Eyeballing Club Mitsu

Just this summer, we featured one of the more active car clubs in the country: Club Mitsu. Founded by Rufy Parpan, Club Mitsu recently celebrated its first anniversary "eyeball" meet, or simply "EB" in car-speak, at Famous Mikes, Libis.

Through the wonders of modern technology, Club Mitsu began as a community of sorts over the Internet for fans of the Mitsubishi lineup of cars and trucks. In the middle of Edsa II, the first meeting took place to set the stage for bigger things. Now it’s a bona fide corporation with a structured setup, plenty of activities, and even more members.

Rufy Parpan tells us even more about the club and how it’s grown since that first meeting.

STAR: August 9 was your 1st Anniversary EB, right? Describe how your first EB went, and how it came about.

PARPAN: It was the first anniversary of our incorporation but we actually first got together Jan. 20, 2001. I just made a post on the Kotse.com board that I would be at the Shangri-La EDSA parking lot on that night at around 7 p.m. and I described what my car looked like so that I could be identified. Sixteen guys showed up. I actually also invited people from the marketing department of Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation. They were nice enough to show up. They liked the idea of our forming an owners’ club. After that January gathering, I called for a meeting in February. I made it an open invitation wherein the guys who were willing to be part of a steering committee of sorts would set directions for the club. Twelve guys showed up. Among the things we agreed was that we should meet regularly. We decided on the first Friday night of every month from thereon. The venue would be announced on a month-to-month basis. We also agreed that we would continue to keep in touch through the Kotse.com message board, though we intended to have our own website soon.

STAR: What are your expectations of the Club now compared to before when everything was still new?

PARPAN: Actually, the e-group came about after a few months when we first got together because we didn’t want to keep freeloading on the Kotse.com space. In October 2001, we launched a revised e-group with a name more apt to the club. It was during this second iteration that the awareness of the group soared. At its peak, there were about 1,000 members who were regularly in touch. This resulted to about 200 or more e-mails a day. It was a great opportunity for fellow Filipinos abroad to keep in touch with like-minded Mitsu enthusiasts at home. In terms of expectations, they are pretty much the same. We’ve definitely grown in quantity of members but, more importantly, I’m happy with the quality of people we have involved with the group. The tremendous enthusiasm is shared by the younger guys as well as the older ones.  The collective knowledge and information across the entire population is also fascinating. Stuff that would seem otherwise trivial to the uninitiated but crucial to more discriminating Mitsu owners is carried as stock knowledge by a lot of the guys. The forums section of our website is the easiest way to get your problems answered.

As long as we keep the camaraderie and the spirit of sharing our knowledge and experiences with whoever is in need, then we’re right on track.

STAR: Memberships are now in a structured method. What does membership give in terms of privileges and such?

PARPAN: People who keep in touch regularly on our site are already considered members. But taking the next step requires personal participation and deeper involvement. Payment of a P500 annual fee makes one a full-fledged member. For this amount, you get a membership card, a laminated ID, and the much-coveted official Club Mitsu car sticker. I also often like to answer that you get out of the Club as much as you are willing to give. If you prefer to stay on the sidelines and just join in the website forum discussions, then that’s okay. If you like meeting new people and learning new things, then the EBs are for you. For the others, this is yet another way of networking and making very valuable contacts.

STAR: What kind of support do you get from companies now, like Mitsubishi and aftermarket suppliers?

PARPAN: MMPC is very helpful and supportive of the club. They give us every opportunity for exposure during their official events. This means a lot to us because this kind of recognition means they believe in what we are doing. I might add that this kind of recognition is something the other clubs do not quite have yet, though I wish they do get it as well. MMPC has also generously offered to sponsor events geared towards helping our members such as holding free technical seminars and lectures. These will actually be held at the dealer level with the cooperation of Diamond Motor Corporation. DMC has also offered to extend discounts to full-fledged members, similar to what they give to their fleet accounts.

STAR: Aside from those, what other activities are planned until the end of 2002?

PARPAN: Right now, we are deep in preparations on our show car for the car show in Megamall next month. We’ve got a pretty good line-up of sponsors; establishments and companies that believe in our Club. We hope for this to be a showcase of what the Club is all about. We are also hoping to put together, in coordination with MMPC, a one-day drive-in, come-as-you-are sort of car show for all Mitsu owners. We want this to be in an outdoor setting and we want it to be a full-on publicity gig capped by a street party and concert. 

STAR: What do you think of Mitsubishi, meaning the company and the brand? What do you wish they’d do for fans like your members?

PARPAN: Locally, I think MMPC is hit just as hard as the other manufacturers. Slow move-out of the current batch of Lancers is what’s probably causing the delayed launch of the much awaited next generation Lancer/Cedia. Being a Galant fan, I mourn the demise of the 2.5 V6 Galant like they had in ’99. Having gone from a ’91 GTi to a ’95 VR V6, this was the next car I wanted to try. I think it’s sad and bad for the industry when it gets to the point where it’s more practical for the manufacturer to import CBUs rather than produce them here. Talk about government supporting local industries. As far as the brand is concerned, well I’m a loyalist so I can’t help but be biased, though I strongly feel that the brand still carries a lot of clout especially in the used car market. Mitsus are still very sensible choices for second hand cars. Parts distribution and availability is excellent and, save for a handful of particular models, these vehicles are very easy to maintain. Considering that a lot of our members own what are now considered older (more than five years old) models, we just hope that MMPC will continue to ensure parts availability so that we can keep our cars running well and looking good for more years to come.

Interested readers can reach Club Mitsu through the forums section of www.clubmitsuph.com or call Parpan at 0917-5239611.