johnson36

Re post # 1.

I mention my wifes Uncle who has a good job with Nissan, well he has proved to be useless. He has made 1 phone call to the Nissan dealership nearest to my wifes village. He just said, "no good, be too expensive to buy there" we thought he had contacts within Nissan. What happens to all the older part exchange vehicles ? I assumed there might be some computer system showing stock at the various dealers around Thailand. He lives in BKK, I got my wife to mention we had seen vehicles 200 - 250k on Taladrod.com, I was thinking he might want to look at some for us or with us when we arrive next week, his reply, " no good, a lot of flood damage cars for sale in BKK ". Very frustrating for me as he has not said one positive as to what to do, only what not to do.

Anyway my wife said her mum and dad could go to look at the other dealers in the big town near there home. You know the ones selling overprice cars from forecourts along the main road in the town. I already told her I would not be going to any of them to buy. She said it wouldn't hurt for them just to go and look. So they did. My wife rang her mum after they had been on Monday morning. Her dad said 250k was no good there, can't get for that price. When my wife finished on the phone (well skype) she had a thai telephone number wrote down, I said whats that for, she said for the man at the garage, why ? because he got a car they like, ? I ask for more details. Turns out they want the 4 year old Isuzu Rodeo for 560k (£11.4k), wife says "its ok she can pay 250k now and then she can pay 6000 bt per month" I think that is for either 5 or 6 yrs, I don't know for sure as I don't know the interest rate on the loan. I say that is never ever going happen, your not spending upwards of £11.4k on a pickup just to make other people in the village jealous. I must add that myself and my wife currently run about in the UK in a 1999 Nissan Vanette which I bought 2 yrs ago for £950, its probably worth about £600 now, but its very tidy and does the job I want it to do, I am sorting out 3 of my properties so its handy for building materials and getting rid of rubbish. I explain to her that I don't buy for myself a vehicle worth £10000 or £15000k is because I don't need one, the exact same reason why your dad won't be getting one, I don't need to show off and I don't need to make the neighbours jealous.

I show her a couple more vehicles on Talarod around 200k that are in Sakhon Nakhon, about 100k from her village. She agrees that on the photos they look good and that sort of thing would be ok. I say well im only giving you ideas and without seeing them I can't be sure they will be any good, but they are maybe worth a look. She says ok and telephones her mum and dad again. She says to them, if we find something on the internet for you to look at not too far away for 200 - 250k will you have a look. They say a point blank " NO, to old we don't want ". This just confirms to me why they want a pickup, to make the neighbours jealous. Not to actually use because when it comes down to a 250k pickup or nothing they choose nothing, because they will feel shy owning an older pickup.

After a couple days her dad is still sulking like a kid that can't have what he wants. Other members of my wifes family agree with me, why does he need one so expensive. Anyway he can sulk all he wants now because he's getting F*** all now, we are not even taking the 250k now. We are going to try and sort out the internet for her daughter and there is a few more things to do on the house my wife has built for them. Oh but I did go to a sports shop last week and I bought him a new pair of leather trainers so he will feel more comfortable when he's walking / running. What do they say " first class walking is better than second class motoring " or is it the other way round

Could well be that the reality is she wants to provide a vehicle for one of her family members to use & doesn't want to tell you. It's fairly common that someone such as a brother has been putting pressure on your wife claiming he will use it to make a living and so on

No.

She has no brothers or sisters. Pickup was just for her dad, to make him look good, its all about show mate.

Its her money,let her do what she wants with it,when its gone its gone.

She expects you to take care of the future.

Which is the norm

So you think I should let my wife waste her money away ? don't you think it might be better I help her to get good value with her money ? remember she has a 11 yr old daughter to think about. What you say above maybe the norm for you but not for me. I like good value and don't like to see money wasted.

Buy him a new Honda Wave 32,000Baht . he will use that more than a truck.

And save the rest, for your future plans.

We bought him a new motor bike a few years ago, its still good

Bear in mind that the school might be closed for the New Year break.

They don't need much excuse to close.

Hi. My wife thinks it will open on 3rd Jan

Yes it really is about what is available in the area and what everyone else uses.

It could be the best internet you have ever had or it could be absolutely useless.

You really do have to be there and find out.

Hi.

Yes I know. Myself and my wife will arrive in the village on the 2nd January. I will walk into the school and ask the 1st teacher I see, simple. If he or she doesn't know we will ask who does know.

Hi.

I have just found out that the school in the village has internet. The school is on the same road, on the same side and is only about 300 metres away from their house. Any ideas what method the school will use to get internet ? My wife has asked her mum to find out but up to now no answer.

If your wife cannot see a tower in the village (has she looked for one) then I would suspect they are using an ariel dish which should be easily visible if she walks round the school grounds. They could be using a'dongle' but I doubt it.

