Which pickup truck to buy, use for a year, and then sell again?

[OneMoreFarang]

I live in the middle of Bangkok. Normally I ride motorcycle and I don't need a car. Every couple of weeks I use a taxi if it is raining or if I have a heavy bag or so.

 

Now I will renovate an apartment. There will be some garbage to dispose and some things to buy and transport to here. I guess I could rent a pickup when I need it. But if I rent a new pickup truck then I guess I have to be very careful that the loading area doesn't get damaged. And if I hire a person with a truck then this is maybe not flexible enough because maybe I have to book that truck a day or more in advance.

 

For that reason I think about buying a used pickup truck, use it for a year or so, and then sell it again when I don't need it anymore. I want something reliable which I can sell again after maybe a year without losing too much value.

I have no idea how much I would have to pay for such a pickup truck. And I guess I should also have a good insurance.

I have car and motorcycle motorcycle licenses and I am riding everyday in Bangkok's traffic. 

 

Which pickup truck (brand, model, about how old) would you suggest?

Or is that whole idea not a good idea?

 

[Kwasaki]

I'd pick up excuse the pun a cheap 2 door Vigo.

Age would be no concern as long as it's running and taxed and insured.

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by Kwasaki

[pagallim]

I would try the Facebook 'for sale' group pages in places like Pattaya, Phuket etc.   Seems to be a lot of Russians selling their stuff at the moment, could be a bargain to be had.   Go for the most common and popular make, in this case Toyota.   There is a reason they are popular, i.e. their reliability.

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, pagallim said:

I would try the Facebook 'for sale' group pages in places like Pattaya, Phuket etc.   Seems to be a lot of Russians selling their stuff at the moment, could be a bargain to be had.   Go for the most common and popular make, in this case Toyota.   There is a reason they are popular, i.e. their reliability.

Thanks, I will have a look at those Toyotas.

Which model, year, diesel, gasoline, specs?

I never bought a pickup in my life so I have no idea about these things.

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks, I will have a look at those Toyotas.

Which model, year, diesel, gasoline, specs?

I never bought a pickup in my life so I have no idea about these things.

Since reselling, guess it doesn't matter.  2 door should give you a longer bed, since you'll actually be using it, instead of a 'show' truck.  As stated, Toyotas or D Max probably most bought & sold.

 

As long as it runs good, and guess diesel cheaper fuel to operate if just keeping short term.  Plenty out there want cheap 2nd hand when you're done with it.  Selling shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

Facebook marketplace is good suggestion.  See a lot on there.

[pagallim]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks, I will have a look at those Toyotas.

Which model, year, diesel, gasoline, specs?

I never bought a pickup in my life so I have no idea about these things.

Diesel for sure, don't think you'll find a petrol alternative anyway.   As someone else mentioned, a two door would suffice with its longer flat bed and hence load space.   Really you've got to set your own budget, but I would figure on somewhere between 100-200,000 baht for something 10+ years old.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, pagallim said:

Diesel for sure, don't think you'll find a petrol alternative anyway.   As someone else mentioned, a two door would suffice with its longer flat bed and hence load space.   Really you've got to set your own budget, but I would figure on somewhere between 100-200,000 baht for something 10+ years old.

Thanks. In my experience 10 year old cars have problems. I really don't want to have to repair it and not have it available.

I am willing to spend more money on a newer model if that makes sense. I guess if it is too new (i.e. a year or two) then it loses too much value after a year. Or not?

[pagallim]

6 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks. In my experience 10 year old cars have problems. I really don't want to have to repair it and not have it available.

I am willing to spend more money on a newer model if that makes sense. I guess if it is too new (i.e. a year or two) then it loses too much value after a year. Or not?

Then it's really down to how much you want to spend.   As I wrote before, there are opportunities out there at the moment for many things, not only vehicles.   If buying from a departing expat and possibly one owner, likely to have been lightly used and regularly serviced.

[scubascuba3]

You might end up buying a problem.

 

If you are hiring tradesman they can pick stuff up and take it away

[Gulfsailor]

Toyota Hilux Tiger. Prices have actually gone up in the past year!

[G Rex]

I think you could be in for a surprise at how much people are asking for old pick-ups.  There are plenty available on Facebook marketplace, One2Cars etc.  

As others have said , Isuzu D-max (spark) or Toyota Vigo would be the best options. If is just a work vehicle, then 2 doors with the longer tray is the better option - also RWD rather than 4WD, as tray is lower and easier for loading & unloading. 

