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[wally1k]

HI ALL

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

How do you get it checked out - any recommendations??

What is the cost of insurance?

Thanks

Walt

[kalbo123]

HI ALL

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

How do you get it checked out - any recommendations??

What is the cost of insurance?

Thanks

Walt

The costs of used cars are high in Thailand compared to western countries...

even for a 10 year old car they dare to ask more then half of the price of the new value.

But the good thing is maintenance and tax and insurance is very cheap.

Edited September 30, 2009 by kalbo123

[canopus1969]

HI ALL

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

How do you get it checked out - any recommendations??

What is the cost of insurance?

Thanks

Walt

Well you should be able to get a Merc 'E' Class in reasonable condition for about 3m Baht.

As far as checking it out and insuring Thai Visa Insurance offers that service

[Pawpcorn]

I visited a used car lot, and found anything halfway decent was 400,000 Baht up.

I ended up buying a 1979 Mazda B2500 Diesel stationwagon from a fellow TV'er for 84,000 baht, spent another 60-70,000 baht bringing it up to spec, and haven't had ANY significant problems with it since.

I've found the local COCKPIT firm to be amazingly honest, low cost, and efficient on all repairs, but maybe I'm lucky; our local COCKPIT's manager speaks English flawlessly and is jai-dii mak mak.

Of course... I'm driving an old stationwagon, which isn't fashionable... but it seats 8 Thais, and NOBODY's going to want to steal it.

Living in Thailand has severely reduced my need for status symbols and materialism, which I think is a good thing...

Good luck!!

[ignis]

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

Really depends on how much you want to pay......

Buy something that is not loved by Thais and you will get a good deal...

something like a 2005-6 Ford Laser fully loaded will cost between 300 - 400,000 baht

or small a Chey Aveo 2007 Auto 1.4 will cost around 350,000baht

Myself have Audi A6 very good prices as not liked by Thais

Pickup second hand then something like a Colorado a 2006 3.0 TD Auto will cost around 350,000 baht. the sister pickup the D-Max with the same spec but loved by Thais will cost another +150,000baht

In Manual then the Ford Ranger 2007-8 will cost 350,000 up.

A 15yr old base Toyota will cost the same price as a 15yr old Audi or Volvo fully loaded.

Here ALL cars over 7 years old must have a yearly test before you can get the new tax.

[debcmai]

Does anyone know how much a Honda CR-7 2006 would be??? We are in the market....

[elektrified]

Used automobile prices are ridiculously high in Thailand. I looked at perhaps 20 used cars over a two month period before I settled on my Honda City. I was most concerned with finding a car with low mileage, an engine with no problems, and one that looked good. I ended up finding a car with only about 110,000 km on it. (Note: the mechanic who checked all the cars told me that at least 5 of them had the odometer rolled back. So watch out for that!) Also use your best bargaining skills. I was able to get the seller to come down more than 25,000 Baht on the sale price. I ended up paying 215,000 Baht and of course I had to replace the tires, brakes, shocks, battery, and get the air conditioner serviced, since Thais tend to drive their cars into the ground without ever having them serviced. So for a 235,000 Baht investment I ended up with a good car.

Another point: Of all the cars I looked at, the ones from the dealers looked the best, but all of them were in the worst mechanical condition. Stick with private parties. There are always many parked on the side of the road displaying a phone number. There are also many Internet resources for finding a car.

I forgot to mention that you can't get 1st class insurance on cars that are over - I think it's 10 years old. "Compulsory" insurance is only about 700 Baht per year. You would be very wise to add a 2nd or 3rd class supplemental policy for another 2500-5000 Baht per year.

Edited October 1, 2009 by elektrified

[ignis]

Another good idea is look how many owners the car has had..... surprised last year when I was looking how many 10 - 15 yr old cars had only 1 owner from new... also lots had 1st owner for 2 or 3 years and then just one other owner for 9 odd years. Also many had receipts for everything going back years, where most of the multi owners cars had just the blue book.

[iainiain101]

I was under the impression that it was sensible for foreigners to have 1st class insurance at a cost of around 20k Baht per annum.

The reason for this being that if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, 1st class insurance will post a bail bond. Without this foreigners are likely to be jailed until guilt, payments etc are resolved, and this may take a long time. Obviously you can post bail yourself, but this may be a very large sum.

