Korean Job Discussion Forums

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Diesel is like 1490 per liter, isn't it? Not 1000.

Yeah, I saw that the manual Kia Carens and Carnival were indeed that much cheaper. My Matiz is a manual, and I'm getting sick of it (3rd manual car I've owned). Manuals aren't so fun to drive in Seoul with all of the stop/go driving.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Well, my wife and I just spend a disappointing day at the Jangan-dong used car lots.

PURE HOOPTY TRASH CARS!

What a bunch of liars peddling busted-up, shoddy repaints. "Oh, no... this no accident!" They tell me that as I point out the drill holes from where the dents were pulled out, and the dried paint drips on the bumpers. Another dead giveaway: No logos on the bumpers and/or hood.

We're not happy at all. Plus EVERY ONE of the dealer ads from encar.co.kr was a FAKE. Seems that the used cars they list in the internet are all fakes, as well, meant to lure you to their salesmen so they can bait/switch you. Much like the realtors here.

We're thinking of heading out to some lots in Incheon tomorrow, but don't have much faith there either because not a single one of their ads from www.manycar.com was for a real car they had to sell.

Was seriously interested in a Carnival II sold by a person (not a dealer) but he's only owned it for 3 months -- big red flag for me. We'd have to drive 1 1/2 hours to go see it, and I'm not in the mood for that big of a let-down.

Seems people aren't selling a used Carens unless it's got 200,000 kms on it, or been in several wrecks. Looking for Rezzos too, but much the same problem. All of the dealer cars below 150,000 kms or that look nice in photos are FAKE bait/switch ads.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

Bass, my Korean friend is a used-car exporter so I had a talk to him about the Korean used car market.....

.....His opinion is that only really desperate people with bad credit ratings buy used cars in Korea. It's a really shoddy, shabby market. Very, very few used cars are worth the asking price and a huge portion of them have been in bad crashes. He says most Koreans tend to not bother fixing a car after a significant crash. They buy a new car. They just sell their crashed car cheaply to the used-car guys where they chop it up and re-weld bits back on in a very amateur fashion.

The Korean car market is set up for buying new cars. They actually aren't all that more expensive than the used one!!

I was shopping around for a Kia Morning to get me to and from my new job in March. The Kia dealer who we bought our Carens from had a 1 year old model for 8 million.......that's only 2mill less than a brand new one!! And when I called my dealer friend for advice he said that was a good price!! They are usually 9mill used!! He also said it's low price was a definite red flag and that I should check it very carefully for crash cover-up's.

It didn't take 5 minutes for my wife and I to think about it and decide to buy a new model. Interest rates are low. Repayment schemes are easily affordable for anyone on even an average income......... Also, I just wouldn't feel safe in a used car with my wife and baby.

My friend just kept repeating to me....buy new...buy new.....and he's a used car dealer!!!

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Have had my used Matiz for over 3 years. It's been a very good car. Had some minor repairs that were expected, and they were cheap. It had been in an accident, as well. Would like an accident-free car, if possible (but yeah, good luck).

We're focusing on people who are not dealers for now.

I've purchased 2 new cars in my life. No plans to ever do it again -- especially in Korea, where interest rates generally suck compared to the USA. I'd buy something 3 years old before I'd get something new. Far too much depreciation on a new car, and with something so new and nice, I'd feel extremely upset every time I got a door ding in Seoul (which happens more than necessary).

A Korean friend of mine dates a high-ranking Army guy, and all he drives is a $1 million won hoopty, which he had for 3 years before getting shipped-off to Kuwait. He says that people in Seoul have no respect for other peoples' cars, and he's right. In parking lots, they bump, ding, thump, and scratch everything without a care in the world.

The new Carens is a very nice car, though. Problem is, they're closer to 12 to 14 million new now. Way out of my ballpark.

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

Every 6 months a diesel has to be tested for emissions. At least that is the way it was back in the day. Here is my old registration for my Hyundai Grace. If things are different these days, great.

http://picasaweb.google.com/EMARK2009/UntitledAlbum#5425382984146308610

Section 4 shows dates on the left as the dates tested and dates on the right as the date sue for the next test.

Now, the LPG issue of only old people and so forth can have an LPG car.
Bull Oh Nee.
Daewoo Rezzo, and Damas, are two vehicles I know for certain that have no restrictions upon who purchases them NEW. Yes, the Damas is strictly LPG and yeah, who would want to buy one. The Rezzo was dual fuel not unlike other cars (Santamo, Potentia, Galloper). Unfortunately, I don't have documents with me that show that. However, these days, all one has to do is pick up a sales brochure at a dealer. In the pricing guide (gawd i luv korea) there are lists of the NEW cars that offer LPG and a disclaimer stating who are eligible for the purchase of these cars. Yes, old men, but also taxi, exporters, and other businesses. Just read the fine print. As far as I know, NEW dual Fuel, or the Damas, Labo, Porter and Bongo can be purchased with LPG by anyone. Can anyone show me the fine print?

As for the USED LPG vehicles. They are all fair game. There is even a Gas engine / LPG engine swap / replacement program underway. If you have an older vehicle that is still in good condition, you can have the gas engine swapped out and replaced with a cleaner, greener LPG engine.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

I ended up buying a used 2001 Rezzo. Picking it up tomorrow, but am forcing them to do some minor repairs and will get it checked-out by the area Daewoo dealer first. It's LPG... honestly don't know yet if it has any gas capabilities as well, or not. I noticed that the Carens or Carnival (forgot which) had some kind of emergency switch -- presumably in case you ran out of LPG, or couldn't get to LPG or something.

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Emark · Joined: 10 May 2007 Location: duh, Korea?

The Daewoo Rezzo had a cute little 3rd row seating arrangement. Not as comfy and nice as the Ssangyong ... what's that ugly thing called? Anyway, great memories there!

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Mine didn't come with the 3rd row of seats. Not sure if it was missing, or never came with it. Probably the car dealership pilfered it. I asked, and they said it didn't come with one. Doesn't matter to me, though, because I would rather have the spare storage space when needed.

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

Holy moley! You actually bought a car! After that first year of looking, I wondered whether you'd actually ever pull the trigger. Congrats. You should post some pics of it.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.