I just replaced my Father-in Laws’ 2001 D-max (390k km!!) with a 2009 D-max - 220k km & runs like a charm - this cost 240k baht (!). He is as pleased as punch because this one has power steering and Aircon.

You are unlikely to find anything half decent for under 300k Baht - and expect high mileage.  The good thing is that there will be very little depreciation over your year or 2 of ownership. 

[Airalee]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

You might end up buying a problem.

 

If you are hiring tradesman they can pick stuff up and take it away

This.  I can’t even imagine considering the alternative.  
 

Trying to find the right truck, dealing with the headache of transferring it, registering it, insuring it.  Hoping nothing breaks down over the course of a year.  And then going through all the headache and paperwork to sell it. 

 

Then, buying some sort of dolly/cart to get the refuse downstairs to the truck.  Reserving the elevator and properly protecting it with padding, paying the damage deposit at the juristic office (that’s what I would have to do in my condo)  Then, loading the refuse to be discarded (which will be quite heavy…how’s your back) bit by bit, drive through bangkok traffic, back and forth over and over and over to whatever dump is appropriate.  Potentially hours each time.  
 

And thinking that the renovations will run on time like a Swiss clock so waiting an extra day for disposal is a big deal at all?
 

Or… “hey…Somchai…can you get all this stuff out of here”
 

I mean….really.  I’m gobsmacked.  Doing heavy labor yourself to attempt to save a few baht with labor rates here as low as they are?  Insanity.

[bojo]

I gotta say, I agree with Airalee for all the reasons stated above.................................If you were going to use it socially as well as a work horse, then I'd say its better to buy..................................... But in BKK with potential parking issues and with, I imagine, a plethora of willing pickup owners on standby, I would have thought it alot more simple to build up a relationship with an owner driver/handy man type of guy to help you when needed and I imagine he would be handy for a lot of other related jobs as well, should you need, not to mention the contacts he might bring to the table........................................Then there is depreciation. The residual value will drop over time and IMO would quite possibly outweigh/.offset any savings you might have made by DIY.....................................................I would also note that supplies and materials purchased from builders merchants are in my experience always delivered unless you choose to collect yourself............................................

[itsari]

I have renovated many flats and houses with out any need to have a pick up truck .

Just need to be ready to pay for delivery fees or someone to take the rubbish away .

At the end of the project you are well in front on expense .

 

[OneMoreFarang]

43 minutes ago, Airalee said:

This.  I can’t even imagine considering the alternative.  
 

Trying to find the right truck, dealing with the headache of transferring it, registering it, insuring it.  Hoping nothing breaks down over the course of a year.  And then going through all the headache and paperwork to sell it. 

 

Then, buying some sort of dolly/cart to get the refuse downstairs to the truck.  Reserving the elevator and properly protecting it with padding, paying the damage deposit at the juristic office (that’s what I would have to do in my condo)  Then, loading the refuse to be discarded (which will be quite heavy…how’s your back) bit by bit, drive through bangkok traffic, back and forth over and over and over to whatever dump is appropriate.  Potentially hours each time.  
 

And thinking that the renovations will run on time like a Swiss clock so waiting an extra day for disposal is a big deal at all?
 

Or… “hey…Somchai…can you get all this stuff out of here”
 

I mean….really.  I’m gobsmacked.  Doing heavy labor yourself to attempt to save a few baht with labor rates here as low as they are?  Insanity.

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate most of your comments so I am listening.

I have already a trolley, I have to pay that deposit anyhow for my renovation, and doing some things myself doesn't mean I (want to) do everything myself. But maybe sometimes I want the option to do things myself. And it's nice to be able to use a car or pickup whenever one needs one. I am also used to driving in Bangkok's traffic.

 

One of the most important issues is what you write in the last paragraph. I bought an apartment and the old furniture has to be removed, etc. I thought to get a better idea about the place it would be best to first remove all the furniture. I thought this should be a few days of work, and obviously whoever removes old furniture doesn't need much skills to do that. So I asked a few people and companies for prices. And I was gobsmacked, just like you. What they quoted was best case about 4 times higher than what I thought would be reasonable. And my idea of reasonable rates is more than double of the minimum wage - for unskilled work. So after I received those quotations I thought to myself: For that kind of money I can do it myself.

Will I do it myself? Maybe part of it, I am not sure until now. Will I pay astronomic prices for unskilled workers? I don't think so.

