Good girlfriend car?

[dominique355]

For my GF I would buy her a Honda Jazz Hybrid, great in the city, good mileage and looks cool.

But my wife objected to this, so GF gets no car and wife gets a Benz.

[Ace of Pop]

. Low running costs.

[RAZZELL]

Sister-in-law has an Honda Jazz.

Not a bad little car...and cheap

RAZZ

[steveromagnino]

market research says.....

For the mythical hot chula grad Thai Chinese woman with a proper entry level management decent job and parents to impress: Benz A Class 180 or BMW 116

For the mythical slightly older Thai Chinese woman with a senior level management decent job: Benz C or E Class

Why spend more on a pain-in-the-arse TC woman?

I say mythical, because it seems so common that Farangs living here will introduce me to their GF as 'this is my Thai-Chinese GF K Nok" etc etc. For some reason it appears to matter to some to point out that their GF is not from Isaan, I do not understand why this is, but felt it worthwhile to point out that while Noi from Khon Kaen might settle for a cheap eco car, Nok from Sampaeng might be wanting something with a bit more class.

[Ace of Pop]

Does it matter where they come From. The European Aristocracy come from the strongest long line of Pimps,Horse Thieves and Murderers.

[funcat]

Do not get an Almera. We were loaned one for a week. One of the worst cars I have ever driven. Now renamed the Nissan Bagofshite.

Had a Honda City for couple of years. Good cars but thirsty.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

...so,what's so bad about Almera?

[sirineou]

Do not get an Almera. We were loaned one for a week. One of the worst cars I have ever driven. Now renamed the Nissan Bagofshite.

Had a Honda City for couple of years. Good cars but thirsty.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

...so,what's so bad about Almera?

I like the Almera, it has plenty of room inside for 4-5 adults, and a nice big trunk ( boot) for cargo, does not come with a folding down read seat in Thailand, why?? don,t ask me. it comes with a folding rear seat in other countries, It's not like offering a folding rear seat would add that much to the cost .

But the folding rear seat is not a deal breaker for me, what is, is the engine size.

At 1030 kg weight the 3 cylinder 1.3 pumping out 79 hp @ 6000 rpm is woefully inadequate IMO. It might not be so bad on a stick shift where you can control the rpm, and when needed keep the engine in the 6000 rpm sweet spot to get the 79 ponies to work for you, but with a fully loaded CVT you might have to push it to get it to go up a steep hill

I have not test driven the 1.2 CVT yet so my assessment is entirely academic,I did drive the 1.6 4 cylinder 108 hp version in the US where I am now and liked it a lot, when I come to Thailand in a few months I will test drive id , and who knows maybe I will change my opinion

[JAS21]

The car is for Bumelum? You mean that after nearly 10 years you still haven't married her! Get her a Mini Cooper, put a bit of wood under the 'fast pedal' for a while. How can you get her something like a Vios when you have an M5 'come on'. Can you imagine her turning up to that posh place where she works in a Vios .... I ask you.

Edited April 20, 2014 by JAS21

[culicine]

Do not get an Almera. We were loaned one for a week. One of the worst cars I have ever driven. Now renamed the Nissan Bagofshite.

Had a Honda City for couple of years. Good cars but thirsty.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

...so,what's so bad about Almera?

I like the Almera, it has plenty of room inside for 4-5 adults, and a nice big trunk ( boot) for cargo, does not come with a folding down read seat in Thailand, why?? don,t ask me. it comes with a folding rear seat in other countries, It's not like offering a folding rear seat would add that much to the cost .

But the folding rear seat is not a deal breaker for me, what is, is the engine size.

At 1030 kg weight the 3 cylinder 1.3 pumping out 79 hp @ 6000 rpm is woefully inadequate IMO. It might not be so bad on a stick shift where you can control the rpm, and when needed keep the engine in the 6000 rpm sweet spot to get the 79 ponies to work for you, but with a fully loaded CVT you might have to push it to get it to go up a steep hill

I have not test driven the 1.2 CVT yet so my assessment is entirely academic,I did drive the 1.6 4 cylinder 108 hp version in the US where I am now and liked it a lot, when I come to Thailand in a few months I will test drive id , and who knows maybe I will change my opinion

Is it really 1030kg? Our swift in 91hp/975kg. So it's not too bad for acceleration, even with the cvt. The mirage has the same hp as the march, but it's a lightweight, at under 900kg. Any ecocar with the manual gearbox will give better acceleration, but it's a PITA around Bangkok traffic. I love the cvt for it's fuel economy - 1800 rpm @ 100 km/h. Very nice and quiet at cruising speed.

