Buying 2nd Hand Car Isan for brand new car driver!

[Rc2702]

Hello,

I have a slight issue with one of my plans which is to purchase a 2nd hand car for my Thai girlfriend who is 32 and has never drove a car before, she passed her test almost 2 months ago and since then she has done further lessons just to keep her in tune with driving.

We moved to Isan only 2 weeks ago, we spent a year getting to know each other in bangkok and living together and it worked, we had some issues but this was to be expected when I do not speak thai, her english is good.

My problem is if we purchase a brand new car and there is problems I am going to be really disappointed and think the decision was a bad one, I already think this.

I have made an error I think in my view of the 2nd hand car market and I need some words of wisdom from those who have stepped into this realm.

Firstly, I have visited over 15 showrooms between khon khaen and Kamalasi and the mark ups are a joke, the thing is to make matters more complicated I do not want to spread the payments over a period I want to buy the car outright.

After looking at all these showrooms I figured out that we need a car which is 2008/2009 honda jazz ( her preference) and price in showrooms is coming at the 369'000 THB mark. Problem is all of these motors (3) I have viewed have 120/150/202'000 km on the clock.

The showrooms are trying to tell us the price is based on the after sales support but I am not so sure about these companies after sales support and believe this is simply a con to ensure they get a price they want to set, not what is fair.

So I am now thinking about this situation and realise I have based our budget on what we have seen in the showrooms and that is not necessarily Value 4 Money

My thoughts are on this wavelength:

We buy a car for max 250'000 thb

we purchase it from a private seller on kaidee or something

we seek out someone who may know cars a bit better than both of us when assessing the car

If there is a problem later on down the road which i expect given she is a new driver, then then we have 100k buffer for such issues/repairs etc

I do not need a car personally but for the plans we have my mrs needs a car in order to conduct her research, I spent 2 weeks on a bike with her in the sweltering isan sun and by the time we had got to places we were both shattered so I think a car is a good option.

Having looked at kaidee I am seeing a lot of sellers selling better looking, better mileage and less expensive cars by almost 100k (baht)

Anyone got some words of wisdom, am I right the showrooms are a complete and utter con the after sales support is non existent?

Also anyone faced any issues from their thai partner regarding your decision, would love to hear about that?

Ok my Mrs she had the hump a bit with my view on this, she agrees we should not be buying from the showrooms but that did not stop her thinking she could use the whole initial 350'000 thb budget when shortlisting cars on kaidee.

I did explain we had to revise our car budget in order to ensure we have a ( problem in the future) budget she has accepted this as a solution but she needed a bit of persuasion.

Anyway now I am seeing mazda 1.6 on the market approximately 2008-2010 for around 250'000 thb, I think the mrs likes the new look of the car more than she cares about petrol etc and given her lack of experience driving a car she has no comparisons to make really, repairs wise I am not seeing an awful lot of " Stop don't buy a mazda) warning signs.

So with all of the above variables what would you do or what have you done which is similar to the above scenario, PM me or write in the forum I do not mind but your words of wisdom are hugely appreciated.

Sincerely

R

[DILLIGAD]

I would buy what you think is right as opposed to letting a new inexperienced driver make the final decision about something that is all very new to her.

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[stubuzz]

Register the car in your name and get good insurance. Better still, save your money and hire a car for a month and save 300k. If the gf doesn't like it find a new gf.

[Rc2702]

Register the car in your name and get good insurance. Better still, save your money and hire a car for a month and save 300k. If the gf doesn't like it find a new gf.

Lol, agree on the good insurance but register it in my name? I would not be with her if I did not trust her to some degree but new experiences like this I need to reign her in and take control of the matter hence I do not need relationship advice but thanks all the same. Find a new GF? seriously is it that easy? I met her in 2014 January I spent a week with her stayed in contact, figured out a way to stay in thailand and continue with what i do in uk by May 2014, moved here since then with the odd month back to show my face, halloween being a good time for that with my face lol. No but seriously shes a very good person she saved my life once, I moved to thailand for her not for thailand but the weather is nice so I prefer it here than UK.

[DILLIGAD]

I wish you both well. Many would insist on a new car. Thais are funny like that!!!!

[4MyEgo]

I can appreciate you dig the girl and have been with her for a 1 year or 2, and she is a good person. The only advice I would be giving you because you asked, is not to buy a car so quickly, 250,000 or 350,000 baht is considered a lot of doe to a Thai, and if things go south with you, she wins, so only invest as much as your prepared to lose, and I can assure you from what I have seen, there are a lot of lovely and good Thai girls, who have skinned many farangs alive before, but like you said you don't want advice on your relationship, so I won't go there.

