Looking for advice on what to buy

[cornishcarlos]

12 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Forget about buying a petrol driven car. Help the environment  and have an electric(battery  driven car.

 

I put my toaster on and the grid goes browner than the bread...

Thailand isn't ready to supply power for charging a few million cars too ????

[Chongalulu]

3 minutes ago, DavisH said:

There's no point to that when this government does nothing about pickups and old vehicles billowing out <deleted> into the atmosphere. Better to go and moan to the Chinese who are worst polluters on earth. Besides I lovey diesel CRV that pollutes less than the petrol version. Also, there is not much infrastructure to support electric vehicles at this time. What do you drive?

I’m quite interested in a CRV and liked the idea of diesel vs the old technology petrol engines they offer. But I’m put off by the low 1.6 capacity and BHP output. I’d imagine it would underperform. I test drove  a crv hybrid while in uk which was very good in that respect but don’t think that’s available here ?

[AAArdvark]

On 10/12/2019 at 9:19 PM, mcl2504 said:

Nissan March

I have used Grab hundreds of times and I get to ride in many different cars.  The Nissan March is far and away the worst piece of junk I have been in.  There appears to be no suspension, something in the back grinds loudly as does the transmission.  This has been my experience with at least 5 different March cars.

Might not be the least expensive but you can't go wrong with a Honda Jazz (in the US known as the Fit)

[VocalNeal]

On 10/12/2019 at 9:19 PM, mcl2504 said:

I want to buy a new small car, probably a hatchback. I'm looking at the Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Swift, Nissan March, Honda Jazz, or Mazda 2. Anyone have any experience with any of these, good or bad? Any thoughts about quality, need for maintenance, etc.? Value for money? Are there any duds in that group? Anything outstanding? I'm interested in any feedback you can give!

I just went to Vietnam. A lot of the taxis are Kia Picanto. If there is a Kia dealership near you don't dismiss them.

 

No worse than a Nissan March

 

[canthai55]

39 minutes ago, Percy P said:

 Help the environment  and have an electric(battery  driven car.

You do realize that battery powered cars are much worse for the environment - both during manufacture, throughout their life, and after they are scrapped than gasoline and/or diesel cars don't you ?

 

[riche60]

I have new mazda 2 1.5 turbo diesel can not fault it also brought dti tunning from the uk now has 140hp and 320 n/m torque great fun to drive

[kevin612]

I would go for Toyota, because most of the vehicles are Toyota. Unless you have a better offer. I don’t think it turns out bad since you buy a new vehicle. Good luck 

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

I just went to Vietnam. A lot of the taxis are Kia Picanto. If there is a Kia dealership near you don't dismiss them.

 

No worse than a Nissan March

 

 

 

Looks like they may not offer it here any more. Shame?

[DavisH]

9 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

 

Looks like they may not offer it here any more. Shame?

When they had it here it didn't sell well. I looked at it but it had no airbags, and if I recall, no abs. I'm sure the new ones do, but there aren't many Kia service centers here. 

[Enoon]

20 hours ago, Lacessit said:

For me, Mazda 2 is the pick of the bunch because it has a six-speed automatic gearbox that can be switched to manual mode. Most of the rest have CVT's, which I find disturbing because I don't feel in control of the car, plus CVT's require stringent adherence to maintenance schedules.

 

My first Fiat Uno Selecta (CVT) did 135,000 miles before I got rid of it.

 

The only CVT "maintenance" done was fluid/filter change (by me) at recommended intervals.

 

I packed up changing the filter after 80,000 and just rinsed it out with paraffin.

 

The only reason I got rid of it was that I backed into it with the 3.5 ton tipper and couldn't be a**** to replace its ruined nearside front wing (not when I could get another Selecta, in sparkling condition, with 25k on it, for £250!).

 

L.J.K. Setrights comment after driving a CVT for first time:

 

"Why would anyone want to drive a vehicle with any another transmission?"

