Buying or renting small car or tuk tuk

daeum_tnaot · Post by **daeum_tnaot** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 11:41 am

Hello all,

I've always had a moto here but now that I have a kid we need to get some kind of small vehicle for safety reasons. I was thinking of one of those little LPG rickshaw/tuk tuks, but supposedly they are actually quite expensive. I'd like to rent one but our rickshaw driver yesterday said they are not available for rent. I assume there must be a good supply chain for repairs for them since they are so common here. Another option would be the old fashioned tuk tuk with the trailer car, but that would require adapting my moto to pull the trailer.

Then there are these small cars, like the Kia Visto or similar. I know little about cars and how to avoid buying a lemon. Can anyone provide some advice about how to assess the condition of one of these small cars? Or has anyone bought a car in Cambodia and have any advice about the market or condition of cars? What are some of the different types of cars on the market?

We also don't know how long we'll be living here so would prefer to get something that can easily be resold when necessary; something that has a good resell value.

Post by **Freightdog** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 12:46 pm

Khmer24 will be a reasonable starting point.
https://www.khmer24.com/en/cars.html

Renting a car is becoming a little easier, now, although the standard of those cars is very much a lottery, and availability is not consistent.
Buying- There are quite a few cars that appear reasonably priced by comparison with the rest of the market. But the average Khmer vehicle owner appears to do little in the way of maintenance, so it’s again something of a lottery.

CNM motors would be a good place to get some decent insights into the history and checking of vehicles, purchase, transfer of titles and the like.

I’ve probably looked at nearly 50 vehicles, up close. Of those, less than 10 were worth considering going further, all of which were priced ridiculously, and of the couple that I came close to buying, the owner or dealer was simply uncooperative (didn’t turn up, papers were never available, etc) and so the sale never progressed.

The resale consideration may also prove a problem, as I think there’s some bureaucratic awkwardness involved for foreigners. I think you need to be physically present.

Jerry Atrick · Post by **Jerry Atrick** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:19 pm

daeum_tnaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 11:41 am Hello all,

I've always had a moto here but now that I have a kid we need to get some kind of small vehicle for safety reasons. I was thinking of one of those little LPG rickshaw/tuk tuks, but supposedly they are actually quite expensive. I'd like to rent one but our rickshaw driver yesterday said they are not available for rent. I assume there must be a good supply chain for repairs for them since they are so common here. Another option would be the old fashioned tuk tuk with the trailer car, but that would require adapting my moto to pull the trailer.

Then there are these small cars, like the Kia Visto or similar. I know little about cars and how to avoid buying a lemon. Can anyone provide some advice about how to assess the condition of one of these small cars? Or has anyone bought a car in Cambodia and have any advice about the market or condition of cars? What are some of the different types of cars on the market?

We also don't know how long we'll be living here so would prefer to get something that can easily be resold when necessary; something that has a good resell value.

If safety is the driving force behind getting a larger vehicle you would do well to steer clear of those deathtrap LPG tuk tuks

Matt Lee as poster above said is good.

Small cars secondhand go from $1k to $10K

Post by **Freightdog** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:31 pm

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:19 pm
daeum_tnaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 11:41 am Hello all,

I've always had a moto here but now that I have a kid we need to get some kind of small vehicle for safety reasons. I was thinking of one of those little LPG rickshaw/tuk tuks, but supposedly they are actually quite expensive. I'd like to rent one but our rickshaw driver yesterday said they are not available for rent. I assume there must be a good supply chain for repairs for them since they are so common here. Another option would be the old fashioned tuk tuk with the trailer car, but that would require adapting my moto to pull the trailer.

Then there are these small cars, like the Kia Visto or similar. I know little about cars and how to avoid buying a lemon. Can anyone provide some advice about how to assess the condition of one of these small cars? Or has anyone bought a car in Cambodia and have any advice about the market or condition of cars? What are some of the different types of cars on the market?

We also don't know how long we'll be living here so would prefer to get something that can easily be resold when necessary; something that has a good resell value.
If safety is the driving force behind getting a larger vehicle you would do well to steer clear of those deathtrap LPG tuk tuks

Matt Lee as poster above said is good.

Small cars secondhand go from $1k to $10K

I saw a BMW mini for under $3k on Kh24. I was tempted to take a look, with low expectations.