Wish you luck either ways you go.

[Rc2702]

I have read a thousand stories, I read them for about 18 months prior to visiting thailand as a friend of mine was living out here and his story was a truly awful one too. If you like someone, you like someone, I spent 7 years with a woman in London and we knocked it on the head, I paid for the holidays and all the other crap, should I think now, I have been mugged off? we fell out of love plain and simple I am not going to force it. Here in thailand I do not see it any differently but your words are wise, only put in what you are prepared to lose so I do calculate the risk but no differently to anywhere in the world.

Can i ask a question because there does seem to be some cautious people here by the ways some are proposing of protecting yourself against loss etc. and one chap who suggested to find a different GF if my mrs got out of line.

All these stories I read I sometimes think well maybe the bloke was a bit of a ladies man, thought he could have his cake and eat it type?

Do you get my drift, I mean if my mrs caught me with someone else I would expect to be mugged off in all manner of ways, no matter what country you are in or her nationality.

[CGW]

As you are finding out when you post on Thai forums there will be the usual advice from people on how to run your private life! I guess there are a lot of insecure people here who worry about getting ripped off by the "commodity" they have living with them, least ways that's the way they must treat them to feel so insecure.

Not much help in buying a car though, probably most don't have enough money to run one? There commodity has run off with the money as they treat them like ...........

Buying a second hand car here is probably a little different to what you are used too, the reality is used cars are over priced though the price has come down in the last couple of years, everywhere you go in Thailand you will see huge lots with lots of cars for sale at unrealistic prices, a lot will be repossessed, they put a minimum payment down, drive them off then find out they can't afford to pay for them, neither could they afford to maintain them, most likely they didn't have a clue how to drive them either, so buyer beware!

Best bet is to find a car with some sort of proven history, buy from an expat if possible, look on the different forums, there are usually cars for sale & remember its a buyers market, people generally ask far too much for their vehicles here.

Good luck.

[jonw8uk]

2011 ford fiesta 1.6S going for 300K, with <21000 kms on the clock?

Its in Bangkok though

[Rc2702]

2011 ford fiesta 1.6S going for 300K, with <21000 kms on the clock?

Its in Bangkok though

Hi Jon

is it your car? I am in BKK next thursday.

to confirm that is 21k km on the clock?

R

[Nuddy]

Please do not buy a second hand car and especially from a dealer.

Sometimes her family may have a car they have looked after or you know and you could buy that from a family member, but again thats can too be a trap.

If you cannot afford a new car in the circumstances you describe ( new driver risk etc) docent buy a car at all.

Buy her a motor cycle its only about 55,000.

Or just forget it.

I hate to say it but this thread is troll like.

Regards.

[Rc2702]

As you are finding out when you post on Thai forums there will be the usual advice from people on how to run your private life! I guess there are a lot of insecure people here who worry about getting ripped off by the "commodity" they have living with them, least ways that's the way they must treat them to feel so insecure.

Not much help in buying a car though, probably most don't have enough money to run one? There commodity has run off with the money as they treat them like ...........

Buying a second hand car here is probably a little different to what you are used too, the reality is used cars are over priced though the price has come down in the last couple of years, everywhere you go in Thailand you will see huge lots with lots of cars for sale at unrealistic prices, a lot will be repossessed, they put a minimum payment down, drive them off then find out they can't afford to pay for them, neither could they afford to maintain them, most likely they didn't have a clue how to drive them either, so buyer beware!

Best bet is to find a car with some sort of proven history, buy from an expat if possible, look on the different forums, there are usually cars for sale & remember its a buyers market, people generally ask far too much for their vehicles here.

Good luck.

Thanks CGW appreciate the words, I guess some people are just erring on the side of caution but your right in some ways if you have low self esteem then chances are you are not going to have great thoughts about your Mrs and you will continually beg the question: Why is she with me? and if you think it is so easy to replace your mrs then clearly your choosing the wrong uns!

Yes I visited those lots, I keep a record, my journal of all cars I viewed the best one and when i say best I mean the biggest joke was this one:

honda jazz 2007 - 201000 km - 1 years after sales support, more dents than amir khans head after he got KO'D last week for 350'000 baht

then this joker pulled out his phone and suggested because he had a picture of some english guy with his family buying an Frontrunner type SUV vehicle that i should trust him. the guy had his kid in his arms next to his wife and the sales guy and the front of the car.

I see a lot of decent deals on kaidee the search can be performed in english on that and seems a lot of normal thai folk just looking to sell their car, I do not see many expats selling, if you are allowed to list some popular sites where I might find such sellers I will certainly take a look.