Is this correct?

Iain

Edited October 1, 2009 by iainiain101

[ignis]

I was under the impression that it was sensible for foreigners to have 1st class insurance at a cost of around 20k Baht per annum.

The reason for this being that if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, 1st class insurance will post a bail bond. Without this foreigners are likely to be jailed until guilt, payments etc are resolved, and this may take a long time. Obviously you can post bail yourself, but this may be a very large sum.

Is this correct?

Iain

No not 100%..... Yes of course the Bail Bond is in the 1st class Insurance, but it is also in other classes as well.... The 6,800 baht per year Policy has a 200,000baht Bail Bond cover + cover of up to 1million baht for other parties + 100,000baht medical cover for you and anyone in your car, 120,000 for your car........ on this type you can add extra for a higher your car cover. Friend pays 7,200 baht so his car is covered to 300,000 baht.

[elektrified]

I was under the impression that it was sensible for foreigners to have 1st class insurance at a cost of around 20k Baht per annum.

The reason for this being that if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, 1st class insurance will post a bail bond. Without this foreigners are likely to be jailed until guilt, payments etc are resolved, and this may take a long time. Obviously you can post bail yourself, but this may be a very large sum.

Is this correct?

Iain

Iain, no.

The 200,000 Baht bail bond that you refer to is available on 1st, 2nd and 3rd class insurance. I have 3rd class insurance because I can not get 1st class insurance because my car is over 10 years old. My 3rd class policy (with 200K bail bond) costs 2300 per year.

[PeaceBlondie]

We bought great little 1997 Nissan NV - just what I wanted - from tent dealer for 135K. Checked by mechanic. Got new tires, rubber mats, later battery. Bought in 2006; sold 2009. Only complaint was fuel consumption (petrol; carb) and lousy resale value.

[farangajarn]

Bought a 2000 Suzuki sport Carribean in 2006 for 165,000. Only two previous owners and came with service records. Got from a teacher returning home after a two year stint here. Still driving it and its going strong. Got new tires, and recently had the battery replaced and the air con serviced. Otherwise only tuneups. No complaints other than fuel consumption.

[triffid]

......

Buy something that is not loved by Thais and you will get a good deal...

......

Myself have Audi A6 very good prices as not liked by Thais

Pickup second hand then something like a Colorado a 2006 3.0 TD Auto will cost around 350,000 baht. the sister pickup the D-Max with the same spec but loved by Thais will cost another +150,000baht

In Manual then the Ford Ranger 2007-8 will cost 350,000 up

......

Can you give me pointers on how/where to look in Chiangmai for german or swedish cars or SUVs? Presumably it's possible in Chiangmai to get any such vehicle thoroughly checked.

[yumidesign]

HI ALL

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

How do you get it checked out - any recommendations??

What is the cost of insurance?

Thanks

Walt

Well you should be able to get a Merc 'E' Class in reasonable condition for about 3m Baht.

As far as checking it out and insuring Thai Visa Insurance offers that service

QBE, Insurancean australain company is cheaper and offers good

no claim bonus and full coverage including paying bail money, which is very inportant here

in CNX there office is on the southern side of the moat

i too was looking to buy a second hand car and found that a new one was a much better deal, service is not an issue with most Thai care owners.

and the new price was not that much more. If you want to risk it there is an car auction every so often in the car park behind Carrefor, the auction office is next to the car park, but you would need to have a Thai you could trust to do the bidding

[rohitsuk]

I visited a used car lot, and found anything halfway decent was 400,000 Baht up.

I ended up buying a 1979 Mazda B2500 Diesel stationwagon from a fellow TV'er for 84,000 baht, spent another 60-70,000 baht bringing it up to spec, and haven't had ANY significant problems with it since.

I've found the local COCKPIT firm to be amazingly honest, low cost, and efficient on all repairs, but maybe I'm lucky; our local COCKPIT's manager speaks English flawlessly and is jai-dii mak mak.

Of course... I'm driving an old stationwagon, which isn't fashionable... but it seats 8 Thais, and NOBODY's going to want to steal it.

Living in Thailand has severely reduced my need for status symbols and materialism, which I think is a good thing...

Good luck!!

Which one of the Cockpit branches do you mention ?

Could not agree more about status symbols, especially silly motorcars - who gives a tiddle so long as it goes, is cool and safe.