 

 

[Jaxxper]

I like the Hondas and Toyotas. Great quality and super styles. Still each to his own. Get out and test drive a Few.

[alien365]

I don't know the answer to this myself but when I buy my next car, I will be looking for one with a better ride height. If your area is prone to flooding the last thing you want is water flowing into your new car because its too low, especially if it's your only car. It would also be easier to get into and out of. 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/13/2019 at 8:42 AM, MatteoBassini said:

They're all the same in terms of quality, reliability, etc.

 

It just all comes down to what you prefer looking at.

 

Some may say Mazda 2 handles the best, but it's a pointless trait in a car used as an appliance.

Correct. Any new car from a large company is going to be designed by computer, which is why they all look the same.

Might be some difference in seating layout, and carrying capacity, but if you know what you want it for that can be simply ascertained by looking in one.

Fuel economy and power etc are published in the specs.

 

Just go for one that you like sitting in from a company that gives the best deal, servicing etc.

 

PS I hate all new cars as they are identical soul less plastic <deleted> that can't be fixed by us anymore. The only difference is the badge and some of the plastic on the body.

I have a 28 year old Honda Civic that I love. Still goes like a charm.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, Percy P said:

Forget about buying a petrol driven car. Help the environment  and have an electric(battery  driven car.

That's a luxury most can't afford.

Buy a new $50,000 Nissan Leaf in Australia. If the batteries peg out, the buyer is facing a replacement bill of $33,000. Don't think it would be much cheaper in Thailand.

Depreciation on electric vehicles is horrendous, that's why no-one is buying them.

[Mansell]

12 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

That's a luxury most can't afford.

Buy a new $50,000 Nissan Leaf in Australia. If the batteries peg out, the buyer is facing a replacement bill of $33,000. Don't think it would be much cheaper in Thailand.

Depreciation on electric vehicles is horrendous, that's why no-one is buying them.

You don’t buy, you lease them. Had a Leaf for three years, fun car.

[Mansell]

I have a Mazda 2 and a Suzuki Ciaz.......bigger car and very roomy.

I had a Honda Jazz for a month...a more solid car than the Mazda, but also more money. Mazda is okay, but I love the Suzuki. I was using the wrong gas in the Suzuki and went to the dealer because a warning light came on. They sorted it out, and the mechanic came and talked to me and explained what was going on....I was impressed by that. If you buy new whatever brand car, ask them to supply you with the handbook in English.....they usually have to get it from BKK. And get first class insurance, do not skimp on this.....it should come with the car. And get something other than silver for the color, so boring.

[ThaiWai]

The seat in the Mazda 2 cuts off leg blood circulation on any ride of distance. The paint scratches in a strong breeze and the service department are professional scam artists. You can't have many repairs done except by them because the cars computer can't be bypassed by an average mechanic. If you change your own oil for example but can't turn off the change oil reminder they will void your warranty for "ignoring scheduled maintenance". Choose a basic easily replicated color also. My ex smashed her Mazda 2 with the special 10k baht extra red metallic paint now she has a two tone Mazda 2. She had them re do the paint four times before just giving up. 

[Scottie12]

My mate and I bought Honda Cities 14 years ago and never let us down,huge boot for a car of it’s size. Well worth looking at.

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, riche60 said:

I have new mazda 2 1.5 turbo diesel can not fault it also brought dti tunning from the uk now has 140hp and 320 n/m torque great fun to drive

This has merit. If one is into that sort of thing.

[natway09]

I swear by Honda, quieter, servicing  I found to be good, & reliable.

But not quite the cheapest

[transam]

3 hours ago, nchuckle said:

I’m quite interested in a CRV and liked the idea of diesel vs the old technology petrol engines they offer. But I’m put off by the low 1.6 capacity and BHP output. I’d imagine it would underperform. I test drove  a crv hybrid while in uk which was very good in that respect but don’t think that’s available here ?

You're not from the Morris Marina era then.....????