Many thanks

[starky]

Hello mate. One good or bad thing depending on what side of the fence your on is that 2 nd hand cars don't lose much value over time here as you are finding out. If you are looking for a falang owned 2nd hand car try a site like bahtsold almost all the cars on there will be foreign owned. Better yet, if you can afford it, buy a new car in your name (very easy) and if it goes pear shaped be happy in the knowledge that she won't get it and you will get a decent price should you decide to sell. Also first class insurance here is top notch so if she does have a bingle you can get it fixed without affecting your premiums too much. Good luck. Cheers.

[jonw8uk]

2011 ford fiesta 1.6S going for 300K, with <21000 kms on the clock?

Its in Bangkok though

Hi Jon

is it your car? I am in BKK next thursday.

to confirm that is 21k km on the clock?

R

PM'd you with details.

Although I'm planning a road trip leaving thursday afternoon....!

[GinBoy2]

I'm not going to comment on the personal side of this, enough have done already.

My thought is on the issue of used cars here in Thailand. In general the level of maintenance is appalling on the whole, and used vehicles can, do, have a pretty awful service history, and hence on-going service problems.

The price asked for used cars is also usually outrageous compared to what you would experience in the west for a similar used car. So if it was me; shell out a little more for the cheapest possible new car you can afford, and save yourself a heap of on-going maintenance related problems.

[Colabamumbai]

I bought a used car in Kalasin, privately. I was told that it carried insurance, I was involved in an accident, my fault. Then I was told because of the age of the car it did not carry insurance. I had to pay damages to the uninsured.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....good luck......

[MikeOwen]

I have read a thousand stories, I read them for about 18 months prior to visiting thailand as a friend of mine was living out here and his story was a truly awful one too. If you like someone, you like someone, I spent 7 years with a woman in London and we knocked it on the head, I paid for the holidays and all the other crap, should I think now, I have been mugged off? we fell out of love plain and simple I am not going to force it. Here in thailand I do not see it any differently but your words are wise, only put in what you are prepared to lose so I do calculate the risk but no differently to anywhere in the world.

Can i ask a question because there does seem to be some cautious people here by the ways some are proposing of protecting yourself against loss etc. and one chap who suggested to find a different GF if my mrs got out of line.

All these stories I read I sometimes think well maybe the bloke was a bit of a ladies man, thought he could have his cake and eat it type?

Do you get my drift, I mean if my mrs caught me with someone else I would expect to be mugged off in all manner of ways, no matter what country you are in or her nationality.

Want he asking for advice about a car ???? Not his relationship !!

[williet98248]

As you are finding out when you post on Thai forums there will be the usual advice from people on how to run your private life! I guess there are a lot of insecure people here who worry about getting ripped off by the "commodity" they have living with them, least ways that's the way they must treat them to feel so insecure.

Not much help in buying a car though, probably most don't have enough money to run one? There commodity has run off with the money as they treat them like ...........

Buying a second hand car here is probably a little different to what you are used too, the reality is used cars are over priced though the price has come down in the last couple of years, everywhere you go in Thailand you will see huge lots with lots of cars for sale at unrealistic prices, a lot will be repossessed, they put a minimum payment down, drive them off then find out they can't afford to pay for them, neither could they afford to maintain them, most likely they didn't have a clue how to drive them either, so buyer beware!

Best bet is to find a car with some sort of proven history, buy from an expat if possible, look on the different forums, there are usually cars for sale & remember its a buyers market, people generally ask far too much for their vehicles here.

Good luck.

Go on the internet for Thailand used car classified ads. Craigslist, ThaiVisa classified, Thai baht/sold, etc. Find a decent car for sale by a private owner. Download a Used Car Checklist and take a good look at the car or have a good mechanic check it out. Hold back a last payment until the Blue book is transferred. It has been my experience that in general a farang will take better care and maintenance of an older used car. 250K baht is going to buy an older used car. I have purchased three older cars from Thais and have had to correct lack of maintenance on all three. One car had three different size tires on it!

[TSF]

2 years ago I bought myself a brand new car (Mitsu Triton ute) and at the same time I bought my TGF a brand new Honda 110cc motorcycle. She has her own wheels to get around and go shopping, whenever we go away anywhere it's in the car and I drive. There's absolutely no need for 2 cars.

[amykat]

If you don't put the car in your name, do you have a backup plan for when your g/f takes a loan against the car??

You may need to buy the car back on a yearly basis.

[CGW]

2 years ago I bought myself a brand new car (Mitsu Triton ute) and at the same time I bought my TGF a brand new Honda 110cc motorcycle. She has her own wheels to get around and go shopping, whenever we go away anywhere it's in the car and I drive. There's absolutely no need for 2 cars.

