Small Used Pickup For Travel Around Thailand

[OliverKlozerof]

Per my recent thread, I contacted a guy who helps expats find and buy vehicles (I won't mention Tim by name ???? ), about finding a used truck. A friend who's had a small Toyota 2-door diesel pickup for 18 years said it was a no brainer to go with the same thing (Toyota diesel), as 'you just can't kill them.' Tim agreed...so that's basically what we're looking for.
However, since it seems these are great machines and highly valued, the used prices are fairly high. His initial recommendation was to go for, say, a 2018 model. A quick search found a couple for around 400k baht. Then I guess they would still be under warrantee. And they would be the newer 'Hilux Revo' model, instead of the older 'Hilux Vigo' model. (Model change was around 2015 I think.) He said the Revo is significantly better; but that the Vigo's are still great machines.
BTW, I'm specifically looking for a small-wheeled, 2WD, 2-door, with the bench behind the driver's seat (any color but black). (Hard to put motorbike in back of 4-door models; requires bed extension. 4WD get worse milage....) Since I'll be putting some miles on it, fuel efficiency/dependability/low cost-of-ownership are main considerations. (Don't anticipate going off road....)
Questions:
1) I *can* pay 400k, but of course would prefer to pay less (200-300k?). Since these seem to 'go forever,' I wonder how old of a Vigo I should be looking at: Ten years old? Fifteen? Tim (and crew) will inspect whichever ones I'm interested in, to try and make sure they are decent/dependable machines. While I don't want something with ripped interior...I'm not concerned about amenities like flashy flat screens or sound systems. As long as it's basically comfortable and works well, all's good. I anticipate going on the road for a few months, then parking it in BKK for a month, etc.
2) Are there other brands that are worth looking at? Same/similar dependability/value? Thx

[Lacessit]

Nothing wrong with a Mitsubishi Triton or Mazda BT 50.

You don't specify whether you want an automatic or manual gearshift, manuals are definitely cheaper in used vehicles.

I wouldn't get too fixated on a diesel, the 4 cylinder gasoline engines are quite adequate and economical, unless you want to extract bogged buffalos.

[OliverKlozerof]

7 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Nothing wrong with a Mitsubishi Triton or Mazda BT 50.

You don't specify whether you want an automatic or manual gearshift, manuals are definitely cheaper in used vehicles.

I wouldn't get too fixated on a diesel, the 4 cylinder gasoline engines are quite adequate and economical, unless you want to extract bogged buffalos.

 

Yes, he said manual would be cheaper and I said that was fine. (Been a while, but used to drive manual back in the day...er, with my right hand. But assume I'll get used to doing it the other way round.) Kinda doubt I'll be extracting any bogged buffalos (though that sounds fun).

[Lacessit]

This vehicle is in Chiang Mai, seems to fit your specs. No, I don't get a finder's fee.

 

https://expatautocm.com/cars/2017-mitsubishi-triton-vht484/

[OliverKlozerof]

36 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

This vehicle is in Chiang Mai, seems to fit your specs. No, I don't get a finder's fee.

 

https://expatautocm.com/cars/2017-mitsubishi-triton-vht484/

 

Thanks but...I'm in BKK, so not practical to buy in CM. Also, not sure motorbike would fit in back. And, price a bit more than I want to pay. Otherwise, clean looking machine.

[transam]

LOS is dripping with second hand trucks, corvid unemployment has added to the numbers.

First, what is it going to be used for, number of passengers, carrying a motorcycle etc.

I would stay away from petrol rides, diesels are cheap to run and are less problematic and resale value will be better.

Brand, doesn't much matter if you are buying something 2/3/4 years old, though Toyota is probably the most reliable truck out there..

[moose7117]

try these sites.

i use the google chrome translate option on my mac so i can convert to English.

 

https://www.one2car.com/

https://th.priceprice.com/car/

https://rod.kaidee.com/

https://www.mottoauction.com/home/main

 

good luck and happy shopping.

 

moose

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by moose7117

[OliverKlozerof]

16 hours ago, moose7117 said:

try these sites.

i use the google chrome translate option on my mac so i can convert to English.

 

https://www.one2car.com/

https://th.priceprice.com/car/

https://rod.kaidee.com/

https://www.mottoauction.com/home/main

 

good luck and happy shopping.

 

moose

 

 

Thanks. I learned about some of these recently and have been meaning to check out. Yeah, I also use Chrome on Mac to auto-translate to Thai...very handy at times. Have looked a bit in FB Marketplace. Will try to look at the above. ???? 