[OneMoreFarang]

36 minutes ago, bojo said:

I would have thought it alot more simple to build up a relationship with an owner driver/handy man type of guy to help you when needed

That's what I thought. And in the moment I am learning that my thoughts were maybe not linked to reality.

It seems some people, maybe many people, think like: He just spend x million on an apartment. He must be rich. Now I want lots of money from that rich guy for little work

It's still the start of my journey and maybe soon I will meet those reasonable workers and reasonable pickup owners and I will soon forget my idea of buying a pickup. But from the numbers which I heard in the last week I was so shocked that I consider my own pickup.

Imagine you walk out of the door and every taxi you ask wants 4 times the regular price. Soon you will think about buying your own car...

[OneMoreFarang]

14 minutes ago, itsari said:

I have renovated many flats and houses with out any need to have a pick up truck .

Just need to be ready to pay for delivery fees or someone to take the rubbish away .

At the end of the project you are well in front on expense .

Maybe we should move this part to another section but let me ask: Where did you find those people to take away the rubbish and how much did they charge? One company quoted me 5,700THB for one trip with a pickup to take away rubbish and dispose it. I was not sure if I should laugh or get a heart attack when I read that number. And they quoted that they estimate 7 of those trips... 

[Airalee]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate most of your comments so I am listening.

I have already a trolley, I have to pay that deposit anyhow for my renovation, and doing some things myself doesn't mean I (want to) do everything myself. But maybe sometimes I want the option to do things myself. And it's nice to be able to use a car or pickup whenever one needs one. I am also used to driving in Bangkok's traffic.

 

One of the most important issues is what you write in the last paragraph. I bought an apartment and the old furniture has to be removed, etc. I thought to get a better idea about the place it would be best to first remove all the furniture. I thought this should be a few days of work, and obviously whoever removes old furniture doesn't need much skills to do that. So I asked a few people and companies for prices. And I was gobsmacked, just like you. What they quoted was best case about 4 times higher than what I thought would be reasonable. And my idea of reasonable rates is more than double of the minimum wage - for unskilled work. So after I received those quotations I thought to myself: For that kind of money I can do it myself.

Will I do it myself? Maybe part of it, I am not sure until now. Will I pay astronomic prices for unskilled workers? I don't think so.

Doing some things for yourself is definitely a good thing.  That’s why I laid my own floors…but only after seeing the job they were doing and knowing that I could do a better job.  Grunt work?  Not a chance.

 

You haven’t said how much they quoted, but you have to understand that minimum wage (฿300ish) is for someone to just show up do easy work and then leave.  Moving out broken tiles and concrete is hard labor.  I know that the construction workers in my building were being paid between ฿400 and ฿1000 per day with the lower end being to people who were just doing easy touch ups on units before they were being delivered.  Painters (all either Burmese or Tai Yai) were all making ฿600 and the guy who was doing the cutting and installing of the Caesarstone counters made ฿1000.  Floor installers made ฿600 and their foreman (who oversaw multiple sites but didn’t have to lift a finger made ฿1000)

 

Now, add to that…

 

1.  You’re not offering a steady full time job so it’s akin to them working overtime.  That costs more.

 

2.  They will have to supply a truck and all the other things to dispose of the refuse.  The use of the truck isn’t free (fuel) and there is also time for them to take everything to the dump.  They might not be at your place at the time, but in reality, they’re still on the clock.

 

3.  Dump fees.

 

Finally, you’ve mentioned that you have a “friend” who has done numerous remodels and is supposedly going to be the person who is basically going to manage your renovation.  If she can’t get people to remove your rubble at a fair price then I wouldn’t trust her to do all the other stuff for a fair price either and will bet that there will be a substantial markup.

 

Buying a truck and doing it all yourself is still, in my mind, absolutely insane.  You’re gonna have enough of a headache with all the other things that will (guaranteed) go wrong.

[itsari]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe we should move this part to another section but let me ask: Where did you find those people to take away the rubbish and how much did they charge? One company quoted me 5,700THB for one trip with a pickup to take away rubbish and dispose it. I was not sure if I should laugh or get a heart attack when I read that number. And they quoted that they estimate 7 of those trips... 

First you need to learn how to sort rubbish . Steel , concrete , plastic ,wire ,  wood and rubbish that could be put in the local waste service .would be a good start . 

Cut up anything you can and place it in strong plastic bags .

Learn where you can drop the sorted rubbish and receive cash for your efforts 

Sorting is the key word .

