Buying second hand car in Thailand around 300 000 B

[AndyAndyAndy]

I know nothing about cars and it's just an initial thought. I'm thinking about buying a second hand car here.

 

I saw some 2 door cars around 250 000 - 300 000. And I also saw a 300 000 - 350 000 baht 4 doors cars. I especially like 4 door Toyota Hilux from 2008 - 2012 year, which I saw around 350 000 baht.

 

What are your thoughts?

[Don Mega]

Buying second hand is very much Caveat Emptor out here.

 

Not all are dodgy but the ones that are are extremely good at polishing a turd, good luck.

 

 

 

[2long]

If you know nothing about cars, then am I correct to presume you're not an experienced driver? Please don't all jump down my throat saying experienced drivers don't have to be experts on buying cars....

My advice is to stay away from buying a secondhand car here, or even driving on the roads unless you're prepared for shocks! 

I have been here over 20 years and have been able to adapt to become more used to the food, heat, pollution, language, culture, and many more things, but I have not yet (and don't expect to) got used to the roads! Yes, I've been driving for nearly all those 20 years in Bangkok, which I feel is safer than many other places.

Please think carefully before making the commitment.

[AndyAndyAndy]

7 minutes ago, 2long said:

If you know nothing about cars, then am I correct to presume you're not an experienced driver? Please don't all jump down my throat saying experienced drivers don't have to be experts on buying cars....

My advice is to stay away from buying a secondhand car here, or even driving on the roads unless you're prepared for shocks! 

I have been here over 20 years and have been able to adapt to become more used to the food, heat, pollution, language, culture, and many more things, but I have not yet (and don't expect to) got used to the roads! Yes, I've been driving for nearly all those 20 years in Bangkok, which I feel is safer than many other places.

Please think carefully before making the commitment.

I live in Thailand for about 8 years. I have 3 small bikes and 1 big. Did 1000+ miles trips through Thailand on it.

 

Its just local cars I know little about.

[Isaanbiker]

Please be aware that all wrecked cars will be "redone" often in a way that these either do not drive straight anymore ( happened to a friend of mine whose son wrecked a pick up that he died inside), or important parts of the steering/brakes.

 

   Ask for a test drive and seek a good garage to get the chassis and all other parts thoroughly checked. 

 

  A compression test is a great tool to "look inside the engine". It tells you more than the clock, most used cars have not more than 100 K on the clock.

 

You have to consider where you'll be driving. If it's mostly in the city, a little car is worth gold and automatic. 

 

If you need the vehicle upcountry where there's a lot of mud, a 4 wheel drive would be great.

 

I have a two door pick up and i seldom have my truck full with 4 to 5 passengers.

 

  

[Lacessit]

I'd recommend buying a used car from a farang, as many Asians think servicing is optional. Winding back odometers is a national sport. If the radiator has water instead of coolant, walk away. As another poster has said, compression testing. Add 20,000 baht to the price for good quality tires.

A decent Hilux for 300,000 baht is a big ask, unless the OP is thinking of a manual gearbox.

Personally, I'm in favor of the Toyota Vios. The 1.5 litre engine has been around for more than a decade, and it's basically bulletproof. Just about every mechanic in Thailand knows how to work on them, although some are better than others. I got lucky, have a very good mechanic in Chiang Rai.

[AndyAndyAndy]

I never drove an automatic car. Manual would be preferred. Is it a lot cheaper and is it easy to get? Isn't there lately a trend to switch to automatic versions?

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyAndyAndy

[CharlieH]

Please do not post "Ads" here, there is a specific forum if you wish to do that.

[sherwood]

Never mind, the mod beat me to it so canceled my post. Good luck and there are some good deals out there 

Edited March 17, 2020 by sherwood

[0zr0cks]

Buy from a farang if you can, if you’re anywhere near CM I strongly recommend Expat Autos. Be aware Thai car tents are addicted to altering Odometers, if there’s no written and stamped service record in the cars manufacturers service history book, walk away no matter how good the car appears.
Toyota and Honda in white are the most popular with Thais and both are very reliable.

[Lacessit]

36 minutes ago, 0zr0cks said:

Buy from a farang if you can, if you’re anywhere near CM I strongly recommend Expat Autos. Be aware Thai car tents are addicted to altering Odometers, if there’s no written and stamped service record in the cars manufacturers service history book, walk away no matter how good the car appears.
Toyota and Honda in white are the most popular with Thais and both are very reliable.

