Buying a car in Thailand - advice please

After many years of living without a car in Thailand, I am about to get one. I just want to tootle around Pattaya and the coast plus the odd trip to Bangkok and the airport.

I want something robust for my safety, having seen average Thai driving skills. It should also be inexpensive as it will spend most of it's life parked and depreciating. After an initial look around I am considering:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1609/8571041/15911717/249588620.jpg

Honda Jazz - c 680,000 THB - This is a delightfully clever super mini and I was fixed on buying one until a Thai friend said that when Thais see one after a crash they say "made of tissue paper" Neighbours recently changed from a Honda Civic to a CRV with safety in mind.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1609/8571041/15911717/249588619.jpg

Honda CRV, 2WD - c 1,200,000 THB - This would be ideal but is a bit more than I want to spend for such light usage

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1609/8571041/15911717/249588622.jpg

Toyota Avanza 1.5 - c 659,000 THB - This may be a bit basic but does fill all my requirements perfectly and reviews I have read are all enthusiastic. I saw it at Carrefour Pattaya. It's no beauty. My current car of choice. http://www.toyota.com.ph/cars/new_cars/ ... /index.asp (http://www.toyota.com.ph/cars/new_cars/avanza_tmp_2006/index.asp)

I would appreciate any advice or suggestion to alternatives.

After many years of living without a car in Thailand, I am about to get one. I just want to tootle around Pattaya and the coast plus the odd trip to Bangkok and the airport.

I want something robust for my safety, having seen average Thai driving skills. It should also be inexpensive as it will spend most of it's life parked and depreciating. After an initial look around I am considering:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1609/8571041/15911717/249588620.jpg

Honda Jazz - c 680,000 THB - This is a delightfully clever super mini and I was fixed on buying one until a Thai friend said that when Thais see one after a crash they say "made of tissue paper" Neighbours recently changed from a Honda Civic to a CRV with safety in mind.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1609/8571041/15911717/249588619.jpg

Honda CRV, 2WD - c 1,200,000 THB - This would be ideal but is a bit more than I want to spend for such light usage

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1609/8571041/15911717/249588622.jpg

Toyota Avanza 1.5 - c 659,000 THB - This may be a bit basic but does fill all my requirements perfectly and reviews I have read are all enthusiastic. I saw it at Carrefour Pattaya. It's no beauty. My current car of choice. http://www.toyota.com.ph/cars/new_cars/ ... /index.asp (http://www.toyota.com.ph/cars/new_cars/avanza_tmp_2006/index.asp)

I would appreciate any advice or suggestion to alternatives.


Buy in Bangkok. Anywhere else cars are usually more expensive.

Costs for new Honda and Toyota models used for taxi are between 650000 and 750000 TBT including many extras. Service charges on these models are usually pretty low; anything is easy to fix. You might not loose much money if you’re going to sell the car at any time later on.

Car sales are down by 20 percent this year. You might be able to bargain.

The Thai like big cars. Even they cannot afford it.

Any estimate on how much insurance would cost for such cars? I'm assuming that the higher the value of the vehicle, the higher the insurance premium. So, for example, how much for the first two cars listed in the OP?

[Boxer]

I bought a second hand Jazz DSI last year and find it great for just what you want to do with trips up north also.
I paid 500000 for a 6 mth old, one farang owner with service book etc. from a grage off Sukhumvit, a bit of a gamble I know but saved 200000 baht from new to see if i liked it or not, and to get bf passed test. We love it! Repairs are easy and very cheap, panels are light but at 2000 baht each no problem if scratched etc. to repair. Insurance is 16-18000 per year full Comp on mine. You are tall Wowpow so try one first, hire one. If you buy new have a white one and I will buy it off you in 6 mths haha! One more thing the DSI is 88 HP better to have the V-TEC one 105 HP about 710000 baht if you buy new, you will notice a difference to the good on longer journeys just that bit of UMMF in over taking. New / Secondhand? You take your choice and can get a car check by an expert too i believe but i hate the thought of driving out of a garage in a new car on that first day and loosing 100000 baht minimum cos you have a second hand car then. Good market in Jazz cars if not from hire market.

Can anyone recommend somewhere "honest" in Pattya that could do a check on a second hand car to ensure no rip off was taking place?

