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Posted
2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Nothing strange about getting rid of a vehicle that let me down twice, in dangerous conditions. Perhaps my sense of self-preservation is better than yours.

Wouldn't you be bettter to get rid of your service centre?

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Posted
2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Engineered longevity? Not in my experience.

Maybe you need help with chosing the cars you buy. Sounds like your pre-purchase checks haven't been that thorough.

Posted
Just now, wozzlegummich said:

Maybe you need help with chosing the cars you buy. Sounds like your pre-purchase checks haven't been that thorough.

You may be right. IMO my mistake was buying the Merc from an Asian. It's hit or miss whether their vehicles are serviced on schedule. If you are doing your own servicing, you have an advantage.

 

Suppose you buy a 200 SLK Mercedes, secondhand. It will cost you the same as a Korean or Japanese matching product, brand new. Any technological improvements MB makes are reverse engineered into an Asian counterpart within 18 months. All Toyota or KIa engineers have to do is buy one Merc for study purposes.

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Posted
11 minutes ago, wozzlegummich said:

Wouldn't you be bettter to get rid of your service centre?

And go where? An independent mechanic, who probably has even less experience?

Posted
1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Perhaps it was a private sale, so no dealer premises?

 

He had 2 other cars for sale.

 

A wannabe dealer working from home.

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Posted
19 minutes ago, wozzlegummich said:

Maybe educating yourself. But then who could you blame?

It must be nice to sit on your shillings' worth of knowledge and feel superior to others.

Posted
14 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

It must be nice to sit on your shillings' worth of knowledge and feel superior to others.

Having spent a lifetime in the motor vehicle repair industry and now working on the IT side of things, there is certainly an air of smugness for sure. 

I buy second hand Benz's because I like them. This is not a completely logical choice, for the reason's you mentioned, but I just want to have that solid feeling around me when driving that is common to most German engineered cars and the asian manufacturers try so hard to copy. 

So back on topic, If I am going to outlay ฿1-2 million on a car, I would want it to have comprehensive insurance. If I can't have that I will have to buy one at a price that I am comfotable to lose if I was to have an accident. 

Posted

You'll get the car at a massively discounted price 

(Probably what it owed the pawn broker ++ then the REAL finance  company will come calling a few months down the line

As the payments haven't been kept up.

Seen it a few times already 

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Posted
4 minutes ago, wozzlegummich said:

Having spent a lifetime in the motor vehicle repair industry and now working on the IT side of things, there is certainly an air of smugness for sure. 

I buy second hand Benz's because I like them. This is not a completely logical choice, for the reason's you mentioned, but I just want to have that solid feeling around me when driving that is common to most German engineered cars and the asian manufacturers try so hard to copy. 

So back on topic, If I am going to outlay ฿1-2 million on a car, I would want it to have comprehensive insurance. If I can't have that I will have to buy one at a price that I am comfotable to lose if I was to have an accident. 

Have you ever driven a Kia Stinger or Hyundai Kona N?

Having driven both, and a Merc, the German feels ponderous. From your perspective, solid.

The Kona N has 4 modes - economy, normal, sport, and N.

The N mode is also known as the Jesus Christ mode. As in, plant your foot, then exclaim Jesus Christ. That mode is really designed for racetracks.

If I won the lottery, I might consider a BMW. The 7 series is a lot of car. Mercedes - never again.

Posted
1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Have you ever driven a Kia Stinger or Hyundai Kona N?

The Stinger I have driven. It was actually an ex cop car. Yes it was impressive but just didn't excite me. Body dynamics were way out of kilter with drive train. I've also punted an i30 N around a track here in Oz and whilst it was an absolute hoot I don't know if I could live with it as a daily.

Everyone to their own - that is what makes life interesting.

Posted
7 minutes ago, wozzlegummich said:

The Stinger I have driven. It was actually an ex cop car. Yes it was impressive but just didn't excite me. Body dynamics were way out of kilter with drive train. I've also punted an i30 N around a track here in Oz and whilst it was an absolute hoot I don't know if I could live with it as a daily.

