Posted 2006-09-26 05:35:12
 Kwarium, on 2006-09-25 07:03:43, said:
Using the example of 10 year old cars, here are three random samples of cars currently for sale on www ads... 
10 year old 4 cyl Toyota Camry, USA, $1,999 = ~76,000 Baht
http://www.automotiv...113/images.html
10 year old 4 cyl Toyota Camry, U.K., 2,399 = ~171,000 Baht
http://cars.yahoo.co...mry,Before_2002
10 year old 4 cyl Toyota Camry, Thailand, 365,000 Baht = ~US$9,605
http://www.taladrod.....aspx?cib=76343
I don't expect prices as low as in the car-centric US, but nearly 5 times more?  And they're generally in worse condition maintenance wise here. Using baht as a scale to measure how much I want a car, it maxes out about 200k worth! Guess I'll keep riding the scooter to market and flying home to Udon for holidays!
BTW- Just had my little 4 year old 112cc mc redone at the factory service center. Rings, piston, valve, brakes, clutch, even some new plastic; all for 4,500 baht! 
I love Thailand!
Try buying one of those Toyotas in the US or UK then ship them here and pay customs tax on them and you will find out buying one in Thailand is cheaper. I tried shipping one of my classic cars to Thailand. By the time I figured out shipping and customs it was 200% the value of the car. So I sold it and bought one in Thailand.
Posted 2006-10-06 03:03:48
rDrokit is right. 100kb is a big difference for a lot of thais.
Don't forget also that Thai car market is rather new. You can't see so many cars from the 80s for example. 10 years ago, it was still a luxury to own a car (i mean a real car and not a pick-up). It is therefore historically a big market to reach people earning much less revenues.
Anyway, don't get mad about these high 2nd prices. That's just perfect for you when you sell your 1st hand car to buy a new one.
Posted 2006-10-06 16:02:13
Kwarium, on 2006-09-25 21:03:43, said: Using the example of 10 year old cars, here are three random samples of cars currently for sale on www ads...
10 year old 4 cyl Toyota Camry, USA, $1,999 = ~76,000 Baht
http://www.automotiv...113/images.html
10 year old 4 cyl Toyota Camry, U.K., 2,399 = ~171,000 Baht
http://cars.yahoo.co...mry,Before_2002
10 year old 4 cyl Toyota Camry, Thailand, 365,000 Baht = ~US$9,605
http://www.taladrod.....aspx?cib=76343
I don't expect prices as low as in the car-centric US, but nearly 5 times more? And they're generally in worse condition maintenance wise here. Using baht as a scale to measure how much I want a car, it maxes out about 200k worth! Guess I'll keep riding the scooter to market and flying home to Udon for holidays!
It really depends. Maybe you happen to have the extra 300k lying around on some bank account. In that case, might as well drive them around and enjoy them, and when the time comes to sell the car get them back. Yes, you vastly overpaid for that used car, but then, the next guy you sell it to will overpay just as much.
If you have some more lying around, you almost need to get a new car. My friend just bought a brand-new Triton 4WD 2.5l. The interior is not as plush as the Fortuner - BUT it's still an excellent car and cost him just under 600k. And it has insane gas mileage, it gets 14 - 15km / liter.
You are right about maintainance, the used cars in Thailand generally are in very bad shape. Cheap repairs cut both ways... 
Posted 2006-10-06 16:09:13
Kwarium, on 2006-09-24 10:59:14, said: fxm88, on 2006-09-21 16:13:01, said:
What about flood damaged cars?
First, used cars are everywhere! Always at exorbitant prices compared to new car prices. Depreciation has no Thai translation apparently!
PS-Got a good car for ~100,000? 
First, get used to it: Used cars are insanely overpriced. Not just for farangs, in general. My wife's dad bought a 10 year old Suzuki for 400,000 Baht. It was a sweet car, but in very bad shape mechanically, we had to replace pretty much all expensive parts I can think of. From the steering wheel shaft to the auto transmission (50k!) to taking apart the entire engine and replacing some blown gasket (another 50k). And that was in 1 year of ownership.
For 500k Baht I would get a brand-new Toyota pick-up with 3 year warranty.
Does it make sense? No. But, this is Thailand.
Second, no you can't get a good car for 100k baht. No way, forget about it.