Hi Pormax.

My wife can't see any tower because she lives here with me in England. We will be in the village on the 2nd Jan so we can find out then. I just thought someone on here might have an idea as to how the schools normally get the internet in Isaan. I asked her to ask her Mum / Dad / Daughter a week ago but up to now nobody has found out. Its like banging your head against a brick wall. I am English and don't speak Thai and I think it would take me all of 5 minutes to find out if I was there.

Appreciate your promblem 'banging your head against a brick wall'. Yes sometimes the simplest things are hard for Thais to comprehend.

Let us know when you arrive in January what solution if any you have come up with.

Ok, will do

Hi.

I have just found out that the school in the village has internet. The school is on the same road, on the same side and is only about 300 metres away from their house. Any ideas what method the school will use to get internet ? My wife has asked her mum to find out but up to now no answer.

If your wife cannot see a tower in the village (has she looked for one) then I would suspect they are using an ariel dish which should be easily visible if she walks round the school grounds. They could be using a'dongle' but I doubt it.

Hi Pormax.

My wife can't see any tower because she lives here with me in England. We will be in the village on the 2nd Jan so we can find out then. I just thought someone on here might have an idea as to how the schools normally get the internet in Isaan. I asked her to ask her Mum / Dad / Daughter a week ago but up to now nobody has found out. Its like banging your head against a brick wall. I am English and don't speak Thai and I think it would take me all of 5 minutes to find out if I was there.

Hi.

I have just found out that the school in the village has internet. The school is on the same road, on the same side and is only about 300 metres away from their house. Any ideas what method the school will use to get internet ? My wife has asked her mum to find out but up to now no answer.

Only 2 weeks now till we travel to Thailand. I have been looking on Taladrod.com and I see there are quite a lot of Nissan Frontier's advertised around 200K baht. Please can you give me some advice on buying a Frontier ? things to look for etc, models to buy or not to buy.

Here are a couple examples:

http://www.taladrod.com/w20/Search/CarDet3.aspx?cib=1020790

http://www.taladrod.com/w20/Search/CarDet3.aspx?cib=1024042

http://www.taladrod.com/w20/Search/CarDet3.aspx?cib=1024399

http://www.taladrod.com/w20/Search/CarDet3.aspx?cib=1001702

Thanks Pattayadingo, I will check out the mobile route

Thank you very much Pormax. I will find out if there is Tower in the village when arrive there on the 2nd Jan. If there is I assume that is where the cable has to go to from the house ?

It will all depend on if the village already has Internet available and who the provider is.

The monthly fee will be from around 600 Baht if there is a service available.

Installation costs would depend on how far they have to run the cable. It should not be very expensive.

Sent from my i-mobile i-note WiFi 9 using Thaivisa Connect App

Is it not done by Satalite dish ? just cable ?

Hi Guys

How much would it cost to have the internet installed in my wifes parents home near Sakhon Nakhon (Isaan) ?

Her daughter is 11yr and lives with her parents, she has a computer but does not have the internet yet. We live in the UK at the moment and it would be good for my wife to be able to talk to her family on Skype Video call. At the moment we buy Skype credit and she calls them from our laptop to their mobile phone.

Is the internet done via a satalite dish ?

What would the approximate installation cost be ?

What would the monthly cost be ?

We will be in Thailand on 25th Dec and going to the village after new year on the 2nd Jan, we would like to do it then if the cost is not too expensive.

Cheers for any help you can give me

Thanks John I will have a look

VocalNeal

Thanks for the reply.

I don't see any typo regarding Uncle / Dad, I think you must have miss read something. My wife is wanting to buy a pickup for her dad and it is her Uncle who she currently pays to collect us from Udon Thani airport and take us back there.

I did think about the Suzuki supercarry, I have heard they are about 300k new ? not sure how true that is, I am also not sure how legal it is for people to ride in the back ?

Freemindxs

Her uncle doesn't ask for money but my wife gives it to him anyway, I don't mind because its her money which she has earned working in England and I do like the bloke. A couple of years ago though another man with a car in the village asked for 1800 baht to take us to Undon Thani which is about 80 or 90 km's away. My wifes mother was not happy at all that he had asked for that much.

I have nearly talked her out of buying pickup on this next trip in Dec/Jan. I have told her how difficult it is going to be to find a good secondhand pickup. Then there is the extras, from the day she buys it she will have to pay for the insurance, fuel, tyres, repairs etc etc. All this for something he doesn't even need. I asked today if her mum or dad had asked her for a pickup, she said no.

