Jitar

Naturally aspirated diesel pickups died in the early 2000's.  They were gutless but extremely reliable due to no turbo, SOHC 8 valve heads and mechanical fuel injection.  Perfect for a farm truck, but not good on the road at speed, due to the lack of power.  Finding these trucks in good shape might be difficult now.  

The newer generation trucks (mid 2000's +) all moved to Turbo intercooled diesels with common rail fuel injection, DOHC 16 valve heads etc.  These are a lot more expensive to repair than the earlier generation, however they have double the power, so perform a lot better on the road.  

My experience with mid to late 2000's pickups from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Ford (Mazda B series based Ranger) was good, they were all pretty reliable, at least up to 10 years old.    

6 hours ago, brfsa2 said:

 

Phone batteries are based on Lithium Polimer, very compact and lightweight, but greatly degrades over the years, like down to 80% after only 600 cycles. 

It's true that many EVs are based on a battery that degrades over the cycles, NMC batteries. 

However most new EVs are using the new LFP batteries that can easily go 10-15 years and still hold more than 90% charge. LFP cannot be on a phone because they are 40% larger, and greedy phone makers, specially Apple, would not shoot themself in the foot by using new battery technology that lasts 10 years.

 

Just google for LFP batteries. New cars from Tesla, BYD, Neta, MG and most of Chinese cars. only the Europeans are behind with the old "trusted" battery chemistry. 

 

Some new Tesla Hi performance variants do not use LFP so it is not just Europeans being behind. 

Thai taxes on new cars are complex.  The link below shows how VAT, import duty and excise tax etc. are calculated. 

https://asiabusinessassembly.com/en/imported-cars-in-thailand/

The tax amount is larger than percentage rates suggest and includes tax on tax. 

However there are some import duty and excise tax concessions for Free Trade agreements and EVs. 

The BOI detail excise tax rates for different vehicle categories at:

https://www.boi.go.th/index.php?page=tax_rates_and_double_taxation_agreements

In summary, there is a lot of tax on cars, unless a vehicle qualifies for concessions. 

9 hours ago, Madgee said:

That's the standard HRV petrol and standard Cross without hybrid.

The Honda HRV hybrid is 1498cc. 

 

Detail All NEW Honda HR-V e:HEV Thai Version 9xx,000 - 1,1xx,000 THB (1.5 Hybrid i-MMD) - HeadLight Magazine

Worth noting that the Honda hybrid battery has 5 years warranty vs 10 years on the Toyota. 

The Hybrid versions are also further down in the results from Headlight Magazine. 

Also worth noting the Toyota electric motor and battery are smaller than the Honda, but the Toyota transmission is mechanically more complex and should allow the petrol and electric power to be combined more effectively over a broader speed range.  The Toyota spec sheet states combined power of 122hp,  https://www.toyota.co.th/model/corollacross_grsport/specification

Honda don't quote a system total power but their transmission is going to limit power close to 131hp from the electric motor at low to medium speed.   

Lenso have a couple of 17x7 options with the Mazda 3 bolt pattern.  OP would need to confirm the offset is close to OEM.  

https://www.lensowheel.co.th/product/detail/DRAKEN

https://www.lensowheel.co.th/product/detail/d-1rs

ENKEI have several models in this size including PF01 https://www.ubuy.co.th/en/product/U0K8C8-enkei-17x7-edr9-matte-black-wheels-rims-5x100-114-3-441-770-0245bk

I'm surprised the Corolla Cross GR Sport feels faster than the HR-V since it appears very similar and uses the same powertrain as the other Hybrid version tested by headlight magazine.  YMMV. 

If you really want the 18" wheels, you could check with the Honda dealer if they could sell the OEM 18" wheels as an accessory.  

Alternatively, wheel and tyre shops would be able to sell non OEM / aftermarket 18" wheels and tyres to suit.  

The Toyota project is a gimmick, but a multispeed transmission can serve a purpose for some types of EV.  Hi performance electric cars generally use more powerful motors running at incredibly high rpm to avoid a multispeed transmission, but that is not a great solution for lower cost models.   

The Porsche Taycan / Audi e-tron use a two speed auto transmission.  Tesla tried to do the same with the original roadster but could not get a transmission that could handle the auto shift.  Perhaps they should have tried a manual then? 

Quotes from a Internet insurance broker today range between 51 to 75k baht per year for Model Y

1 hour ago, mania said:

An error occurred. Please try again

I got the same response from the aseannow version. 
https://chat.openai.com/chat works fine

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Lesson learned, park on higher ground next time ... 

Yeah like the thousands of cars parked for days on high level expressways and BKK airport parking during the big flood in 2011.  

We had several mid 2000's Ford Escapes as company cars in the past because they were great value compared to CR-V etc. at the time.  Our Escapes were XLT models with 2.3L 4 cylinder 4WD autos.  They lasted pretty well up to 250 - 300,000km with no major engine or trans issues.  I remember only a few minor electrical issues with driving lights, tailgate lock mechanism and one MAF fault.    

