Buying 2nd hand car

[big dendrobenaes]

try contacting a bank where the person has renauged on the loan payments .....there are many for sale !!!!

[connda]

My first car was second-hand.  Most of my driving was local and I had a mechanic that serviced it. Unlike the West, mechanical repair is dirt cheap.  However comes the problem of reliability.  Why did the previous owner ditch it?  What's its problems?  Can you trust that it's mechanically sound enough to drive 500 to 700 km away from where you live?  I never trusted the car for anything be local driving and on more than one occasion I had to call the mechanic to find me and get the car running.
And a second hand car will nickle and dime you forever.  Fix this fix that.

So.  I sold that car and bought a new 'city' car.  I buy vehicles to get me from point A to point B.  Not for looks, not for status.  You can buy a new city car for between 350 to 400k THB.  When I bought mine I paid cash.  I could have bought two or three for the price some people pay for there cars - on credit.
It gets 22+ km/liter (about 52+ miles/gal) and it gets me from....point A to point B.

[connda]

21 hours ago, seedy said:

Find a good garage - independent - and have them check it out.

Expat Auto and Pro Auto in CNX being 2 good ones

Without naming names, I've been to an independent who attempted tell me I needed shocks and suspension repair that I did not need.  Went to the place to buy front tires.  Dude gives me a 20K THB estimate "Need replace front shocks.  Cause tire wear!"
My thought was more along the lines of 60+K kilometers of driving caused normal tire wear as they had never been rotated.  I took the car back to the service department of the dealership I bought the new car.  They checked it out and found nothing wrong with the shocks or suspension.  Just needed aligned.  I bought new tires and had it aligned.

So - there is another reason to buy new.  Deal with the original dealership on service.  I don't trust the glitzy, larger independents although I know many people do.  I had a my second-hand serviced by a "Mom & Pop" outfit where the owner drove the exact same car I had.  I trusted that guy.  But like I said before - second-hand cars will nickle and dime you. 

Another thing to contemplate is the likelihood of buying a car that was in a recent flood.  Yeah, it gets polished up and made to look great, but mechanically it will be nothing but problems.  In the US there was a way to track the history of cars based on their VIN numbers.  People try that in the US too.  A vehicle is wreaked or flooded and insurance companies pay out and the vehicle is suppose to be salvaged as scrape but then bought and sold as second-hand.  But in the US you can find the vehicle's history.  Here I'm not so sure but I'd be wary as many new cars in recent flood zones will be scraped by insurance companies and will find their way to the second-hand market.  Buyer beware.

 

[sead]

On 11/30/2021 at 6:53 AM, transam said:

Toyota is the way to go, very reliable, and I can't think of seeing a rust problem on one. I would stay away from Mercs unless you have a very local repair shop who know what they are doing....

Rust problems in Thailand....

[Jen65]

11 hours ago, thaibook said:

I have seen banks advertising property they have repossessed but not cars.  Where would I find this?

they go to auction !  Bangkok .   The dealers buy them and then resell at much higher prices .  If you know what you want and see it advertised or find it at the auction rooms ( you can test drive but have to pay a deposit before bidding)  and you have a good Thai friend to do the bidding ,then you can get a bargain because dealers won't go above a trade value .

[Jen65]

have a look on Baht Sold for an expat car with service history .  Personally ,I wouldn't touch anything without service history as there is no regulation on what goes on selling 2nd hand cars - clocking /  repairing accident or write offs !!  It's only after buying and you get to re-register at DLT you may find the numbers don't match !  If you buy a Toyota privately ,with service history and agree a price subject to inspection, then any reputable seller should have no objection to you requesting and paying for the nearest Toyota to give it the once over !  Also City cars like Bangkok tend to get hammered more on wear and tear of the gearbox and brakes .

 

[brianthainess]

16 hours ago, sead said:

Rust problems in Thailand....

Yes from all the salt on the roads when it snows. 

[transam]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

Yes from all the salt on the roads when it snows. 

Well, oddly enough, it has been known for those who live near the sea could have a salt corrosion problem. The sand in these areas that inevitably gets on the roads has salt in it, that sand mixed with a little rain can end up in nooks and crannies under the ride. ????

 

 

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, transam said:

Well, oddly enough, it has been known for those who live near the sea could have a salt corrosion problem.

As I said in my post on page one. that's why its good to have your car cleaned underneath. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 11/30/2021 at 12:44 PM, thaibook said:

advice/recommendations welcomed

Don't do it 

 

Just too many things that can go wrong for a newbie 

[Coremouse]

To be honest, for brief check, even mechanic could only verify these obvious things - rust, paint, noise

 

I'm a DIYer, rebuilt several engines with good results, roadtuning ECU with buttdyno, currently welding chromoly frame etc. Of course I understand we need AT LEAST check compression/leakdown, borescope inside cylinders, check turbo fins & runout, all brake hoses/pistons, all hydraulic seals not leaking, and maybe 50km test drive...  And for some fishy used car, also check all wire looms/ECU connectivity/sensors.

 

Reality is, it needs equipments, costly, and at least a full day. And more Importantly: NO used car seller would EVER allow that. Personally I want minimal a simple compression test, but no seller would even allow that. So just check obvious things, make sure the car (at least seems) driving reliable, and examine whether acceptable based on price/value. Of course it would be great if to buy a used car with complete modification list/measurements sheet/service records, but these are a rare specie in Thailand. 

 

Just think clear your requirements for the car, pick some you like, and brief check for whether it's acceptable. 

[In the jungle]

On 12/1/2021 at 11:01 AM, CharlieH said:

Havnt read through all of the above.

 

My comment is buy Toyota, Transam hit that on the head.

Second DONT buy from a "used" dealer you dont know what you are getting and they"ll tell you pretty much what you want to here.

Toyotasure is a network attached to most Toyota dealers that sell secondhand cars and all have been verified and checked over etc.

 

Be aware that cars under 2 yr old wont be far off the price of a new one, thats how it is in Thailand for vehicles generally.

 

 

Don't be so confident about Toyotasure.

 

One of the vehicles I considered buying recently was a Hilux Revo 4wd single cab being sold by a Toyotasure dealer.  In fact the vehicle is still on One2car right now.

 

I spent an entire morning looking in detail at the car and discussing what deal could be done.  After that time invested the dealer mentioned that the car was owned by them and used as a run around for their workshop.  Great.  So you can tell me the entire history of the car in detail then?

 

Remarkably, and to their small credit, they sent me a lengthy print out which revealed that the car had undergone substantial body repairs with pretty much every body panel forward of the windscreen and both doors being replaced.  The chassis had also undergone repairs and personally I have doubts as to whether such a repair is even valid.  The work had all been done in their own workshop and they have a well earned reputation as an excellent repair facility.

 

At that point I decided to buy a new car.

 

The important point to note is that they only revealed the history to me when I specifically asked the right questions and this level of ethics is what you get buying at the top end of the used car market.

 

Good luck with the tents.