I've got about another 9 weeks to work on her before we go to Thailand. She has still got a few things to pay for in finishing off the house she has been building over the last 2 years. Now in building the house she has had very good value, I estimate the cost to be about 300 - 350k on a nice plot that was given to her by a grandmother, so I can't get my head around why she would want to buy pickup about 12 yrs old for 250k, doesn't look good value to me.

transam.

correct.

I the village's its all about show, they all seem very jealous of each other. If you have a car / pickup it makes others think your doing ok. But it is a lot of money to spend just to make others jealous.

My wife has an 11 year old daughter who lives with her parents in the village in Thailand. It would make more sense to save the inheritance money for her future, education etc. I did get her to open an ISA in the UK in April and she put the full £5640 allowance in, I am hoping she will want to top it up next April, this ISA is for her daughter in the future. I will also add some money to it next year, I probably offer to match what my wife puts in.

I really do think that Thais don't like to save, they just want to spend the cash the second they have it.

If her uncle comes up with something through his contacts at Nissan I will certainly have a look but I am not going to ruin my holiday going round dealers in Bangkok or Udon Thani.

With 250 K, you will have a hard time to find a decent second-hand pickup in Thailand. Double the amount, and you can get a new one (which will be preferable).

Supposing you want to buy new, the timeframe is a bit short in Issan, unless the pickup model you want to buy is held in stock. Maybe buy in BKK?

Thanks for the reply.

There is no way I am going to let my wife spend 500k baht (£10,000) on a pickup for her dad. I have never spent that amount in the UK for a car for myself and I use a car everyday.

The whole thing really plsses me off. The main problem I have with it is that he doesn't need a car. They have a motorbike and a skylab, and where they live that is all they need. I cant think when the pickup would get used. To get to their farm land they take a short cut down a track that you could only use a motorbike on and the market town in only about 5 km's away so going on a motorbike is fine. Her uncle in the same village has a pickup and so do a few other guys so if every there is a need to go to the big town about 30km's away and buy some large it is never a problem. My wife is trying to think of reasons to buy the pickup. One reason is that her father could pick us up from Undon Thani airport when we visit. Now does that make sense ? we visit once a year and we give her uncle 1000 - 1500 baht to pick us up and take us back and her mother and father come a long to. My wifes idea is spend 250k+ on a pickup, then pay the insurance + fuel + repairs through the year etc and then he can pick us up thus saving 1000 baht. It is like banging my head against a brick wall trying to teach her some common sense.

My wife has inherited some money in England and would like to buy a pickup for her dad when we visit Thailand in Dec / Jan. Her parents live between Undon Thani and Sakhon Nakhon. I think the village is about 90 kms from Undon Thani.

We will be flying there on the 2nd Jan and staying till the 7th Jan and then returning again on the 16th Jan for another 3 days. In this time she wants to buy a pickup for him.

This is causing a real headache for me as I am supposed to find something. I have been dealing in cars / motorhomes in the UK for over 20years but I dont fancy my chances of finding something decent in Thailand. My wifes Uncle has a good job with Nissan, not sure what he does for them but he travels all over Thailand. I told her he is in a much better position than me to try and find something. I can't see him doing anything though.

So that brings the problem back to me. Where do I start looking ? Are there any reputable dealers in Undon Thani ? What make of pickup is best for the money she wants to spend ? Nissan / Toyota / Isuzu / Ford ? roughly how much will insurance be for her dad ? he is about 50 yrs.

Thanks Mole

when I arrive in Koh Samui at Nar Ton Pier can I rent a scooter there (how much) or should I wait till I arrive in Chaweng ? Roughly how much are the taxis / baht buses / pickups from Nar Ton Pier to Chaweng ? Not sure which hotel I am going to book yet but my friend stayed at Samui lagoon bay a few years ago and said it was nice so I might try that.

thank you very much gusG.

I am thinking about coming to Koh Samui in January (about the 9th) for about a week. We will be flying from BKK. The Bangkok air flights are looking quite expensive so my alternative is Nok Air. The flight from BKK on the 9th Jan leaves BKK at 11.30am, flies to Surat Thani and then there is a catamaran that takes you to Koh Samui (Nar Ton Pier). Arriving in Koh Samui at 17.45pm. I assume the flight is about 1 hour so how is the other 5 hours used up ? is there a long bus journey or is it just waiting time for the ferry ?

On the Nok air website it says:

"This is a Nok Air Fly'n'Ferry service. Fly'n'Ferry means that you fly with Nok Air from Bangkok to Surat Thani with a convenient connection by coach to Laem Thuat pier.There, you then board a Hi-speed catamaran that is waiting to take you to Koh Samui".

My question is where is Laem Thuat Pier ? is it in Surat Thani ? because when I click on the catamaran link they give the route map shows all the routes leaving from Chumorn which looks to be quite far from Surat Thani.

Have any of you guys done this trip with Nok air ?