Is 150,000 km mileage car not worth considering ?

[sencelebi]

On 7/7/2020 at 8:38 PM, Lacessit said:

Having bought a Merc where the Asian owner put 91 octane instead of the specified 95 in the tank, and water in the radiator instead of coolant, my answer is yes. I know, one example only. A mistake of mine that will not be repeated.

It's a myth German cars are more reliable. The best performing car for some years in America in terms of reliability and longevity is the Honda Accord.

As a former used car dealer in the US what I would say to you is Best performing cars in States and all over the world are Mercedes and BMW and few more. Yes Honda Accord is a reliable car and holds its value , but that's not the reason it's a good selling car in the US. Japanese cars sell good in the US bcz Asian population like to buy them. White race mostly like to buy German and American cars. There are japanese car buying white race in the US but they buy either luxury segment or real cheap models. I actually bought some years back a Mercedes as a whole sale with over 600K miles on it and car was still drivable. Nobody can go wrong with Mercedes or BMW if can afford it. For my opinion they are the best mass production cars.

[Tigger01]

Japanese cars are generally more reliable than any other, survey after survey have proved so. Germany cars used to be good but are living on past reputation, i moved from  Lexus to 5 series BMW and had problem after problem, usually expensive so I bought another 5 series and had more problems including the infamous cam chain snapping! I'd never buy another BMW, overpriced piece of <deleted>! I've been driving an Infiniti for the last 18 months, hasn't missed a beat, the lexus before the bmw also didn't miss a beat for 4 years. Anyone who buys a BMW must do so for the "prestige"? Badge?? Lexus and infiniti are leagues ahead! 

[sencelebi]

150000 km on the Mercedes shouldn't be scaring you if it was well taking care off. You can drive them till 400000 km or even more if you take care of them like a baby. I am saying this as a former used car dealer in the USA. I have bought and sold many of them in my car lot. However BMW is a different story. BMW has to be driven on high rpm, you can't drive bmw like a grandpa driving his century old Cadillac and cruise around. If BMW has been taken care of by the owner who knows how to drive a beemer then buy it.

[Lacessit]

20 hours ago, samtab said:

 

Clearly you have no idea what you are talking about. Just changing oil costs me 10000 on the Benz...

 

555...

 

 

Clearly you have an eyesight problem, I recommend SpecSavers.

I would have thought the amount of oil required in the sump of a Benz would depend on whether it is 4, 6 or 8 cylinder. Feel free to educate me otherwise. Or perhaps the dealership you go to is giving you a discount.

[Lacessit]

30 minutes ago, sencelebi said:

As a former used car dealer in the US what I would say to you is Best performing cars in States and all over the world are Mercedes and BMW and few more. Yes Honda Accord is a reliable car and holds its value , but that's not the reason it's a good selling car in the US. Japanese cars sell good in the US bcz Asian population like to buy them. White race mostly like to buy German and American cars. There are japanese car buying white race in the US but they buy either luxury segment or real cheap models. I actually bought some years back a Mercedes as a whole sale with over 600K miles on it and car was still drivable. Nobody can go wrong with Mercedes or BMW if can afford it. For my opinion they are the best mass production cars.

Of course, the word of a used car dealer can always be trusted.

I suggest you look at a particular model of BMW whose quality defect list occupied 36 pages back in the mid-2000's before posting utter rubbish.

The sole reason for buying the Germans is cachet, the Japanese and Koreans kill them in terms of quality, unless you are buying the top of the line stuff.

 

[Logosone]

34 minutes ago, Tigger01 said:

Japanese cars are generally more reliable than any other, survey after survey have proved so. Germany cars used to be good but are living on past reputation, i moved from  Lexus to 5 series BMW and had problem after problem, usually expensive so I bought another 5 series and had more problems including the infamous cam chain snapping! I'd never buy another BMW, overpriced piece of <deleted>! I've been driving an Infiniti for the last 18 months, hasn't missed a beat, the lexus before the bmw also didn't miss a beat for 4 years. Anyone who buys a BMW must do so for the "prestige"? Badge?? Lexus and infiniti are leagues ahead! 

You obviously did not check the car properly before you bought. Your statement is not borne out by the actual data. Looking at the actual data from the most recent survey of the most reliable motoring association, the ADAC:

 

Among compact cars indeed the Toyota Aygo just edged the VW Fox.

 

Among small cars the Audi A1 was the most reliable, ahead of all the Japanse.

 

Among smaller mid-class the BMW 1 series was the most reliable ahead of all the Japanese.

 

Mid-size cars the Audi A4 was the most reliable.

 

Bigger Sedans The Audi A6 was the most reliable.

 

https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/unfall-schaden-panne/adac-pannenstatistik/

 

So Germany 4, Japan 1.

[Road Warrior]

if the price is right i would buy ,still its big kms but modern cars are ok if looked after service etc 

[samtab]

On 7/8/2020 at 8:25 PM, DavisH said:

Obviously, oils ain't oils 555. Benz oil is...special????

