Should I Buy Toyota Vios Or Honda Jazz?

[bkk_mike]

You are presumably talking about Independent TV News in the UK, right?

no

itv news bangkok.

she must have taken delivery of a rogue car , because, as you say, hondas' reliability is supposed to be as good as toyotas'. the dealer should really have changed it. consumer rights here in thailand are almost non-existent , she might have had better luck with honda itself rather than a dealership.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If nothing else - that dealer is probably in Honda's bad books now...

[taxexile]

13:29/เจ้าของ “น.ส.เดือนเพ็ญ ศิลาเกษ” ลั่น ‘สุดทน’! ซื้อโฟร์วีล ‘CRV ป้ายแดง’ มาได้แค่ 2 เดือน มีแต่ปัญหา สตาร์ทไม่ติด เครื่องยนต์เสียงดังลั่น เฟืองท้ายพัง ขอเปลี่ยนคันใหม่แต่ฮอนด้าก็ไม่ยอม ลากมาจอดริมถนนวิภาวดีรังสิต ข้างสถานีโทรทัศน์ iTV แล้วทุบทิ้งระบายแค้น

here is the story from the itv link posted above.

it says the owner , miss dernpen silatet , reached the end of her tether with her new (still on red plates) honda 4wd crv , had it for not 2 months and had loads of problems with the starting , a noisy engine and a broken rear differential , after honda wouldnt change it for her she parked it outside the itv studios on vipawadeerangsit road and got her revenge on it by beating it.

it doesnt say how she got home though !

didnt john cleese once do that to an austin 1100 that wouldnt start.

whatever.... i think its a great story.

[sendbaht]

'OK then guys, I can now give you a definite word -- "Mai dtong-gahn lawng-doo Jazz", she said (or therabouts)!'

Good choice, graduations!!! Drive her in health.

[frenchFARANGbkk]

here is the link on BKK POST, if it doesn't work anymore when you try it search for BUSINESS NEWS - Friday 28 January 2005 -

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/28Jan2005_biz58.php

A high-profile protest by an enraged car owner has revived the debate over locally made vehicle standards, the extent of automakers' responsibility in ensuring customer satisfaction and the role of the consumer protection agency.

A boutique shop owner, Duenpen Silakhet, used a sledgehammer and a shovel yesterday to smash up her brand new Honda CRV, to which she had affixed a banner stating, ''I would not have done this if this was a really good car. My condolences to Honda.''

The car's front window was shattered and its fenders severely dented after several minutes of emotionally charged destruction under the gaze of a stunned crowd of onlookers and reporters on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.

Miss Duenpen said she bought the car for 1.3 million baht last November. Since then, she has had endless problems with it, ranging from inexplicable loud noises to a faulty starter that left her stranded on several occasions.

Honda's mechanics installed a new battery, but the sticky starter problem continued just as new defects emerged. Now she says she doesn't want any more repairs; she's demanding a new car from Honda to replace her ''lemon''.

''A Japanese executive told me that it was not company policy to return a defective car. He even told me that it was not possible for any carmaker to make a 100% perfect car.

''Out of every 100 units, there might be a car that comes with a defect. In such cases, the company would fix the problem, not replace the whole car,'' Miss Duenpen quoted the executive as saying.

Miss Duenpen said she had lodged a complaint with the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) to see if the agency could address her problem, but did not expect immediate results.

After spending the entire afternoon yesterday discussing the case, Yoichi Aoki, the president of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co, said the company regretted the customer's drastic action.

''Actually, we have repaired the original problem and are confident that we can solve the other problems. In the course of our meeting with the customer, there might have been some misunderstanding, so we would like to further discuss this with the customer,'' he said.

Mr Aoki added that in this case, the company had been in talks with Miss Duenpen since Wednesday.

Honda was determined to find the best solution for the customer, he said.

Meanwhile, the company confirmed on Wednesday that the CPB had arranged for a meeting with the customer to take place on Feb 7.

Mr Aoki said that Miss Duenpen reported that the car's engine had failed to start and brought the vehicle in for repairs at Honda's Sri Ayutthaya service centre on Jan 7. Honda's mechanics repaired the problem by installing a new battery. On Jan 11, the customer returned with the same problem and the centre replaced other failed parts. Tests confirmed that the engine was working fine before the car was returned to the customer, he said.

On Jan 22, the customer visited the centre with other mechanical problems, which the service centre's mechanics assured her could be corrected through some minor adjustments.

At the most recent meeting, on Wednesday, the customer requested that Honda replace the car with a new one.

Prapit Yodsuwan, a director with the Consumer Protection Board, confirmed that Miss Duenpen had filed a complaint with the office last week.

''We need to hear both accounts before making a fair ruling,'' Mr Prapit said.

He said there had been many cases in which carmakers agreed to replace new vehicles if serious defects were found in the braking systems or major components.

He suggested that consumers bring their defective cars to the CPB office before engaging in any talks with company representatives.

In a related development, the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) said yesterday that for the first time, new industrial standards for around 100 types of auto parts would start being enforced this year.

''Even though Thailand is considered a regional automobile production hub, the country has never enforced national industrial standards regarding auto parts and automobile systems,'' said Pairoj Sanyadechakul, the TISI general secretary.

Currently, he said, each carmaker sets its own standards for auto parts and automobile systems.

Since Thailand is now an automobile production hub, the country should adopt its own national industrial standards on par with those issued by Spain and Mexico.

Emission standards were the only ones currently being enforced, he said.

Thailand's new national standards would be developed by applying and blending quality minimums set by car manufacturers with existing production bases in the country.

The national standards would regulate safety systems, steering and braking systems, chassis integrity, car body strength, crash testing and airbags.

Surapong Paisitpatnapong, a spokesman for the Federation of Thai Industries' Automotive Club, said the Honda CRV case had nothing to do with the country's automotive production standards.

The more than 300,000 cars exported last year were proof that Thailand's reputation with regard to production standards was second to none, he said. The country's automobile exports were projected to reach 400,000 units this year, he added.

[srisatch]

Buy a Vios, but bnot ba black one..very dusty

The word here (Sukothai) is that the Jazz is crap...but if you must buy a white one

[sabaijai]

The CRV is made in Japan and imported to Thailand, the Jazz in made in Thailand of local and imported parts.

Some say the Japanese dump their lemons on the Thai (and other SE Asian) market.

Whatever the truth, a Japanese care assembled in Thailand is up to 50% less expensive than an imported one.

[chingy_]

helll with all the import car, buy a 2005 Mustang, that one will become a classic.

[taxexile]

buy a 2005 Mustang, that one will become a classic.

get a '65.... its a classic already.

[bkk_mike]

buy a 2005 Mustang, that one will become a classic.

get a '65.... its a classic already.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Americans....

American car companies have never understood that in order to sell an American car in a country which drives on the other side of the road (like the UK, Japan, Thailand, Australia, South Africa), they need to build them with the steering wheel on the other side of the car...

(How many Japanese cars would be sold in America if they had the steering wheel on the wrong side - so why do the Americans not understand they have to do the same...)

My wife loved the Chevy Venture we rented when we went to Disneyworld. - Can you buy it outside the States with the steering wheel on the other side. (no. - Why not? - because they can't be bothered to export). (and with the US-Thailand FTA coming into effect soon, it would even be competitive price-wise...)

Edited January 31, 2005 by bkk_mike

[Harmonica]

Doing a comparison of Toyota's stock price to that of Honda's elucidates the struggle between the two -- as you can see from the chart, Honda has been the better performer in terms of price for a very, very long time, eclipsing Toyota over the 10-yr period shown.

However, it now seems quite evident that the TREND has changed -- on 7/26/2002 their relationship inverted -- a prior signal of this forthcoming event (not shown here) was suggested by an indicator of relative strength as early as 2001.

