New Car

[jacko 8,822]

My wife wanted a Vios so we had a look at them. Sitting in the driver's seat, I thought the visibility sucked. AND, I would NEVER buy a car that had the instrument cluster in the middle of the dash. Stupid design.

 

On the way home, we passed the Ford dealer. I really like the looks of the Focus and ended up buying the top of the line Focus Ghia. It is the best handling car I have ever had and has all the options.

 

That said, it will be the LAST car I ever buy here in Thailand. I hit a dog and it cost the insurance company 39,000 baht to replace all the plastic shit. Shortly after I got it back from the shop, I hit another useless dog a glancing blow and one side of the plastic bumper and grill is cracked again. There are many places I can't go because the thing just sits too low.

 

Yes the car drives great but I'd rather drive my diesel pickup.

Yeah I was looking at one in Carrefour a while back. It looked great and as I have hired one in the UK frequently I know they are a good all round car. It was rather expensive though... so I kept the Ford truck! It rides high and the dogs are simply killed under the wheels without any cost to the car... other than the obligatory visit to the monks to ask forgiveness and have it re-blessed. Edited May 10, 2010 by jacko

[torrenova 644]

Yeah I was looking at one in Carrefour a while back. It looked great and as I have hired one in the UK frequently I know they are a good all round car. It was rather expensive though... so I kept the Ford truck! It rides high and the dogs are simply killed under the wheels without any cost to the car... other than the obligatory visit to the monks to ask forgiveness and have it re-blessed.

 

There is a lot to be said for driving trucks in Thailand !

[jacko 8,822]

There is a lot to be said for driving trucks in Thailand !

Killing Soi dogs being one of them..... Edited May 10, 2010 by jacko

[torrenova 644]

Killing Soi dogs being one of them.....

 

Driving down Pattaya Klang or along 3rd Road when the water is half a Thai deep, motorbikes are submerged and cars are spewing in water through every orifice, yeah, great to be in a truck !

[Gonzo 419]

My wife wanted a Vios so we had a look at them. Sitting in the driver's seat, I thought the visibility sucked. AND, I would NEVER buy a car that had the instrument cluster in the middle of the dash. Stupid design.

Try driving a Vios instead of just sitting in it and you will find the visibility is very good. Maybe it is not so good, if you are less than 5 foot tall. If that is the case try sitting on a couple of pillows. That might also make it easier for you to spot the centre console, instead of having to look through the steering wheel trying to find it. I reckon the centre console is great, as it allows you to look at it without having to take your eyes off the traffic.

 

I don't quite understand, why anyone living on a tomato farm near the border of Laos would want to buy anything else than a Toyota Vigo/Hilux truck.

[Gary 4,119]

Try driving a Vios instead of just sitting in it and you will find the visibility is very good. Maybe it is not so good, if you are less than 5 foot tall. If that is the case try sitting on a couple of pillows. That might also make it easier for you to spot the centre console, instead of having to look through the steering wheel trying to find it. I reckon the centre console is great, as it allows you to look at it without having to take your eyes off the traffic.

 

I don't quite understand, why anyone living on a tomato farm near the border of Laos would want to buy anything else than a Toyota Vigo/Hilux truck.

 

I have had three Toyota pickup trucks. The first one was great and I loved it. The second one was trouble free but had many rattles. The third one was a fancy 4X4 four door and it was a total lemon. I suppose they all make a few lemons but that one soured me on Toyotas.

 

In 2004 I bought a new Nissan and at 85,000 kilometers it was still totally original. I had to replace the battery last month. Other than a new battery I have never replaced even a light bulb. Another point is that the 4X4 Toyota was lucky to get 10 kilometers per liter. The Nissan gets 15 kilometers per liter. Both had 3.0 liter diesels.

[nkped 1,208]

Driving down Pattaya Klang or along 3rd Road when the water is half a Thai deep, motorbikes are submerged and cars are spewing in water through every orifice, yeah, great to be in a truck !

There is that and some 2WDs such as the Toyota Prerunner have some additional height. Unless you actually live off the pavement, any reason to have a 4WD?

[js007 795]

Until Toyota comes clean about its sudden acceleration problems and comes up with a fix, I'd buy a Honda, only.

 

Why buy a car that could kill you?

[jacko 8,822]

Until Toyota comes clean about its sudden acceleration problems and comes up with a fix, I'd buy a Honda, only.

 

Why buy a car that could kill you?

Having a motorcycle I am of the opinion everyone out there has bought a car that could kill me.

My friends who have Toyotas seem to be surviving.

[GoneBamboo 0]

Hi Gonzo, It's good to hear you are liking your Vios.

 

I was a little concerned when I saw the older model, in the first photo you posted.

 

I have the same 2010 Vios E, but it's white.

 

We had to wait a couple of weeks for our's to be trucked to the dealer in Sakon Nakhon.

 

They threw in the insurance, window tint and a rear spoiler.

 

We've added a bit of chrome trim, and my wife wants to put on a body kit and new rims.

 

It's nice having a little car around town, and it's easy to park.

 

But after purchasing a Tata Xenon pick-up, I don't like driving the car.