username1 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I'm looking to buy my first car in Thailand and not really sure which one to pick. Any opinions on these for a 2 adults + baby: Mazda 2 sedan - 665k Mazda 3 - 833-974k Focus - 1079k (-130k discount so around 950k) Fiesta - 709k Yaris - 540k Budget is flexible, but always thought that spending money on a car is kinda stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baerboxer Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 We were car hunting last week. Looked at Honda and Toyota. Honda - CRV, HRV and Mobilo and Toyota Fortuner, Avanza and Innova. We are a family of four (kids 9 and 11). My oldest is disabled and wheelchair user. We currently have a Freed and were also considering the Hyundai / Toyota van type vehicles. We finally decided to keep the Freed and buy the HRV. Really impressed with that, plenty of boot space, roomy and great driving. The top of range, with all the goodies, is around 974k plus taxes. There is a new increased tax applied in the new year, extra 100k. So try and buy this year. The ones on your list are ok too. The Mobilo and Avanza are around the 6-700k range and good family vehicles. Worth a look. Good hunting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChaangNoi Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 If spending money on a car is stupid just use Uber or a taxi service. Have a bike on hand if needed. No need to do something stupid mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtaz Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) Thailand No.1 car market is for Toyota, the easiest buy and sell, repair, cheap spare parts, service it anywhere in the Kingdom! If you are looking for a clean second hand one, have one for sell, plz check below spec: Toyota Altis 1.8E - 1800 CC, Year 2012, Dual VVTI have 2 airbags, Auto & manual transmission gear, Silver color, light cream leather seat at 460k THB, Clean as new, never accident, can check with toyota service center before you buy, anyone interested PM for further discussion, you can see the car, test drive and check everything, then make your final decision, in my opinion buying a new car at least will cost you near double the average prrice of clean snd hand one, usage is the same, workable as new one, Regards Edited October 20, 2015 by momtaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petermik Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I purchased a second hand Nissan Almera manual transmission some 30,000 kms ago,averaging 20.8 kms/litre throughout this time I feel its the best Eco-car on the market Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseTheBass Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 You've not really said what you want from your car. Safety, driving pleasure, space, economy, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username1 Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 You've not really said what you want from your car. Safety, driving pleasure, space, economy, etc. Good question. I'm probably looking for a safe car that's somewhat enjoyable to drive in a traffic heavy small sois. HR-V was on my initial list but since it's a bit bigger in size I drop it out. Am I wrong to think that smaller cars are lot easier to operate in Thai traffic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieH Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Bought a New Mazda 2 auto, 4 years ago, excellent little car, wife uses it for town driving, never had any, not one issue with it, comfortable, economical, cant think of anything negative to say. Even service costs at local Mazda dealer were good. We have a large Toyota Vigo for distance driving, 3ltr deisel. Depends where you are located really, city or the Boonies, is why we have two types. If you are mostly town/city and occasional distance I would lean toward Mazda 3, mostly town Mazda 2. If you need a utilty aspect then you need to be considering 4 door pick up etc. Depends on your location and what you need from a vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaseTheBass Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 For me I would wait for the Mazda CX3 to be released and go for the diesel version. If you can't wait I would get the Fiesta 1.0L Ecoboost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaPhom Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Yaris should be sufficient and you never go wrong with a Toyota, parts, reliability and resale....the latest Yaris looks quite nice. My friend is happy with his and being a passenger it seemed like a spacious and comfortable enough car for your needs. Honda Jazz is another popular one. As mentioned the tax brackets are changing in he new year but on smaller cars you may save 10k or so. 2nd hand values do not hold anymore as they used to so no point in spending more than needed. Visit the showrooms and have test drives if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkt83100 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Just by the storage space I would go for the Avaza. It got a lot of room, is reasonable economical, and no big waste of money to buy. I got mine last year and I am definitely happy with it. Not the newest construction with it's real wheel drive, but do one U-turn with it and you will be impressed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sometimewoodworker Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 For me I would wait for the Mazda CX3 to be released and go for the diesel version. If you can't wait I would get the Fiesta 1.0L Ecoboost. It's due to be released in November Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_smith237 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 You've not really said what you want from your car. Safety, driving pleasure, space, economy, etc. Good question. I'm probably looking for a safe car that's somewhat enjoyable to drive in a traffic heavy small sois. HR-V was on my initial list but since it's a bit bigger in size I drop it out. Am I wrong to think that smaller cars are lot easier to operate in Thai traffic? I think you are wrong to think that smaller cars are easier to operate in Thai Traffic.... My experience of Driving in Thailand comes from a Range of Cars - Merc A Class, Honda CRV, BMW 5 Series, BMW x5, Range Rover... The Range Rover was by far the easiest to drive in Bangkok traffic - but was the biggest. The reasons there are is that it is an extremely easy car to judge (as its more square and you are higher up). BMW 5 Series was the hardest as the bonnet is longer than the other cars. The A Class as a smaller car even felt a little more dangerous as people tended to cut me off, not give way etc. Width isn't really an issue - unless you live on a very small soi where cm's do make a difference. A smaller Car may 'feel' easier... that is perhaps a simple psychological impression we may have, but in reality, there is not a huge difference in the footprint of the cars you are looking at. Especially the HRV - it really is hardly any larger than an Altis etc... just check out the Width and Lengths (*in the cars spec sheets) - you'll see the differences are very small a matter of a couple of CM's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWW Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I used to have a Toyota Avanza. It had a 1.3L engine (there is also a 1.5L version), it's rear-wheel drive and is surprisingly thin (not wide), so fits in some places you might not expect it to. Seats seven comfortably, and was a great little car. Has A/C vents in the roof for the rear seats, which I miss in my truck. Wasn't a great performance vehicle, but it's a 1.3L seven-seater, so neither would you expect it to be. I had it for 3 years, and it was great. It managed around 12km/L, and didn't have any problems even when I drove it to Songkhla and back over two days. With the rear-most seats folded forward it could hold a lot in the back and still seat five. Very useful little vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username1 Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Bought a New Mazda 2 auto, 4 years ago, excellent little car, wife uses it for town driving, never had any, not one issue with it, comfortable, economical, cant think of anything negative to say. Even service costs at local Mazda dealer were good. We have a large Toyota Vigo for distance driving, 3ltr deisel. Depends where you are located really, city or the Boonies, is why we have two types. If you are mostly town/city and occasional distance I would lean toward Mazda 3, mostly town Mazda 2. If you need a utilty aspect then you need to be considering 4 door pick up etc. Depends on your location and what you need from a vehicle. Mazda 2/3 seem like a very good choice and your message reassures that. Yaris should be sufficient and you never go wrong with a Toyota, parts, reliability and resale....the latest Yaris looks quite nice. My friend is happy with his and being a passenger it seemed like a spacious and comfortable enough car for your needs. Honda Jazz is another popular one. As mentioned the tax brackets are changing in he new year but on smaller cars you may save 10k or so. 2nd hand values do not hold anymore as they used to so no point in spending more than needed. Visit the showrooms and have test drives if possible. Exactly why I'm considering Yaris. The price is good and for the parts/service easily available for reasonable price. And Toyotas keep their value quite well here. Mazda 2/3 looks a lot better and have more space though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicowoodduck Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The best mode of transportation is located at the end of your legs....if you are lucky.....cheap, good for your health, and cheap, cheap, cheap....if I need a car, just rent one for a week or so or take the baht bus.....??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairynuff Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 If spending money on a car is stupid just use Uber or a taxi service. Have a bike on hand if needed. No need to do something stupid mate. Yeah great idea, get a bike for the family. Cracking piece of advice there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRRR Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 1st choice should be Japanese if you can't afford Merc and BMW, so the 2 Fords are out, any of the 3 others would be a good solid buy...me id go the 3 town or country no problem and use that bit more space for a growing family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeHere Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I can't believe some members here... the guy wants to buy a car for his family and members spew ridiculous advice like take Uber (is it even legal <deleted>), walk, and even get a bike... did you muppets forget your meds this week?? <deleted>???!! I'd suggest to get the car with the highest possible seating position so you have plenty of visibility all around. Mazda makes great cars, but I've noticed the Mazda 3 has a super long nose, which may be an issue for you in regards to navigation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandalf12 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Out of the list