Buying a new car, what brand/ model?

[Encora]

Eight years ago, we moved to Chonburi province, and bought a new Honda Jazz.

Never regretted it. It has tons of space for a small car, quite fun to drive, virtually no breakdowns or expensive repairs.

 

But now it has 220.000 km on the clock, and is getting a bit tired.

 

I drove it all around Thailand plus many times around Laos over some terrible roads, and apart from a few blown out tires, no problems.

 

So I could simply buy a brand new one, still about same price as 8 years ago. 700 K baht

 

But I could afford something a bit different, even up to spending a million baht or so.

 

I want relarive comfort, the Jazz can be a bit bumpy in terms of suspension.

 

Honda brought out the HRV, on same platform as the Jazz, but 1.8 instead of 1.5, and an inch higher off the road, bit bigger luggage space.

But that is around a million, and for same money I can get Subaru XV, which has all wheel drive, and high reputation for reliability.

Or, maybe something else, around a million.......

Comfort, reliability, and fun to drive, but not too large, because I really enjoyed the agility of the Jazz in crowded streets and narrow squeeze through traffic..

 

Any suggestions?

[Skalliwag]

Buy another one?

[Lok Jit]

The Subaru is an Excellent Car-I think better then the Honda but the resale is Not good...Thais prefer Toyota and Honda primarily plus much easier to sell when the time comes

[Encora]

I intend to keep my next car just as long as the Jazz, 8 years or so. At that length of time, a drop of resale value will really not add to the cost per year of owning the car.

 

I am curious to hear from anyone that has owned the XV, pros and cons...

The reports I read say its a bit rough in suspension....

 

I am looking at a Kia Sportage, Nissan crossover, unfortunately, the most popular overseas, the Qashqai, doesn't seem to be available here.

Hyundai Tucson is probably too expensive.

A Honda CRV is bit bigger then I would like, but remains an option.

 

Unfortunately, Toyota, which would be my first choise, doesn't offer a smaller version of the Fortuner...

And I think a Yaris is even smaller then my Jazz...

[Lloydies]

OP are you planning a  big spending spree?

 

You won the lottery?

[Encora]

OP are you planning a  big spending spree?

 

You won the lottery?

No, but I reached an age that I realise, "I can't take it with me" so just as well enjoy a comfortable life.....

[Lloydies]

No, but I reached an age that I realise, "I can't take it with me" so just as well enjoy a comfortable life.....

 

Yes fair play, may as well enjoy it

[snowy34]

I have just bought a new honda civic type R Turbo at home and I love it. Definitely recommend one.

[jerry]

Honda HRV looks nice but i think it's a bit overpriced . I have had several Subarus in the past and 

not one of them has ever let me down . Well put together , comfortable , reliable , safe and they 

keep going . No experience with the XV though . 

[Encora]

Honda HRV looks nice but i think it's a bit overpriced . I have had several Subarus in the past and 

not one of them has ever let me down . Well put together , comfortable , reliable , safe and they 

keep going . No experience with the XV though .

 

Yes, I had a Forester in Timor Leste a few years ago, never let me down, in spite of what I would describe as the most challenging roads I ever encountereed. It's just that the reports about the XV mention harsh suspension, that I am doubting a bit...

[just hanging]

No, but I reached an age that I realise, "I can't take it with me" so just as well enjoy a comfortable life.....

 

then get a Mercedes ......

[Farrang]

Mazda cx3...? Looks great, great euro reviews..

[WetWilly]

then get a Mercedes ......

Better yet, an Audi.

[Farangkie]

I'm in the motor industry , and have been for a long time , this is what I would advise a friend or a family member if they asked me the same question.

 

Subaru have always had a reputation for making well built reliable vehicles , and are a very good buy . Honda as a company fell in a hole about 4 or 5 years ago because of a combination of quality control problems, bad reviews , the Japanese earthquake /  Tsunami and flooding in Thailand effecting their worldwide production , and reputation.

