D-max Cab4 3000 Slx

[Greenside]

So I've been looking for one of these for a while since my limited experience suggests they ride a bit more car-like than a Vigo. Today I found one that, while not pristine, is in pretty good condition and drove well. It has two airbags and ABS and the dealer has it priced at 480,000 baht which seems competitive locally but this spec is hard to come by.

The two things that are worrying me are the high spec (airbags etc) seems at odds with what must have been the bottom of the range sound system - just a radio/tape unit with no CD and the low milage - about 7 or 8000km a year. The salesman says it's his brother's car and since he has the pick of cars on the site he never drove it much but who believes a dealer?

He agreed to let me take it to a Isuzu Garage to have it checked over without hesitation, so where's the catch? Is there one - what do you think?

Edited August 28, 2009 by Greenside

[gobs]

Hi Greenside,

I think "it can be"...

Try to check rubber pads on the pedals if they are almost not worn. Try to check the fabric on the driver seat on the "go in/go out" side if not heavily worn too. Try to check tyres if original mount and how much they are worn. Not at the first view but: try to check if brake pads are worn, and in general all the nuts, bolts, electric harness, plastics and hoses under the body and the hood: must be "not dirty" or "not old"... All these things must be in very good condition. This will give you an idea of the age of the vehicle.

For my part I bought a Toy 4WD truck, near 7 yo, with only 50000 km on it... It was the private car of an "high grade officer" in Governor House... This man used a "office car" for his daily trips (and more), so barely didn't use the Toy... So that's about 7000 km/year too!.. I think the mileage was true, and yes the truck was in mint condition.

About the sound system, I can't help you...

IMHO, you can't never be sure, but sometime a realy careful visual check tells you many things about age of cars... Sellers/owners can't replace all the parts by new or younger ones!

Good luck,

Gobs

[Greenside]

Thanks for that - the interior does look a little more worn than I would have expected but I didn't check the pedal rubbers - I'll do it when I take the truck to the main dealer. The engine and compartment is so clean you could eat your dinner on it but the one thing I forgot to mention in my OP was that the brakes felt rather soft to me. They stopped the truck with no problem (and no pulling either way from speed) but were mushy. He said it was the ABS but that's nonsense I think.

If it's been "clocked" (which I understand is harder with a digital odometer) why turn it back so radically, surely no-one would think less of a vehicle this age with say 50,000 km on the clock.

[63Tommy1]

Like you say the milage seems suspicious.

Is it Auto or Manual? and what are the other specs?

Not completly sure about the SLX´s options, but ABS and Airbags are good choices!

Why not take it to the garage for a check, helped us to decide to buy our car, and even if its bad news from the check up, its good for you.

Tommy

[sibeymai]

Beware of anything a used car salesman tells you was owned by a family member. Next he'll tell you it was only driven on Sundays.

[Greenside]

It's manual, it's got some extra trim bits like chrome door mirrors with LED indicator repeaters and rear cluster surrounds that I think are aftermarket, standard bed liner and I think original size alloy wheels which thankfully are not too flashy. Xenon headlight bulbs too.

Can't see any accident damage and the body sounds metal where it should but I am relying on a main dealer to spot that.

[lannarebirth]

I have that same truck but the 2004 model. The stereo is the same as you described. Mine has 242,000 km on it however. Good Luck

[Sel]

From what I've seen when it comes to used vehicles thais don't seem to care about milage only year. So unlikely the clock is been fixed

[Greenside]

I have that same truck but the 2004 model. The stereo is the same as you described. Mine has 242,000 km on it however. Good Luck

Do you like it or wish you'd gone for something different? I will have a small car for going into town when I can find one.

[63Tommy1]

From what I've seen when it comes to used vehicles thais don't seem to care about milage only year. So unlikely the clock is been fixed

They do care , it really affects the price, they do fiddle with the milage and you should be careful, it might void warrantys.

The year is a strange thing I have seen 2005 model cars advertised as 2007, cuz they got sold 2007, its whats in the registry papers that counts, not the year the car was built (I think).

The only strange thing is that they dont advertise the milage, in my home country, Sweden, no one puts an ad out on a car without mentioning the milage.

Tommy

[lannarebirth]

I have that same truck but the 2004 model. The stereo is the same as you described. Mine has 242,000 km on it however. Good Luck

Do you like it or wish you'd gone for something different? I will have a small car for going into town when I can find one.

I like it just fine. Mine's a 4wd and I'm off the paved roads almost everyday and it's never left me stranded. No mechanical issues to speak of and I'm pretty rough on vehicles. Can't think of why I'd ever sell it.

You may want to PM TV member "stingray" who I believe is in the used car business. He may be able to assist you in how to verify it is a low mileage vehicle. Good Luck.

