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Published on January 23, 2008

Apart from increasingly expensive fuel, costs for other things - purchase, insurance, Expressway fees etc - have also increased. They all add up.

When talking about increasing costs, motorists usually overlook the initial price they pay for a car or pickup. Actually, if you choose wisely, there is a considerable amount of money you can save when purchasing an automobile, and this also leads to lower maintenance costs.

Let us go back to the habits of Thai auto buyers, starting with pickups, which make up the majority of the local automobile market. Each year, pickups account for more than half of new-auto sales. There are two types of pickup buyers. First are those who need a pickup for commercial use, such as carrying goods (agricultural products) or passengers, as well as construction workers or plumbers who use the vehicles to carry tools and equipment for professional use. The second type of buyer uses the pickup as a private passenger vehicle. Some use it for a small family with two or three members, while some families need it for at least four members. Some use pickups to drive to work, even though they do not have to drive over any rough terrain.

But when it comes to pickup buyers, those who need to carry agricultural goods do not choose the standard cab type, which offers more space in the pickup bed. Instead, they choose the space-cab type, which means there is less room for carrying goods. It also hurts the weight distribution of the pickup, resulting in the front end of the vehicle pointing upwards when carrying the goods.

Those who need a vehicle only to drive to work, passing some areas with dirt roads (but not to the extent of rough terrain), choose four-wheel-drive pickups. This means they must pay much more money for the vehicle, as well as higher maintenance and repair costs.

Those who buy passenger cars also make mistakes. Usually, there may be only the driver or passenger, but when buying the car, they choose one with four power windows. If they choose a model with only two power windows in the front, they can actually save some money.

Most who drive from home to work and back without ever travelling upcountry, while the route used each day is full of traffic jams preventing the use of high speed (not more than 80kph), ironically choose cars with lots of horsepower, as well as brakes with an anti-lock brake system, electronic brake-force distribution or brake assist. These systems are useless at low speeds.

The same goes for models with air bags, which do not even work in low-speed crashes. This is wasting money on things that will never be used. Many buy cars with cruise control, even when they know they will never have a chance to use it with the traffic conditions in Thailand, whether in the city or on the highway.

There are many car models in Thailand that come with smart keys to unlock the doors automatically when the driver approaches, while the engine can also be started by pressing a button (no need to remove the key from the pocket). What they don't know is that this type of key has its limitations. For example, if there is a child in the car, and he or she throws the key out of the vehicle while it is moving, the engine will stall once the key is about 10 metres away from the vehicle. And when the motorist approaches the car and the door is unlocked, others can also open the door and enter the car.

Some of these technologies are there simply to make the automobile more expensive. They do not have any real use. So if you want to be smart when choosing a vehicle, don't buy one that comes with features you will never use.

It will help you save lots of money.

By Pattanadesh Asasappakij

 E-mail your motoring questions to Pattanadesh@nationgroup.com.

The Nation

Ultimate in Luxury

The Luxury LS 460 is a wonderfully comfaortable car fitted with all mod cons, althoough not necessarily the most fun vehicle to drive.