Second-hand Car - Pros And Cons

[Neeranam]

Buying a second-hand car is not the same as buying one in the West.

Labour is so cheap here it is a great option for many people.

I've had a 20 year old car for 1 year and nothing major has gone wrong. I get labour at the family garage free but pay for the parts. I put in in for a service every couple of months. One new clutch, new starting motor. I had a problem with some <deleted> not puting the water hose clip on the radiatior and the cylinder head buckled. My father in law took it to the machine shop and milled it and fixed a few other things in the car, all for under 2000 baht.

I've been offered a few new engines, but the one I have is fine, although a BMW one was tempting for 40,000 only 4 years old.

So an option rather than buying a new pick-up lorry, like everyone seems to be doing these days as they are so cheap. You can get a quality car, albeit old for next to nothing - 50,000 baht. A car with some character!

I know a few people who have monthly payments on new lorries that they can't afford.

My car will never die - I might need a new engine in a few years, but why waste money on a car just for show, although it looks bloody good. I suppose I've spent about 10,000 over the year, or about an average of <1,000 baht a month.

She has only broken down once during songkran - there are always mechanics around.

Maybe not a good idea if you are new to Thailand and can't speak Thai, or don't have a long-haired walking dictionary.

Any thoughts on the pros or cons of having an old car?

I guess you could say that 50,000 + 10,000= 60,000 which works out at 5,000 a month and that would be the payment on a new car, although a crap one.

Having an old car is less of a headache too when it comes to parking, I don't care if I get a few bumps. Those new pick up lorries crap it when it's a game of chicken.

[Heng]

Thais usually take care of their cars quite well..... however just like anywhere else, there are plenty of people who think maintainence means "putting more gas in the car." The lots on Ratchaphisek are full of cars (several 911's, a Ferrari or two, a Lotus, and an army of Benzes and other stuff) that are preowned and preragged by late night playboys and working girls; many who whom have never even been awake when garages and dealerships are open.

Everyone has a favorite car "practical" car, but my vote goes towards Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, especially if you want less than 5-10,000 Baht bills per dealership maintainence visit after 100k+ kilometers. At a million and a few hundred k, low priced, economical, reliable, and comfortable enough to ride/drive. Benz and BMW are somewhat comparable and only a bit more expensive to maintain until you start getting into the 100-200k km range (a lot of used cars have already been taken to the edge of this envelope; how nice of the previous owners, eh?).

[terdsak_12]

I came across a used petrol Fortuner the other week. 3 months old with 70,000KLMs on it. What are these people doing????

Oh and they were after 1.1 million Baht, 50K saving off a new one!!!!

[Heng]

Narcotics transport, owner met with non-vehicular accident.

[RamdomChances]

You can get some really good deals on the older second cars especially if you are prepared to get some of the older european makes , a guy down the road just bought a very nice condition peugot 205 for 40,000 bhat, then again you can get some good deals on really old pick-ups, I used to have an old mazda pick-up I bought for 25,000 for the farm.

I think the "newer" used cars and pick-ups are really over priced and the interest rates very high if you are buying on credit.

A lot depends on where you live and what your lifestyle is, when you are 70 km from the nearest supermarket, you do want something that is quite reliable. I've got a 4wd Isuzu that I bought new, it done 140,000 km in 2 years with virtuly no problems. I am seriously considering buying a small older car (around 50,000) just for a run around though, as the Isuzu drinks deisel

[terdsak_12]

Narcotics transport, owner met with non-vehicular accident.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what a friend of mine said when I mentioned this car to him. Seems to make sense!!!

[INTJ]

"I came across a used petrol Fortuner the other week. 3 months old with 70,000KLMs on it."

Yer, last week I saw a 2004 sport rider done 280,000km, unbeliveable

INTJ.

.

[Thetyim]

Yer, last week I saw a 2004 sport rider done 280,000km, unbeliveable

INTJ.

I'm a cockney by birth, I know how to fix that .

[bakachan]

i'm with you on older cars. I think its a waste of money buying new. All my

neighbors have new and it seems like a contest. One gets the latest

and the others have to follow suit. What a messed up frame of mind!

As for the repair shops in the dealerships, I give two thumbs down. Why?

because their overhead is usually high and seem to only hire young inexperienced

mechanics at a low wage.

ive always owned older 20+ year old nissan's. In the 80's many parts were interchangeable between models which made it much easier to find used parts.