[Greenside]

I like it just fine. Mine's a 4wd and I'm off the paved roads almost everyday and it's never left me stranded. No mechanical issues to speak of and I'm pretty rough on vehicles. Can't think of why I'd ever sell it.

You may want to PM TV member "stingray" who I believe is in the used car business. He may be able to assist you in how to verify it is a low mileage vehicle. Good Luck.

Thanks. It's always nice to have an opinion from someone who's been there first. I asked Stingray if he has any thoughts as you suggested.

[longball53098]

I have a Dmax highlander since new in 2005 and I only have 39000 on it. I have been the only driver. So I would say possible to have 30,000 also.

My stereo does have a CD player also a tapedeck bottom of line for quality.

[marshbags]

So I've been looking for one of these for a while since my limited experience suggests they ride a bit more car-like than a Vigo. Today I found one that, while not pristine, is in pretty good condition and drove well. It has two airbags and ABS and the dealer has it priced at 480,000 baht which seems competitive locally but this spec is hard to come by.

The two things that are worrying me are the high spec (airbags etc) seems at odds with what must have been the bottom of the range sound system - just a radio/tape unit with no CD and the low milage - about 7 or 8000km a year. The salesman says it's his brother's car and since he has the pick of cars on the site he never drove it much but who believes a dealer?

He agreed to let me take it to a Isuzu Garage to have it checked over without hesitation, so where's the catch? Is there one - what do you think?

I,ve got a 2005 model of the above also, as per spec

I got it from the main dealers in Udonthani and it came with several added on bits, the radio/tapedeck is standard unless you pay extra for this model.

I,ve added a reasonable quality CD and several other extras including a lid for the rear. ( straight after purchase. )

I,ve only done 18,000 kms.

It has only had the first 3 services done plus the initial check they did not long after purchase to change the oil and give it a once over.

They cover it until 100,000km,s, service wise, as I checked it out after realising I wouldn,t reach this within the 2 year warranty period.

I actually enquired on this forum, but finished up going to the dealer to find out.

Check the service book / schedule and verify it with whoever did the services.

Re the price you quote.

At the beginning of July this year, my insurance broker came to our home to get the renewal funds as he always has.

Honest as the day is long, I might add.

He and a mate have gone into buying and selling vehicles and he asked me if I was interested in selling as he has several Thai asking about this particular model and said he could easily get 470.000 at least and probably more for it.

This translates into a loss of than £800 only when comparing the exchange rate of 2005 and when he made me the offer.

Was I pleased and surprised or what, having said that I turned him down.

If the Thai are wanting this model, I reckon I should keep it and not chance buying something inferior for even more money.

If I can provide any more from my experience as a purchaser, please ask.

marshbags

The 3000 engine size is the main factor as told to me by the local Taxi firm, they don,t like the 2500 size as its considered to small.

[Greenside]

Many thanks for everyone's input. We're taking it to the service department in one of the main dealers this morning so I'll find out some more.

[Gary A]

The vehicle should have the service records with it. If there are no service records you can assume the the odometer has been turned back. There is absolutely no reason that the previous owner would not keep the service records with the vehicle.

[katabeachbum]

The odo is very easy to disconnect, and milage is not logged in OBD. A friend took delivery on a new Chevy (same vehicle) without working ODO, and the dealer admitted they forgot to connect it after a delivery trip of 700 km...........

All service invoices must be found to make the milage believable.

Check the tyres manufactor date, and the pattern to match low milage.

[blakegeee]

I would definitely be careful of the mileage. As we have both obviously looked around at used vehicles, they seem to nearly always have low mileage, although not usually that low. I would say that they turn back the odometers regularily although I wouldn't even know how they do it, especially with the digital ones. With the old mechanical ones, they would break to bits if you tried to make them roll backwards. You would have to roll them forward past a million, then continue to add some more to make it beleivable. In any case, I am confident that they practice this regularily. Its such a slap in the face to Thai people that the gov't doesn't register the mileage in the book every time it is sold.

I am not that familiar with Isuzu's but a Toyota with only 30K's would be absolutely like new inside. My Vigo with nearly 100K still looks nearly like new inside.

Edited August 30, 2009 by blakegeee

[stingray]

The odo is very easy to disconnect, and milage is not logged in OBD. A friend took delivery on a new Chevy (same vehicle) without working ODO, and the dealer admitted they forgot to connect it after a delivery trip of 700 km...........

All service invoices must be found to make the milage believable.

Check the tyres manufactor date, and the pattern to match low milage.

Very important is the dates, when all the services are made. The dates can not easly faked, So if the last service was done 3 years ago, let's say the 20'000 km serive, than you ca think the vehicle have more mileage and they turn it back to 25'k. The service intervalls should be allways in the same time period. Actually with 20'000 km the car shloud be like new, at least inside. Pedal rubbers can change for a couple baths, so this kind of test is not sure. The Digital Odometers of Isuzu Trucks and all japanese cars can be easly turned back. They do even BMW, they can delete the informations on the storage in the OBD chip as well. The only cars they can't turn back is Audi (newer ones) and Holden Calais.