 

Yes, the best of synthetic oil for performance car, and if you buy it yourself it costs almost the same price. Labour is cheap even at Benz garage, but German cars use quality products.

 

 

[DavisH]

11 hours ago, samtab said:

 

Yes, the best of synthetic oil for performance car, and if you buy it yourself it costs almost the same price. Labour is cheap even at Benz garage, but German cars use quality products.

 

 

Benz recommends a number of different brands of oil for their cars. I don't see any costing more than 2000 baht for 4/5 liters. 

Which specification and brand of oil costs 10000 baht?

[RangerP703]

On 7/9/2020 at 2:46 PM, sencelebi said:

150000 km on the Mercedes shouldn't be scaring you if it was well taking care off. You can drive them till 400000 km or even more if you take care of them like a baby. I

If a car needs to be babied to get to 400k............ that inspires little confidence in the brand.

[JAS21]

MrsJ  bought her Mazda Lantis  new in1996. It has now done a little over 250,000 km. She could be tempted to part for the right price.   150,000 km is nothing in this day and age

 

 

[DavisH]

5 hours ago, JAS21 said:

MrsJ  bought her Mazda Lantis  new in1996. It has now done a little over 250,000 km. She could be tempted to part for the right price.   150,000 km is nothing in this day and age

 

 

Honestly, even if it's in excellent condition, like most old cars, they don't fetch a lot of money. They are just easier to sell. 

Depending on the condition, it may be worth spending some money on it and keeping it another 10 years. I guess spare parts availability becomes a limiting factor as well. If your budget is not limited, just get something new and keep it well for another 20 years. The good think about old cars is that they are less complex so there are less things to go wrong. 

[Jitar]

On 7/9/2020 at 5:49 PM, Logosone said:

You obviously did not check the car properly before you bought. Your statement is not borne out by the actual data. Looking at the actual data from the most recent survey of the most reliable motoring association, the ADAC:

 

Among compact cars indeed the Toyota Aygo just edged the VW Fox.

 

Among small cars the Audi A1 was the most reliable, ahead of all the Japanse.

 

Among smaller mid-class the BMW 1 series was the most reliable ahead of all the Japanese.

 

Mid-size cars the Audi A4 was the most reliable.

 

Bigger Sedans The Audi A6 was the most reliable.

 

https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/unfall-schaden-panne/adac-pannenstatistik/

 

So Germany 4, Japan 1.

The linked information is not suitable as an indication of overall long term reliability or cost to operate.

The data is for ADAC breakdown calls only. 

Faults dealt with by other means (dealers, workshops etc) are not included.

Some of the faults like punctures and flat batteries may not be 100% related to the model of car.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Jitar

[Logosone]

18 minutes ago, Jitar said:

The linked information is not suitable as an indication of overall long term reliability or cost to operate.

The data is for ADAC breakdown calls only. 

Faults dealt with by other means (dealers, workshops etc) are not included.

Some of the faults like punctures and flat batteries may not be 100% related to the model of car.

 

 

Lol, you obviously did not read the link properly. Defective tires are not included in the statistics (see point 3 of Datenbasis). Moreover the statistics only include cars that have a minimum of several thousand registrations in each year, and go back to 2007. A better statistic set of data is hard to imagine.

 

The ADAC breakdown statistics are perfectly suitable to indicate reliability.

 

What else indicates a lack of reliability better than a higher incidence of serious breakdowns that require ADAC assistance?

 

What could indicate reliability better than a lower incidence of serious breakdowns requiring ADAC assistance?

 

No, I'm afraid the data is very useful. And it clearly shows that, except for very small compact cars, German manufactured cars were more reliable than Japanese cars in 4 out of 5 categories.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Logosone

[JAS21]

3 hours ago, DavisH said:

Honestly, even if it's in excellent condition, like most old cars, they don't fetch a lot of money. They are just easier to sell. 

Depending on the condition, it may be worth spending some money on it and keeping it another 10 years. I guess spare parts availability becomes a limiting factor as well. If your budget is not limited, just get something new and keep it well for another 20 years. The good think about old cars is that they are less complex so there are less things to go wrong. 

Yes, in the last 18 years or so we have probably spent in maintenance half of what it cost new. It now only gets a short run out every couple of weeks. Guess in a few years it might become a classic!!

 

I wouldn't bet on either of the white ones been around in 24 years time...they don't make them like they used to.....

[Jitar]

12 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Lol, you obviously did not read the link properly. Defective tires are not included in the statistics (see point 3 of Datenbasis). Moreover the statistics only include cars that have a minimum of several thousand registrations in each year, and go back to 2007. A better statistic set of data is hard to imagine.

 

The ADAC breakdown statistics are perfectly suitable to indicate reliability.

 

What else indicates a lack of reliability better than a higher incidence of serious breakdowns that require ADAC assistance?