[Wong!]

Do not get an Almera. We were loaned one for a week. One of the worst cars I have ever driven. Now renamed the Nissan Bagofshite.

Had a Honda City for couple of years. Good cars but thirsty.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

...so,what's so bad about Almera?

Woefully underpowered, dreadful CVT system (compared to Honda & Suzuki), poorly built with a nasty tin can door slam, very cheap interior (compared to Suzuki) and felt less than surefooted on the road.

Apart from rear seat and boot space, the Swift is a far superior car in my experience.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

[funcat]

Do not get an Almera. We were loaned one for a week. One of the worst cars I have ever driven. Now renamed the Nissan Bagofshite.

Had a Honda City for couple of years. Good cars but thirsty.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

...so,what's so bad about Almera?

Woefully underpowered, dreadful CVT system (compared to Honda & Suzuki), poorly built with a nasty tin can door slam, very cheap interior (compared to Suzuki) and felt less than surefooted on the road.

Apart from rear seat and boot space, the Swift is a far superior car in my experience.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

It's an inexpensive ECO car with 1.2 L engine(!)...they all are underpowered...but if one does not like to be cramped like in a sardine can,the Almera is an obvious choice...IMO of course...

[Wong!]

Do not get an Almera. We were loaned one for a week. One of the worst cars I have ever driven. Now renamed the Nissan Bagofshite.

Had a Honda City for couple of years. Good cars but thirsty.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

...so,what's so bad about Almera?

Woefully underpowered, dreadful CVT system (compared to Honda & Suzuki), poorly built with a nasty tin can door slam, very cheap interior (compared to Suzuki) and felt less than surefooted on the road.

Apart from rear seat and boot space, the Swift is a far superior car in my experience.

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

It's an inexpensive ECO car with 1.2 L engine(!)...they all are underpowered...but if one does not like to be cramped like in a sardine can,the Almera is an obvious choice...IMO of course...

I'm 6'2" and the Swift has more room for the driver than the Almera and the seats are good (as opposed to the Almera whose seats are really crap). Luckily, my wife realises that a manual is better to have than an automatic, so the Swift is more than pokey enough. I haven't driven a manual Almera, (is there one?) so I can't say if a manual would alleviate one of the car's many faults.

[sirineou]

I'm 6'2" and the Swift has more room for the driver than the Almera and the seats are good (as opposed to the Almera whose seats are really crap). Luckily, my wife realises that a manual is better to have than an automatic, so the Swift is more than pokey enough. I haven't driven a manual Almera, (is there one?) so I can't say if a manual would alleviate one of the car's many faults.

You are Wong

what your wife does not wealize is that with the Swift MT her side does not have an airbag

The Swift MT comes with driver side airbag only, every one else needs to bring their own

The Almera comes in two manual transmission configurations, The S/MT ฿433,000 and the E/MT ฿464,000 both configurations have dual airbags.

Edited April 21, 2014 by sirineou

[alfieconn]

The promotion on the 1.5 s Fiesta seems a good deal at the moment 580,000 baht against 719,000 baht for the new one which has just a few minor alterations !!!

[funcat]

The promotion on the 1.5 s Fiesta seems a good deal at the moment 580,000 baht against 719,000 baht for the new one which has just a few minor alterations !!!

The newest Fiesta is equipped with the 1 L Ecoboost ,125HP engine...it's a little 'pocket-rocket' to compare with the others...

[Wong!]

I'm 6'2" and the Swift has more room for the driver than the Almera and the seats are good (as opposed to the Almera whose seats are really crap). Luckily, my wife realises that a manual is better to have than an automatic, so the Swift is more than pokey enough. I haven't driven a manual Almera, (is there one?) so I can't say if a manual would alleviate one of the car's many faults.