In fact, you can, but only if you invest 400k more and get a new car. That you can then sell in 2 years with almost no loss. So to play the market here, you have to get a new car, preferrably a pick-up. Or you buy a 1 year old car off a farang expat, that's even more efficient
[ps: in case you didn't read between the lines: thanks, dad, but please don't help us to buy a car again ]
Edited by nikster, 2006-10-06 16:10:25.
Posted 2006-10-06 20:24:06
teej, on 2006-09-18 22:04:16, said: Plus, on 2006-09-18 13:35:57, said:
I don't know of anything that interferes with market driven prices here.
There are plenty of Thai automagazines filled with ads for used cars, many print tables - make, model, year, price.
Why don't our expat motor guys clarify the issue?
Everybody here seems to be saying that its the Thais that over-value their cars, are greedy, etc. etc. etc... but i just had a look at the Expat Motors used cars for sale site, and I gotta say a lot of those "expat" car owners are selling over market value as well... hmm...
regarding second-hand prices for older cars: I suppose one could say that cars last longer here if taken care of properly than in say, the seasonal parts of the US or the UK... reason being, no winters, no snow, no salted roads to expedite rusting, no shrinking/expanding of sheet metal over 10 winters and summers, etc. etc. etc.... I've seen some 20+ year old cars here that you'd be hard pressed to keep in such condition in say, New York.
Little or no corrosion
Cheap repairs
Slack roadworthy laws
A low standard of living - anything that will start and move has a value
Cheap insurance, tax, running costs.....
All contribute
as a foot note I was shocked at how expensive secondhand cars were in Australia....or rather how well thety kept their price.
Posted 2006-10-07 13:31:31
Quote First, get used to it: Used cars are insanely overpriced. Not just for farangs, in general. Quote Second, no you can't get a good car for 100k baht. No way, forget about it. Quote If you have some more lying around, you almost need to get a new car.
You guys are hitting pretty close to the mark! I have played phone tag with a few sellers that end up saying, "Sorry, sold!" I ran across a pristine 1995 Cefiro being sold by an old Thai guy, but I was the second on the scene and the first guy bought it! 220,000 Bt for a perfect (grandpa's baby) one owner! Check the ads, they are going for ~380,000!
I see two options and one is more of a long shot!
1) Buy that new Toyota car or pickup, get lots of options thrown in, maintain it (duh!)  and sell or trade up every two years. A guy could actually break even doing that!
2) Keep one eye on neighbors and friends in case a good one-owner car shows up for sale. Maintain it (Duh!) and sell it after a year or two for a bit of profit!
Anybody here driving one of the European cars with a Toyota 1JZ (supra) engine? There are loads of them around. Saw a nice Benz the other day like that and it was also running LPG! (Not for sale!)
There is a Volvo 760 (Now a Toyota Turbo 1JZ-GTE) for sale on BMW-Society web page; 160,000 Bt.
I'm not interested, but can appreciate a pretty car that looks perfectly modded/restored. Definitely more intersting than an Altis or Jazz!
Good luck driving... and driving deals!
Posted 2006-10-08 04:25:33
Does anyone here know anything about the selling price for previously owned Mercedes'? I have a 2004 S and I am thinking of buying a 2007.
Posted 2006-10-10 11:47:29
the talaadrot website is good for seeing the price of cars over time.
We picked up a 4 door 1995 suzuki vitara for 280K. It does the job. We gave it a full service at the suzuki dealership, telling them to fix anything that needed to be fixed (15K) and then got a new aircon installed (15K). So we've paid 310K for a car that runs really well. And I'm confident if anything needs replacing it can be done cheaply and well by an authorised dealer.
Thats why I'll sell it for about the same price I got it for.
Posted 2006-10-10 13:42:21
Cars are not "overpriced" in Thailand that is the price that the market with all its quirks and restrictions allows. You can't import cars and compete because of protectionist duties.
If you go to any poorer country ypou will find that cars keep their value USA cars are so cheap that anyone coming here gets a surprise but this is just the market and (the government) working.
You can still buy and sell and make money even expensive doesn't mean no money to be made......and the great thing is that when you come to sell your car you get a great deal more of your money back.
Edited by wilko, 2006-10-10 13:49:23.
Posted 2006-10-10 13:52:21
wilko, on 2006-10-10 06:42:21, said: Cars are not "overpriced" in Thailand that is the price that the market with all its quirks and restrictions allows. You can't import cars and compete because of protectionist duties.