Agree. Expat Auto has a very good reputation. I've bought from them myself, and the buying process was painless.

 

[DaRoadrunner]

Roadrunner is ex uk car trade. The bird brain boggles at the things I have seen here. Caveat emptor. Take someone with you who really is expert on cars.

[ratcatcher]

2 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I never drove an automatic car. Manual would be preferred. Is it a lot cheaper and is it easy to get? Isn't there lately a trend to switch to automatic versions?

You mention that you are looking to buy "cars" in the B250,000 t0 B350,000 range and then mention Toyota Hilux, which is a pickup truck. Most trucks of the vintage 2008-2012 are MT (manual) AT is rarer. You don't mention where the majority of your driving will take place, but if you are "upcountry" a truck can be very useful. You have been given some good advice here. Most members here are very helpful. Beware of the 'tent' salesman.   "With intent..." means what it says.  Think of Philips and Robertson.

[Isaanbiker]

41 minutes ago, Victornoir said:

My advice would be to buy better from a local, and to be accompanied for the visit also by a local repairer who you will have to pay.

 

This is how I bought my last vehicle and it was a great deal.

Note also that if the second hand market is at a high level, it is also due to the very low cost of maintenance and repairs in Thailand.

 

https://www.one2car.com/en

My advice would be to buy better from a local, and to be accompanied for the visit also by a local repairer who you will have to pay.

 

A local what? Better to buy from a foreigner who can show you that he did service the car regularly, i do not trust the "locals" and have my own reason(s) for it.

 

Next point of your post is also ridiculous. Take the local repairer? You obviously don't live here and you don't have any idea about the quality of these people regarding engines/bodies/ problems.

 

The locals turn the clock back and even believe that it's normal. 

 

 How many cars have you bought here? Please don't act like a specialist if you do not know basic things here.

 

Thank you. 

 

[AndyAndyAndy]

Yes, I would prefer pickup truck.

Preferred manual transmission.

Around 300 000 baht range

4 doors would be better

 

I'm in Nakhon Phanom area but it's not important right now, as I'm just thinking about it and looking for general experiences/advice/insights.

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyAndyAndy

[AndyAndyAndy]

I'm not sure about hiring local repairer to accompany me. It seems like I'm putting myself into situating where are suddenly 2 people trying to scam me, instead of just 1 seller.

[Isaanbiker]

1 minute ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I'm not sure about hiring local repairer to accompany me. It seems like I'm putting myself into situating where are suddenly 2 people trying to scam me, instead of just 1 seller.

That's exactly how it would be. Once they smell money, they make a deal with them without you knowing it.

 

The dealer could sell his <deleted> and your mechanic would even tell you what a bargain it is. Stay on this wave and you're good to go. 

 

Money does all in Thailand. But also in the rest of the world. 

[sanuk711]

Andy..... I don't know where you reside, but 5-6 years ago I brought a Mitsubishi Magna at the Auctions--(udon Thani) -it was 8 months old 320,000 baht, The guy who owned couldn't have made 1 payment on it to have it snatched back that quickly......but he had put every addition  you could imagine..... Radials, really high end stereo system, all round radar/cameras (they weren't so common  5-6 years ago.) GPS,  leather seat covers etc etc.... its never given my daughter a problem. but those were the days that (Thanks to Miss Taksin) the Auctions were full of repossessed cars.

There worth a look , but you need a Thai speaker with you if you wanted to bid, its so fast. ......Auto for resale, a lot of Thai's don't know how to drive manual.

[Mulambana]

I want a small car to drive around in Pattaya and may be trips to Bangkok/Satta Hip. I have some limited driving experience in Bangkok/Pattaya using rental cars (Toyota and Honda) from AVIS. What car would be idle? Used or new. Thinking about a Toyota Yarris/VIOS or Honda city/Jazz. Any other choices?

Edited March 17, 2020 by Mulambana

[AndyAndyAndy]

I'm in Nakhon Phanom/Sakon Nakhon. It's like 2 hours from Udon Thani. Thanks for the tip about Auctions.

[Happy Grumpy]

Go to the local Toyota Sure.