Like currencies these trends can be very, very long -- I therefore believe that the next 10-15 years will belong to TOYOTA in terms of stock price outperformance -- which is the same as Investor SATISFACTION with the Company.

When its right, everything just falls into place!

[chuchok]

Hyundai Vs Toyota..

Personally, I would go for the car that i enjoy driving the most.

I have a close relative that owns a car rental business in NZ.He has approx 500 cars. Most of them he imports second hand from Japan. The cars he buys are anything from 2 months to 2 years old.

He tells me unequivocally, that the Toyota is the top of the pops with regard to reliability and need less work than any other model of car. Second best was Honda. Hyundai required more than all of the Japanese models.

When he buys cars, he weighs up the cost with HIS predicted maintenance schedule.

[Harmonica]

Hyundai Vs Toyota..

Personally, I would go for the car that i enjoy driving the most.

I have a close relative that owns a car rental business in NZ.He has approx 500 cars. Most of them he imports second hand from Japan. The cars he buys are anything from 2 months to 2 years old.

He tells me unequivocally, that the Toyota is the top of the pops with regard to reliability and need less work than any other model of car. Second best was Honda. Hyundai required more  than all of the Japanese models.

When he buys cars, he weighs up the cost with HIS predicted maintenance schedule.

I have the Vigo pickup and love driving it -- have rented Solunas before and loved them too -- stateside many pals drive Corollas, Camrys etc. Even there, in hindsight it is clear that Honda is not as great as it used to be in the 90's -- seemed like everybody wanted to own an Accord in those days.

Besides being mechanically great, the little Vios is just plain ordinary -- would anybody want to steal it? It was my choice all along but I dared not try to influence her!

[BigA]

Hi Bought a Black Safety edition Vios mainly for my wife it is fine it has decent acceleration, handles well is overall quite easy to drive. I am big man 190cm 100+ kilos and I'm OK with it. I looked at the Jazz after I had my mind made up. I would have been OK with the Jazz too but only with the more powerful engine.

[rcalsop]

I carefully looked at Toyota or Honda Jazz I chose the jazz 3 months ago ...so far an excellent choice , It is a fun drive , beats every thing away from the lights and in Bkk is all I need , AC excellent , Comfort excellent , space.. family of 4 excellent , service excellent , economy excellent . I drive 150 kilometers per day 6 days aweek ...no complaints ...I think she looks great .

Long Drives no problems either

Colour Black ,CVT Auto

Buy the model with twin airbags and ABS etc do not go higher , stick to the smaller wheels no alloys .. get the car from Honda then go to any tyre or wheel dealer and buy nearly new alloys... honda genuine parts ( the rich kid Thai `s change them straight away after buying the new car . ( mine cost me 4000 fitted and balanced .

I kept the smaller tyre as the next size up is lower profile looks good but the ride can be hard and economy suffers . The CVT auto is just superb best I have ever driven and much clever than me .

The final touches Back spoiler , side skirts , front skirt , step plates inside parking sensors front ( with switch ) and rear linked to the reverse and central locking .

I did all the extras in one morning having pre ordered 2 days before

This gave me a saving on the Sport model ... on the road for 580`000

Looks great service and parts as per menu servicing fixed cost plus fast track servicing 30 minutes ..English books available from customer services.... .

Build quality ... no problems

Noise level no great problems all -though a Thai friend did tell me the engine was noisy and he would not have one ...(he has modified his Toyota with a cherry bomb type exaust with a 6 inch diameter pipe which causes the ear drums to go into paralysis and when a passenger normal speech is impossible so his opinion is total worthless )

The safety aspect good crumple zones , belt pre tensioners ABS , EBS ,Air bags

Remember the stronger and more ridgid or heavy the car the more fuel used and the more injuries go to the humanbeing crumple zones means energy is absorbed . Before I purchased I visited a repair shop to see the Jazz accident results, of the 6 I saw ,no fatalities or major injuries they (the jazz) looked a mess but were easily and safely repaired ..the same repair shops were full of pick ups with what looked like minimal damage but all were blood stained and of 8 pickups there were 5 fatalities .

