Buying a second-hand truck in CM

[stament]

I've seen plenty of forecourts around Chiang Mai particularly near Chang Phuek but am completely clueless as to pricing. In England we have a second-hand price guide but I'm not aware of anything similar in Thailand and there doesn't seem to be any consistent market price, more that it is set at the whim of the seller, rather than being consistent with the market, or indeed what sale price is achieveable.

Was interested in an Isuzu for the garden - a 2.5 cab most likely. Can anyone off any recommendations on Isuzu's - would probably need to be 5 years plus I'm guessing as my budget is around THB 200K

Thanks

[rsokolowski]

Buy from an expat. As a general rule the locals often run their vehicles into the ground with only sporadic maintenance at best.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

@200k more like 15 years old.

[Oscar2]

i agree with the post above. you need to up your budget to at least 325,000 for something newer. a friend just bought a 13 year old Japanese car (in excellent condition but it needed tires and shocks) and he paid 215,000 Bath and he shopped around for quite a few weeks.

[stament]

So am I better off buying a new car?

[stament]

Out of interest how much are we talking roughly for a new Isuzu Dmax 2 door and do they have 2013 models or demonstrators in Thailand similar to England that are discounted but not yet sold from the dealers?

[Beetlejuice]

Out of interest how much are we talking roughly for a new Isuzu Dmax 2 door and do they have 2013 models or demonstrators in Thailand similar to England that are discounted but not yet sold from the dealers?

My advice is, never buy a second hand vehicle in Thailand, includes trucks, vans, pick ups, cars and motorbikes, unless you know the previous owner and the vehicle`s history or it comes highly recommended by a very trusted friend.

In Thailand they are masters at making any piece of old scrape look like something just off the production line. Filling bodywork holes with bits of newspaper and filler, spraying new colour paint over any rotted bodywork, old mechanical parts guaranteed to last until you have taken the vehicle for a test drive, paid the cash and driven it out of the showroom, old brittle tyres painted black to appear new, speedo turned back, a vehicle that has been involved in a serious accident, repaired but the body structure weakened and could collapse if involved in another serious impact including what could be a cut and join car. A cut-and-join car is created when sections of two cars of the same model is cut and attached together. These cars have usually been involved in accidents - they are then reconnected either at the front or rear panel post with other car body parts. There are dangerous risks involved when using such a car as it would prone to splitting into two in an accident. The potential damage on cars that have been involved in serious accidents will also be higher than on cars with their original shell.

Anyone who decides to buy a second hand vehicle in Thailand do so at their own risk and discretion.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Out of interest how much are we talking roughly for a new Isuzu Dmax 2 door and do they have 2013 models or demonstrators in Thailand similar to England that are discounted but not yet sold from the dealers?

No such thing, all sold as new.

Starting from 800k.

Ford and Chevy, cheaper than Isuzu and Toyota.

[srn89]

If you have a bit more cash i have a Mitsubishi Strada with a Carryboyi have owned it since it was 3 months old, Tow Bar, Bull Bar, Additional Spotlights and in Good order.

If you are interested in viewing message me.

[elektrified]

My advice is, never buy a second hand vehicle in Thailand, includes trucks, vans, pick ups, cars and motorbikes, unless you know the previous owner and the vehicle`s history or it comes highly recommended by a very trusted friend.

In Thailand they are masters at making any piece of old scrape look like something just off the production line. Filling bodywork holes with bits of newspaper and filler, spraying new colour paint over any rotted bodywork, old mechanical parts guaranteed to last until you have taken the vehicle for a test drive, paid the cash and driven it out of the showroom, old brittle tyres painted black to appear new, speedo turned back.................

Many years ago when I bought my first car here (which was used), I spent months looking before I bought. I must have looked at 15 different cars. I always asked the seller to meet me at my mechanic so he could look it over and take it for a spin. At least 4 different sellers never even showed up when they heard I wanted my mechanic to look at the car. Out of about 15 cars over 3 or 4 months or so, my mechanic told me that at least 8 or 9 of them had the speedometer turned back. I asked him how he knew and he told me that with Honda's for example, a special tool from Honda that only a dealer has, is required to access the back of the speedometer and that he could feel to see if the metal was jagged from forcing the screw out with a drill or something. I always saw him feel under the dashboard and wondered what he was looking for. One guy pulled up and as soon as recognized my mechanic, he quickly pulled out of the parking lot and took off! The mechanic told me that the guy owned a tent and sold junk cars nicely painted and polished, and that he pretended to be a private party by putting for sale ads on the Internet.

