To Buy A Car Vs. A Truck In Los In Thailand

[NanLaew]

or be above the rest and get the VW new to Thailand 4x4 Pickup. 8 speed Auto @ 1.9 million

Yes... the 2 million baht (fully imported) Anorak with 60% import duty Anorak that so far has been pissed all over performance and comfort wise by the 1 million baht Ranger (locally assembled) in market comparisons overseas.

Edited January 6, 2013 by NanLaew

[NeverSure]

My experience is that a sedan is far less comfortable than a pickup. The pickup has the headroom and the seats are much more like what I have in my living room. They are higher off the floor and the seat backs are taller. I don't have to squeeze down into it. As for ride the newer pickups I've ridden in or driven (haven't nearly all of them) have a wonderful ride. As for potholes the bigger tires and wheels handle them better.

There's a term in auto engineering called "unsprung weight ratio." You have everything that rides on the springs, and then everything that doesn't. That which doesn't is of course the tires and wheels, brakes, some steering components, etc. If the unsprung weight ratio is too high and you hit a bump the tail will wag the dog. Even though the pickup has relatively large tires and wheels, the sprung weight has enough mass that the bumps can't toss it around much. Pity the guy who puts huge tires and wheels and a lift kit on his rig and then expects a decent road ride and even control.

People talk about pickups being designed to have stiffer springs to carry a load. Perhaps they don't know about progressive springs whether coil or leaf that get logarithmically stiffer when compressed. A modern pickup has the ride of a big car when unloaded.

I have a "full sized" Chevy Impala and a Ford F 150 4x4. If I have to take a long trip it will be the pickup every time. I sit up naturally, the ride is good, I can see better from the taller position and I will arrive a lot more rested with no aching bones. I climb up into the pickup and shoehorn down into the Impala.

Also, if someone decides to slam into me hard with his politically correct Prius, We'll be jacking the pickup up to get it off that Prius which has it's top and the passengers' heads missing. The Prius will probably have slammed on his brakes causing his already low front end including the protective engine to dive, putting it even lower and he'll never touch the passenger compartment of my 4x4. Neither could my Impala.

At some point we have to get real about height, weight, inertia, kinetic energy, and all of that. "Luxury" cars have typically been large and heavy for a better ride. The modern pickup is approaching that.

[eaustev]

If you want something easy to run around town, in particular in light of your GF doing much of the driving, but want something slightly more comfortable on the rural roads and with a slightly higher driving position then I would consider a CRV, X-trail, or similar. Perhaps not the most exciting choice but within your budget and a good compromise between car & truck.

When my wife was an inexperienced driver we had a similar vehicle and she was comfortable driving it. Even though she is a far more experienced driver now she is not entirely comfortable driving my Pajero Sport, so possible your GF would feel similarly about something the size of a PPV or pickup. Not really an issue for us now as my wife has her own car (Focus) which has proven ideal for her. As she is more comfortable in the Focus she also uses it for regular long trips up-country and has encountered no real issues.

CRV, X-trail or similar only give you a marginally higher wading depth than regular cars, but I wouldn't get too hooked up on that unless you live in a particualrly flood prone area. I have not been impelled to drive through a significant flood yet in my 20 or so years in Thailand so buying a vehicle with purely that in mind is not a big issue to me.

[IMHO]

I have a "full sized" Chevy Impala and a Ford F 150 4x4.

Well, that explains why you prefer the ride in a pickup - but an F150 can't be compared the the small pickups sold in TH. Even the most basic 375K Baht eco car has arguably better ride quality than them.

No argument on 'size matters' though - if you're going to be in an incident with a small car, driving a 1800+ KG Pickup/SUV as almost akin to being the deformable barrier in the crash test - and we have all seen that the wall always does much better than whatever is crashing into it

Edited January 8, 2013 by IMHO

[ignis]

or be above the rest and get the VW new to Thailand 4x4 Pickup. 8 speed Auto @ 1.9 million

Yes... the 2 million baht (fully imported) Anorak with 60% import duty Anorak that so far has been pissed all over performance and comfort wise by the 1 million baht Ranger (locally assembled) in market comparisons overseas.

Yes I would not buy one, maybe a Volvo V50 and have over 200k left over......

Problem here is the lack of Estate cars, cheaper Thai built ones, not Benz or BMW that is way above what a everyday Thai would buy...

No call for them ? Thais would not buy ? odd most of the Thais I know that have a car + a pickup say what other option have they got.... they do not need 7 seats....... in fact one in the Village sold his car and pickup a few weeks ago and bought a X-Trail.............. 2 different friends have sold there car + pickup and bought the same the Proton Exora...

My own view the Nissan Almera would look good as a small Estate/wagon,