shopping used cars

[mangon1947]

Is there any thing like the certified pre-owned vehicle program here in Thailand? Seems that most auto companies in the USA had some kind of certified program.

I have been told b y my wife and relatives that used cars here are no good and the only way to go is to get a new car. But, I don't really have the money for a new one and don't want to take the large hit in value once the car becomes used.

Thanks,
Ed

[Irish Alan]

2 suggestions Ed... Check Bahtsold.com... You may get a good deal from a 1 owner fahlang owned used car. There is a popular place on the road to Nong Khai that both fahlang and Thais go to. La Nissa (Sp.) They have very good conditioned used vehicles. Unlike some places, prices are clearly marked.

[wiking]

off course your wife don t want a second-hand, she do not want to loose face, she has farang,
wenn I say to my, if something wrong with secondhand, I would never take you.

no jokes more

all cars has a blue book, you can see all the other owner
and you can take the car, to a garage and let them look it before

[beer monkey]

Is there any thing like the certified pre-owned vehicle program here in Thailand? Seems that most auto companies in the USA had some kind of certified program.

I have been told b y my wife and relatives that used cars here are no good and the only way to go is to get a new car. But, I don't really have the money for a new one and don't want to take the large hit in value once the car becomes used.

Thanks,
Ed

Would partially agree that SOME where not that good especially for the price tag....but more likely 9 times out of 10 they only want a shiny new one so everyone can see they have a new car..!!

Not sure of prices in these bad times but would of thought there are some good buys to be had with some selling up and moving on, people not being able to make payments each month etc....'certified pre-owned program'....don't think so, but don't be worried about used there are some very well looked after low klm vehicles out there, if in doubt or you simply don't know the first thing about cars/trucks take an experienced trustworthy friend along to give it a close look at....or arrange a reliable garage to give it the once over.

check the classifieds on here every week, a few pop up on there.

[UdonExpat]

My brother in law sells used cars and a couple of guys I know have bought from him. One car had some minor problems that the bil took care of, the other no complaints. And yes, I recommend him. I've even bought 2 vehicles through him.

Car repairs for models made here in Thailand are very cheap. Parts make up the biggest part of most repairs. So imported parts cost more than local. Buy Toyota, Honda or Isuzu for the best resale value.

I think BMW has a certified used car program in Thailand. Don't know of any others.

[jetdoc]

Just bought a new Ford, and was offered 250,000 trade in for our 2005 Nissan with 86,000K's but a friend wanted the Nissan and we traded his 2005 Ford and he gave us the difference. We bought the Nissan new and had all maintenance records, The ford was purchased about 6 months ago for about 220,000 and had only 69,000K's but was straight, clean, and ran very good. Good used vehicles are available. Interestingly we financed The Nissan with help of friends, same company is financing the new Ford, no co-signers necessary. Wife's situation hasn't changed but now she has a very good credit rating;o)

[Aardvark]

As a matter of interest jetdoc, (sorry mods) what did you pay for the new Ranger....?

[jetdoc]

Ranger XLT 3.0 TDci = 697,000baht BUT I'm adding some goodies, so should be a bit under 800k all in.

[Pakawala]

Hey Mangon1947, you in luck!! I'm headed back to the US for a year or possibly 2 and there's no need for me to keep my 2003 Ford Ranger, 4 dr, 4WD with covered bed. I've got one friend who is willing to lease it for 6 months of the year (he's here only 3 months at a time) and I've told him yes... if I can't sell it. Why not PM me and we'll get together to have a chat?

[billyjacob60]

A 3 point zero could be so nice to the cars. Used cars are really more affordable that new one.

[douglas]

Hi,
Shopped around for a used car when I first came here. Prices were sky high compared to back home. IMO it is best to buy a new car, then you are not taking on anyone else's troubles, unless you know the owner personally. Garages can tart up a car to look very good, and do it cheaply. If buying a new car, just been down to Toyota to get mine serviced, and they are doing a H.P. deal with O% interest. Keep your money in your home bank, where you get interest and save some money, and they have a good warranty on the car. There are other garages doing the same but I've only had experiences with Toyota, which are very good.
By the way when I was shopping for my car I was looking at second hand cars at first, and the Thai. wife was quite happy with a second hand one. Not all Thais are the same. In the long run I vetoed the second hand model because of the above,and bought a new Toyota, 5 year or 100,000K warranty, done 70K now with no problems.
Cheers Doug.