the OP has provided I would go for the Mazda 3. Extending that list I would chose the Honda CRV. I have had one and they are brilliant. Comfortable, spacious, good for a family of 4, cheap to maintain and in the three years we had ours we had no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinot Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The Fiesta and the Mazda 2 have the same body and many of the same parts. I own the Mazda 2. The windshield pillar blocks visibility a little, it's been a good car. The Yaris is not reviewed well and I would pass on that. Rented one and hated it. The best car in the class is the Honda Jazz. That's what I would buy. Simpling nothing close to it. The best value is the Suzuki Swift. Lot of car for the money. I love the look of the new Focus but we're not comparing apples to apples when you throw in that and the Mazda 3. Both are bigger, better and faster than the above. I don't see how you can go wrong with the Mazda 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike324 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) You can't go wrong with Honda or Toyota in Thailand. Small is not necessary safer when it comes to driving in Thailand, especially if you have a baby, will be using a car seat and strollers. I suggest you go with something bigger just for comfort and hone your skills driving a bigger car. Bigger car, more visibility and more visible when you drive beside 10 wheelers on the road. Edited October 21, 2015 by mike324 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username1 Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 1st choice should be Japanese if you can't afford Merc and BMW, so the 2 Fords are out, any of the 3 others would be a good solid buy...me id go the 3 town or country no problem and use that bit more space for a growing family. The budget is flexible, but is there a reason to stretch it to 2-3M just to get a MB / BMW? I'm unsure what benefits these offer other than the status of owning a more expensive brand... I can't believe some members here... the guy wants to buy a car for his family and members spew ridiculous advice like take Uber (is it even legal <deleted>), walk, and even get a bike... did you muppets forget your meds this week?? <deleted>???!! I'd suggest to get the car with the highest possible seating position so you have plenty of visibility all around. Mazda makes great cars, but I've noticed the Mazda 3 has a super long nose, which may be an issue for you in regards to navigation Haha, there's some great advice in the thread! That's true regarding Mazda 3 nose, I'd say that the highest seating position would be in HR-V suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunBENQ Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Two adults and a baby? I have a Mazda 2 (4 door) for four years. Automatic (of course!), ABS, two airbags (only). Runs fine, no problems. 665 k for the Mazda 2 sounds like the top edition. Good choice, don't go for the cheaper ones. But our 12 year old Toyota Vios has more comfort features. If you look for a compact car, compare Mazda and Toyota. Budget is flexible, but always thought that spending money on a car is kinda stupid. Completely unthinkable to be without my own car here in upcountry. I would bu burried alive. In Pattaya? I would think twice. Edited October 21, 2015 by KhunBENQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandalf12 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 You can't go wrong with Honda or Toyota in Thailand. Small is not necessary safer when it comes to driving in Thailand, especially if you have a baby, will be using a car seat and strollers. I suggest you go with something bigger just for comfort and hone your skills driving a bigger car. Bigger car, more visibility when you drive beside 10 wheelers on the road. The point you make of visibility is the reason we bought the CRV and never looked back brilliant vehicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rws85 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Suzuki Swift, good little 4 door car, drives and handles well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkt83100 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I used to have a Toyota Avanza. It had a 1.3L engine (there is also a 1.5L version), it's rear-wheel drive and is surprisingly thin (not wide), so fits in some places you might not expect it to. Today's model always comes with the 1.5l engine. The electric power steering and other enhancements give a better performance (mpg-wise) compared to the old model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkt83100 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Exactly why I'm considering Yaris. The price is good and for the parts/service easily available for reasonable price. And Toyotas keep their value quite well here. Mazda 2/3 looks a lot better and have more space though. The Yaris' boot will be too small to keep a wheelchair or stroller, especially when taking passengers and a tiny bit of luggage/shopping goods. Edited October 21, 2015 by hkt83100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thailanddogerator Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Are you sure to really want a cheap loser car ? BMW are so cheap and maintenance is free 5 years ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giddyup Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Are you sure to really want a cheap loser car ? BMW are so cheap and maintenance is free 5 years ! A loser car instead of a poser car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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