The price is of the truck is ok, if it's 3 liter turbo and really a 2005 model. It should have commonrail engine. Beware there are even 2006 models on the market wich are NOT commonrail. easy to see, because the old engine have a golden Valve cover. So they are actually built before 2004. The prices for a not comonrail Isuzu truck, should be much lover than 400'k, maybe 350'k

About ABS: the brakes should work fine, not spunshy. They should work normally, but if you brake strong there is some, "GRRRRRRR" noise with vibration on the brake petal, during braking. This is then actually the ABS, wichs locks and unlocks the brakes, manytimes per second, therefore this noise.

[Greenside]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, Stingray.

The place we took it to (not the main dealer who was too busy at the time) gave it a thorough examination and tells me it's not had any accidents. It looked it pristine condition underneath with minor brake pad wear and everything as it should do for that level of mileage. The only points that arose in this examination were that there was some oil on the top of the engine which he said could either be a head gasket leaking or that someone had been careless filling it up. He cleaned it and said we should check it again after a run (which I forgot to do when I got back to the garage).

My main concern is whether the engine is a commonrail (I assumed it was, but if by "golden valve cover" Stingray is referring to the big plastic part that the oil filler cap protrudes through then I suspect it may not be) and the fact that I haven't seen a service book. The dealer just told my wife that Isuzus aren't supplied with a service book which I can't believe is true. Marshbags - I assume since you mentioned it, yours did come with a book.

More investigation in the morning but I'm feeling marginally less happy about it.

[Greenside]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, Stingray.

The place we took it to (not the main dealer who was too busy at the time) gave it a thorough examination and tells me it's not had any accidents. It looked it pristine condition underneath with minor brake pad wear and everything as it should do for that level of mileage. The only points that arose in this examination were that there was some oil on the top of the engine which he said could either be a head gasket leaking or that someone had been careless filling it up. He cleaned it and said we should check it again after a run (which I forgot to do when I got back to the garage).

My main concern is whether the engine is a Commonrail (I assumed it was, but if by "golden valve cover" Stingray is referring to the big plastic part that the oil filler cap protrudes through then I suspect it may not be) and the fact that I haven't yet seen a service book. The dealer just told my wife that Isuzus aren't supplied with a service book which I can't believe is true.

Marshbags - I assume since you mentioned it, yours did come with a book.

More investigation in the morning but I'm feeling marginally less happy about it.

[Gary A]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, Stingray.

The place we took it to (not the main dealer who was too busy at the time) gave it a thorough examination and tells me it's not had any accidents. It looked it pristine condition underneath with minor brake pad wear and everything as it should do for that level of mileage. The only points that arose in this examination were that there was some oil on the top of the engine which he said could either be a head gasket leaking or that someone had been careless filling it up. He cleaned it and said we should check it again after a run (which I forgot to do when I got back to the garage).

My main concern is whether the engine is a Commonrail (I assumed it was, but if by "golden valve cover" Stingray is referring to the big plastic part that the oil filler cap protrudes through then I suspect it may not be) and the fact that I haven't yet seen a service book. The dealer just told my wife that Isuzus aren't supplied with a service book which I can't believe is true.

Marshbags - I assume since you mentioned it, yours did come with a book.

More investigation in the morning but I'm feeling marginally less happy about it.

Of course it comes with a book. Service is performed according to a schedule and it is recorded in the book. Without scheduled service recorded, the warranty would be voided. The used car dealer should know better than to to lie about the book. I had the same thing happen to me. It irritated me to the point that I trusted none of them and bought a new truck.

[yeesipha]

My advice to you is to go with your inner gut feeling,if you feel it dosnt tick all your boxs that your happy,just walk away from the vehcle.

As for the vehcle condition you would be surprised what you can acheive with a hot water pressure washer,various cleaners ie tfr and a good days

work at making the truck look its best condition for resale ,I have seen people going that extra bit like changing steering wheels,foot pedal

rubbers,drivers seats,complete inner cab floormats,gear nob handles ,tyres so all matching treads etc etc etc

As for the kms showing on the clock,unless this can be checked out 100% ie service records or service reciept or any other organisation, then you

can assume that this is not the correct current kms, but if you are happy with everything then purchase the truck,its the old saying,you pays your

money and you takes your chances.

[stingray]

Not sure with Isuzu, but it maybe have a "Smart Card" like Toyota. In this case is no servicve book. But with the "smart card" you can check it easly in every Isuzudealership about the service history.