So go for the Jazz... also the original IDSI engine is fine ...the VVtec is expensive and less economical ...

[pompop]

CAN ANYONE ANSWER THIS QUESTION FOR ME? i'VE BEEN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER HERE IN PATTAYA AND THEY DON'T HAVE ENGLISH OWNERS MANUALS FOR 2007 VIOS OR DO THEY SELL TOUCH UP PAINT!!! WHERE CAN I GET THE 2 ITEMS???

Want to change your car? Avoid costly mistakes by checking out what's good, what's bad, what to watch out for and recalls for more than 750 models new and used. Simply select the Make and Model, and this vital information, constantly updated, is yours.

Soluna Vios (from 2003 - Thai market)

What's Good

Cute and modern Thai market 4-door saloon, based on Yaris but bigger and competing head on with new Honda City saloon. Has chain cam 1,496cc VVT-i 16v engine developing 109PS at 6,000rpm. Size 4,285mm x 1,695mm x 1,435mm. 'Tunnel vision' digital instrument display in angled pod in centre of dash. Prices: 1.5J 505,000 baht; 1.5J auto 540,000 baht; 1.5E 560,000 baht; 1.5E auto 595,000 baht; 1.5E auto Ivory 600,000 baht; 1.5E (airbag + ABS) 595,000 baht; 1.5E auto 595,000 baht; 1.5E (airbag + ABS) auto 625,000 baht; 1.5E Ivory (airbag + ABS) 630,000 baht; 1.5S auto 659,000 baht; 1.5S auto Ivory 679,000 baht; 1.5S auto Sporty 686,000 baht. Metallic or Mica paint and a/c standard across the range. 1.5S comes with alloys, CD, ABS, front fogs and airbag. Sporty has front airdam, side skirts and low spoiler. 'Ivory' special ivory leather interior. Vios is Thai Car of the Year 2003. Very good to drive, with nice combination of ride, handling and steering. Nicely built, too. At 70 baht/£ prices translate to £7,214 - £9,800, supply is good and small discounts + accessory packs are available. In Jan 2004 ten dealer fit extras included a gearshift lock and extra rustproofing. Insurance for a 21 year old 18,000 baht. 143PS Turbo from March 2004.

Road terst at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=121

More at www.solunavios.com

What's Bad

No heater and not destined for UK. Minor alarm/interior light-fader faults can flatten battery.

What to Watch Out For

Too soon to say.

Recalls

Minor recall of Vios built between April 2003 and March 2004 because they may not have enough lubrication to allow their front seats to recline.

[bino]

CAN ANYONE ANSWER THIS QUESTION FOR ME? i'VE BEEN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER HERE IN PATTAYA AND THEY DON'T HAVE ENGLISH OWNERS MANUALS FOR 2007 VIOS OR DO THEY SELL TOUCH UP PAINT!!! WHERE CAN I GET THE 2 ITEMS???

Edit: Removed obnoxious formatting.

Suggestion for new member: Do not type your posts in capital letters. It is poor "netiquette" and percieved as SHOUTING online. If you are too lazy to type correctly, it is better to type all in lowercase.

Reply: We bought a VIOS a couple of months ago, and got a similar story about the Englilsh language manual being hard to obtain. Their solution was to make me a complete photocopy of the one they had. This was good enough for me. Maybe you could ask your dealer to do the same?

About the paint- we got a small tin of touch-up paint included with the car. We didn't ask for it - it was sitting in the glove box. I believe that this is the norm for all new cars from Toyota. Try asking them again for the free paint that should have been included with the car. You might be confusing them by asking to buy the paint!

Edited January 29, 2008 by bino

[ThaiBob]

After reading many of these posts and after renting both a Toyota Vios and a Toyota Yaris just a few weeks ago, my preference was definitely the Yaris. Sportier, roomy and more economical than the Vios. I believe the Toyota Yaris is the model that should be compared to the Honda Jazz. Next time I will try the Jazz as I like it's looks.