Which Pick-Up?

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

Hi guys, advice wanted...I am about to start looking to buy a pick-up and advice on make, model and spec would be appreciated. I am looking for a four door auto, with 2 wheel drive.

 

So whats your advice???

 

 

[jerry]

Bought the new Mazda BT50 double cab 2 wheel drive last year and it's performing great .

Drives better than the Toyota vigo 3.0 i had before . Better fuel/km range and a lot cheaper

in tax as it's 'only' a 2.2 but it still performes better than the Toyota .

 

It has got a leather interiour , good stereo with blue tooth for the phone . Six speed automatic

and a lot of interiour space . Drives great and a good deal at 879.000 Bht .

 

Delivered in 2 days . Got a very good price back for the Toyota and great service from Mazda

so far . Free window tainting , free tax and insurance for 1 year and 3 years of free services

included .  

 

I think it's one of the best choices in this category together with the almost similar Ford ranger .

[kster]

Ford Ranger.... They go forever and I buy them private and for the company. One of the company ones is now 7 years old, 280.000 km and still runs great.

 

I have Wildtrak 2010, and new Wildtrak on order to be delivered next month. 

 

You will need to wait a few months for delivery as they are popular and they can't keep up with production...

 

The one I am waiting for is the top one, 3.2 ltr 4x4, it has a delivery time of more than a year, the lower models 2.2 XLT is only a few months.

 

I am sure you will get Toyota and Isuzu fans too, in the end it is your choice depending on  budget and what look appeals to you

[Helloblackshirt]

if i had to choose a 4wd i would go with the hilux/vigo. im a mechanic and in my experience they are by far the best built  in this category for rugged conditions, but if you are only using on the the highway, its not going to matter, all are high quality vehicles, the ford ranger has a 5 star safety rating in oz and rio tinto recently signed a deal with ford , replacing their Toyota landcruisers with ford rangers, based purely on that fact. IMO a bad move, but im talking about minesites not highway use. you said you wanted a 2WD? a thousand baht buses cant be wrong, surely?  all are built in thailand and the quality is quite good on the  Dmax and vigo, i have no experience on  the ranger but its well finished. i have seen the D4D engine in the vigo pull in excess of 350,000 kms and no real dramas although the injectors are fairly expensive, around AUD 600 each. this may be different in thailand. in all honesty if you are looking for a highway vehicle, i'd just compare  price, economy, resale and service costs, all seem to be on a par RE build quality and reliability. if you wanted one for off road work, id have the vigo first

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

Thanks for the feedback guys - hugely appreciated. Jerry, seems like the Mazda BT 50 is worth considering. TGF however says "not like - Thai like Isuzu"...fortunately I am my own man.

 

Anybody else with recent experience of buying a pick-up?

 

Thanks again guys

[mpm]

Take a spin in a Mitsubishi Triton plus, an extra 12k gets you leather and white, great motor the 2.5 diesel, run forever on a tank of fuel

That's full black leather with a white body

[Pheat]

I brought a brand new Isuzu pick up last year

Only done about 20,000 kms but run s great

Not to bad on fuel

Had to wait 12 weeks for delivery

Do not know about other pick ups only Isuzu

[Cerberus]

I believe they are all so close now that you will be satisfied with whatever you get. The only point therefore is if the resale price is important to you. If it is then Vigo has to be the answer they lose virtually nothing.

[robinpattaya]

I have 2 Vigo, the first is nearly 5 years old with 70,000klms, the second top of range 4x4 etc @ 1 million baht. In all honesty, I prefer to drive the old model rather than the new one.

The 4x4 creates a huge turning circle but the interior has leather rather than cloth seats.

I had an old DMax for a while 6 years back, much heavier car to drive but felt very solid if in an accident, can't comment on any other model or brand.

I like the look of the Ford but have never been for a ride so again can't comment.

My only other comment is that Toyota hold their value perhaps better than other models.

When selling, that may be a factor to consider.

[Bagwan]

Love my Isuzu Vcross..

 

[Patapusr]

It only really makes a difference to which one you choose as in how you drive it. You want a 2 wheel drive which is very wise if you don't intend to go up muddy mountains or drive along beaches as 4wd uses a lot more fuel, is more expensive and is heavier. If you drive it easy and get it regularly serviced it will probably boil down to which vehicle you feel you like the best.