We have two cars! we "absolutely" need them as we have different agendas at times. I refuse to let my gf ride a motorcycle as I don't consider her riding or motorcycles the safest mode of transport available.

[gandalf12]

Buy a new car. With a second hand car the previous owner sold it or is selling it for a reason and maybe that reason is a costly one for you. At least with a new car you have the manufacturers back up and you should get full insurance cover within the price. I know some people on here have said they didn't get the insurance but I can only speak from my experience and I have always had full insurance supplied within the price for 1 year

[Caca4u]

Put money down and finance a new car under her name. If things dont work out in the future u can walk away

[bdenner]

I had 2 new drivers at the same time, TW and her 20 yo Daughter. My solution was not negotiable and the same applied to both my own Daughters.

I bought a "learners" car, Toyota Vios, in TWs name (my own pickup is in her name also) at an auction, 150K Baht plus about 50K bringing it up to scratch, plus 1st class insurance. The deal is they must complete a full year without a prang, of any sort, to become eligible for a new car. In June they will have had it 2 years with another 7 months before I have to fill my promise -- if they make it that far.

In the early days TW hit a bike with 2 juveniles (they were OK). Insurance claim with fault based at 50 - 50. Although, IMHO, the Daughter is the better driver she has had 2 prangs reversing into a tree then a post. Didn't bother repairing these as a constant reminder to em both.

BTW, I bought my Daughters an old 440 series Volvo which they hated with a vengeance but it did a great job, survived the year without a scratch -- they wanted out ASAP -- 55555. My mate bought it for his own kids.

Edited May 14, 2016 by bdenner

[donmuang37]

I trust my wife completely because she has earned it. BUT I have registered both our cart in my name because:

1. If stopped by police I don't have to explain it's my wifes' car and I have permission and...

2. If anything happens to her, the cars are mine and nobody in her family can try to claim them.

Register the car in your name and get first class insurance. CYA

[tomwct]

If she needs a car, her salary from her job should take care of the payments. Put down 10% on a small new car, 60,000 THB and finance

for 7 years. Your lady should be able to make the payments. Then if she leaves you, she is stuck with the car payments and you

can walk away.

[CGW]

I trust my wife completely because she has earned it. BUT I have registered both our cart in my name because:

1. If stopped by police I don't have to explain it's my wifes' car and I have permission and...

2. If anything happens to her, the cars are mine and nobody in her family can try to claim them.

Register the car in your name and get first class insurance. CYA

I have a different view point purely from selfish reasons!

1. If stopped by the police they don't care who's car it is, I have no idea how many times I have been stopped by police, they have never questioned ownership, if the car is involved in an accident the car is in her name, if caught on a speed camera again, car is in her name, lot easier for her to sort than me!

2. If anything happens the least of my worries would be who ends up with the cars!

100% yes, get first class insurance

[coxo]

If your in Issan have a look on the classifieds on 'Udonmap.com', you will get an expat car. Forget after sales service from a Thai trader, non existent once the money is in his hand.

[jonw8uk]

I bought a used car in Kalasin, privately. I was told that it carried insurance, I was involved in an accident, my fault. Then I was told because of the age of the car it did not carry insurance. I had to pay damages to the uninsured.

You bought a car and didn't check - i mean confirm 100% - what cover you had?! Live and learn I guess. Big pay out?

Buy a new car. With a second hand car the previous owner sold it or is selling it for a reason and maybe that reason is a costly one for you. At least with a new car you have the manufacturers back up and you should get full insurance cover within the price. I know some people on here have said they didn't get the insurance but I can only speak from my experience and I have always had full insurance supplied within the price for 1 year

people here seem to perpetuate this myth that buying a 2nd hand car here is a bad decision. Sure there are lemons out there, and just like anywhere you have to do your due diligence inspecting and checking the cars condition/history.

Some of that is hard - Theres no service like HPI (uk car check service that checks history/claims/finance etc) and most insurance companies won't divulge claim history for privacy reasons. (on a side note, a similar HPI service here I think would make a good business).

Not all thais treat their cars like shit, some are enthusiasts.

I'd never buy from a tent seller here, just like back home, it's a backstreet business and some will scam you for what they can, and like the OP, I'd never consider an older Jazz with 200k+ kms!!

Some (most) people sell their cars because they want something newer/better/bigger/faster/flashier etc etc, not because it's a cut n shut

I guess who you are buying from, and what car you are buying is important - I recently bought a car from a thai guy, private sale; it's a 2014. I viewed at a local dealer the same model/year and they wanted 500k more, and I saved 1.2 million over buying new. Car still has over 2.5 years warranty left.

Bad decision?