What Car?

[Don Mega]

 

 

 

2 hours ago, stouricks said:

Where's the MG made? Certainly not at Morris Garages in England!    PML

 

2 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

China..

 

Chonburi.

[vivananahuahin]

honda or toyota and if you can find a good second hand take it,i know toyota camry aroun5800000 5 years old and when you want sell it later you will receive always a good price,in Thailand honda and toyota are on the top.Up to you

[transam]

42 minutes ago, GuyFawkes said:

Where's Fred and Barney?

At MG dealers, waiting for the tow truck to drop it off.....????

[Chongalulu]

5 hours ago, GuyFawkes said:

Thank you all for your replies.  I forgot to include the MG at 799,000 but I am not sure about reliability or servicing availability.

NEW MG ZS

1.5L X

NEW MG ZS

1.5L X

Steer clear of MG for now. Unproven and likely poor resale value. Honda’s Jazz is probably the leading contender with reliability,functionality and resale value assured 

[stouricks]

6 hours ago, stephenterry said:

they're becoming more sophisticated every year with automatic charging on some models like the Lexus. 

Slightly off topic. Are all hybrid cars not automatic or self-charging? 

[Jaxxper]

As a personal preference can’t go wrong with Toyota or Honda. Both really solid builds. We have one of each and great cars and great service and parts availability.

[KClark]

For your budget you can get a very nice, nearly-new car with low miles and still under warranty.  Check out One2Car.com and Kaidee.com, set parameters of say 2017-2020 year model, maximum of 15K km and your maximum budget and you'll be surprised at all your options.  Buying a car still under warranty will give you some assurance, but you should also make sure the car has not been involved in a major accident, had significant repainting (indicates repair) or been flooded.  Car dealers are required by law to divulge this, so make sure you ask the question. Also, if you have a friend who knows cars bring them along to double-check.  My recent experience is dealers will divulge the cars history but better to have someone else verify if you have any suspicions.  If you do find a car you like you can also condition the deal on having the car inspected by a mechanic of your choosing.  Easy enough to hire a mechanic to come along with you for a 1,000 baht or so if you can literally save a few hundred thousand baht off the new price.

Other posters have rightfully mentioned Honda and Toyota as reliable brands, but they are also the most ubiquitous brands which means you never have to drive far to have it serviced.  I find dealer services here to be very affordable as well, and have more confidence they will actually inspect and replace per the scheduled maintenance recommendations.  

Incidentally, even Volvos are made in China now (at least two factories there I understand).  Happy hunting.

[Bob A Kneale]

7 hours ago, stephenterry said:

Best looking car is the new Mini Cooper SD 

A good-looking MINI, there's a contradiction in terms if I've ever heard one!

[Bob A Kneale]

8 hours ago, GuyFawkes said:

Looking to buy a car, but which one?  Budget 800,000 cash.

MG 3, 5 or ZS should be considered.

[Bob A Kneale]

6 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

Thinking of the virus and good deals I think there would be new 2019 models that hadn't sold yet.. should be a good discount on them... maybe.. 

"Thinking of the virus and good deals..."

Toyota Virus?

[transam]

7 minutes ago, Bob A Kneale said:

MG 3, 5 or ZS should be considered.

.............out of contention........"Ming Guang" cars....????

[Bob A Kneale]

5 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

5 hours ago, stouricks said:

Where's the MG made? Certainly not at Morris Garages in England!    PML

China..

...just like so many other makes and all built to the standards required by the countries in which they're sold.

[Medicine Man]

Second hand cars are expensive here and a risk to buy seeing how the locals drive. You should be researching the car review websites e.g. Whatcar (UK) to get some idea if the car is a dog or not. Sadly the tax situation removes options like German or Korean cars being viable here..

[Bob A Kneale]

13 minutes ago, transam said:

27 minutes ago, Bob A Kneale said:

MG 3, 5 or ZS should be considered.

.............out of contention........"Ming Guang" cars....

You'll have to translate that for those less sophisticated than you, if you don't mind.