If you drive it hard and aren't too bothered about looking after it, and want a thoroughly reliable truck, the Toyota is the only choice.

Taxi drivers, terrorists and tour companies world wide choose Toyota because they are the most reliable vehicle on the planet, they don't choose them for cheapness (they aren't the cheapest), fuel consumption (they aren't necessarily  the best) Looks (personal opinion) or internal/ external space (theres a lot bigger).

Ask anybody who works on vehicles and i doubt if anyone of good repute will disagree with the above. I have a lot of friends and family in the motoring industry and all of them say that if every car on the road was a Toyota, they would probably go out of business (apart from the sales division obviously).

If you spend a lot of your time driving in cities like Pattaya, the size issue could be considered as something the size of the new Ford is pretty excessive for a runabout and parking down small soi's would be an issue. You could also consider what areas of Thailand you might spend most of your time driving and what dealerships these places have, as in the event of a breakdown or accident, a local dealership is a lot quicker and cheaper than if you need parts from elsewhere.

Happy hunting.

[Skalliwag]

Anything Toyota is probably your best bet mate.

I bought a two wheel drive four door little diesel and was suitably impressed.

Lots of room for the family,cheap and pretty hardy.

Mind you,this is my ride here so I might be a tad biased.

[siamfreewill]

_{Just bought a new Mitsubushi Triton pearl white metallic with black leather interior 2 wheel drive automatic top of the range 4 door price 852,000 list price  + 7,500 baht for pearl white paint +5,000 baht for rear view camera + 22,000 baht for colour coded carryboy roll bar + 7,500 for registration of vehicle.}

_{I had to wait for 6 weeks for delivery total price with extra's 894,000 baht.}

 

_{I intended to pay 600,000 baht deposit and thee balance over 3 years about 9,000 a month but when I met the finance person they said because I don't have a work permit for Thailand and did not want to put the ownership in a Thai name they could not offer finance I showed them an income of 240,000 baht a month but they said no way?.}

 

_{If I was a Thai with a job paying me 300 baht a day and a deposit of 100,000 no problem ( TIT ) anyway I only wanted the credit because it was only 2.6 percent interest and I could get more elsewhere, so I ended up paying for it all cash.}

 

_{The dealer was great on Sukhumvit Road North Pattaya opposite McDonalds & Mini Siam the girl who I dealt with her name was Ning she was really nice lady and because I was paying cash and she could not reduce the price she included tons of extras for free Stuff to make it look more beautiful and until the end of July you get an I pad mini included in the sale.}

_{Have had it now just over a week and so far it seems to be brilliant.}

[Sexyfarangman]

_{I showed them an income of 240,000 baht a month}

 

 

Are you retired? If so, that is one hell of a pension.

[shorty438]

Hard to go wrong with any of the pickups here in Thailand. In the end it's a matter of preference, aesthetics and dealer location for service.

Toyota seems an obvious choice as everyone seems to be driving one. I rented a very basic 2WD Vigo with the small diesel in Chiang Mai last year for a trip into the mountains. Great vehicle. Pulled like a train and seemed to make its own fuel as the needle barely moved from day to day.

That being said, I have heard from some savvy people that Isuzu is the only one for them because Isuzu is first a truck manufacturer and they are supposed to be built to a higher standard of toughness than pickups from a company known primarily for passenger cars. Parts are supposed to be relatively cheap as well. Isuzu's styling tends to be very conservative, but to each his own.

 

If you are an old git like me, buy the one that makes you say, "that's a great looking truck" and sod the rest. The vehicle will probably outlast you of you give it reasonable care and maintenance.

[jinners]

lots of interesting views on here. I'm looking at a Triton, so good to know I've only seen positive comments thus far. I also went to the same dealer on Sukhumvit, they said I could get finance without work permit 25%+ down as I'm a property owner. So assume it would be a loan secured on my poperty?

Mazda, I had someone tell me they were under powered? Not driven it so don't know. Toyota, seems like a good choice, though again I hear from folks their reputation is from years gone by and others have now caught up, so not prepared to wait/pay what they ask. Ford, won't wait months, crazy. Isuzu does seem a Thai fave 'farmers all drive Isuzu' is a common refrain. Not sure if that makes me want to buy one. Surprised nobody here mentioned Nissan????