[wombat]

Way easier to buy a late model small used pick-up with low mileage and in good condition, customise it to your requirements as you go...5'4" is a popular size 

[gianlucabrambilla75]

https://www.bahtsold.com/view/mitsubishi-triton-399116

 

 

[verticalift]

I’ve been living in Phuket for the past 22 years. My first little truck was an Isuzu SLX. It never broke down. If you’re going to be traveling around T’land and you do have a problem, you want to know that it can be fixed wherever you are. Chances are that most all Thai guys walking down the street will know how to fix it for you.

After my Isuzu I bought a new Ford Wildtrak in 2007, but it was very thirsty.

Now I’m in a Volvo V40 T5 hatchback. Great car. Don’t need a big heavy truck anymore.

Edited November 23, 2020 by verticalift
Typo

[millymoopoo]

Tip 1: -- As a good example listen to the engines in older baht buses (songkeuw), if they sound like a bucket of bolts (which most Izuzu and Mitsubishis' do) then those models would obviously not be such a good buy.

Tip 2: -- BT50 Mazda and Ford Ranger with 3.2 litre diesel engine, yes I know they are quite big engines being 5 cylinders but they are very efficient, quiet, slow revving and reliable. My 3.2L Ranger uses much less fuel than the previous Courier (Mazda BT40) 2.5L diesel, and it has much longer legs.! And being 5 cylinders it is just so much smoother than any 4 cylinder diesel.

[natway09]

Go & have a look,

There are thousands for sale in used car yards 

[OliverKlozerof]

Anyone know the difference between these

Toyota Hilux Vigo models?:

Champ

Extracab

Smartcab

I'm interested in the one with small bench seat behind driver, but pickup bed long enough to hold a motorbike (like Honda Click, Yamaha Filano scooters). Some models appears to have beds too short to hold a motorbike.

[canthai55]

Standard cab - 2 doors no room behind seats

Smart cab - 2 doors, bench seat behind seats

4 door - well, ...

All on Toyota website

[OliverKlozerof]

7 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

Standard cab - 2 doors no room behind seats

Smart cab - 2 doors, bench seat behind seats

4 door - well, ...

All on Toyota website

I guess I've figured out the one I want is the Smart cab, with the bench seat. Even though the truck bed is a bit shorter, apparently a motorbike will fit in sideways.

[canthai55]

My Dyna was hauled up in a 4 door Toyota, corner to corner, with the rear tire on the tailgate, Pattaya to CNX

How long is your bike ?

Edited November 23, 2020 by canthai55

[KeeTua]

3 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Anyone know the difference between these

Toyota Hilux Vigo models?:

Champ

Extracab

Smartcab

Extracab is the extended cab with a bench seat.
Smartcab is the same except that it has two small rear doors to access the bench seat area. This is on the newer model Vigos.
Bed length will be the same on both.

[KhaoYai]

6 hours ago, millymoopoo said:

Tip 1: -- As a good example listen to the engines in older baht buses (songkeuw), if they sound like a bucket of bolts (which most Izuzu and Mitsubishis' do) then those models would obviously not be such a good buy.

That is almost certainly just 'diesel knock' and its attributed to the design of the combustion chamber and the timing mode employed - some of the older diesels knocked like hell. Don't know about Mitsu's but the older Isuzu's did. If I was buying an older model Isuzu 2.5 and it didn't knock, I'd be worried.

 

Its 'Songthaew' by the way - 2 rows of seats.

Edited November 23, 2020 by KhaoYai

[OliverKlozerof]

3 hours ago, canthai55 said:

My Dyna was hauled up in a 4 door Toyota, corner to corner, with the rear tire on the tailgate, Pattaya to CNX

How long is your bike ?

Today I googled something like 'carry motorbike in pickup,' and saw some photos of bikes with rear tire on dropped tailgate. Not sure why, but I'd prefer being able to have tailgate up with bike inside. Anticipate just small bike, like Honda Click, and have learned that with the 'extracab' model, it can fit in diagonally. ???? 

[millymoopoo]

16 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

That is almost certainly just 'diesel knock' and its attributed to the design of the combustion chamber and the timing mode employed - some of the older diesels knocked like hell. Don't know about Mitsu's but the older Isuzu's did. If I was buying an older model Isuzu 2.5 and it didn't knock, I'd be worried.

Absolutely not..! Diesel knock is just one of many noises poorly designed/maintained engines display. Tappet, cam chain, valve bounce, piston slap, even little & big end noise and others are all not good signs...!

Diesel knock is poor (too fast) and incomplete ignition, these days also a sign of poor design.

Modern multi discharge piezo injectors ensure complete combustion over the correct time period. Mazda/Ford WHEAT and P5AT engines are examples of good design, they exhibit little if any diesel knock and produce no black smoke. Black smoke is unburnt fuel, thus inefficient.