Honda have recovered from all of that now , and in 2016 they have got back the good name they had in the past for making really good high quality vehicles at a competitive price.

 

So either Subaru or Honda would be a very good choice , I would personally buy the vehicle that returns the highest resale value in your country.

It's not really what you spend on any vehicle that matters , it's how much of your original purchase price you get back when you sell it , is the most important thing.

 

Here in Australia it's Toyota or Mazda , in Thailand it's probably going to be Honda due to many more of them being sold there, and Honda being a much more recognisable brand name than Subaru in Thailand.

 

Also I wouldn't keep a car as long as 8 years , I would get rid of it just before the manufacturers warranty expired .

The reason is that nowadays new cars now come with so much complex technology , like computer management systems etc.

These things are like any electronics , they are unpredictable , so they can fail at any time ,  and when they go wrong , they are very very expensive to repair . I have seen service dept. bills presented to people for multiple thousands of dollars for electrical / computer issues for vehicles that are not covered under factory warranty.

 

 

Hope that helps.

[izzyg]

The Subaru is great, but buy an automatic. The manual gearbox is a bit agricultural.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bagheera]

then get a Mercedes ......

  

Better yet, an Audi.

The OP is looking for something reliable. That rules both of the above out so.

Both the Honda and Subaru are great cars so you can't go wrong with either

[hatguy]

I don't live in Thailand but am on my second Subaru Legacy station wagon. Before this I had a Mazda 3. The Subaru is more thirsty but drives so much better. I will eventually get a Levorg after a few years.

These are mostly Japan domestic released cars so apologies!

[grazza2468]

Subaru great car,but thirsty on fuel ! bought a Mazda and it's a fantastic car,I've had it a bit over a year..awesome on fuel !

[Petesie]

If as you state that you want a comfortable life then I would suggest the Honda CRV; good resale, reliable as the Queen and a pleasure to drive.

 

Not too big and easier to park. A bit of a stretch to 1.5 but the smile on your face may be worth it. 

[WetWilly]

The OP is looking for something reliable. That rules both of the above out so.

Both the Honda and Subaru are great cars so you can't go wrong with either

Methinks your biases are showing.....just a little bit.....

[stevensonn]

Mercedes and Audi are extremely reliable but they come with a very high premium buying new in Thailand compared to the west that is why the op would be better of buying Japnese which are fairly reasonable to run and sell on .The Mercedes and Audis can at times attract unnecessary attention

[Bagheera]

Methinks your biases are showing.....just a little bit.....

[Skalliwag]

Nope not bias at all. I have no reason to be bias.Just saying it as I see it. Merc and Audi are high maintenance and unrelyable. Just ask my brother. He is a mechanic with his own garage and he always says if it wasn't for German cars he would be out of business. Most of his work is repairing German cars. My best mate bought a new C class merc 18 months ago. Now 40000k on the clock has had to get 2 new injector pumps and all bushes in the front wishbones relpaced twice since he got it. If that is what you call relyable then you can have your merc.I could write here for the day with many more examples if you want.☺

Anyone who thinks German cars are reliable is in dire need of a reality check.

Would never see me driving anything German.

You want reliability,go Japanese.

You want to pay for over engineered fluff,go Cherman.

[Farangkie]

Anyone who thinks German cars are reliable is in dire need of a reality check.

Would never see me driving anything German.

You want reliability,go Japanese.

You want to pay for over engineered fluff,go Cherman.

 

+1 , German cars are very very overrated , and having previously worked for BMW for many years ,I can assure you that the people that buy them are not buying a car ...they're buying a badge and a status symbol.

 

.

[Skalliwag]

+1 , German cars are very very overrated , but having previously worked for BMW for many years ,I can assure you that the people that buy them are not buying a car ...they're buying a badge and a status symbol.

Yep.

Oh,and you can add that Volvo's are no safer either.They just told you they were,so you believed them.