[Boxer]

Well I clipped this from Pattaya Today a couple of months ago.
Vehicle Inspection report for cars....etc
by retired UK inspector H.G.V. certificate of Professional Competence
call 084 726 38 68

Also Mick at Cafe Royale did know of a Thai guy who could be trusted if I remember right.
Call in and ask him most nights in bar.

Wowpow,

Any of you guys looking for similar to wowpow, including import/export, try looking under expatmotors.co.th Any problems, give us a shout. They deal in many types of vehicles, new, nearly new, Good contact.

They even get new vehicles cheaper and sell cheaper than the garages are quoting. VERY informative website. English and Thai contacts!


Good luck,



Kevin.

[Hmmm]

My boyfriend has his heart set on the Toyota Vios. He obviously thinks it's the type of classy looking car that a self-respecting gay Thai boy should be seen in (a BMW being out of the question $$$-wise). It may even have wheels, but I suspect that's of secondary importance to him. About the same price.

[Dick]

Mr. Wowpow
The What Car site may prove useful.
Reviews for car of the year by class, plus reviews available for new and second hand models.
What Car of the year & Reviews (http://www.whatcar.com/news-special-report.aspx?NA=223730)

Gentlemen of our age class should not be crawling in and out of baht buses. Get a car by all means possible. Anything.
After years of baht buses I have had an old car (new ones get torn up so fast here) for some years and I quite like the old carnival 'bumper car' type of driving here in the extreme city. cheers

DELETED

Ah Ha,

You mean Budget John! :idea: :idea:

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

I can see you in either of these and certainly neither is likely to get stolen. You may have trouble fitting in one of you body builders though.
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/jono2007_2007/tank11.jpg
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/jono2007_2007/noddy-pedal-car-lg.jpg

DELETED

"And I know a company that gives excellent service at a fantastic rate cheers" quote Mr Botting
Is it a secret or can you publish their details?

==================================

I went to showrooms today.

The Honda one surprised me as they only has Jazz and CRV on display. Mr Suchart seems a consummate salesman and speaks fluent English. The longer you talk with him the nearer suggestions get to your stated needs. If I go for a Jazz it will be the V-TEC V(AT)AS at 667,000 thb which has 2 airbags + ABS brakes. No brochures on Jazz or CRV just a price list with unexplained codes to guess. I was rather taken aback to find that they sell cars with no airbags. The Thai website is very good, if slow to load, and does have full details of all cars in English. There is a new City coming out soon?

The Toyota dealership astounded me. They had only 1 car on show, a Vios, 1.5 S/A Limited which was definitely short on leg room for me. No brochures, or car specifications, delivery dates unsure only a price list with unexplained codes. One can download the brochure from the Thai website but only in Thai.

Carrefour Mini Motor show had the Toyota Freedom a massive beast, the Vios and the Avanza on display. The Avanza looks much like a big butch safe Jazz though the interior seems dated and unsophisticated. I was about to buy the 639,000 baht one when I saw that it did not have airbags. With airbags it's 689,000 but you get an alarm, ABS brakes and remote locking thrown in. A young lady dealt with us and, to be honest, I thought "who could buy a car from this woman who speaks very little English and knows very little about cars" I know it's not her fault as she is not trained but I went in to buy a car and left not buying one.

Surely someone somewhere has the sense to hold back one brochure and specification and put it in plastic folders so that they have a sales aid when brochures have run out? Maybe it's deliberate so that customers cannot ask technical questions?

Surely someone somewhere has the sense to hold back one brochure and specification and put it in plastic folders so that they have a sales aid when brochures have run out? Maybe it's deliberate so that customers cannot ask technical questions?


Maybe its deliberate because...................They know the staff can't answer them!!!!

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

if you aren't interested in the Noddy car then check out the Toyota Yaris. I used one for 3 months..fab car..you won't do better.

[Up2U]

I have friend who is very happy with his Honda CR-V. Also, consider the Mitsubishi Triton pickup double-cab. Roomy, surprisingly smooth and quiet for a turbo-diesel. Trucks get tax advantages in Thailand too.