My 3.2L 5 cyl P5AT ranger gets 8 to 9L/100km, whereas my friends Toyota hilux does 11 to 12L/100km on a 3 litre 4 cyl engine. That's without remapping, with remapping (without increasing rail pressures) 15 to 20% fuel savings can be expected.

[OliverKlozerof]

1 hour ago, millymoopoo said:

Absolutely not..! Diesel knock is just one of many noises poorly designed/maintained engines display. Tappet, cam chain, valve bounce, piston slap, even little & big end noise and others are all not good signs...!

Diesel knock is poor (too fast) and incomplete ignition, these days also a sign of poor design.

Modern multi discharge piezo injectors ensure complete combustion over the correct time period. Mazda/Ford WHEAT and P5AT engines are examples of good design, they exhibit little if any diesel knock and produce no black smoke. Black smoke is unburnt fuel, thus inefficient.

My 3.2L 5 cyl P5AT ranger gets 8 to 9L/100km, whereas my friends Toyota hilux does 11 to 12L/100km on a 3 litre 4 cyl engine. That's without remapping, with remapping (without increasing rail pressures) 15 to 20% fuel savings can be expected.

 

Sounds like you know a lot about this...unlike myself. I kinda recall my dad saying that, for gas engines, more lead in gas could reduce knock?
Re: P5AT diesel vs. Toyota deisel milage... So yours is in a Mazda/Ford? I think the Hilux Vigos I'm looking at are 2.5L 4cyl motors? (Manual transmission.) I was told they get very good milage. Correct, or am I misinformed? (Very possibly the latter. ???? )

[Techno Viking]

21 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

I guess I've figured out the one I want is the Smart cab, with the bench seat. Even though the truck bed is a bit shorter, apparently a motorbike will fit in sideways.

 

Ive put 2 Honda PCX's in the tub of a Revo Smart cab, no issue at all and the tailgate closed.

[Techno Viking]

17 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Today I googled something like 'carry motorbike in pickup,' and saw some photos of bikes with rear tire on dropped tailgate. Not sure why, but I'd prefer being able to have tailgate up with bike inside. Anticipate just small bike, like Honda Click, and have learned that with the 'extracab' model, it can fit in diagonally. ???? 

 

A Click will fit diagonally into a dual cab.

 

 

[millymoopoo]

4 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Sounds like you know a lot about this...unlike myself. I kinda recall my dad saying that, for gas engines, more lead in gas could reduce knock?
Re: P5AT diesel vs. Toyota deisel milage... So yours is in a Mazda/Ford? I think the Hilux Vigos I'm looking at are 2.5L 4cyl motors? (Manual transmission.) I was told they get very good milage. Correct, or am I misinformed? (Very possibly the latter. ???? )

Been around/ran garages for 25 years.!

The P5AT is used in both Mazda BT50 and Ford Ranger, I've a Ranger.
The P5AT is a 5 cylinder engine, that's the crucial difference, at any time in the rotation (cycle) any one of the five cylinders is producing power, or in other words, there is never a time when power is not being produced.

This is not the case with a 4 cylinder engine, between about 350 degrees and 10 degrees no power is produced, it the same between 170 and 190 degrees, thus it is unbalanced or 'lumpy'.
This 'lumpiness' is exacerbated by the fact diesels run on about 20 to 1 compression ratio (not the case in petrol engines)

As a 5 cylinder engine is producing constant power it is inherently smooth, thus balanced and more efficient.
Efficiency is also related to gearing, the P5AT is doing just under 2000 revs at 100kmh, whereas most 4 cylinder diesels rev around 3000 RPM at 100km.

For this reason, and it's inherent 5 cylinder efficiency (balance) makes it entirely possible a 3.2L (P5AT) Ranger could use less fuel than a Toyota Hilux 2.5L.
My friends Hilux feels like it's working hard most of the time, whereas my Ranger feels like it's on a holiday. I have long range tanks, I get1400km, my friend has them too but he only gets 1000km.!

A good way to compare the feel is to go to the Toyota dealer and ask for a test drive of the Hilux, then cross the road to the Ford dealer and ask to test drive the Ranger with the P5AT (not the 2.2L engine as it's only a 4 cylinder). You may be surprised.!

[OliverKlozerof]

3 hours ago, millymoopoo said:

Been around/ran garages for 25 years.!

The P5AT is used in both Mazda BT50 and Ford Ranger, I've a Ranger.
The P5AT is a 5 cylinder engine, that's the crucial difference, at any time in the rotation (cycle) any one of the five cylinders is producing power, or in other words, there is never a time when power is not being produced.