Everyone to their own - that is what makes life interesting.

True.

 

My favorite car is a Mitsubishi Magna AWD, you may know it as a Diamante. My son still has it with 350K on the odometer. At the time I bought it, $50,000 cheaper than any Benz AMG.

One of the most under-rated vehicles ever made. I had a friend who drove a RWD Merc, he commented on how stable the Magna felt in the wet.

 

Now tell me - is there a Merc in their stable of a similar body size, which would ever stir your pulse like the i30N? IIRC they were infamous for failing the moose test.

Posted

A long term MB lease/rental might be an option. Typically includes registration, maintenance and insurance in the cost.

There seems to be a large market for such businesses in Bangkok.

MB dealers might also offer long term rentals (ie., lease with option to purchase).

Posted
1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

True.

 

My favorite car is a Mitsubishi Magna AWD, you may know it as a Diamante. My son still has it with 350K on the odometer. At the time I bought it, $50,000 cheaper than any Benz AMG.

One of the most under-rated vehicles ever made. I had a friend who drove a RWD Merc, he commented on how stable the Magna felt in the wet.

 

Now tell me - is there a Merc in their stable of a similar body size, which would ever stir your pulse like the i30N? IIRC they were infamous for failing the moose test.

 

I doubt anyone parked their kia or hyundai, glanced back when walking away and thought, what a looker.

 

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Posted

I bought a 4 month old Mercedes demonstrator from the main dealer and negotiated 20% off the new price, it had 1,600km on it.

 

I wouldn't buy one new that's for sure.  Nor would I buy one over 3 years od, they can be money pits.

Posted
5 hours ago, Sharp said:

You'll get the car at a massively discounted price 

(Probably what it owed the pawn broker ++ then the REAL finance  company will come calling a few months down the line

As the payments haven't been kept up.

Seen it a few times already 

Only if the car is bought without the registration book.  If it's financed the finance company has the book. 

Posted

Forget it  , i used to own a Second Hand Car sales pitch in Phuket. 

Believe me there is no such thing as a cheap car here in Thailand. 

Better you look for an almost brand new car secondhand vehicle for about 20% to 25% off new price. After that 20% drop they tend to hold there value very well ,Toyota is what i recommend. 

Mercedes are over priced here and over rated 

Posted
On 2/25/2024 at 12:12 PM, Lacessit said:

The Benz I bought broke down in heavy traffic - twice.

The second time, it was because a Benz dealership had diagnosed the cause of the breakdown incorrectly. Charged me 15,000 baht for a new alternator.

I could not get rid of the bloody thing quickly enough.

 

Agreed buy a Toyota 

Posted

POTENTIAL DEPOSIT SCAM

 

Not sure if this is the same but there's been a scam going on for a few years on several online car sales sites.  The scam usually involves cars for sale at very low prices.  The seller's state that they've had a lot of interest because of the price but they'll hold it for you on receipt of a small deposit - and that's all they are interested in, a deposit.  This is offered to anyone who enquires and clearly the 'seller' is hoping for several deposits. They state that if the car is not as they described or has faults when you arrive, they will of course refund your deposit so your money is safe - its not. There is no car and they will stop all contact as soon as they receive your deposit.

 

There's a number of stories used about why the car is so cheap but the most common one given used to be that the owner has now returned to their home country and left the car behind. The photos used are often lifted from other sites where the car may genuinely be up for sale.

 

This has been going on for quite some time and they have no doubt got better at it but the first time I saw one the car was supposed to be in Thailand but had a UK tax disc in the window (UK tax discs were abolished years ago) and the houses in the background of the photos were clearly not Thai houses.

 

There will be lots of variations and the scammers will no doubt have upped their game but the main pointers are the extremely cheap price and the request for a holding deposit.

