i am buying a car soon but it will be my first car and i would prefer not to buy a new one as it seems like most people I know bang up their first car to some extent. in the us, dealers will usually offer used cars under extended warranty from the car company (not the dealer) and the cars have undergone a full inspection from the company. Is this sort of thing available in Thailand?

And what is the import tax on cars here/how much more expensive are they here than in the USA?

thanks a bunch

**wrong thread**

Import tax is something like 200% of the car's value, so best to buy here. As for buying here, the prices are a lot higher than in the USA for what you get. The good thing about Thailand is that labor and parts are cheap for Japanese vehicles. Once the vehicle is past its warranty, it usually doesn't cost much for repairs compared to the USA. An example: I paid roughly $200 for four new tires...mounted/balanced, etc. I had a major repair/replacement done to my cooling system which was about $75...not bad I think!

Try this

www.toyotasure.com

200$ for 4 new tires??!! thats 6400 Baht.

1 tire costs me 2900 BAHT!! (16").

That 2,900 Baht tire must be a high profile one....mine are regular Bridgestones. A friend of mine paid 10,000 Baht for just two tires on his Suzuki 750cc motorcycle. Plus, he has to replace the chain every so often which makes me glad I have a car.

Used cars are used. There is no warranty, they sale them "as is". Forget about the import. I know nobody who ever could import his car in a legal way. Otherwise i would drive a Corvette, instead of a Toyota.

I bought my 2004 Isuzu second hand in October 2006 with 63,000kms on it. It had full Isuzu service history and receipts for everything ever done. I took it to the Isuzu dealer shortly after getting it and they said they would honor the original warranty of 3 years from first owners purchase date (June 04) or up to 100,000km which ever comes first. To quote Isuzu "Warranty is for car never mind who owner is."

However I believe that you must use Isuzu service centers only during that time and get the book stamped for oil changes etc etc every 5000km.