Subaru Buy and Owning in Chiang Mai

[fredge45]

I am considering the purchase of a Subaru Forester or XV from the dealer in Chiang Mai.

 

Any TV member have experience to tell - either bad or good.

 

Thanks.

[DLock]

I went to by 2 XV's when they were at promo price of 999,999.

 

Went to the Dealer near Promenada.

 

They didn't know about the promo, had no test cars to drive (but I could drive the Boss's personal car in 3 days) and could not speak any English. Promised to have someone call me back, but never did.

 

I went and bought a couple of Honda HRV's a few days later.

 

Still like the XV, but they made it so hard to buy.

 

Good luck. I'll be interested in your experience.

[worgeordie]

I just glanced at a review on internet,reporting

heavy petrol/gasoline usage,that was XV,you

may also look into spares/body parts availability

and of course ,price.

regards Worgeordie

[rumak]

i don't always follow the crowd.....but when it comes to vehicles here in Thailand, I strongly suggest

going with the  big 2 :  Toyota or Honda     very dependable and the best/ easiest when it comes to

parts and service.    Nissan, Mazda are also ok.   And Izuzu is very good for pick-ups .

Suburu, Kia, Ford........not on my list 

Just my opinion

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I liked the dealer past Promenada on the New Sankamphaeng Road.

 

They had one (the XV) and went on a much longer test drive than usual at car dealers.   I really liked the vehicle too; it would be my choice by far for anything Corolla-size. 

 

In the end needed something bigger, but the XV is a really nice car.  Likely easy to pick up second hand these days too.

[Emster23]

I had a Subaru back when I lived in the US. Favorite car by far and wondered why they weren't popular here. AWD was great unless you wanted to go out and throw cookies in snow. Damn things: hard to lose control. Great engineering and no fluff

[cardinalblue]

My 2002 CRV is on its last legs...it will come down to the XV vs HRV....maybe CRV 

 

experience with Outback back home but just too expensive here - great car...

 

I live in CM so will buy here...

Edited February 6, 2018 by cardinalblue

[fredge45]

55 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I had a Subaru back when I lived in the US. Favorite car by far and wondered why they weren't popular here. AWD was great unless you wanted to go out and throw cookies in snow. Damn things: hard to lose control. Great engineering and no fluff

I too had a fantastic experience with Subaru while still living in 'merica... that being 30++ years ago hence my interest in purchasing one here now that the Toyota p/u isn't being used for its full function. Not being overawed by my visit to the dealer near Promanada thought I would ask in this forum. 

 

Sure appreciating the responses.

[ujayujay]

High Petrol usage, cheap Plastic interieure. Good Technology over all.

[fertilizer]

Have a Subaru XV which we bought new last year. Like the car and good to drive. Mileage 14-17 km/litre as an average.

[robertson468]

Suggest you go on the internet and see if you can get comparisons there?

[DavisH]

5 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

My 2002 CRV is on its last legs...it will come down to the XV vs HRV....maybe CRV 

 

experience with Outback back home but just too expensive here - great car...

 

I live in CM so will buy here...

Note the xv service / parts charge is about double that of the CRV petrol version (about 40K baht for 50K kms). CRV is about 30K baht for 100K kms. The CRV diesel service charge is more than the petrol version but still a lot less than the XV.

 

At this price point I would look at the cx-5 (though it's smaller than the CRV it would be better to drive, especially the diesel version- but beware of the torque steer of the 2wd version.). Service fees are similar to hondas (been through all their websites to find this info). 

 

There is a minor change for the hr-v out soon, but to me it's a bit dated - still got an old 1.8 in it. 

[JoePai]

Just introduced a new XV - similar shape but totally different, now far superior to a HRV

[Humpy]

  Check out the  3 ltr ISUZU range of SUVs first ....... better performance all round .

[sawadee1947]

25 minutes ago, Humpy said:

  Check out the  3 ltr ISUZU range of SUVs first ....... better performance all round .

....but only if you like toys..............

Talking about the new Forrester you'll hardly find a better SUV. I got the former model over years in EU: no problems, excellent traction, safe,

[bkksiam]

The subaru forester has a high safety rating. It also tends not to roll on impact as do some suvs. I drove one for years - loved the spaciousness. I have a crosstrek now b/c it was cheaper than the forester but the Crosstrek feels claustrophobic compared to the forester. Given the lack of safety on the roads, my inclination would be to go with whatever has the highest safety rating. There are plenty of consumer reviews online and reports on crash tests.

