Toyota Hilux Vigo

[taxexile]

i would like to get hold of an english language handbook for the toyota hilux vigo pickup truck , the toyota dealers can't help.

any suggestions / ideas ??

thanks

[Harmonica]

Getting mine (Eng. language manual) next week (promised before Jan 7). Made sure I got this in writing (along with a clear statement of all options to be installed) PRIOR to plunking down the dough. So far all agreements have been honored and, even the first 1000 Km. service was done promptly.

[taxexile]

where are you getting it from ?? is the dealer getting it for you ??

[monsieurhappy]

Hi,

I bought a Sport Cruiser 2 years ago and got a handbook in English after waiting 1 month. It's very basic and covers all Hi-lux models. IMO not worth the trouble. Hope you have better luck, let us know if you get an up-to-date handbook.

PS. Bought my truck at Toyota Bara Summit Co. Ltd. Rajadamri Rd. BKK

MonsH

Edited January 1, 2005 by monsieurhappy

[Neeranam]

You can buy a Haynes one online, I think.

Do a search.

[Thaiboxer]

Speaking of the new Vigo, how do you guys find this new truck? Is it as good or better than its Hilux Tiger counterpart? I heard the new Vigo has a few parts now made of cheaper materials however the inside is supposed to be bigger. My father-in-law has a 2001 Tiger 2.5 liter and it runs fine. The acceleration is decent, and being a diesel you should be able to run it for many years. I think Toyota pickups are one of the better choices for that kind of vehicle as parts are well distributed and the price is a bit less than similar trucks from other manufacturers.

[taxexile]

havent taken delivery yet but before deciding on the vigo i tried out isuzu,ford and mitsubishi models, and also looked at second hand ones.

mitsubishi are replacing their model later this year , fords were terrible ,old fashioned and poor engines and i dont like the double opening door system that they use , looks fatal in a sideswipe.

the isuzu, although nicer inside didnt ride too well , and i didnt like the idea of an electronic system to change between 2wd and 4wd.

the vigo drove beautifully for a pick up , it really felt like a car, not at all jumpy like the other pick-ups. the engine is powerful (160bhp) and the commonrail turbodiesel is supposed to be economical and reliable. i think it is based on the landcruiser engine. the interior is pretty good. the only drawback is its size. its a big one !

but as it will be used mostly outside bangkok that shouldnt be too much of a problem. (the other big point that helped me decide on the toyota was the huge discount negotiated by my brother in law, as he does a lot of business wuth toyota ! )

i collect the thing in a couple of weeks.

but i still cant locate a handbook.

[Thaiboxer]

taxexile...it's interesting that you mentioned the Ford being terrible. My brother-in-law has one and for the times I've been a passenger in it, the truck seemed fine. I can see the side door being weaker than a solid panel and the engines are not as advanced as those of Toyota or even these new Izuzu D-Max's. Ford's engines are made by Mazda.

I've heard of the D-Max's getting a big shaky after 100km and being very noisy but otherwise they last forever and are built tough. The mileage is supposed to be good as well. I guess you when you mentioned that they didn't ride too well you're referring to the suspension and comfort. Despite being not the most comfortable vehicles do they handle well?

I'm a bit skeptical about today's Mitsubishis...we have an old one with more than 500,000 km on it and it still runs however those made today don't seem to be nearly as reliable. The Strada is supposed to be one of the cheapest trucks out there...very basic..almost like the tin can Nissan NV.

I think as far as second hand goes it's just like anywhere...better to buy from somebody you know and trust as people usually don't take care of their vehicles very much. I laugh at these second hand taxis for sale...those things are beat to pieces would probably not run for very long.

Are you getting a stick shift truck? I would definitely go with a manual transmission...cheaper to buy/fix and longer lasting with better mileage and acceleration. I see what you mean about the Vigo being a biggy...big trucks simply aren't practical in Thailand...it's tough enough trying to park a Tiger in some of the shopping mall parking garages let alone some of these trucks which are nearly the size of a Ford F-150!

[taxexile]

it's interesting that you mentioned the Ford being terrible

it didnt ride so good , and just seemed old fashioned compared to the others

I guess you when you mentioned that they didn't ride too well you're referring to the suspension and comfort. Despite being not the most comfortable vehicles do they handle well?

the leaf suspension in these things doesn't do much for comfort , but the toyota was definately in a different league to the others , much smoother. as for handling, if you mean cornering and high speed stuff , i doubt if i will ever push it to its limits. it amazes me when i see the way pickups are driven here , especially the 4wd ones with a high centre of gravity , it wouldnt take much to flip one over , a quick high speed emergency avoidance of a dog or wobbling motorcycle and i think you would be on your roof or worse.

i saw some decent second hand stuff , 2001 and 2002 toyotas especially but as you say , you dont know what youre getting here , the repair shops here seem to repair stuff that would be written off anywhere else, and as for service histories....forget it. if i was on a tighter budget then i would take a gamble on second hand, but everyone i know has advised me to stay away from second hand vehicled unless, as you said, you know the owner.

we are getting an auto shift model , my wife would prefer auto , and i like autos too ( and there is a 3 year, 100,000 warranty on it, with all the other makes too.)the car we are trading in is a 4wd auto and its done 170,000 trouble free kilos over 9 years , also a toyota,

the isuzu was the best looker , this new toyota looks a bit like a hippopotamus from the front but toyota offered the best trade in price, and coupled with the discount and the soft ride (and cd/mp3/6 speaker sounds) it was really no contest.

anybody got a handbook ????

[Harmonica]

The Eng. language manual I've asked for is the detailed one, not the flimsy, (sometimes fotocopied?) stuff handed to farangs. We'll see! Where is it coming from? Where else?

Thaiboxer,

I testdrove the whole lot before selecting the Vigo. Clearly ahead of the competition in product, response to questions and the allure of good service.

If you've decided on 4-wheel drive, take a look at the "toolbox" option. Also, getting parking sensors has already proved to be a wise investment.

Since the Vigo is bigger than its predecessors, it is difficult to gauge close- proximity distances, esp. when parking. I'm therefore having a large front bumper plus side mirror installed (at the dealer, of course).

A note of caution; no wide tyres for me -- wobbly drive above 100 km/hr (verified by pros).

[astral]

Try a different dealer.

There are definitely English manuals for the Toyota range.

[Thaiboxer]

Interesting posts guys...the Vigo clearly seems to have an edge over the other makes/models. If we ever bought a pickup I think 2wd is fine as I doubt 4wd would ever be necessary for regular driving. Some folks who drive maybe in the hills or do off roading would need it. The 2wd models are almost always cheaper too.

I would think that dealerships should have some English manuals around somewhere...but if not maybe there are internet sites you can download them from. Maybe a US-based site.

The good thing about maintaining vehicles in Thailand is that labor is cheap and as long as you can trust the mechanic you won't have to do the dirty work yourself. I never had my oil changed when I was living in Florida until I lived in an apartment where I couldn't work on the car. I could do it myself for less than a third of the price.

[chanchao]

I drive the Ford one. Yes it's dated by now, no match for Toyota and Isuzu's latest offerings. Especially fuel economy and low-end torque are major shortcomings of the 2.5 TD Ford/Mazda engine. It's nice and quiet though. But overall: No match for Isuzu and Toyota anymore. Same is true for everything else: Mitsu, Nissan, Mazda. I will have a look at Mitsubishi's replacement with interest, but there's no way I'd wait for it with Toyota's latest baby.

And.. English manual... They're mostly not that interesting. Personally I wouldn't worry about it.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Bung]

i would like to get hold of an english language handbook for the toyota hilux vigo pickup truck , the toyota dealers can't help.

any suggestions / ideas ??

thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I picked up a black 4 door in July and the dealer in Petchabun was able to get me a english handbook for it so it can be done! It even came in a bag with a part number on it.

[Neeranam]

QUOTE(taxexile @ 2005-01-01 11:11:42)

i would like to get hold of an english language handbook for the toyota hilux vigo pickup truck , the toyota dealers can't help.

any suggestions / ideas ??

thanks

*

I picked up a black 4 door in July and the dealer in Petchabun was able to get me a english handbook for it so it can be done! It even came in a bag with a part number on it.

Did you get the 4 wheel drive? Do you live on a farm?

Off topic - does anyone know of woman who has bought one of these trucks for herself?

What do they think of driving them?

Edited September 30, 2005 by Neeranam

[Bung]

QUOTE(taxexile @ 2005-01-01 11:11:42)

i would like to get hold of an english language handbook for the toyota hilux vigo pickup truck , the toyota dealers can't help.

any suggestions / ideas ??

thanks

*

I picked up a black 4 door in July and the dealer in Petchabun was able to get me a english handbook for it so it can be done! It even came in a bag with a part number on it.

Did you get the 4 wheel drive? Do you live on a farm?

Off topic - does anyone know of woman who has bought one of these trucks for herself?

What do they think of driving them?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's kind of a farm...10 Rai and 2 dogs...

So I got a 4wd. I have been bogged too many times in my old 2wd to justify it and there are some great places to explore where you need the extra ground clearance. It was only an extra 80k baht as well and looks way better.

I bought an automatic and my wife loves it of course. The seat is height adjustable as well so no problems there. It is a bit big if she isn't used to that kind of car.