 

 

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Posted

An example of what I wrote above from Facebook Marketplace today - complete rubbish.  The translation on Facebook is not too good but note the bit that says if you don't pay 5000 deposit, you won't get to see the truck. 😁  Pay 5000 and you'll never see the truck.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Year 2018 NISSAN NP300 NAVARA E CAB (WHITE) 2.5 Diesel MT 6speed Airbags Mile 6x,xxx km. Nance GE tax 66 The price is 69,000. - Baht New customers, please read the details before calling. Cheap price but there are restrictions as follows. ☎📱[hidden information] Golf Line🆔 : golfbkk356 💰💰Selling for cash only. Price is as posted. Cannot pay installment. Cannot finance. (Cash purchase, based on the listed price, no installment required) 👉The car is out of the pawn shop, cannot be transferred. Cannot sell books. The book is attached to the loan. You will get the pawn documents, ID copy, copy of the first page of the registration book. Transfer book, power of attorney, loan agreement and others. 👉Car that has lost pawn can be driven all over Thailand. All documents are handwritten with a name and a valid copy only from the owner of the car. The car cannot be transferred, but there is no legal problem because there are pawn documents of the owner directly. 👉Tax extension. You can use a copy of the page of the book. Act. Insurance. I can do it as usual. 👉Guarantee for safe usage from customers who take our cars every day. You can see from the sales reviews. *Ready to receive the car. Deposit 5,000 as usual. If you don't deposit, you won't make an appointment to pick up the car. In any case, this prevents customers who made an appointment to see the car, missed the appointment and didn't come to see the car. Sometimes the car is in the branch of the province. It will be a big loss. Check the trading history from the page. If you're not ready to buy, you don't need to make a deposit. It's a waste of time for both parties. Thank you very much !!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 *Accept parking pawn. Interest 10%. Parking fee 1000 Baht/month. 1 month advance interest deducted. Someone will take care of it. *Buy pawned cars. Traffic jammed. Evaluate the price according to the condition.
Translated from Thai
Posted
On 2/26/2024 at 12:57 PM, Lacessit said:

You may be right. IMO my mistake was buying the Merc from an Asian. It's hit or miss whether their vehicles are serviced on schedule. If you are doing your own servicing, you have an advantage.

 

Suppose you buy a 200 SLK Mercedes, secondhand. It will cost you the same as a Korean or Japanese matching product, brand new. Any technological improvements MB makes are reverse engineered into an Asian counterpart within 18 months. All Toyota or KIa engineers have to do is buy one Merc for study purposes.

 

MB technology is reverse-engineered into Japanese and Korean cars "within 18 months"? You made that up, didn't you?

 

If you can't afford to buy a new MB and pay for genuine MB service, then you should stick with "Japanese and Korean" from the get go. You can self-service a Japanese and Korean build and get away with it. Not so much with the 'high-tech' MB (and Beemers).

 

Most Thai MB owners do it for the prestige and the 'look at me' factor and eschew MB's expensive servicing. Hell, most ignore the recommended servicing on their Toyotas. That's why, as you have discovered, the second-hand MB market here is chock-full of bad lemons.

Posted
On 2/27/2024 at 10:33 AM, noobexpat said:

 

I doubt anyone parked their kia or hyundai, glanced back when walking away and thought, what a looker.

 

When petrolheads see the letter N on any Hyundai model, their eyes light up.

Some people buy Mercs for the cachet of owning one. I bought mine for the same reason. A bad decision on my part, bloody thing was a money pit.

I have a Toyota Vios which is 18 yo. It has never let me down the way that Benz did. Stuff cachet.

Posted
27 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

When petrolheads see the letter N on any Hyundai model, their eyes light up.

 

Not sure why a petrolhead is looking at the letters on a hyundai :tongue:

I've no idea what N means on one.

 

 

Posted
28 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

 

Not sure why a petrolhead is looking at the letters on a hyundai :tongue:

I've no idea what N means on one.

 

 


Numpty?

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Posted
18 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

 

Could be. You getting one? 😋


Petrol performance cars are too slow and noisy for me, I will stick with my 530hp EV.

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Posted
55 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:


Petrol performance cars are too slow and noisy for me, I will stick with my 530hp EV.

 

Uninspiring i'm afraid.

They're all fast, so nobody cares.

 

Unless its a porsche taycan. But its probably a BYD.

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