I had a Toyota Tercel for 14 years in Hong Kong. OK I had a good relationship with my organisation's fleet manager and he kept it running by outsourcing maintenance, for a song.

Coming back to blighty I tolerated being ripped of by a near monopoly Peugeot dealer for six years before getting a Japanese built Toyota Yaris six year ago. Yaris is great but small for taking my skis to Gatwick etc.

Mr. Livingstone is forcing me to look at driving a battery around. The capital outlay for a Prius or the Hybrid Civic isn't justified but the Prius is more refined than the best Yaris - luxury and a clear conscience.

I can get a Prius in a matter of weeks. Whether I can get a test drive for a Honda Civic hybrid in a few months is debatable. This makes me think that when I'm dealing with the maintenance and parts availability system Toyota is a better bet than Honda. I have great faith in Japanese engineering and their ability to float massive complex persistent organisations for the remainder of my life. Toyota have a greater depth of commitment to Thailand than Honda and for that reason I'd lean towards their product if I were there.

Meanwhile I'll notice that my Yaris depreciation is getting lower and lower as I tend to keep the beggars on the road and only occasionally get surprise bills.

I thought I would check up on the safety of the vehicles that I am considering as the Jazz is the obvious choice for me apart from that.

I see that the Jazz is called the Fit in the USA.

http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ ... =1&id2=188 (http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/details.php?id1=1&id2=188)

Surprisingly this European semi official agency gives both the Jazz and the Honda CRV 4 stars out of five for Adult passenger safety.

Child safety is better in the CRV and pedestrian safety better in the Jazz but only one star difference in either.

Recent models seem to have higher standards than older ones - pre 2001.

Interesting.

Actually, the Jazz (or FIT as it's called in the States) got very good crash test results. In the US it comes standard with side airbags. Not sure about in thailand. but I believe so. Side impacts are more important than front airbags as side impacts are much more common than headons and many more people die each year from side impacts. Don't buy a new car without them. The FIT is so popular in the US nowdays, you have a hard time getting your hands on one (what with the price of gas going up daily).
I plan on getting a Jazz when I move to thailand (but I'll put it in my BFs name, and will let him do most of the city driving. Even for an LA guy, Bangkok traffic scares me to death). The Toyota Yaris runs a poor second in most automobile reviews.

Jake, your post is all about safety and you state
The Toyota Yaris runs a poor second in most automobile reviews.

However, the UK based "What Car", previously cited in this thread rates the Yaris at 4 star for safety but the

What Car Jazz report only awards 3 stars to the Jazz.

Perhaps the safety features are very market specific.

Actually, I was referring to reviews on the car as a whole, not just safety. Most auto mags such as Road&Track and Car&Driver say the Jazz outperforms the Yaris in handling and power, and the Jazz has a much nicer looking and more versatile interior. The Yaris screams "Cheap" when you look inside, the Jazz has the look and features you would expect in a much more expensive model.

What I'd really like to have in Thailand is a Mini Cooper, but those ridicioulous import taxes double the price of the car.

Actually, I was referring to reviews on the car as a whole, not just safety. Most auto mags such as Road&Track and Car&Driver say the Jazz outperforms the Yaris in handling and power, and the Jazz has a much nicer looking and more versatile interior. The Yaris screams "Cheap" when you look inside, the Jazz has the look and features you would expect in a much more expensive model.

What I'd really like to have in Thailand is a Mini Cooper, but those ridicioulous import taxes double the price of the car.

What Car actually bundles together safety and security and mentions that their expert thief broke into the Jazz in 30 seconds so the grading may have more to do with that and less to do with crash safety.

In their listings of used Superminis they rate Yaris No 1 and the Jazz No 2.

The Yaris is cheaper than the Jazz but it is an impressive little car. I say little but inside feels big and I am 6'2". The engine is virtually silent and performance great. It will sell in millions but to my mind it looks a mini mini and the Jazz is a supermini and much more elegant.

Today I took the plunge and bought Jazz at the Pattaya Honda dealers. Tonight looking at the mass of potholes along Pattaya Second Road between the school and the Thapphaya Road junction - it looks like a scatter bomb was dropped - I wonder.

Hey wowpow,

They just announced a 20% discount, three year parts/labour and free insurance on the Yaris!