[Greenside]

Can you give me pointers on how/where to look in Chiangmai for german or swedish cars or SUVs? Presumably it's possible in Chiangmai to get any such vehicle thoroughly checked.

You see some around but I don't think anyone specialises in them. Parts can be hard to find and prohibitively expensive so if you just want a car to get about in rather than a hobby, stick to popular makes Honda, Toyota and the usual suspects.

[Fire]

How expansive is it to maintain an Audi A6 in Thailand?

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

Really depends on how much you want to pay......

Buy something that is not loved by Thais and you will get a good deal...

something like a 2005-6 Ford Laser fully loaded will cost between 300 - 400,000 baht

or small a Chey Aveo 2007 Auto 1.4 will cost around 350,000baht

Myself have Audi A6 very good prices as not liked by Thais

Pickup second hand then something like a Colorado a 2006 3.0 TD Auto will cost around 350,000 baht. the sister pickup the D-Max with the same spec but loved by Thais will cost another +150,000baht

In Manual then the Ford Ranger 2007-8 will cost 350,000 up.

A 15yr old base Toyota will cost the same price as a 15yr old Audi or Volvo fully loaded.

Here ALL cars over 7 years old must have a yearly test before you can get the new tax.

[Pawpcorn]

Which one of the Cockpit branches do you mention ?

It's on Rama 2, on the south side, 1/2 kilometer east of Central Plaza mall.

Long 100.44653, Lat 13.66654

PM me if you want Luis's phone number. He and his wife, who also works there both speak VERY good English!

Take care,

Pawpcorn

[Pawpcorn]

Which one of the Cockpit branches do you mention ?

More precisely...

It's in the Bang Mod / Bang Kunthain area on Rama 2, on the south side, 1/2 kilometer east of Central Plaza mall. This may seem far away from Bangkok Metropolis, but it's only 15 minutes from anywhere in BKK, traveling by tollway.

Long 100.44653, Lat 13.66654

PM me if you want Luis's phone number. He and his wife, who also works there both speak VERY good English!

Take care,

Pawpcorn

[Thaihog]

Which one of the Cockpit branches do you mention ?

More precisely...

It's in the Bang Mod / Bang Kunthain area on Rama 2, on the south side, 1/2 kilometer east of Central Plaza mall. This may seem far away from Bangkok Metropolis, but it's only 15 minutes from anywhere in BKK, traveling by tollway.

Long 100.44653, Lat 13.66654

PM me if you want Luis's phone number. He and his wife, who also works there both speak VERY good English!

Take care,

Pawpcorn

This is the Chiang Mai forum....

[ignis]

How expansive is it to maintain an Audi A6 in Thailand?

Had it since August 2008, bought 2 tires @ 2,400 baht each. Service 1,720 baht. Power Steering Value 1,400 baht and Climate controller repair and unit checked 1,500 baht. ALL included parts and labour.

Last week at the local garage full check and MOT 250 baht they also got my new Tax disc which is 2,309 baht.

[wally1k]

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

Really depends on how much you want to pay......

Buy something that is not loved by Thais and you will get a good deal...

something like a 2005-6 Ford Laser fully loaded will cost between 300 - 400,000 baht

or small a Chey Aveo 2007 Auto 1.4 will cost around 350,000baht

Myself have Audi A6 very good prices as not liked by Thais

Pickup second hand then something like a Colorado a 2006 3.0 TD Auto will cost around 350,000 baht. the sister pickup the D-Max with the same spec but loved by Thais will cost another +150,000baht

In Manual then the Ford Ranger 2007-8 will cost 350,000 up.

A 15yr old base Toyota will cost the same price as a 15yr old Audi or Volvo fully loaded.

Here ALL cars over 7 years old must have a yearly test before you can get the new tax.

Hi

Thanks to all for all the great information.

Very helpful

Walt

[wally1k]

HI ALL

Thinking of buying a used car. How much should I pay for something in reasonably good condition.

How do you get it checked out - any recommendations??

What is the cost of insurance?

Thanks

Walt

The costs of used cars are high in Thailand compared to western countries...

even for a 10 year old car they dare to ask more then half of the price of the new value.

But the good thing is maintenance and tax and insurance is very cheap.

Thanks for all the useful information

I feel like an informed consumer.

Walt