Nissan diesels go forever. i'de love to convert my 78 datsun z/fairlady over to

a diesel

The main reason i like older cars is they are simpler which means there is less to go wrong.

i know someone who bought a 2005 camry and he said there are

something like 20 onboard computers in the thing. i bought his 90 toyota

cressida/mark2 from him cheap as it blew the head gasket. Even that

car has a computer for the power steering and its 15 yrs old.

a/c is one of the first things to go out in an older car. heck even newer cars

it goes out if the system is engineered badly. i couldn't find a competent a/c

mechanic so i learned how to fix them myself. It's not rocket science but

you cannot take any shortcuts. The system has to be surgically clean and

you have to have the right equipment for it to last a long time.

in thailand i have heard its hard to find a good mechanic and good quality

replacement parts. have you read about the nightmare that aviator over

in the phuket forum has had with his car?

Edited October 22, 2005 by bakachan

[Neeranam]

I agree with what you say backachan, especially about them being simpler and the a/c is the first thing to go.

Is the a/c easy to fix yourself?

I find that my engine overheats if I keep the air on for longer than 30 min. Still, I don't mind winding the window down.

There are lots of other models I can pinch(legally) from for spare parts for my olod mazda.

[bakachan]

I agree with what you say backachan, especially about them being simpler and the a/c is the first thing to go.

Is the a/c easy to fix yourself?

I find that my engine overheats if I keep the air on for longer than 30 min. Still, I don't mind winding the window down.

There are lots of other models I can pinch(legally) from for spare parts for my  olod mazda.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i bought a used pair of a/c gauges on ebay and took an old refrigerator motor

and soldered a/c fittings onto the suction side. its a really cheap way to make a vacuum pump. you need to vacuum out the air/moisture from the system after you put it back together.

you also need to flush the system with lacquer thinner and blow with compressed

air and then replace the dryer with a new one as it also serves as a filter.

charging it up you need to watch pressures. i put a digital thermometer in the

vent and keep charging till i get the coldest reading and the pressures look good.

if you're mechanicall inclined all of the above is easy to do. It just takes time

and attention to detail.

your overheating could be the radiator is clogged inside with crud or the fins are clogged with road crud or something is missing like a

fan shroud or the fan clutch is bad or fan belt is slipping. you might add a

small electric fan to the front of the radiator. plenty of used ones around.

doesnt matter what model car just as long as it fits into the space. high humidity

really adds to the load a/c has to carry.

Edited October 22, 2005 by bakachan

[INTJ]

Yer, last week I saw a 2004 sport rider done 280,000km, unbeliveable

INTJ.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm a cockney by birth, I know how to fix that .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure ? It was a digital speedo

INTJ

.

[Thetyim]

Are you sure ? It was a digital speedo

Yep. can do them as well

[Gary A]

I looked for a second hand diesel pick up truck. I found a nice Toyota but it had 190,000 kilometers on the odometer. I wanted one with less kilometers than that. Amazingly I found another one the same color and year equipped the same way. It has 68,000 kilometers on it. I noticed the driver's side seat showed a lot of wear and the foot pedals also showed wear. I went back and looked at the one with too many kilometers and found that the seat and the pedals showed less wear than the one with supposedly 68,000. I asked the salesman for the service records because it should have still been under warranty. I got that blank Thai look that tells you they are caught. After that I went to Intercar and talked to the boss Martin. He told me that if I wanted a good pickup I would be way further ahead to buy a new one. Since he is in the business of selling used vehicles I appreciated his opinion. He told me that the only used truck I could get a decent price on was a Ford. He said they lose value quickly but that he doesn't like to sell them because he has seen too many mechanical problems. I bought a new Nissan.

He did tell me that he often found good buys on cars and if I ever decide to buy a second hand car to come back to see him. His business is on Theprasit Road about midway between Tesco Lotus and Jomtien.

[Neeranam]

i bought a used pair of a/c gauges on ebay and took an old refrigerator motor

and soldered a/c fittings onto the suction side. its a really cheap way to make a vacuum pump. you need to vacuum out the air/moisture from the system after you put it back together.

you also need to flush the system with lacquer thinner and blow with compressed

air and then replace the dryer with a new one as it also serves as a filter.

charging it up you need to watch pressures. i put a digital thermometer in the

vent and keep charging till i get the coldest reading and the pressures look good.

if you're mechanicall inclined all of the above is easy to do. It just takes time

and attention to detail.

your overheating could be the radiator is clogged inside with crud or the fins are clogged with road crud or something is missing like a

fan shroud or the fan clutch is bad or fan belt is slipping. you might add a

small electric fan to the front of the radiator. plenty of used ones around.

doesnt matter what model car just as long as it fits into the space. high humidity

really adds to the load a/c has to carry.

Thanks for that info.!

I'll wait till after the winter before I try as I don't need air-con in this cool weather.