Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

I'm considering buying a 2nd hand car. Can anyone advise what I can expect for between 300 & 400,000 bht? I live near Loei and have checked out a few local yards. What surprises me is the lack of depreciation. Today I was shown an 8 year old Toyota 4WD 4 door pickup for 450,000. Probably more than it's new price. My last car was a Fortuner and looking at them they've definitely held their value.

This probably sounds strange, but I'm in 2 minds. 1 x Honda City, 2 x Vigo 4 door. I've driven both and find them okay. Perhaps I should shell out 200,000 more and buy new.

I'm savy with traps buying 2nd hand. But I'd like to save some funds if possible.

Lastly, is it better to buy in Bangkok or will buying in larger regional centres be okay?

Posted

I'd strongly urge you not to buy a second-hand car, especially not one from a 'local yard' as you put it. I bought my first car in LOS, a Toyota Soluna-Vios, second-hand and swore never to repeat the mistake. Frankly you can never trust that the car has been serviced and maintained correctly, even if it comes with a log book, as the Thai motor industry has, as I discovered, a healthy trade in fake car parts; it's endemic, even some insurance companies and dealerships will suggest/endorse the use of fake parts in the event of a repair or claim to keep costs down.

Perhaps I should shell out 200,000 more and buy new.
Yes you should; the three year, 100,000km warranty is more than worth the piece of mind it will bring. Or if you must, buy a certified used car from Honda, Chevy OK, or Toyota Sure as these have been checked and have a warranty. These networks give you access to cars nationwide, but if you buy privately from Bangkok (where there is more choice) you should at least pay a visit to 'TestCar' http://www.testcar.co.th/english.index.php and pay for the car to be checked out. They won't reccomend whether to buy or not, only provide the result of the test - trust no-one else.
Posted

aussibbe is on the right track regarding/precautions checking a used car.

I myself however bought second hand and so far I didn't regret it.

I saved app 200k compared to a new model, but I am only driving app. 10-12k km pr year so I find it a waste of money to buy a new.

I bought mine at a small dealer here in Pattaya and I asked the sales guy if we can take the car to Honda for check before doing any dealing and they said ok no problem.

But as mentioned be careful & careful.

Posted

Depreciation is low everywhere in Thailand but even worse with pick-ups up-country of course. Udon is only 2 hours away, you should go there one day and check and compare. Honda will be expensive, it's status and you pay for the status that all other Thais see in a Honda compared to a Toyota if you buy one. Do you want to pay for that? Toyota has better quality in a not as nice a package

If you buy second hand - Mileage means nothing of course, less than nothing even as they very often are manipulated with (knowledgeable Thais ignore stated mileage, so should you do). Only look at overall condition and get a knowledgeable mechanic to check out the car thoroughly if you're not good at it yourself

It does make sense to buy new, I always do in Thailand. That doesn't mean that everybody are in the same position, second hand could be right for you, Loei doesn't have that much to choose from so I'd check Udon too.

I was in Loei only last week (live in BKK, wife's from Baan Si Song Rak), where are you?

Posted
I'd strongly urge you not to buy a second-hand car, especially not one from a 'local yard' as you put it. I bought my first car in LOS, a Toyota Soluna-Vios, second-hand and swore never to repeat the mistake. Frankly you can never trust that the car has been serviced and maintained correctly, even if it comes with a log book, as the Thai motor industry has, as I discovered, a healthy trade in fake car parts; it's endemic, even some insurance companies and dealerships will suggest/endorse the use of fake parts in the event of a repair or claim to keep costs down.
Perhaps I should shell out 200,000 more and buy new.
Yes you should; the three year, 100,000km warranty is more than worth the piece of mind it will bring. Or if you must, buy a certified used car from Honda, Chevy OK, or Toyota Sure as these have been checked and have a warranty. These networks give you access to cars nationwide, but if you buy privately from Bangkok (where there is more choice) you should at least pay a visit to 'TestCar' http://www.testcar.co.th/english.index.php and pay for the car to be checked out. They won't reccomend whether to buy or not, only provide the result of the test - trust no-one else.

100'k Warrantie in LOS on what?

Only engine and tranny, no suspensions, brakes, electric windows, cental locks, etc.

It's easy to say: If you look for the usual boring stuff like Vios, City and Jazz, buy a new one, as a 6 year old Jazz still 450'k in the used car market value. But the Pick Up for 450'k is a fair price because a Toyota 4x4, 4 door auto Pick up cost 900'k. So with 450'k you have a good deal, it's half the price of a new one. If you buy a Ford or Mitsu Pick you can get it for about 300 and something. Cheaper than local Jap Brands and good as same.

Posted

I found that in the North of Thailand, most of the secondhand cars are overpriced. If you want better deals go to BKK and drive it up north later.

Still, I ended up buying new (Nissan Navarra Extra Cab 2.5) for about 700k. I put 350k down and pay the rest over 3 yrs which was about 11k a month.

I had a Ford Ranger 4x4 which I bought in BKK in 2003 for 400k and could have sold it for 300k last year! (we eventually let my wife's sister have it for substantially less, but I had offers of 300k).

I have no idea why they are so expensive secondhand!

Relatively, the import cars sell for much less secondhand. E.g. a 7 year old Audi A6 for 600k (a new A6 is around 4 million), but parts are expensive and not many garages know anything about them (n.b. this won't stop them trying to take your car apart to find out!)

I also had my company buy the Nissan and the Audi, so I can put the depreciation and payments against profits.

Posted
Depreciation is low everywhere in Thailand but even worse with pick-ups up-country of course. Udon is only 2 hours away, you should go there one day and check and compare. Honda will be expensive, it's status and you pay for the status that all other Thais see in a Honda compared to a Toyota if you buy one. Do you want to pay for that? Toyota has better quality in a not as nice a package

If you buy second hand - Mileage means nothing of course, less than nothing even as they very often are manipulated with (knowledgeable Thais ignore stated mileage, so should you do). Only look at overall condition and get a knowledgeable mechanic to check out the car thoroughly if you're not good at it yourself

It does make sense to buy new, I always do in Thailand. That doesn't mean that everybody are in the same position, second hand could be right for you, Loei doesn't have that much to choose from so I'd check Udon too.

I was in Loei only last week (live in BKK, wife's from Baan Si Song Rak), where are you?

Thanks for the tips. I'm near Wan Suphon (20kms from Loei). Just finished building my house in the hills and now time to get some wheels.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...