They handled OK but were a bit underpowered.  4WD worked fine and could be locked in, but no low range.  No sure how good they would be in flood water.  Probably the worst thing about them was the 4 speed auto and not particularly powerful or efficient engine resulted in unimpressive fuel economy, particularly when driven hard.  Don't know if Ford made any improvements for the later models. 

There are not a lot of rental car options between 7 seat SUVs and 12 seat vans in Thailand like the Toyota Commuter.  Even for the commuters, availability can be limited and prices are not much cheaper than a local van with driver.  

Bizcar do show a Vellfire in their fleet if something fancier is required. https://www.bizcarrental.com/en/our-car/

2 hours ago, Excel said:

I assume you have a Thaidriving  license.  Hope this helps.

 

http://web.krisdika.go.th/data/outsitedata/outsite21/file/Vehicle_Act_BE_2522_(1979).pdf

 

The relevant section regarding your question is on page 3 under "Private vehicle" 

 

this states;- "(2) a private car for passengers exceeding seven but not more than twelve in number and a private pick-up truck with vehicle weight of not more than one thousand and six hundred kilograms which is not used in transport for reward under the law on land transport;"

So smaller versions of the Toyota Commuter / HiAce with 12 seats with or less are classed as private vehicles so OK with a private vehicle (car) license. 

The pick-up truck wording "vehicle weight of not more than one thousand and six hundred kilograms" is unfortunate.  Most modern pickups are heavier than 1,600kg so under this regulation, do not classify as private vehicles!  BiB would love that, (if they knew). 

Haupmann rasies a good point.  The following article predicts the new BRV in Aug this year: https://www.wapcar.my/news/allnew-2022-honda-brv-spied-in-thailand-to-be-launched-in-the-kingdom-in-august-46928

Have you considered the Mitsubishi Expander?  

5000km seems like a short service interval.  The correct schedule should be detailed in the owners manual or car documentation.  Japanese brands in Thailand tend to use 10,000km / 12 month service interval but the OP would need to check the specific model.  Dealers sometimes encourage additional services for extra business.  

Sadly, stamping service books to record services seems to be disappearing.  Most dealers keep a record in their computer system these days. 

If the dealer is skipping items (like the AC filter), I would be looking for a better dealer.  Personally I would stick to Toyota dealers while the car is under warranty to ensure no arguments about independent mechanics in the event of a warranty claim.  Services are not that expensive and consumer protection is not strong in LOS.   

https://www.ccarprice.com/th/ is not a Thai site.  It appears to be basically BS. 

2 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I've never owned a single car for longer than 7 years and I'm pretty sure I had to replace the tyres on that one due to the mileage I did.

 

When I mentioned a 10 year life I was quoting from a website that said that tyres can last for up to 10 years. I'm sure that this would only apply to a Sunday driver who kept his precious car safety tucked up in its garage for the rest of the week.

 

10 years in the real world is just not feasible.

 

10 year old tyres that are still safe are not common, but feasible in some situations.  Some of pick up tyres are hard and long wearing.  Braking and cornering performance are not as good as car tyres by design.  Pickups with these tyres, driven conservatively, can do 100,000 km on a set of tyres before tread wear becomes a limitation.  If driven less than 10,000km/year then 10 year tyre life is feasible.  

3 hours ago, JAS21 said:

Our Everest has one directional tyres fitted.

 

Yoko Parada.

 

 

Are you saving up for the other 3? 

Tyre manufacturer recommendations I have seen say car tyres over 10 years old should be replaced regardless of wear and condition.  They generally recommend annual inspections after 5 years. 

These are maximums and there is certainly nothing wrong with replacing tyres earlier to avoid performance degradation.  Just like replacing tyres before the legal tread wear limit of 1.5mm to avoid reduced wet braking performance etc.  

Don't know if the newer 2.8L models are the same but the 2017 2.4L Fortuner I drove recently responded a lot better in Power mode than in Economy mode.  The power mode makes a noticeable difference to kickdown, plus the trans holds gears a longer, keeping revs a little higher and avoiding bogging down.  Power mode does not make it particularly quick but definitely less sluggish.  

I think the Teana 2.5 changed to the 2.5L QR series 4 cylinder engine and CVT before 2016 in Thailand.  Still an OK car but some of the above comments about the earlier V6 models may not be applicable.   

On 1/25/2022 at 12:02 PM, Yellowtail said:

Are not all Civic models equipped with 1.5L DOHC Turbo?

The cheap model Civics a few years old are 1.8L non Turbo. 

23 hours ago, DavisH said:

C'mon. The civic turbo smokes the altis in acceleration and pulls to 200km/h+ easily. I don't really see any downsides with the civic (except only the RS version has lanewatch). All versions of the civic now have the 1.5 turbo engine, that now uses the same code as the accord 1.5 (so its a detuned accord engine). 

It may well do.  I was talking about the base versions with no turbo.