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[HughJass]

I would like to buy a car here in Thailand but when i check out the classifieds I see people wanting up to 200,000 baht for a clapped out 15 year old car with a quarter of a million km on the clock and unknown history

I have therefore decided to put a deposit on a small car and pay the 6000 baht a month HP payment but would like others opinion on which car to choose in the 400,000 baht range

the choices seem to be

Mazda 2

Suzuki Swift

Honda Brio

Mitsubishi Mirage

Nissan March

which of these cars is the best for all round value,performance and reliability in your opinion?

also any good deals etc happening in the Chiang mai area

[PoolHustler]

You should look at the Nissan Almeira..........or is it too big for your needs

[funcat]

Almera is the best value of it's size and very good fuel economy...

[transam]

My pals new March had rust under the hood after a few months.

[culicine]

transam, on 2012-05-23 19:30:46, said:

My pals new March had rust under the hood after a few months.

do you mean the hood itself or the engine bay? You will notice they do not properly spray the engine bay of these eco cars. I wonder if this might promote corrosion over the long term.

I terms of economy, the mitsubishi mirage seems to have the best fuel economy of the lot, based on an article on headlightmag.com, but there wasn't much in it. I don't really like it styling though. I do like the suzuki swift, and looks the most upmarket of all the eco cars so far. Rather powerful for a 1.2 (91HP or so) so I don't think the economy will match the almera/march though.

[JeffreyMcCollum]

I have 2 Nissan Marchs.  the auto and a import from japan  Never any trouble with them.  Yet now my wife wants the Suzuki and went to look at it and it seems slightly roomier and more powerful at a slightly higher price than the local March.  I bet she will end up with one within the year

[phl]

i could be wrong but all the cars you mentioned are more like in 500 000 range.
Swift was more like close to 600000

The only ones i saw under 500K was KIA and Cherry

[HughJass]

phl, on 2012-05-23 21:32:46, said:

i could be wrong but all the cars you mentioned are more like in 500 000 range.
Swift was more like close to 600000

The only ones i saw under 500K was KIA and Cherry

the Brio,March and Mirage are all under 400k for the base model..i think u are right about the other two

[culicine]

HughJass, on 2012-05-23 21:49:18, said:

phl, on 2012-05-23 21:32:46, said:

i could be wrong but all the cars you mentioned are more like in 500 000 range.
Swift was more like close to 600000

The only ones i saw under 500K was KIA and Cherry

the Brio,March and Mirage are all under 400k for the base model..i think u are right about the other two

Yes some hit the 550K mark, but you get what you pay for at this price point - like no radio and wind up windows in the base manual versions for your 400K. I think there is no manual in the swift though. Swift is definitely the nicest looking of the bunch' pity there aren't many service centres around!

[phl]

culicine, on 2012-05-23 22:12:19, said:

HughJass, on 2012-05-23 21:49:18, said:

phl, on 2012-05-23 21:32:46, said:

i could be wrong but all the cars you mentioned are more like in 500 000 range.
Swift was more like close to 600000

The only ones i saw under 500K was KIA and Cherry

the Brio,March and Mirage are all under 400k for the base model..i think u are right about the other two

Yes some hit the 550K mark, but you get what you pay for at this price point - like no radio and wind up windows in the base manual versions for your 400K. I think there is no manual in the swift though. Swift is definitely the nicest looking of the bunch' pity there aren't many service centres around!

At the last mini motor show in pattaya, they had swift and it was 630K, yes indeed nice looking HOWEVER as you mentioned
service center
parts
resale
maintenance

all of the above is a bit of a problem.

i think OP should choose the one which offers the most in his/her price range or if thinking long term chose the one which holds the value best-honda

[skybluestu]

JeffreyMcCollum, on 2012-05-23 21:11:47, said:

I have 2 Nissan Marchs.  the auto and a import from japan  Never any trouble with them.  Yet now my wife wants the Suzuki and went to look at it and it seems slightly roomier and more powerful at a slightly higher price than the local March.  I bet she will end up with one within the year

I'll take that bet, one of my colleagues enquired about a Swift a few weeks ago and was told early 2013 for delivery! Quite a popular little motor.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

[kartman]

Swift will be the most sought after Eco Car S/H and prices asked will be in keeping with that .

[PattayaParent]

phl, on 2012-05-23 21:32:46, said:

i could be wrong but all the cars you mentioned are more like in 500 000 range.
Swift was more like close to 600000

The only ones i saw under 500K was KIA and Cherry

Proton too.

Mazda 2 looks the nicest and I like the look of the Swift, it reminds me of a Mini.

Edited by PattayaParent, 2012-05-24 16:46:01.