In the end I got a good car but as time went on and the car was exposed to the sun, sure enough I began to seen pieces of Bondo putty appear as well as traces from poor quality sanding, painting, etc. even though the nice family I bought it from assured me that the car had never been in an accident.

Be cautious!

[NotEinstein]

I have a 2005 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 manual 108K km, that I don't really need now, so last month I mentioned that if he was interested, the guy doing some building work for us could have it for 280,000 baht.

The word went around the village, even though he wanted it, and a young guy went to his house and pleaded with him to let him buy it. Of course, when it came to actually stumping up the cash, the guy couldn't get his mother to part with it!

The only people that seem to have cash are the ones that buy cheaply off of desperate people and make a handsome profit.......

[kjhbigv]

So am I better off buying a new car?

In a word, yes.

Depreciation (at the moment and has been for many years) is minimal.

Nothing compared to the UK.

I bought a mint 2nd hand Isuzu 4 Cab 2.5 and saved maybe 150k from a UK guy and only had 15k on it and was absolutely as new, so in my eyes, worth the saving.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[haybilly]

Well, I must be lucky--or a careful buyer--because over the last 14 years I have bought and sold 5 different vehicles [4 trucks and 1 sedan] and all have been bought second hand and all did me well and sold without too much hassle; I believe that if you know what to look for, have a friendly mechanic to confirm your fears, etc.. then buying second hand is not such a scary prospect. And, as to saying that depreciation on a new car is minimal--well, I am not so sure about that.

Edit--just re-read the post above and it seems that he is saying that 'overall' depreciation is minimal which is pretty much true--but as for any market the drop from new to second hand is quite steep.

Edited June 8, 2014 by haybilly

[MESmith]

post #7 was the best advice.

[daveAustin]

Avoid Isuzu if you're looking for a cheaper 2nd hand. Mitsu and Nissan are cheaper, but bearing in mind pickups se hold their 'value' more than any other vehicle type here.

[stament]

By selecting Isuzu I wasn't going for the cheapest, I thought Isuzu and Toyota were supposed to be the best

[Thighlander]

post #7 was the best advice.

could apply to the US, as well. There is a franchise called CarMax in the US that buys/sells clean used cars. They won't go near one that has ever been crashed. In the showroom I visited, they had a nice five year old Corolla in what appeared to be mint condition. But, as I moved closer, there was a photo on top of it, before the body work was done, and a sign say "we would never sell you a car like this." Body work was done very well. The seems were as straight as the factory. But, as post 7 said, you are putting yourself at a lot of risk due to the weaker frame. I think most cars here are going to have some pretty expensive suspension issues from the potholes. Accidents are all too common here.

[luther]

If you have a mechanic you really trust, and know what you want, say a four-door pickup for 350 to 450, the best thing to do is let the mechanic go find it. I've done this twice in the 15 years I've live in Thailand and know lots of other people who have done the same. This guy handled insurance, registration, inspection, title, etc. He drove to the huge lots in Bangkok, brought back pictures of two or three trucks he thought were my best choices. I went to local car lots and got into the same three trucks and made a choice. This was not in Chiang Mai obviously, but I know people around her who have done this up here.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

If you have a mechanic you really trust, and know what you want, say a four-door pickup for 350 to 450, the best thing to do is let the mechanic go find it. I've done this twice in the 15 years I've live in Thailand and know lots of other people who have done the same. This guy handled insurance, registration, inspection, title, etc. He drove to the huge lots in Bangkok, brought back pictures of two or three trucks he thought were my best choices. I went to local car lots and got into the same three trucks and made a choice. This was not in Chiang Mai obviously, but I know people around her who have done this up here.

Mechanic earned himself 10% commission from the dealer, added to your purchase price.

Edited June 10, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican