# cars



## leethal67 (Jul 1, 2010)

hi, i would like to get some advice on purchasing a car in thailand. i notice that used cars here are just as expensive as a new one. my dilemma is that i will be teaching and putting my wife through driving school. new car sounds the go but i dont want her to crash it as she has never driven before. any advice on good insurance companies and also any good driving schools in the chatuchak area in bkk.


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## Mindaugas (Jul 27, 2009)

Just little advise, you can buy new Nissan March which cost less than 400,000THB at the moment it is cheaper new car in Thailand. All insurance companies are good in thailand, just buy full insurance and let your wife drives without worries.


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## JWilliamson (May 31, 2010)

*used car and insurance*



leethal67 said:


> hi, i would like to get some advice on purchasing a car in thailand. i notice that used cars here are just as expensive as a new one. my dilemma is that i will be teaching and putting my wife through driving school. new car sounds the go but i dont want her to crash it as she has never driven before. any advice on good insurance companies and also any good driving schools in the chatuchak area in bkk.


Im looking into buying a used car in Hong Kong. I did find a good and affordable car insurance with offices all over the world. Try giving Kwiksure or Pacific prime a call. they speak English and many other languages. JW


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## leethal67 (Jul 1, 2010)

Mindaugas said:


> Just little advise, you can buy new Nissan March which cost less than 400,000THB at the moment it is cheaper new car in Thailand. All insurance companies are good in thailand, just buy full insurance and let your wife drives without worries.


thanks for your advice. i did see most used cars are just about the same price as new ones. i will look out for this car. cheers mindaugas


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## Bangkockney (Jul 19, 2010)

Buy new, not used, unless you know a lot about cars. 

If it's in your name and you need finance, you'll need a work permit, 6 months pay slips and 6 months bank statements. 

The thing I like about insurance in Thailand as opposed to UK, is that insurance covers the vehicle, not the person. Anyone can drive and be insured. 

It's very good of you to put your wife through driving school as most people just buy there licence. Not that the test in Thailand is exactly robust.

Mazda were doing some crazy deals on their new models, 30,000 down payment only and full finance. Not sure if it's still running. If you go to supermarkets and shopping centres rather then showrooms, you can find crazy promotions.

Good luck with the car hunt.


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## leethal67 (Jul 1, 2010)

Bangkockney said:


> Buy new, not used, unless you know a lot about cars.
> 
> If it's in your name and you need finance, you'll need a work permit, 6 months pay slips and 6 months bank statements.
> 
> ...


 ok thanks for the heads up, i figured that used cars are very expensive. good advice and thanks. i will look into mazda and shopping malls etc. didnt know you could buy a licence but then again if you got cash in bkk you can buy almost anything. but the wife has never driven before and i dont want to add her to the millions of already crazy drivers..hehe thanks again


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## Serendipity2 (Feb 22, 2009)

JWilliamson said:


> Im looking into buying a used car in Hong Kong. I did find a good and affordable car insurance with offices all over the world. Try giving Kwiksure or Pacific prime a call. they speak English and many other languages. JW



JWilliamson,

Be wary about importing a car into Thailand. The duty can far exceed the cost of the car and once here you've the choice of paying the duty [horrific] or [maybe] exporting back out of Thailand or abandoning your purchase. The last, abandoning it will probably be your cheapest bet.

One "dodge" my fertile mind just thought of - maybe buying a car in Malaysia, have it technically domiciled there and then drive into Thailand. But you probably wouldn't be able to keep it there so that's probably impractical. So much for my fertile mind. Cars are expensive in Thailand - even ones made there. The government discourages car ownership. It's not as bad as Japan but getting worse. I would import a car into Malaysia but never into Thailand - the duty will eat you alive. 

Serendipity2


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## Serendipity2 (Feb 22, 2009)

leethal67 said:


> hi, i would like to get some advice on purchasing a car in thailand. i notice that used cars here are just as expensive as a new one. my dilemma is that i will be teaching and putting my wife through driving school. new car sounds the go but i dont want her to crash it as she has never driven before. any advice on good insurance companies and also any good driving schools in the chatuchak area in bkk.



leethal67,

Cars are very expensive in Thailand. Best advice is to buy what everyone else is buying as there will be plenty of car parts and plenty of mechanics should you need them. I would find out what a new car costs but would most likely buy used. If it's Japanese the motors seem to go forever [my Acura has 300,000+ and runs great] so the trick is to find one that hasn't been abused - which means don't buy from a kid. I would have it checked out by a very good mechanic and buy subject to it meeting your approval. Watch out for the suspension as the roads are tough on alignment - check the tires for unusual wear. Then be patient and wait for a good car. One good place to do that is the dealer. If he's taking a late model car in and will guarantee it [AND let you take to an independent shop] that's one place to look. Another might be one of the car rental agencies IF they take good care of their cars. Or find an expat leaving the country and buy his.

As for teaching your wife to drive - the sooner the better. If she's Thai that makes it much easier as she can read the signs where most expats can't. Bangkok is very crowded but, thankfully, most drivers aren't aggressive in town. They seem to change when they leave town though. Might want to restrict her driving to "in town" only and leave the highway driving to you. Getting into an accident at 30 mph is a world different than one at 60 mph. You should walk away from the one but likely not the other. Good luck and happy searching

Serendipity2


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