[Chriss]

Also if buying a second hand car beware of cut and shut's, where they weld together the front of one to the back of another. I know an Englidsh guy (he's gone home now) who unknowingly bought one, only when he had a slight fender bender did the repairing garage tell him....
Personally I've only bought new trucks but did look around for a second hand one a few years back to carry stock for the wifes old shops, decided not to buy one given the cost. Looked at a couple of Toyota Tiger's on the Nong Khai road, marked up at 500-525K bht with 100+km's on the clock, a new Toyota Vigo was 590K bht, insurance and registration was free in the purchase deal, so bought the new one.

[parrot]

We sold our 8+ year old Toyota Tiger (3.0 liter 2 door space cab) 2 years ago for 240000. We bought it new for 525000, tax, title, insurance and a few extras. Looking at it that way, suddenly the price of a truck is rather cheap.

[Johnlewis82]

I am getting posted to Thailand for next two years. I need to buy a used car in sale. Don't know how much it costs in Thailand as I am from US. Can anyone help me with few details about the used car dealer and other procedure like tax, insurance and transfer of the car. I am looking to go with a Toyota model as I had a great experience with my earlier Prius.

[Bear Lek]

Hi
Used car market in thailand is a minefield of buraucracy and risk.
Many thais buy cars on finance and end up with them being re posesed. You need to be very sure of the ownership of a used car!! The recorded keeper has to go with you to the department of vehicle office in order to transfer tile!
In order to register a car in thailand as a foreigner you will need an address and proper visa, amongst other things, Last months udon map book had an article about the necessary paperwork, and the contact details of a lady who can help you deal with this.
You will often find that foreigners cars are registered in their thai partners name as it drastically reduces paperwork, obviously this poses risks of its own.....
As for prices..... well most 2 year old cars are nearly as exspensive as a new one!
It would seem that there is no compulsory testing of used vehicles until they are 5 years old, and with the condition of the roads outside of towns, most cars are well battered! Then you need a certificate in order to apply for vehicle liscence, this also covers basic 3rd party liability insurance.
This is probably why most people buy new!
It might be worth considering renting as most companies offer a good deal for long term rental, much less paperwork and you dont have the repair bills and hassle of selling when your work contract is up.
Contact Danny at Lek car rental for a good deal, he is a straight talking englishman!

[BobHelm]

Bear Lek makes some good points John - it does all depend on the monthly costs though.
The used car market is a real lottery in Thailand - it is most places, but there is often some legal protection which you will not find here.
The other thing that you have to consider is that (without difficulty) you will need to pay cash, rather than finance.
It is far easier to get finance on a new vehicle, but there are still sometimes 'difficulties'.
I have not seen a Prius in Udon, the standard Toyota car models available in Udon are:
Yaris, Altis, Vios, Camery
Here is a site to give you an idea of new prices. As Bear Lek says second hand cars hold their value exceeding well so the discount on buying 'nearly new' is very small.
http://www.toyota.co.th/en/product_index.htm

[FrazeeDK]

in checking about Udon and attending a few "repo" car sales run by banks I've found that used car pricing is ridiculously high. The only thing I could attribute this to is that the banks/loan companies that re-possess cars are dead set on "getting their money back".. I would reckon that the used car dealers also pay a premium for used cars so increase their sales price to increase profits. Add to all that a used car industry with no standards and you're liable to buy one that looks great only to find in the long term it was under 2 meters of water during this year's great floods..

I agree with most of the posters.. Buy new...

[gigibar]

hello
my wife wants to buy a car
back in Thailand next month
someone can tell me a good used car dealer in or near udon.
thanks

[kopkei]

if you compare prices second hand cars in thailand , they are much to expensive compared to prices abroad, as you can see in the classified ads here , they are selling 14-15 year old cars for 180.000- 240.000 bath , which you can buy abroad for about 40.000-60.000 bath , if you would try to sell at the thai prices abroad , the car would be sinking in the floor before anybody come look,( unsalable) many times they sell a 4 year old car almost same price or not much difference as it was bought new or still can buy new...TIT again...

[grozza]

heading to nong khai from udon there are a lot of dealers we bought a nissan navara dual cab pickup 2007 model second hand from i think it was called siam phut it was on the left hand side heading to nong khai,sorry not to sure of the spelling.
just remember if you have cash your bargaining power will increase we knocked 50,000 baht off our car with cash,mind you they still probably made a killing out of us.good luck