Rubble can be bagged and taken to where people need fill 

All that can be achieved with out a pick up

[Airalee]

11 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe we should move this part to another section but let me ask: Where did you find those people to take away the rubbish and how much did they charge? One company quoted me 5,700THB for one trip with a pickup to take away rubbish and dispose it. I was not sure if I should laugh or get a heart attack when I read that number. And they quoted that they estimate 7 of those trips... 

So ฿5700 is four times what you consider a reasonable price for a full pickup load dumped?  Depending on the weight of the load and how long it would take to do it, I’d say it isn’t so bad.  Your back will thank you and so will your wallet if you’re considering buying a truck to save ฿40,000

[bojo]

I hear your concerns about being charged excessively and where do you find these so called 'cheap guys'. .......................................................................Admittedly my opinions are based on previous experience and being very well embedded in both the Samui and Chiang Mai communities. I haven't been so much over the last 7 years. Together with inflation and other factors, it's quite likely that the demand is now outsripping the supply and hence higher prices all round.........................................................................................Key, though to considerably cheaper prices IMO are local conatcts and ability to confidentally communicate well with them. Without that, one will struggle.................................Might I suggest that if you have Thai friends or contacts that you reach out to them and ask them to help you find a local guy through word of mouth. Thai networking in my experience is usually very effective.................................. .......................Another way to find workers (especially if you can communicate well or have someone that can with you and importantly, have the front/confidence to do it) is when you see a job ongoing, to ask if they will work for you. I have done that many times and it works a treat............................... Even if that person can't help you, invariably, they will put you onto someone who can....................having local guys and contacts to help you with your renovation will help immensely and save you alot of money and will importantly be there for your next project should there be one..............................................

[JAS21]

A question that you  might want to be asking yourself is WHERE are you going to get rid of the rubbish.

[Elkski]

Great, your going to begin that remodel.   Is there a remodel thread?

I'm the super DIY guy.  A real cheap Charlie.  Not adverse to hard work. 

150usd does sound a bit much for a pickup load.  I think that is a price I could hire it out for here in Utah.   I did a dump run in my old 91 f250 460 a month ago. Dump fee 10$ drive was 1 hour RT. Probably 25$ in gas.  Smell at dump not so good.  Masks help.  There was risk of a flat tire.   Good way to make sure your woman is grounded.  

In your case maybe find a person with a larger truck so only 1 or 2 loads.  If it's old furniture is there a way to donate it and have it hauled off for free?  

If your choking at this cost I worry when you get to the more skilled trades.    

[OneMoreFarang]

10 hours ago, JAS21 said:

A question that you  might want to be asking yourself is WHERE are you going to get rid of the rubbish.

I asked that question already...

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Thanks for all your comments.

I learned that if I buy a truck a Toyota with two doors is probably the best choice.

I further learned that asking many question in different section of this form gives people a chance to comment about section A in section B. Ok, fair enough, I also do that from time to time.

 

Now, before the moderator can close this question about which pickup to buy let me write a small summary about the renovation part.

 

I am not completely stupid, but I never renovated an apartment in Thailand. My Thai is not too bad and my girlfriend speaks perfect Thai. I.e. I am not looking for a worker who speaks English. I also understand that I won't be able to hire anyone for 300B per day because, as mentioned above, this is the daily wage for an unskilled full time job. But I though I could hire someone unskilled for 1000B per day. But then again I don't want to hire any unskilled guy. Removing furniture and bringing the parts down in a lift does not really need many skills. But the person(s) still have to be skillful enough not to ruin anything while doing an mentally easy (but physically demanding) job.

I reached out to several Thai people who I know about this issue and I am waiting for answers/recommendation which I guess I will receive in the next days. 

I am learning. And at the end of the day I will pay what has to be paid. But I don't want to be overcharged. And we all know that sometimes things are more difficult in Thailand than we though they would be. This is why we have this forum and learn from each other.

 

P.S.: I don't plan to start a "my condo renovation" thread. For privacy reasons I don't want to publish too many details about myself and other people who are involved in this. I don't want to write: I know this guy who did a great job and then tell you I won't tell you his name. I also don't write: This and that guy did a bad job. Because there are those laws in Thailand about writing about other people and there is this climate on TV or AN to tell member: I told you so! I know I will make mistakes and I am sure if I would renovate another condo in a few years I would do it better. But that doesn't mean I want to hear from others, who never did it, what an idiot I am.

Many members here are knowledgeable and gave me and others good advice in this forum. I listen and try to learn. And maybe I get some things right. And probably others not so right.

If there is anything that I think is interesting for the community then I will write about it.

[Scott]

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