[Bob A Kneale]

18 minutes ago, transam said:

.............out of contention........"Ming Guang" cars....????

Apparently not, it seems that you're wrong there, also...

"Thank you all for your replies.  I forgot to include the MG at 799,000"

Edited June 30, 2020 by Bob A Kneale

[bert bloggs]

8 hours ago, transam said:

At least you have gone for reliability cars, my friend has a Vios, not very exciting but it does the job admirably, 5 years old with no hiccups.

 

I personally like Honda stuff, I have the use of a 2009 1.8 Civic, never a problem, only had new shocks all round, also a manual Honda Jazz, that I think is 13 years old, never a problem except the clutch slave or master cylinder has just failed. Impressive stuff.

 

If I had your budget I would go for a Suzuki Swift GLX and save a few quid...

 

 

we have a suzuki swift a couple of years old not a bad car ,but you will not believe this but i also have a 15 year old chevy optra ,great car had very little trouble with it ,and drives really well , keep saying i will sell it ,but honest i wont i like driving it too much.,

[mikemi]

I bought last year and my budget was also 800k.

 

I drove a borrowed honda jazz the length of the country, initially I loved it, but as I got further from bangkok the less I liked it, as there were some roads that were just too bumpy for small car suspension. I was at first planning to offer to buy it from the family member who owned it, but I changed my mine after a couple of days on the road.

 

long story short, I got a hilux, and its much better

 

for 800k you can get a hilux with roughly 20-30k miles on it, or a ranger, or even a navara or dmax, much cheaper if you dont need 4x4.

 

this year you might be able to get the newer ranger, slightly used for 800k (it was 900k cheapest last year when I was looking)

 

I am sure SUV like fortuner would also be nice, but they cost more.

 

 

 

 

[Ireland32]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

MG's are Chinese owned. Apart from any reliability or servicing issues, I would not be helping the economy of a country that has wrecked so many others.

Thank you Boycott them like your life depends on it 

[SinCityGr8One]

After 1 Datsun, 4 Nissans and 3 Toyotas, I went and got me a Suzuki Claz in NOV 2019. 4 door GL Plus Model with the wing on the boot. Also the Dealer threw in window tint all around for free. First Suzuki for me and I love it! Comfortable ride, cold A/C and plenty of power. Hit the 9,000 Km range with 0 problems. Check it out as it should be in your budget range. Plus dress up add on's are available from Lazada.

Edited June 30, 2020 by SinCityGr8One

[Ireland32]

30 minutes ago, mikemi said:

I bought last year and my budget was also 800k.

 

I drove a borrowed honda jazz the length of the country, initially I loved it, but as I got further from bangkok the less I liked it, as there were some roads that were just too bumpy for small car suspension. I was at first planning to offer to buy it from the family member who owned it, but I changed my mine after a couple of days on the road.

 

long story short, I got a hilux, and its much better

 

for 800k you can get a hilux with roughly 20-30k miles on it, or a ranger, or even a navara or dmax, much cheaper if you dont need 4x4.

 

this year you might be able to get the newer ranger, slightly used for 800k (it was 900k cheapest last year when I was looking)

 

I am sure SUV like fortuner would also be nice, but they cost more.

 

 

 

 

I just ordered Toyota Revo Rocco , but Toyota ‘s Advertising was a good deal til they changed the promotion after having us wait a month 0 finance turned into 5% , 3 months no pay , they took that away , also , and finally wanted us to pay a year in advance , the only thing they offered was 95,000 off , but last years model , got deposit back and went to another Toyo dealer for 2% interest and no 90 day offer and no 95,000 off either , fine print on those advertising is sadly misleading 

[Don Mega]

1 hour ago, Bob A Kneale said:

MG 3, 5 or ZS should be considered.

I know it this post will attract a sad confused tag from Transam but I agree.

[Bob A Kneale]

.

Edited June 30, 2020 by Bob A Kneale

[Bob A Kneale]

12 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

1 hour ago, Bob A Kneale said:

MG 3, 5 or ZS should be considered.

