Freedom to Travel 

When community quarantine started to lessen the restrictions, Filipinos started to travel again. But since international travel is not yet possible, people started to explore the Philippines which can be traveled by land. Those who have cars can already travel with their family. They are free to travel long drives and choose a destination that is not crowded. We visited different places during pandemic days, thanks to our car we were able to travel to Gina’s Garden and Farm, The Farm at San Benito, and Acuaverde Resort. 

These are just four importance of car ownership during the COVID19 pandemic. And because of this, people who never owned cars suddenly got interested. People now wanted to have their own private transportation not only in the Philippines but worldwide. 

If you are planning to buy a car, whether a new or used car, and trade-in or no trade-in, the first question that we always ask is “Can I afford it?” Fortunately, there are websites like CarPaymentCalculator.net where you can compute for your loan package. This will give you an idea of your monthly amortization or loan payment amount so you can decide whether it fits your budget.