 

What could indicate reliability better than a lower incidence of serious breakdowns requiring ADAC assistance?

 

No, I'm afraid the data is very useful. And it clearly shows that, except for very small compact cars, German manufactured cars were more reliable than Japanese cars in 4 out of 5 categories.

 

 

You are missing the point.  Breakdowns ADAC deal with are only part of the issue.  For example, if a particular car has a defective design that results in short engine life, (BMW perhaps) the dealer or a workshop would most likely repair.  Issues like this may not register in ADAC's data.  This type of issue is more important to used car buyers because as the car depreciates, cost to repair is a big part of determining the useful life.  

[DavisH]

2 hours ago, JAS21 said:

Yes, in the last 18 years or so we have probably spent in maintenance half of what it cost new. It now only gets a short run out every couple of weeks. Guess in a few years it might become a classic!!

 

I wouldn't bet on either of the white ones been around in 24 years time...they don't make them like they used to.....

The engone should still be good with regular maintenance. My 2004 civic and 250K kms on with when i sold it. Main problem was with the air cond compressor (seemed to be a problem in this model). But the engine and gearbox were still good - still plenty of power and no smoke. Yeah I think that benz will become expensive in the long run. Diesel ford should go for a long time though - lets not mention about electronics lol

[Kwaibill]

My current US vehicle is a Dodge diesel truck with 300,000 miles. I was a mechanic for a good part of my life, though physically unable to do the work anymore.
I have had a couple of Mercedes diesel sedans that went over that as well. Body corrosion was the end of those.
Maintenance is the key. I recall a friend of my dad's who kept a VW Beetle for over a million miles, but he was a mechanical engineer who changed the oil religiously at 3,000 intervals, and rebuilt the engine several times.
It all depends on your determination.

[cliveshep]

We sold our Innova and my wife bought an older Vios, 2005 I believe. Bloody thing cost me for a new fan, radiator, front shocks, CV joints but is now thb 20k later finally a nice little sporty car with around 175000 km on the clock and costing  thb 147,000 2 years ago. So under thb 170,000 all in which includes 2 services now.

 

So having spent a goodly chunk of what I sold the Innova for there was not a lot left for my needs. I wanted a truck, preferable a 1.4 diesel Tata (Carry look-alike) but none to be had and my garage-owning friend told me to by a Suzi instead.  So - I bought a Suzuki Carry, 2006 model, with LPG conversion, and 325,000 km on the clock which in the normal world would be a no-no. It cost me a mere thb 85,000, cheap by any standards.

 

I'm not normal I guess. I've had the Carry for 2 years now, use it almost daily fetching and carrying building materials for the big extension we self-built. It at one time had a box on top and they had resprayed all the exposed outside Carry bits Duck Egg blue. Once the box came off the roof was still white, as was the tail-gate and the inside of the sides and floor.

 

So I bought some paint and painted it, I sprayed it at first, but had trouble with the paint which was flat - turned out the TOA shop had sold me flat finish. So in disgust I bought the gloss and brush painted it inside the back - looks fine. I installed an e-bay reversing beeper, a permanent rear-view camera with a display on the dash, a front'rear dash-cam, a 4-sensor reversing radar setup - accurate and really useful, and a new multi-function radio/player.

 

After a year it got a bit difficult to start one day and I had to charge the battery so I bought a new battery for it. Later on the radiator cap leaked so it would boil/overheat when stationary - so it got a new radiator cap. It had low-profile alloy wheels and tyres - looked stupid and gave a very uncomfortable ride, I sold them for 4000 baht, got a set of almost new Fortuna alloys (they do fit) with Michelins on for thb 8000 fitted and the ride is so much better plus it looks great.

 

I do need to service it - in 2 years we haven't serviced it yet and in a month or so it needs to go in for a service and new rubbers on the suspension I think - given the bonking over bumps I suspect they've perished. Otherwise, apart from the idiotic sporty exhaust and noisy silencer it is a lovely reliable truck and the bonus is it's so old that if I scratch the inside with a load of concrete blocks a quick swipe with the paint brush and it looks good again.

 

We are in the process of finishing off a 500 baht roof for it, tubular framed with roof only, open sides. We bought it for 500 baht because it was almost the right length, couple of inches short but who cares, and about 3 inches too narrow but the sides spring out so no problem. It was 500mm too low for the Carry, which we have now welded on so it fits. We'll be changing the registration to show the roof but it wont be permanently fixed, instead it will be locked into place with a total of 8 bonnet clips - 4 each side fitted inside. Then with the overhead hoist in the car-port roof it is easy to lift it as I have fitted a lifting ring to it - we can take it off if we need the open lorry configuration. Otherwise - here comes another mobile shop!

 

I recommend Suzuki - I am impressed with this heap!

Edited July 14, 2020 by cliveshep

[thairookie]

All Suzuki or just the Carry ?

[cliveshep]

If all are built to this standard then they are no longer a Japanese Lada.