This is not the case with a 4 cylinder engine, between about 350 degrees and 10 degrees no power is produced, it the same between 170 and 190 degrees, thus it is unbalanced or 'lumpy'.
This 'lumpiness' is exacerbated by the fact diesels run on about 20 to 1 compression ratio (not the case in petrol engines)

As a 5 cylinder engine is producing constant power it is inherently smooth, thus balanced and more efficient.
Efficiency is also related to gearing, the P5AT is doing just under 2000 revs at 100kmh, whereas most 4 cylinder diesels rev around 3000 RPM at 100km.

For this reason, and it's inherent 5 cylinder efficiency (balance) makes it entirely possible a 3.2L (P5AT) Ranger could use less fuel than a Toyota Hilux 2.5L.
My friends Hilux feels like it's working hard most of the time, whereas my Ranger feels like it's on a holiday. I have long range tanks, I get1400km, my friend has them too but he only gets 1000km.!

A good way to compare the feel is to go to the Toyota dealer and ask for a test drive of the Hilux, then cross the road to the Ford dealer and ask to test drive the Ranger with the P5AT (not the 2.2L engine as it's only a 4 cylinder). You may be surprised.!

 

Well that’s interesting. But I’m pretty sure my budget and needs dictate that I’ll have to be happy with a 4cyl, 2.5L Toyota mill. 

But I’ll take your word for it that the 5cyl produces a smoother ride. 

[impulse]

On 11/21/2020 at 12:53 AM, OliverKlozerof said:

Yes, he said manual would be cheaper and I said that was fine. (Been a while, but used to drive manual back in the day...er, with my right hand. But assume I'll get used to doing it the other way round.) Kinda doubt I'll be extracting any bogged buffalos (though that sounds fun).

 

If you're planning to drive in BKK, I'd suggest the automatic.  I went the manual route (1993  Mitsu Cyclone- 2.5 diesel) and if I had it all to do over, I'd have gone with an automatic.  The manual was fine outside of town, but it was miserable in BKK traffic.  The truck was 20 years old when I bought it and 26 years old when I left Thailand.  I was on a temporary contract that went a lot longer than I anticipated, otherwise I'd have bought a much newer, nicer truck- and paid a lot more. 

 

No major issues, but a few minor ones over the 6 years- mostly because it stayed parked except on getaway weekends.  Living in Asoke, the first and last 5 miles of every journey was a teeth gnasher because of traffic.  Had a brake line rot out in Kao Yai Nat'l Park and a clutch master cylinder go bad in Pattaya.   Otherwise, just changed the oil once a year.  It had just over 200K km.

 

Shifting with the wrong hand was easy to get accustomed to...

[OliverKlozerof]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 

If you're planning to drive in BKK, I'd suggest the automatic.  I went the manual route (1993  Mitsu Cyclone- 2.5 diesel) and if I had it all to do over, I'd have gone with an automatic.  The manual was fine outside of town, but it was miserable in BKK traffic.  The truck was 20 years old when I bought it and 26 years old when I left Thailand.  I was on a temporary contract that went a lot longer than I anticipated, otherwise I'd have bought a much newer, nicer truck- and paid a lot more. 

 

No major issues, but a few minor ones over the 6 years- mostly because it stayed parked except on getaway weekends.  Living in Asoke, the first and last 5 miles of every journey was a teeth gnasher because of traffic.  Had a brake line rot out in Kao Yai Nat'l Park and a clutch master cylinder go bad in Pattaya.   Otherwise, just changed the oil once a year.  It had just over 200K km.

 

Shifting with the wrong hand was easy to get accustomed to...

 

My intention is to use it to explore Thailand. I hope for minimal driving in BKK. I’ve rented cars and motorcycles several times and right: driving in BKK is not fun. I’ll even get up at 4:00am on days I plan to leave town to make it easier. 

[millymoopoo]

15 hours ago, OliverKlozerof said:

Well that’s interesting. But I’m pretty sure my budget and needs dictate that I’ll have to be happy with a 4cyl, 2.5L Toyota mill. 

But I’ll take your word for it that the 5cyl produces a smoother ride. 

Ford have introduced a new engine to their new Rangers, it's a higher revving 4 cylinder diesel.

Does get a few good reviews but will still be the same as any 4 cylinder desiel, lumpy.

So Ford may be doing 'run outs' of their P5AT engined rangers, could be worth a look see, may be some good deals going.!

And would still be interesting to do the comparison Ford 5 cyl to Toyota 4 cyl...!

[Grumpy one]

On 11/21/2020 at 1:42 PM, Lacessit said:

Nothing wrong with a Mitsubishi Triton or Mazda BT 50.

You don't specify whether you want an automatic or manual gearshift, manuals are definitely cheaper in used vehicles.

I wouldn't get too fixated on a diesel, the 4 cylinder gasoline engines are quite adequate and economical, unless you want to extract bogged buffalos.

Please leave my ex out of this thread