[spenrock]

Bought an XV in 2015 from the Subaru dealership at Seri Thai in BKK. The dealership was great to deal with, both at purchase and for follow up. 

 

Couldn't be happier with the car. Originally was planning on the Forester because of the impression you have panoramic visibility. Eventually decided on the XV because it is more suitable for Bangkok driving, and also had a hard time justifying the price differential. At the time, the Forester was imported from Japan, so the premium was high. 

 

I really enjoy the ride of the XV. The AWD grabs the road, excellent for Thailand's suspect roads. Gas mileage is good, but not as good as similar size vehicles; the price you pay for the AWD. 

 

Anyway, highly recommended. If you do lots of highway driving, the Forester might be a better way to go, especially now that the prices are not so different. 

 

Cheers

[fredge45]

On 2/7/2018 at 9:53 PM, spenrock said:

Bought an XV in 2015 from the Subaru dealership at Seri Thai in BKK. The dealership was great to deal with, both at purchase and for follow up. 

 

Couldn't be happier with the car. Originally was planning on the Forester because of the impression you have panoramic visibility. Eventually decided on the XV because it is more suitable for Bangkok driving, and also had a hard time justifying the price differential. At the time, the Forester was imported from Japan, so the premium was high. 

 

I really enjoy the ride of the XV. The AWD grabs the road, excellent for Thailand's suspect roads. Gas mileage is good, but not as good as similar size vehicles; the price you pay for the AWD. 

 

Anyway, highly recommended. If you do lots of highway driving, the Forester might be a better way to go, especially now that the prices are not so different. 

 

Cheers

Tried giving your dealer Seri Thai a call for a couple of days but no one ever answered the English line.

 

After leaving a message with Subaru Asia FB page I did finally get a response regarding forward recording cam from the Chiang Mai dealer - no go from them even with the discount being given on 1st class insurance.  "If you want then go somewhere and have it installed."

 

First 1000 km service not free as with other dealers - he did offer a 10% discount!  555+

 

As to window film - drew a complete blank from the 'general manager' with whom I was supposedly speaking.  If you want, go somewhere else to have done.

 

I really do like the car but, more than the usual, getting any person with an interest in sales of their product is seemingly darned near impossible.

 

I'll keep thinking on this one and thanks for your responses.

[spenrock]

Hmmm... too bad Seri Thai dealership did not respond.  Come to think about it, I did have a Thai speaking person do most of the communication with them.

 

We put on a premium window film, back-up camera, garmin maps, and a few other minor changes/options.  They handled this without any issues.

 

   

[amykat]

I have a Subaru XV that is 2 years old, and has 4000 kilometers on it that I am just about to put up for sale, as I am moving back to the US, if anyone is interested.

[kalbo123]

1 hour ago, amykat said:

I have a Subaru XV that is 2 years old, and has 4000 kilometers on it that I am just about to put up for sale, as I am moving back to the US, if anyone is interested.

2000 km per year? you really explored Thailand!

 

[amykat]

Well Kalbo123, that car was just used by my daughter's Nanny to run the occasional errand.  I get around town in my Bentley and I usually fly when I travel.  The roads are dangerous here, you might have heard??

[DLock]

On 2/20/2018 at 9:37 AM, amykat said:

Well Kalbo123, that car was just used by my daughter's Nanny to run the occasional errand.  I get around town in my Bentley and I usually fly when I travel.  The roads are dangerous here, you might have heard??

I'm looking for a Bentley. 

 

Is that for sale as well?

[trawler]

On 2/20/2018 at 9:37 AM, amykat said:

Well Kalbo123, that car was just used by my daughter's Nanny to run the occasional errand.  I get around town in my Bentley and I usually fly when I travel.  The roads are dangerous here, you might have heard??

Did you sell your XV as considering one.thks

[amykat]

Yes I sold it.  I no longer live in Thailand.  But I really liked the car and would recommend it.

[jumbo]

Driving a forester, great car without a doubt. Boxer engine. Excellent service from Bangkok dealer. 

 

[lipflipper]

Save your money by paying for something you would never need in Chiang Mai and that is AWD, get an MG ZS or MG GS. Lower prices and better equipped than Honda, Mazda or Subaru. Buy an MG as you get all you want and save yourself at least 100,00 baht.

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