I know it this post will attract a sad confused tag from Transam but I agree.

Don't worry about it, just humour the old man, it's the most sympathetic thing to do!

[stouricks]

1 hour ago, SinCityGr8One said:

Hit the 9,000 Km range with 0 problems

I would f..king hope so. My Vigo hit the 180,000 km WITH 0 PROBLEMS, Bht 900,000 8 years ago.

[DJ54]

OP you should also put into the equation if your here long term ... parking? Don’t know because live in a house ... had a condo in China

had to pay monthly for parking space... it’s nuts ... office building in

China Shanghai parking space $300 USD a month...

[HauptmannUK]

I believe the latest Honda City sold in Thailand uses the 1.0 three cyl turbo engine to get into the Eco-Car tax band. I am not a fan of these small highly stressed engines - not good for longevity. Pity it doesn't use the 1.5, as in India.

The Ciaz is also a nice car but also suffers from being in the Ecocar class, it only has a 1.2 engine, which is not really enough.  IME Suzuki are mechanically solid but interior trim is a bit flimsy.

MGs are engineered in China. Couple of years ago back in the UK we took a low miles MG3 in P/X. Thai built.  Dreadful thing. It had software bugs, main dealer was clueless. Had to dump it at the block.

Honda Jazz 1.5 or Vios 1.5 would probably be my choice.  If you live out in the sticks then a pickup is a good choice - can cope with the roads. In town they are a chore to drive though.

[pineapple01]

Highly Stressed..?. So was my BMW if the Son got his grubies on it. That little City is perfect for sensible folk. As for LORD T.A hes one of the few who doesn't talk cobblers here.????

[HauptmannUK]

24 minutes ago, pineapple01 said:

Highly Stressed..?. So was my BMW if the Son got his grubies on it. That little City is perfect for sensible folk. As for LORD T.A hes one of the few who doesn't talk cobblers here.????

Yes. Highly stressed. Its a 1.0 3-cyl turbo running at high boost.  Along very similar lines to Ford's 3-cyl 'Ecoboost'  (or 'Ecobust') engines.  Specific output is pretty high at 122hp/L.  They run hot. Small water capacity. High MEP.

The old 1.5 non-turbo would have been a better engine for the Thai market, but it doesn't fit in the Ecocar class.

[stupidfarang]

Mazda 2, with in your budget, great build, excellent drive for around town or on a long trip. Highly recommend, only down side is you have to pay a yearly subscription for the satnav which annoys me but I just use google maps if required.

 

Also check out the MG ZS and HS SUV lot of spec for your money and very good reviews in motor mags in Australia and the UK

[BKKBike09]

1 hour ago, HauptmannUK said:

I believe the latest Honda City sold in Thailand uses the 1.0 three cyl turbo engine to get into the Eco-Car tax band. I am not a fan of these small highly stressed engines - not good for longevity. Pity it doesn't use the 1.5, as in India.

The Ciaz is also a nice car but also suffers from being in the Ecocar class, it only has a 1.2 engine, which is not really enough.  IME Suzuki are mechanically solid but interior trim is a bit flimsy.

MGs are engineered in China. Couple of years ago back in the UK we took a low miles MG3 in P/X. Thai built.  Dreadful thing. It had software bugs, main dealer was clueless. Had to dump it at the block.

Honda Jazz 1.5 or Vios 1.5 would probably be my choice.  If you live out in the sticks then a pickup is a good choice - can cope with the roads. In town they are a chore to drive though.

+1 to all this. Depends what you want a vehicle for, where you live etc. Pickups are great for non-urban use in Thailand but a real pain in narrow sois and when parking. Small cars like Jazz are great in the city but less good for frequent long highway journeys. Personally I prefer Jazz (have owned two with no problems) to Vios. I also like Mazda but there aren't as many dealers as Honda / Toyota. Toyota Sienta might be an option as that's still 1.5 engine and one of the very few cars on sale here with sliding rear doors. Styling not to everyone's taste. How many people will be fitting in the vehicle on a regular basis and do you live somewhere it floods?