Hey

What kinds of car (SUV or sedan, not truck) can I buy with $10,000 in Chiangmai?

Which one is most reliable?

Cheers

Hey

What kinds of car (SUV or sedan, not truck) can I buy with $10,000 in Chiangmai?

Which one is most reliable?

Cheers

Well, depending on which country's $ you're talking about you're looking at somwhere between 258K Baht and 340K Baht, which places you well below the new car market. For that kind of money you'd probably be looking at a 4+ year old small sedan along the lines of a Soluna/Vios, or perhaps a slightly larger car (i.e. Corolla class) if you're willing to take on something older.. There's definately not any SUV's available in that price range unless you're willing to classify an old Kia Sportage or Suzuki Caribian as such.

IMHO you'd be hard pressed to do better than a Soluna or Vios for the kind if money you're talking about - they're in plentiful supply, will continue to hold value well, parts for them are cheap, and every mechanic in Thailand will know them inside and out.

Still, your best bet would be to look around some of the used car websites in Thailand to get a feel for the market - if you're a gambler some of the older European makes can be found for bargain prices, but be prepared for serious repair bills. Here's some starters:

www.one2car.com

www.rotbarn.com

www.taladrod.com

There's also a number of weekly used car buyers magazines printed in Thailand which generally have a used car price guide. One that springs to mind there is called "Rot Wanee" (Car Today). These are readily available at most book shops and supermarkets.

As stated above a 4 year old Vios/Soluna Non vtec civic, unless you start getting into 5-15 years old you won't see a huge selection. Cars seem to hold their value better than the houses here in Thailand.

you could consider 2nd hand pick up.Probably get something 4 years old for that money in good nick

Yeah, I agree with the above, though do keep in mind that Toyota and Honda are the most expensive; they retain their value the best. Which you will appreciate when selling your car again.

But as it stands, they're not total bargains. Also, this being Chiang Mai, there's not a huge choice in regular sedan cars; loads of people drive trucks here.

Then, European brands are a nightmare when you need parts/maintenance.

So that basically leaves compact Japanese cars, of which for example a Mazda 323 is quality wise just as fine a choice as a Toyota or Honda, but they will probably sell a bit cheaper. The Ford compact could be cheaper still, and shares most parts with the Mazda 323, so also potentially a safe choice.

Again, this is Chiang Mai so there's not a huge selection of used 323's...

Or if you want to go a bit below that, there's for example Hyundai.. the later models are really quite good (depending of course how well they've been used and maintained.)

And before you or anyone else starts complaining about the price of used vehicles here: The price is that high because maintenance is cheap, so the risk of ending up with a repair that essentially represents a write-off, is nil. And most of that money will be coming back when selling or trading in the car, so it really is the initial investment that's a bit higher. Over any moderate time-span however and going through a cycle of trading in a car and getting another one, I think you will find motoring very affordable in Thailand.