You are Wong

what your wife does not wealize is that with the Swift MT her side does not have an airbag

The Swift MT comes with driver side airbag only, every one else needs to bring their own

The Almera comes in two manual transmission configurations, The S/MT ฿433,000 and the E/MT ฿464,000 both configurations have dual airbags.

God, you're thick.

Yes, the Nissan Bagofshite has 2 airbags, opposed to the Swift's one (for my wife, the driver of it), but as I never mentioned airbags, I think you're just being a <deleted> in a poor attempt to score some brownie points with the others who wasted their money on a bloody awful car.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Did you also have a look at the Suzuki Swift?

If so, how did it compair to the Honda City?

Of all the Eco cars I like the swift the most,

At 92 hp 118 torque and 1020 kg with full options is one of the best performing Eco cars

It also rides nice. and feels solid

It has two fatal flaws IMO,

A) it does not come with ABS in the MT version, not a problem for me because I want an AT

BUT

B)If I understand the specifications corectly it only has airbag on the driver side, to get a passenger side airbag you need to buy the top of the line GLX which carries a price tag of ฿ 560,000

I dont know if I would feel right driving and feeling safe while my wife seats on the passenger side with out an airbag, and I would certainly not buy a car with out ABS.

If I have to spend ฿560.000 for the swift I find my self again looking at the CITY for about the same money

A shame because I really like the car

I am away at work and will not be in Thailand until this summer to personally check this car out, all the info I have is from second hand info, so please some one set me straight if I am wrong about the airbags.

Don't know for certain but have noticed that many cars in Thailand come with at best driver and passenger airbags, or none at all in lower trim whereas in other markets they have multiple airbags. Really sucks and I am in a bit of a quandary in my own purchase whether to pay quite a bit more and get an imported make with the full monty of airbags

The top model (new) city has side and curtain airbags. I don't know of any other car in it's class with those. I have a swift, but I'd I was going to get a city I would go for the top model. The base model auto is 589K but seems to miss out on a lot of things.

Comparing the top of the line Swift (B560K) with the base model City (B589) is a bit apples to oranges.

The City has a bigger body, but the Swift would have more equipment.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Best car, a taxi.

1, Best car, Honda City or Toyota Vios.

2. If your g/f is choosing it will be down to peer pressure status and face, price will beat practicality everytime.

3. If she lives in Bkk dont even bother with a car.

Lets assume 700k depriciating at 10% pa, thats 6k per month, 2k per month for insurance, another 2k per month for gas and servicing and spares.

Thats 10k per month, thats a heck of a lotta taxis.

Never mind, your money, do as you wish.

The ladies are NOT interested in your figures, sadly............. ............

Thats the beauty of Thailand, the ladies are like buses, there will always be another round the corner.

For the OP, make sure its in your name, any shop that gives you the farang cannot own crap, walk away, even better get your teerak to take out a loan and she can pay for it.

When she pisses you off, walk away.

What the fox is a GF car?

edited due to new sw spell check.

My philosophy is a little bit different. car and insurance MUST be in her name. She is a new driver and the day she rear end a Mercedes S-Class with red plates, I will have zero exposure.

If she pisses me off, she can pack her bags and drive away!

[Ace of Pop]

RGS........A GF Car is one You got Your Fox in when You were Younger. Or something like that.. Now She Keeps it.

[bkkjames]

I envision a chevy chevette...with the fold down rear seat and covered in that knee tearing artificial turf when you are shagging your gf in the back (oops, just remembering the good old days)

[apiwan]

Need a 2nd car and have decided on a new yaris for town.

The J model is 520 K or top at 599 K

Then I saw this in big C.

569 K with bodykit fogs alloys roof spoiler.

Hate decisions.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Ace of Pop]

Those Wheels will ruin the Ride Comfort, and soon the rim gets dented.

[bkkjames]

Those Wheels will ruin the Ride Comfort, and soon the rim gets dented.

I imagine that front spoiler thingy will have a short shelf life.

[ignis]

Something that you do not have to fuss about ? don't even have to stay on the road ? bet non of here friends have anything so practical ?

http://www.taladrod.com/w20/Search/CarDet40.aspx?cib=1377707

P.S can keep it years and still get almost the same price for it 10 years on

Edited April 21, 2014 by ignis

[sirineou]

I'm 6'2" and the Swift has more room for the driver than the Almera and the seats are good (as opposed to the Almera whose seats are really crap). Luckily, my wife realises that a manual is better to have than an automatic, so the Swift is more than pokey enough. I haven't driven a manual Almera, (is there one?) so I can't say if a manual would alleviate one of the car's many faults.