I do most of my own work on my cars, but all bar one of my cars in Europe are mid 80s to early 90s, which means the engine and auto-transmission electronics can be diagnosed with basic electrical tools. I’m very reluctant to get involved with vehicles that can’t be diagnosed without complex diagnostic kit, or that are heavily reliant on an abundance of sensors that are approaching obsolescence. That includes fly-by-wire throttles.

daeum_tnaot · Post by **daeum_tnaot** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:33 pm

Freightdog wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 12:46 pm Khmer24 will be a reasonable starting point.
https://www.khmer24.com/en/cars.html

Renting a car is becoming a little easier, now, although the standard of those cars is very much a lottery, and availability is not consistent.
Buying- There are quite a few cars that appear reasonably priced by comparison with the rest of the market. But the average Khmer vehicle owner appears to do little in the way of maintenance, so it’s again something of a lottery.

CNM motors would be a good place to get some decent insights into the history and checking of vehicles, purchase, transfer of titles and the like.

I’ve probably looked at nearly 50 vehicles, up close. Of those, less than 10 were worth considering going further, all of which were priced ridiculously, and of the couple that I came close to buying, the owner or dealer was simply uncooperative (didn’t turn up, papers were never available, etc) and so the sale never progressed.

The resale consideration may also prove a problem, as I think there’s some bureaucratic awkwardness involved for foreigners. I think you need to be physically present.

Well that's sounds difficult if as you say you saw only 10 that looked decent but then were never able to close the deal.

I think we can keep the vehicle in my wife's name which should facilitate selling it. But with cars, do they do this same thing like they do with motos where you just keep using the same card from the previous owner?

daeum_tnaot · Post by **daeum_tnaot** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:35 pm

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:19 pm
If safety is the driving force behind getting a larger vehicle you would do well to steer clear of those deathtrap LPG tuk tuks

Matt Lee as poster above said is good.

Small cars secondhand go from $1k to $10K

Thanks that's interesting that you think the tuk tuks are death traps. Why do you think that?

Matt Lee I guess is CNM motors that Freight dog mentioned?

Post by **Freightdog** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 2:18 pm

The small TukTuk around town are ok, but they do seem pretty vulnerable- they do seem to survive the utterly crap driving styles both here and in India, though. Except when they get clipped, at which point they don’t.

I’d say most vehicles here that have had any form of lpg conversion are basically suspect.

Matt Lee is indeed CNM, part of it. Present on Facebook, too.

Jerry Atrick · Post by **Jerry Atrick** » Sun Feb 19, 2023 4:44 pm

daeum_tnaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:35 pm
Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:19 pm
If safety is the driving force behind getting a larger vehicle you would do well to steer clear of those deathtrap LPG tuk tuks

Matt Lee as poster above said is good.

Small cars secondhand go from $1k to $10K
Thanks that's interesting that you think the tuk tuks are death traps. Why do you think that?

Matt Lee I guess is CNM motors that Freight dog mentioned?

They are gas powered biscuit tins, get in an accident and they will crumple upon the occupants. Being three wheeled they are inherently unstable in turns and don't have the traction that four wheels provide.

Also, they sometimes explode

newsworthy/passapp-tuktuk-bursts-into-f ... 30808.html

newsworthy/tuktuk-burns-cinder-the-beach-t43579.html

newsworthy/tuk-tuk-catches-fire-with-fa ... 22111.html

newsworthy/truck-driver-kills-driver-an ... 40544.html

newsworthy/phnom-penh-pot-hole-kills-tu ... 42154.html

newsworthy/two-injured-passapp-tuk-tuk- ... 38030.html

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that those Indian shitboxes are not synonymous with "safe family vehicle" to my mind

Marx · Post by **Marx** » Mon Feb 20, 2023 8:14 am

I guess in place of those tuk tuk deathtraps, we could push for those big Mercedes taxis seen in German cities: built like a brick shithouse, tested, TUV'ed, licensed, taxed and registered, spend much of their lives in traffic jams and you won't see much change from a 20 Euro note, even if you're only going a block or two? Main thing is safety, right? Let's drag this place kicking and screaming into the 21st Century!

Re. 'those Indian shitboxes': Is anyone apart from me surprised at the casual racism common to CEO, or is this something that one gets used to?

Alex · Post by **Alex** » Mon Feb 20, 2023 9:16 am

Marx wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 8:14 am Re. 'those Indian shitboxes': Is anyone apart from me surprised at the casual racism common to CEO, or is this something that one gets used to?

LOL, racism against vehicles. Some people really see racism wherever they go.

Buying or renting small car or tuk tuk

Buying or renting small car or tuk tuk

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