Good question, migrant.
I bought an Isuzu HiLander pick-up near Rangsit Bkk in 2005. Manual gear shift, hard suspension, stiff handling, 2 doors and a bench seat behind. Never gave us any trouble, mind, apart from when a rat nested under the bonnet and chewed all the wiring. (Which was when I realised why my neighbours left the hood up overnight...)
Last year Mrs DM learned to drive, so we traded it in for a Toyota Vios. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, much easier to drive, more comfortable, better for other passengers, automatic gears, very easy cruising at 130 kph. Frankly, no contest.
I initially went for the pick-up because I thought the extra clearance would come in handy. Not really relevant. There were a handful of occasions when we used it as a pick-up and some when we had a dozen students in the back, but I'll stick with the car now, thanks very much!
I'm a victim of myself so to speak. Started with a Toyota pick-up here in 1993 (the models were Tiger and Mighty X then Pharvey until August 2004 when Vigo was introduced) and have had a pick up or SUV ever since. I like and am now so accustomed to the better visibility up and over other vehicles that I feel very uncomfortable in something low. Makes me tear my hair if in a jam and can't see why, how long a line ahead, and escape routes. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
prcscct wrote:I'm a victim of myself so to speak. Started with a Toyota pick-up here in 1993 (the models were Tiger and Mighty X then Pharvey until August 2004 when Vigo was introduced) and have had a pick up or SUV ever since. I like and am now so accustomed to the better visibility up and over other vehicles that I feel very uncomfortable in something low. Makes me tear my hair if in a jam and can't see why, how long a line ahead, and escape routes. Pete
Mighty X ...... Ahhhhhh
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
I reckon I'm with Pete on this, have had two Mitsubishi trucks since being here and I like the extra height for visibility too, not just over other cars but at junctions/train-crossings that are overgrown or U-turns that are busy, feels safer as you can see more. Also like the pickup trucks or Fortuner/Pajero style of vehicles as once you get out of the main city areas then the roads are still nowhere near good enough and you see people constantly weaving around the roads to avoid the holes, chews-out the cars quicker than one might expect.
The new trucks now though are more like raised-up cars with big boots, especially the 4 door ones, certainly don't feel like you are in a truck, not like it used too with the old Mighty X/Tiger types. There is little difference in the interior now with the new trucks (especially the higher end models) compared to most cars. I also like the carry capacity of the pickup trucks as you never know when you need to move something large.
Also can't really grumble about the price of a new pickup truck either.
Although, for you US fellows, then the pickup trucks here must seem like dinky toys compared to what you will have been used to at home, no 6-7 liter monsters here, they are all going down the 2.5 Direct Injection Diesel with a turbo strapped on route in LOS.
Fuel consumption is all influenced by too many factors to give an accurate picture of course, but on my truck it is a 75 liter tank and it costs about 2000 baht to fill it up.The other good thing about a diesel engine here is that the price is pegged at 30 baht a liter and probably will stay there as it's quite a hot political potato in Thailand. They won't let it get too high as it spells trouble, market man/farm workers/freight businesses etc start freaking out/calling for 'heads on plates' etc out if it goes much higher.
Spitfire wrote:Although, for you US fellows, then the pickup trucks here must seem like dinky toys compared to what you will have been used to at home, no 6-7 liter monsters here, they are all going down the 2.5 Direct Injection Diesel with a turbo strapped on route in LOS.
Agree SF - And what the feck is the point in a ''monster truck/engine'' these days.... or any day for that matter. Ample power and torque provided by the +/- 2.5 to 3L Turbo Diesels..... excellent engines these days with good fuel economy.
The SUV's 4x4's available in Thailand are ample size - pity how a fair few drivers have difficulty in judging it!!
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
If I just spent my time around Hua Hin I would probably drive a smaller car but I go up to Issan as well and I've had a Vigo for about five years now. For that type of thing pickups are hard to beat, I've had five people in mine and a ton of fertiliser on the back and it still drives comfortably.
The first time I ever drove up there I hired a Honda Civic and what really worried me about it was that when you were driving at night, you would hit potholes at speed and it felt like you would eventually rip the wheels off whereas the pickups, being much more heavily built, just cruise through them.
Easy to buy (new or 2nd hand).....not expensive to run....loads of room......& most importantly.....super safe! I've been involved in a few prangs, both single & multi vehicle. The toyota drove away from each one. Slightly bruised, but generally ok
