CEBU CITY — Brand new car units are popular but older vehicles hold some fascination among a number of local motorists, an official from a local automotive club said.

“Some Filipinos do not let go of old school cars,” Old School Cebu Auto Club (OSCAC) President Ron Duterte said. “You still see some of these units running around town. For them, it has become a lifestyle."

“Old school cars,” Duterte explained, are those manufactured between 1960 – 1980 during which period when rear-wheel models were still produced.

Vehicles manufactured before the 1960s belong to the vintage cars category, he said.

Among those classified as “old school” cars include the 1973 Toyota Sprinter, which is the early model of the Toyota Corolla; 1979 Mitsubishi Lancer; 1979 Dodge Colt; 1982 Toyota Starlet; and such European vehicles makes by Porsche, Mini Cooper, BMW, and Mercedes.

In an interview, Duterte cited easy maintenance, availability of engine parts in different car shops, thicker body parts, and affordability as among the advantages of old vehicles.

“Newer cars are mostly computerized unlike the old ones where you can just fix it at home," he added.