You are Wong

what your wife does not wealize is that with the Swift MT her side does not have an airbag

The Swift MT comes with driver side airbag only, every one else needs to bring their own

The Almera comes in two manual transmission configurations, The S/MT ฿433,000 and the E/MT ฿464,000 both configurations have dual airbags.

God, you're thick.

Yes, the Nissan Bagofshite has 2 airbags, opposed to the Swift's one (for my wife, the driver of it), but as I never mentioned airbags, I think you're just being a <deleted> in a poor attempt to score some brownie points with the others who wasted their money on a bloody awful car.

Everything I said is True, Unless you are not Wong

an other thing that does not come standard with the Swift is a sense of humor

[sirineou]

Comparing the top of the line Swift (B560K) with the base model City (B589) is a bit apples to oranges.

The City has a bigger body, but the Swift would have more equipment.

True

But I would rather give up some bells and whistles for substance

PS: the City does not only have a bigger body, what it lacks in equipment it makes up in other attributes. More HP , more torque, holds the road better for long trips, higher resale price, more cargo space with 5 passengers. safer in an accident.

I picked the ฿560K Swift because it is the only one that comes with dual airbags, not for the extra equipment, I would never be able to forgive my self if I got in to an accident and I survived but my wife or daughter got killed because I did not provide for them the same level of safety I provided my self to save some money.

Edited April 21, 2014 by sirineou

[sjonburi]

Amen to that. , only if they equipped it with 6 speed manual instead of that crappy powershift it would be high on my wishlist.. 147 PS / 236 NM with a 300,00 Euro chip.. Must be a blast to drive

The promotion on the 1.5 s Fiesta seems a good deal at the moment 580,000 baht against 719,000 baht for the new one which has just a few minor alterations !!!

The newest Fiesta is equipped with the 1 L Ecoboost ,125HP engine...it's a little 'pocket-rocket' to compare with the others...

Edited April 21, 2014 by sjonburi

[ExpatOilWorker]

It looks like we have some sort of consensus, but in reality there are actually 3 different categories of small cars.

Tiny cars:

1. Jazz

2. Yaris, Brio

3. March

4. Mirage

5. Kia Picanto

Small urban cars (perfect girlfriend cars):

1. Swift

3. Mazda 2

4. Fiesta

Small family cars:

1. City, Vios, Mazda 3

2. Almera

3. Brio Amaze

4. Ford Focus

Edited April 23, 2014 by ExpatOilWorker

[bkkjames]

It looks like we have some sort of consensus, but in reality there are actually 3 different categories of small cars.

Tiny cars:

1. Jazz

2. Brio

3. March

4. Mirage

5. Kia Picanto

Small urban cars (perfect girlfriend cars):

1. Swift

2. Yaris

3. Mazda 2

4. Fiesta

Small family cars:

1. City Vios Mazda 3

2. Almera

3. Brio Amaze

4. Ford Focus

yaris belongs in the first group, got to get out of it just to change your mind mate

[keemapoot]

It looks like we have some sort of consensus, but in reality there are actually 3 different categories of small cars.

Tiny cars:

1. Jazz

2. Brio

3. March

4. Mirage

5. Kia Picanto

Small urban cars (perfect girlfriend cars):

1. Swift

2. Yaris

3. Mazda 2

4. Fiesta

Small family cars:

1. City Vios Mazda 3

2. Almera

3. Brio Amaze

4. Ford Focus

yaris belongs in the first group, got to get out of it just to change your mind mate

Well...technically, there are a lot of mis-categorized cars in that lineup but I do see his logic. They should be categorized by segments, A,B,C etc., and City, and Mazda2 are in B, and the 5 door hatch Mazda is a different market from the 4 door sedan, so yeah, I get it. As far as cute girlfriend cars, sure, hatchbacks make the list of all sorts, and all the Eco boxes unless they're uncool like the Almeara (which is a great family car but uncool for gfs), so why not use his list? It works mostly.