 

 

[DaRoadrunner]

12 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I'm in Nakhon Phanom/Sakon Nakhon. It's like 2 hours from Udon Thani. Thanks for the tip about Auctions.

Da Bird here used to do this for a living.

 

Remember when buying at auctions you cannot test drive first. Major faults in transmission or bent chassis due to accident are hidden. Even experts get burned at auctions. Thais are very good at covering up accident damage, but their repairs are often just cosmetic.... like many things here... image over substance.

 

It is possible to come away with a bargain. For example, a finance company repossession that is there just because some Somchai failed to make the payments.... a common occurrence in Thailand.

 

Caveat emptor.... no warranty, no refund.

Edited March 17, 2020 by DaRoadrunner

[CGW]

The used car market here is no different to any other country, "buyer beware" in the current market you can afford to be choosy, insist on full service history. 

[DaRoadrunner]

24 minutes ago, CGW said:

The used car market here is no different to any other country,

beg to disagree.... it is far worse here, easy to buy trouble and way more expensive than most other countries in the west.

[impulse]

6 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I never drove an automatic car. Manual would be preferred. Is it a lot cheaper and is it easy to get? Isn't there lately a trend to switch to automatic versions?

 

If I had to do one thing over again, I'd have bought an auto transmission for dealing with BKK traffic.  A stick is fine once you're out of town, but miserable in traffic.  Hard to explain unless you actually drive in Thai traffic, but you'll have your plate full dodging people doing stuff they just don't get away with "back home".  Shifting just adds to the urban driving workload.

 

 

[Chazar]

9 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I know nothing about cars

so  you start from the worst  possible position

[canthai55]

Don't believe all the Doom and Gloom posted by people on this Forum

Common to turn back odometers - 555 - regurgitated bar stool gossip !

All Thai people are in it together to scam you - 555 - more BS !

If you know nothing about cars, take someone who is knowledgeable. Very good deals to be had.

Both my cars, and many bikes, bought second hand. Fabulous deals the both of them.

But I went solo as have been pulling wrenches all my life so know what to look for.

Good Luck

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by canthai55

[Coremouse]

13 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I never drove an automatic car. Manual would be preferred. Is it a lot cheaper and is it easy to get? Isn't there lately a trend to switch to automatic versions?

+1, I drive manual with feather flywheel+uprated clutch, contrary to many saying it's absoluetly a blast to drive in Bangkok commuting. Even in traffic jams it's not that bad.

 

Never got used to autos jerking foward when foot isn't on pedal, also when talking cheap cars, AT box are way way worse in acceleration & brake response = potentially more dangerous

 

Some suggestions:

I bought 3 cheap used cars, find that usually the underchassis looking great rust free since Thailand have no snow and salts. But all 3 have fuel leaks and rust in body cavity/sill and Thai paint shop are extremely good at hiding that, so be sure to check under cabin/trunk plastic panel.

 

It is ideal to do compression/leakdown test before buy, but doubt most Thai seller would allow tackling in engine bay, ballpark should be if engine sounds really smooth - then should be healthy. I follow this guideline buy mine and then I measure engine when modifying internals all been great shape and within spec. 

 

Don't buy car with plate from other provinces - in theory it's easy transfer but added unecessary complication, esp. owner is foreigner expect lot of paperworks and time consuming. Buy a local car transfer could be done within hours. Also don't pay before DLT confirmed transfer unless you really trust the seller( just said from logic, but i happily made transaction after excitement of test driving - and no problem after. luckily all people i met, a foreigner & 2 thais are nice folk, prepared all documents for me i can do transfer at dlt myself ). 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by Coremouse
typo

[CGW]

11 hours ago, impulse said:

 

If I had to do one thing over again, I'd have bought an auto transmission for dealing with BKK traffic.  A stick is fine once you're out of town, but miserable in traffic.  Hard to explain unless you actually drive in Thai traffic, but you'll have your plate full dodging people doing stuff they just don't get away with "back home".  Shifting just adds to the urban driving workload.

Auto-Trans has improved so much over the years also, it used to sap "power" now I believe they have the same efficiency as a manual box, possibly better? You can use manual mode in most Auto's, apart from when descending long hills there is little point, technology takes care of it.

[AndyAndyAndy]

Is it better approach to look for a car online (Bathsold/Facebook/Kaidee etc) or rather going to a local places that have cars for sale?