[Greenside]

It's all a bit strange. I didn't believe him about the book but it's such a easy thing to verify one has to wonder why he'd tell such a porky and it's not like he's a fly-by-night tent merchant - in business 20 years with shabby but huge premises in the centre of town. My guess is that I'm going to find it's an overpriced old style engined model that he was hoping I'd overlook. Armed with the VIN or chassis number I guess it should be easy(ish) to find out the truth.

[lannarebirth]

My 2004 model came with a service book and seperate owners manual.

Edited August 30, 2009 by lannarebirth

[Greenside]

Not sure with Isuzu, but it maybe have a "Smart Card" like Toyota. In this case is no servicve book. But with the "smart card" you can check it easly in every Isuzudealership about the service history.

My Honda City had both. Up for sale as soon as I sort the truck thing out, by the way

[yeesipha]

It's all a bit strange. I didn't believe him about the book but it's such a easy thing to verify one has to wonder why he'd tell such a porky and it's not like he's a fly-by-night tent merchant - in business 20 years with shabby but huge premises in the centre of town. My guess is that I'm going to find it's an overpriced old style engined model that he was hoping I'd overlook. Armed with the VIN or chassis number I guess it should be easy(ish) to find out the truth.

greenside

Your probably well aware that the truth and thai -land dont mix together very good,just wondering whats the new price of the truck you want,is there going to be a massive saving by buying s/h.

[marshbags]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, Stingray.

The place we took it to (not the main dealer who was too busy at the time) gave it a thorough examination and tells me it's not had any accidents. It looked it pristine condition underneath with minor brake pad wear and everything as it should do for that level of mileage. The only points that arose in this examination were that there was some oil on the top of the engine which he said could either be a head gasket leaking or that someone had been careless filling it up. He cleaned it and said we should check it again after a run (which I forgot to do when I got back to the garage).

My main concern is whether the engine is a Commonrail (I assumed it was, but if by "golden valve cover" Stingray is referring to the big plastic part that the oil filler cap protrudes through then I suspect it may not be) and the fact that I haven't yet seen a service book. The dealer just told my wife that Isuzus aren't supplied with a service book which I can't believe is true.

Marshbags - I assume since you mentioned it, yours did come with a book.

More investigation in the morning but I'm feeling marginally less happy about it.

Of course it comes with a book. Service is performed according to a schedule and it is recorded in the book. Without scheduled service recorded, the warranty would be voided. The used car dealer should know better than to to lie about the book. I had the same thing happen to me. It irritated me to the point that I trusted none of them and bought a new truck.

It does come with a very comprehensive service book.

It has very important info inside starting with the Warranty Certificate which has the original owners ( 1st ) details including address and telephone number and the place / dealer you got it from

The Purchasing Certificate comes next with dealers details and stamp ect.

Then the service certificates starting at 5k, 10k 15k ect up to 100k.

Any work done has a page to record whatever action is taken and materials used, including oil changes.

There is then pages to record further sevices not covered by the warranty.

Last of all and also important is a pre paid card to send to Isuzu to inform them of any change of owner and even for use should the original purchaser change address ect.

The guy is seemingly being economical with the truth.

If a seller lies or misleads you on anything you should forget buying no matter what it is. IMHO

Your seller has told you a big porky due to the fact that he will know you do get a service book along with ( for information purposes only ) the method of payment ect. ect. and Key Number for Isuzu,s records in case you loose them.

The Isuzu dealer should have all this information on record and it should be accessable to cross check for wrong info and fraud ect.

In my case I still get bits of fluff coming off the seats and it still has the new smell, even with the air freshners I use.

marshbags

Edited August 31, 2009 by marshbags

[katabeachbum]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply, Stingray.

The place we took it to (not the main dealer who was too busy at the time) gave it a thorough examination and tells me it's not had any accidents. It looked it pristine condition underneath with minor brake pad wear and everything as it should do for that level of mileage. The only points that arose in this examination were that there was some oil on the top of the engine which he said could either be a head gasket leaking or that someone had been careless filling it up. He cleaned it and said we should check it again after a run (which I forgot to do when I got back to the garage).

My main concern is whether the engine is a Commonrail (I assumed it was, but if by "golden valve cover" Stingray is referring to the big plastic part that the oil filler cap protrudes through then I suspect it may not be) and the fact that I haven't yet seen a service book. The dealer just told my wife that Isuzus aren't supplied with a service book which I can't believe is true.

Marshbags - I assume since you mentioned it, yours did come with a book.

More investigation in the morning but I'm feeling marginally less happy about it.

Of course it comes with a book. Service is performed according to a schedule and it is recorded in the book. Without scheduled service recorded, the warranty would be voided. The used car dealer should know better than to to lie about the book. I had the same thing happen to me. It irritated me to the point that I trusted none of them and bought a new truck.

servicebooks are often fake. Ask for service invoices