[Chongalulu]

17 minutes ago, transam said:

You're not from the Morris Marina era then.....????

Don’t laugh but I had a company 1.8 Marina in the 70s. Most unreliable car ever - went through 5 differentials and the wheel spacers I put on it buggered the bearings! ???? 

It was a Toyota Supra twin turbo manual followed by an M3 when I had my own business..

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, ThaiWai said:

The seat in the Mazda 2 cuts off leg blood circulation on any ride of distance. The paint scratches in a strong breeze and the service department are professional scam artists. You can't have many repairs done except by them because the cars computer can't be bypassed by an average mechanic. If you change your own oil for example but can't turn off the change oil reminder they will void your warranty for "ignoring scheduled maintenance". Choose a basic easily replicated color also. My ex smashed her Mazda 2 with the special 10k baht extra red metallic paint now she has a two tone Mazda 2. She had them re do the paint four times before just giving up. 

I've driven to Loei from Chiang Mai and back, found the Mazda seats very comfortable.

As I haven't scratched the car or had it serviced yet, I don't know if your other statements are true.

Red is the worst colour anyone can ever pick for a car. The reason it's impossible to match is fading. How many ten year old red cars do you see with the paint in good condition?

[transam]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I've driven to Loei from Chiang Mai and back, found the Mazda seats very comfortable.

As I haven't scratched the car or had it serviced yet, I don't know if your other statements are true.

Red is the worst colour anyone can ever pick for a car. The reason it's impossible to match is fading. How many ten year old red cars do you see with the paint in good condition?

I think modern paints have dealt with major colour fade, cellulose is long gone... I reckon silver is the worse to colour match...

[Apiwan2]

I'll be changing my car soon I've been looking at Mazda 3, new Captiva, Corolla ang MG HS.

If we take the Mazda 3 as an example brand new is 1.2 million Baht for the top model,


but you can pick up 2018 model under 700k.

that's a huge difference in price just for having the latest model

Sent from my SM-G965F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[The Theory]

9 hours ago, eddie61 said:

Jazz at  12 years / 255,000 km, still going strong..... I will buy another Jazz when this one finally pops its clogs..

Your 12 years old Jazz equipped with a real transmission (gearbox), not a CVT. Perhaps you will be disappointed with newer models. Car companies instead of raising prices have come up with a great cost cut that name is CVT. They make even more money than before without raising prices. 

[mcl2504]

8 hours ago, transam said:

What is the price difference for similar specs between the two..?

Jazz is significantly more expensive than the Swift for a model with similar features.

[mcl2504]

On 10/17/2019 at 4:11 PM, Lacessit said:

For me, Mazda 2 is the pick of the bunch because it has a six-speed automatic gearbox that can be switched to manual mode. Most of the rest have CVT's, which I find disturbing because I don't feel in control of the car, plus CVT's require stringent adherence to maintenance schedules.

As it turns out, I did choose the Mazda. For the money it had more features and slightly more power. Now, do I need more power to zoom around quickly? Not really. But I do need to be able to cut into traffic aggressively. This is Thailand, after all. I felt more in control in that car. The Jazz would have been similar, but more expensive. Yaris was less expensive, but without one or two features that I really liked (especially side alarms that help prevent you from driving into a car in the next lane). The others were noticeably wimpier to drive.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, mcl2504 said:

Jazz is significantly more expensive than the Swift for a model with similar features.

Yes, I thought that too. Suzuki is a Japanese cheaply manufactured reliable car for the masses. I have one, it does the job and it is an OK ride. As it is a cheap car I would expect the resale to be down.

[ross163103]

8 hours ago, mickey rat said:

What is the price difference for similar specs between the two..?

Another issue to consider is the CVT transmission.  Honda and Toyota make their own whereas Suzuki, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru and quite a few others use a company called Jatco.......and they don't have a very good reputation. Personally I would especially stay away from Nissan (Jatco) CVT transmissions.