“ANG GANDA PA RIN.”
This was the comment of the son of the original owner of a Toyota Corolla Altis who turned emotional after seeing the pristine state of the family car they sold two decades ago.
Facebook user Marvin Carigal So on September 10 shared an old picture of their sedan, which he said the family had to sell in 2003 as they were also building their house back then.
He said that the car had been with them for a year.
“This photo was taken way back 2003 sa baguio, nung brand new pa Altis na 1.8G namin. Ako ‘yung little kid na nakapula sa pic, haha,” So shared in the Facebook group “Toyota Corolla 9th and 9.5 Gen. Philippines.”
“I loved this car so much kaso dahil nung nagpagawa ng bahay, ‘di kinaya ‘yung monthly payment,” he added.
“Sana makita ko ‘yung current state [nitong] former car namin na to XHC-299. Planning sana i-buy back someday if the current owner plans to let it go,” So continued.
“Kung sakali man nandito si XHC-299, [I] hope you’re doing well!” he concluded.
The post has earned viral status with over 58,000 likes and reactions and 7,100 shares on the social networking platform.
So was able to locate the car after Facebook user Ryan Damasco read the post.
“Eto [ba] hanap mo boss, [nasa] mabuting kamay…” he wrote.
Damasco also shared a picture of the car’s current state.
The condition of the car amazed So, who expressed his feelings in the comments.
“OH S**T (face-holding-back-tears emojis) ANG GANDA PA RIN, SIR! STILL HAS THAT WINDOW VISOR na may transparent purple tint na kinabit ng tatay ko!!” he exclaimed.
So added that he was delighted the car wasn’t modified twenty years after their family had sold it.
“Yes, all stock [‘yung] stereo [niya],” Damasco responded.
In another comments thread, So revealed that he helped his father attach the car’s license plate when he was just five years old.
In an interview with the Philippine STAR, he explained that he wanted to have a look at how their former car is now, hence the post.
“It was our old car at himala na 98% same pa rin siya. Kasi akala ko by this time, 20 years since binenta siya ng parents ko, e, sira na or na-modify na siya [nang] sobra ng mga owners,” So said to the news outlet.
He added that Damasco is the third owner of the Altis.
So also shared that he was pleased that he could visit Damasco in Marikina to have a personal look at the vehicle.
“Surprise na malapit lang, kasi sinabi sa’kin ng parents ko na dinala daw ng second owner na pinagbentahan namin sa Visayas,” So said.
He added that he plans to buy the car back if the current owner intends to let it go.
“Balak ko siyang bilhin someday sa current owner kung ibalak niyang benta, pero we’ll see. Kasi I understand napamahal sila sa kotse since four years na daw sa kanya and ayoko kunin ng ganoon lang,” So said.
The ninth generation of the Toyota Corolla was launched in the country in 2001.
An automobile publication said that some car models under Toyota are included in the “top 40 most inquired for cars in the Philippines” for the first quarter of 2023.
Toyota is a Japanese multinational car manufacturer that has been around for more than 80 years.