If you go to any poorer country ypou will find that cars keep their value USA cars are so cheap that anyone coming here gets a surprise but this is just the market and (the government) working.
You can still buy and sell and make money even expensive doesn't mean no money to be made......and the great thing is that when you come to sell your car you get a great deal more of your money back.
I see your point from a market purist point of view, but the prices are still a shock. In the US, a plate of pad Thai is 400 baht. That seems overpriced to me too ...
Posted 2006-10-11 10:10:58
Absolutely!
Posted 2006-10-11 11:20:51
Just as well the prices are high, imagine what the trafic would be like if everyone could afford to buy a car 
Posted 2006-11-13 18:51:00
Hi
I have a Ford Ranger PickUp HighRider XLT with an "OpenCab"
it has a 2.5 L Turbo engine, manual, CD Radio, (artificial)Leather, seats etc...
I bought it New in 2005 (May or June)
Now I am looking into selling it...
1. where do i get a good price ? where should I sell it ?
2. any guess how much I might get ?
Posted 2006-11-13 19:12:29
ThaiQuila, you could get a used pickup for maybe half the cost of a used sedan or coupe. You don't have kids to put in the back seat, etc. That's what I did, my first pickup ever after 17 sedans and convertibles. Nine years old, repainted and verified roadworthy by a real mechanic, for a third the going price of a new pickup.
Posted 2007-05-11 12:22:42
In calculating the value of second hand vehicles, you also have to take into account the possibility to gain revenue by transporting stuff for cash, and/or the savings made comparing in daily commutes compared to taxis and other forms of transport.
If you have ever paid someone to rent a pick-up for a day I doubt you paid less because the pickup was older... Since the cost of labor is low, the cost of using second hand vehicles for transportation is mainly for rent of vehicle.
That's one reason you don't see cars and trucks fall to a rump value of say 40,000. If that was the case, there would be great ROI on buying a cheap vehicle and getting paid for transporting people or stuff. Alternately you could live in Nonthaburi, get a five year loan to pay for the cost, and petrol money from your colleage and save in money and convenience over other forms of transport.
The depreciation of vehicles over time is perfectly logical based on functionality and utility. It is the UK/US market that is illogical from that standpoint!
Posted 2007-05-11 13:47:49
corkscrew, on 2006-10-08 04:25:33, said: Does anyone here know anything about the selling price for previously owned Mercedes'? I have a 2004 S and I am thinking of buying a 2007.
Probably your best bet would be to see what the dealer you use will offer for it - I understand MB have some pretty big marketing funds to shift out new motors, which might up the trade in price of your car. That would the case if the dealer you use is one of the few MB dealers who also sell used premium benz's - however expect to get a shock as to what they will offer you. Sellling privately is a nightmare unless you enjoy wasting countless hours with dreamers who have no money and no ability to actually buy it. Mate of mine earned about 300,000b a couple of years ago when he was selling a car of his - he had 6 people pay 50,000b deposits and none of them could arrange finance so he kept their deposit everytime. In the end he just took it to a tent and got the cash straight away, albeit much lower than he knew the vehicle was worth.
Posted 2007-05-11 23:35:18
nikster-sounds like your father in law may have made a little 'comission' on that buy.
and if thai used cars are high-priced AND not well maintained, then simply buy a NEW car for just a little more and don't worry about all the hidden damage.
SOLVED!
Posted 2007-05-17 18:36:19
Years ago I took my 6 year old Peugeot to a main dealer to have an intermittant engine management problem looked at. The car was about 3000 pounds sterling to buy 2nd hand. The cost of just diagnosing the fault was astronomical. Nowhere else had the diagnostic machine other than a main dealer. Result was wait til the fault cleared and then sell it direct to a dealer. I was leaving the UK at the time so I just wanted rid of it.
I know have a 1 1/2 year old Vigo. Main dealer prices are very very cheap so I wouldnt think of taking it to a non main dealer to have work done, so the car will go on being serviced by Toyota.
In the UK, servicing/repairs etc gets so expensive, it is cheaper just to buy another car, meaning a higher turn over and lower prices. Here there are less older cars anyway, much cheaper servicing so they stay more expensive.
Take the plunge and buy new and then change every 3 years. After the first outlay its pretty good value for money. You buy a car in UK, drive it off the forecourt and loose 20% straight away. More if its a high end model. Thats not good value
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