[Edge]

Anything Toyota is probably your best bet mate.

I bought a two wheel drive four door little diesel and was suitably impressed.

.........................

 

Probably looks better wheels down.  

[jerry]

Mazda, I had someone tell me they were under powered?

 

Same engine as in the Ford ranger and the 2,2 has more torque than the 3.0 L Toyota engine .

I had the Toyota Vigo and i'm driving the Mazda now . Can tell you the Mazda is far from underpowered .

 

 

Surprised nobody here mentioned Nissan????

 

Check some reviews of the Nissan and you won't be surprised anymore . Lot of problems with their pick ups .

[The Greatest]

The top range mazda has cruise control, voice command radio etc and a fantastic interior. I looked at all the other models I I am buying this one.

[TheKamalaFarang]

Isuzu and Toyota both have good resale value. The Thais love the Isuzu. I think they all use the same 2.4 engine that has plenty of power and great gas mileage.

 

The list prices for all the brands are here:

 

http://www.expatmotors.co.th/new_prices.html

[Edge]

if i had to choose a 4wd ............................

............................... you said you wanted a 2WD? a thousand baht buses cant be wrong, surely?  all are built in thailand and the quality is quite good on the  Dmax and vigo, ......................................

 

Back in farangland, living in the country, 4x4 always seemed a good idea, if only for the odd snowfalls.

I also hauled horses and pigs so it was a no brainer, albeit they were still very dependant upon the right tyres.

 

Here in Thailand, unless you're hauling jetskis and boats out of the sea, or dragging the sick buffalo out of the paddy field, I don't see how you justify the added cost of 4x4 for basically road use.

 

Therefore I think the OP is right to go for 4x2.

 

I had a 4x4 3.0 Fortuner at first, followed by 4x2 3.0 DMax Platinum Double Cab.

Both were excellent vehicles (until attacked by crazed TGs) and my impression was that Thailand still favours Toyota, but Isuzu is very close behind and perhaps in front in some rural areas.

The rest are probably just as good, but they don't seem to have the same following or status with the Thais, so resale value might suffer.

I'd probably go for Isuzu if I bought new again.......which I probably won't.

.

[john2028]

@ Skalliwag --- (Ref post #12)

 

I ran this through Adobe CS4, flipped it and adjusted the levels, contrast and sharpness a little.

 

I thought your must be from Oz, when I first came across it.

 

 

 

Hope you don't mind.

 

Cheers.

 

John

[Skalliwag]

@ Skalliwag --- (Ref post #12)

 

I ran this through Adobe CS4, flipped it and adjusted the levels, contrast and sharpness a little.

 

I thought your must be from Oz, when I first came across it.

 

 

 

Hope you don't mind.

 

Cheers.

 

John

Hahaha,thanks mate.Looks even better now.

It's a weapon.Pretty quick.

It's amazing to compare build quality from Thailand and North America.

The Thai stuff that goes to Aus really is second rate compared to what we get up here.

When my bro and Dad come up here they shake their heads.

That Toyota of mine here,is in a different class all together than The Thai built stuff.

[srt10]

I would go for the New Ford Ranger, because it is without doubt the safest and best one of the pick ups on the market in Thailand now.

 

I am considering to buy it because of that, presently I have a 2013 Toyota Fortuner TRD Sportivo and a 2013 Toyota Vios TRD Sportivo, but the Fortuner is not even close when it comes to safety if you crash.

But I like the Fortuner, its my second one, last one was a 2010 Foturner TRD Sportivo.

 

Attached is picture of them.

 

Her is the crash test of Ford Ranger,its the best result on a pick up that is ever achieved.

 

http://www.euroncap.com/results/ford/ranger/2012/450.aspx

 

And here is the prices on it

 

http://www.ford.co.th/en/trucks/new-ranger/specifications/price-list

[john2028]

Hahaha,thanks mate.Looks even better now.

It's a weapon.Pretty quick.

.

 

You are welcome. It looks a real beast! A big V8 block, I would guess.

 

Incidentally why do people  go for pick-ups in the LOS? I know it's mostly a rural country, but you see them everywhere, even owned by city-dwellers including ex-pats. You rarely see them in the UK.

 

I have never plucked up the courage to drive in Thailand. Too many aggressive drivers for my slowing reflexes, I'm sorry to say.