Buying an old car in Phuket

[AntipodeanThai]

Hi there,

 After some good advice here I'm moving to Phuket but transport is a problem there.

I don't imagine travelling much as a bit of a retiree so to get around the problem I was thinking of getting an "Old Banger" that might do me for the next 12 months or so so I can get an idea of all about.

I appreciate any suggestions on where to look or go to find one.

I'm not talking many 10s of ks just something to get me around occasionally.

Thank you one and all

Your help and advice is really appreciated.

[metisdead]

As you are seeking advice about buying an "Old Banger" in Phuket, will move to the Phuket forum for local knowledge. 

[Kwasaki]

5 minutes ago, AntipodeanThai said:

After some good advice here I'm moving to Phuket but transport is a problem there.

Get a taxi to take you all over island it's not that big.

[xylophone]

I did exactly that a few years ago and bought an Opel Astra for 110k baht and it lasted me until I bought a new car.

 

I looked on Bahtsold website and the Phuket News classifieds and the prices were good and negotiable.

[Psimbo]

It's almost as if there may be at least one thread about this subject currently running on the Phuket thread- who'd a thunk it.

[LivinginKata]

Second hands cars tend to more expensive in Phuket unless you are lucky enough to find someone leaving and must sell. Check out the Bangkok car sales websites. Find what you want. Fly up and drive back. We did just that last year.   

[luk AJ]

My advice, check very well the underside of the car, Phuket winds and storms blow sea water droplets all over the island corroding all metal parts.


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[LivinginKata]

52 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

My advice, check very well the underside of the car, Phuket winds and storms blow sea water droplets all over the island corroding all metal parts.
 

 

All modern cars have very good underseal and in 23 years with cars in Phuket I've never noticed any corrosion problem. But beware - vehicles of the 2004 vintage suffered much seawater corrosion in the Tsunami disaster. I bought a bike from a 'friend' leaving Phuket and a few months later I had to have the entire frame and tank rust proofed. Also bought alloy wheels as the wire spokes were done.   

[Lacessit]

Bahtsold or Thai Visa classifieds. Look for a Toyota Vios or Soluna, the 1.5 litre motor is fairly indestructible and every mechanic in Thailand knows how to work on them. Bear in mind an old banger may not have ABS, so your braking strategies will need adjustment.

[tlandtday]

Good luck this is truly the land of the odomoter spin back as well as lack of maintenance.  I would examine all papers and look for one ownership with no accidents.  Good luck.

[pagallim]

4 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Get a taxi to take you all over island it's not that big.

Also known as "how to spend a lot of money in a short space of time".   Taxis are expensive.    You can hire a car for day for less than it costs in a taxi from Patong to Kata or Karon.   Do you live on the island?

 

I would suggest that you hire a car for a while, at least until you decide upon which part of the island you want to live in more permanently.   There are always cars available to buy, particularly in the Phuket related Facebook pages, as there's a constant stream of expats arriving and leaving.    However, my advice is to check the legality of the car (ensuring there is no outstanding finance on it) service history etc.   Better to buy from a reputable dealer (see a recent thread on the same subject).

[Kwasaki]

27 minutes ago, pagallim said:

Also known as "how to spend a lot of money in a short space of time".   Taxis are expensive. 

It was a good while ago when I was there for my last time we found the tuk-tuk vehicles cheap you could negotiate. 

[pagallim]

14 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

It was a good while ago when I was there for my last time we found the tuk-tuk vehicles cheap you could negotiate. 

It must have been a very long time, as Phuket's reputation for tuk tuk/taxi rip offs is well known, as is the violence that sometimes occurs when there is a payment issue.  That said, if you live here and have your own transport, be it a motor bike or car, there is no issue.

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, tlandtday said:

Good luck this is truly the land of the odomoter spin back as well as lack of maintenance.  I would examine all papers and look for one ownership with no accidents.  Good luck.

I would suggest such a vehicle would not be in the old banger class, and priced accordingly.

[ChasingTheSun]

8 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Get a taxi to take you all over island it's not that big.

+1

 

If you intend to live in Kata, Karon, patong, or Kamala you will not need a car as you can walk easily to beache/grocery/pub/restaurants.

 

At most, a scooter would be good enough to hop between kamala/patong or Karon/patong. 

 

You can get a GRAB taxi to take you on longer halls to Phuket town etc from time to time.

[luk AJ]

 
All modern cars have very good underseal and in 23 years with cars in Phuket I've never noticed any corrosion problem. But beware - vehicles of the 2004 vintage suffered much seawater corrosion in the Tsunami disaster. I bought a bike from a 'friend' leaving Phuket and a few months later I had to have the entire frame and tank rust proofed. Also bought alloy wheels as the wire spokes were done.   

In Phuket my company has 3 cars and 5 pick-ups. I can tell you that in 3 y time the pick up chassis was corroded beyond repair. And also one of the cars was very badly corroded.
Why would I give advice to the poster without knowledge? My advice was to check carefully the underside of the car before buying second hand. I don’t remember stating that all cars in Phuket are corroded because of seawater.


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[Lacessit]

32 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

In Phuket my company has 3 cars and 5 pick-ups. I can tell you that in 3 y time the pick up chassis was corroded beyond repair. And also one of the cars was very badly corroded.
Why would I give advice to the poster without knowledge? My advice was to check carefully the underside of the car before buying second hand. I don’t remember stating that all cars in Phuket are corroded because of seawater.


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Marine environments are much more severe w.r.to corrosion than other environments. Salt spray whipped up by winds contaminates roads up to 500 metres inland. That then attaches to vehicle bodies.

Cars in some parts of inland Australia with an arid climate can be rust-free for 30 or 40 years. In contrast, cars rust far more quickly on any Australian seaboard.

[bokningar]

Sent a PM since linking is not OK

 

[steelepulse]

Here's a an E class 280 for only 60,000 baht.  https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/463824244155348/   Sorry, I couldn't resist.