[aussiebebe]

PoolHustler, on 2012-05-23 11:32:36, said:

You should look at the Nissan Almeira..........or is it too big for your needs

I'd second that. Some of the cars on the OP's list are frighteningly small - no offense to any Brio owners on the forum but seriously! The Almera is the same size as my Honda City and after taking one for a test drive, it's a testament to what can be accomplished with good design and modern engineering.
I agree with the OP regarding outrageous second-hand car prices - I looked at the Toyota Sure website and there is a 2006 Toyota Vios with over 140,000km for 418k - you couldn't make it up. Anyone even considering that over an Almera needs to take a good, long look at themselves in the mirror.

[culicine]

phl, on 2012-05-23 22:35:49, said:

culicine, on 2012-05-23 22:12:19, said:

HughJass, on 2012-05-23 21:49:18, said:

phl, on 2012-05-23 21:32:46, said:

i could be wrong but all the cars you mentioned are more like in 500 000 range.
Swift was more like close to 600000

The only ones i saw under 500K was KIA and Cherry

the Brio,March and Mirage are all under 400k for the base model..i think u are right about the other two

Yes some hit the 550K mark, but you get what you pay for at this price point - like no radio and wind up windows in the base manual versions for your 400K. I think there is no manual in the swift though. Swift is definitely the nicest looking of the bunch' pity there aren't many service centres around!

At the last mini motor show in pattaya, they had swift and it was 630K, yes indeed nice looking HOWEVER as you mentioned
service center
parts
resale
maintenance

all of the above is a bit of a problem.

i think OP should choose the one which offers the most in his/her price range or if thinking long term chose the one which holds the value best-honda

I think the swift you saw was the outgoing 1.5 litre model, as the the new ecocar is 1.2 litre and is about 560K if I recall correctly. The old model seems to hold value judging by what dealers are asking for. I think it will be popular as it looks sharper than the other brands.

[transam]

culicine, on 2012-05-23 20:54:27, said:

transam, on 2012-05-23 19:30:46, said:

My pals new March had rust under the hood after a few months.

do you mean the hood itself or the engine bay? You will notice they do not properly spray the engine bay of these eco cars. I wonder if this might promote corrosion over the long term.

I terms of economy, the mitsubishi mirage seems to have the best fuel economy of the lot, based on an article on headlightmag.com, but there wasn't much in it. I don't really like it styling though. I do like the suzuki swift, and looks the most upmarket of all the eco cars so far. Rather powerful for a 1.2 (91HP or so) so I don't think the economy will match the almera/march though.

It was a March CVT, great wee car to drive but the cross panel where the hood latch is had rust after a few months, and the paint thickness wasn't even a hairs breath. Would worry me if l wanted the thing for a few years.

[JimShortz]

transam, on 2012-05-23 19:30:46, said:

My pals new March had rust under the hood after a few months.

My 18 month old March has no rust under the hood, and I am extremely happy with what I got for 430,000 Baht (5 speed manual with reasonable spec and pearl white paint). I think your friend was very unlucky and got a "Friday afternoon" car, or maybe one of the first made here - when they were still practising!  

Has he taken it back to Nissan? I certainly would have...

If I was buying now, in that price range, I would most certainly be test driving the Almera. That car seems like an incredible deal to me (unless you live in the mountains and need more power).

[transam]

JimShortz, on 2012-05-25 15:27:45, said:

transam, on 2012-05-23 19:30:46, said:

My pals new March had rust under the hood after a few months.

My 18 month old March has no rust under the hood, and I am extremely happy with what I got for 430,000 Baht (5 speed manual with reasonable spec and pearl white paint). I think your friend was very unlucky and got a "Friday afternoon" car, or maybe one of the first made here - when they were still practising!  

Has he taken it back to Nissan? I certainly would have...

If I was buying now, in that price range, I would most certainly be test driving the Almera. That car seems like an incredible deal to me (unless you live in the mountains and need more power).

The daft sod put paint on it when l told him to back it.

[culicine]

transam, on 2012-05-25 19:32:36, said:

JimShortz, on 2012-05-25 15:27:45, said:

transam, on 2012-05-23 19:30:46, said:

My pals new March had rust under the hood after a few months.

My 18 month old March has no rust under the hood, and I am extremely happy with what I got for 430,000 Baht (5 speed manual with reasonable spec and pearl white paint). I think your friend was very unlucky and got a "Friday afternoon" car, or maybe one of the first made here - when they were still practising!  

Has he taken it back to Nissan? I certainly would have...

If I was buying now, in that price range, I would most certainly be test driving the Almera. That car seems like an incredible deal to me (unless you live in the mountains and need more power).

The daft sod put paint on it when l told him to back it.

House paint at that...lol very ghetto:)

Yeah should have gone back to the dealer with that:) I'll take another look but I think the suzuki has a fully pained engine bay, but not sure.

[possum1931]

I bought a Toyota Corona 1600 fitted with LPG from Ex Pat Motors in Bang Na about two years ago for 16000 Baht, Yes, it is more than 15 years old, but has been very reliable. The owner is Farang from the UK, and he is always there at the end of the phone if I ever want any advice from him. I would definately recommend this company.