It's official, we are buying a little yellow truck

Life Cars & Motorcycles
1

We were going to buy one a couple years ago, and some friends ended up giving us a Sunny STD. Well, the old car is still running well, but the suspension is shot, and truth be told it’s too small and not suited for what we need.

I was told that to register a blue truck, you need A- Three signatures from people who live in the same district as you, and B- A special drivers license to drive a stick. Can anyone confirm that?

Also, seeing that my Chinese is very limited, I’m wondering if anyone would be keen to help looking at online adds for us. Here’s what we’re looking for: We want a small blue truck. Not interested in anything bigger than the smallest ones. The body has to be in good shape, mileage under 100k, and it has to be in good mechanical condition. It’s difficult to tell if a truck is mechanically sound looking at pictures, but I can inspect it myself. We are not willing to drive up north to shop for a truck, but we’re willing to go anywhere in Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung county, Pingtung, Tainan or anywhere within one or two hours drive from Kaohsiung. Retractable green tarp like cover over the flat bed would be good, if not, just a metal cage/sides would be good. Not necessary, though, since we can have that installed ourselves after we buy the truck. Hydraulic tail gate would be a huge plus.

Not too fussy about the make, although I’d prefer to stay away from FORD. It’s not said that we would not go for a FORD if the price is right and the truck is in good condition, though. My top choices are Freeca, Varyca or Zace.

Our budget is NT$60K. We hope to cover insurance and registration with this amount, but we’re willing to pay 60k and pay extra for regos if the truck is a good buy at 60k.

So if anyone is keen to look at trucks for sale online for us, that would be great, and we can have a Chinese friend call to book appointments to go see the trucks.

Also, someone told me that the medium size blue trucks are often cheaper than the small ones because there is a huge demand for the little ones. Does that make sense?

Finally, how much is regos and insurance for a little blue truck?

Any help or answers will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

marboulette

2

Bummer bump

I guess not many people own blue trucks around here. 56 views, and not one reply. No one knows how much is regos and insurance on a little blue truck? No one knows if we need three signatures or not?

All I got was as a response is one email:

[quote=“an unnamed sender”]You’re foolish to be looking for a blue truck in good mechanical condition. What you need is an old, rickety rust-bucket, with flaking paint, awful brakes, and tires worn down to the steel belts. That will encourage you to drive safely.

Just my two cents.
[/quote]
It’s funny, but it’s not really helping. :laughing:

marboulette

3

Well a better answer hopefully :blush:

Jeremy of bikefarm (website www.bikefarm.net) fame had a blue truck and would be the best person to ask. I believe he had only a normal driver’s license too. I would also check the dealerships. I recall Xinzhuang having a lot so any industrial area should have loads. Check with a few dealers with your wife and you should get a idea (fuzzy with a lot of misconceptions and BS no doubt).

I’d love to get one but wifey would kill me and we’d have to load the baby in the back. :wink:

4

I was told two signatures from neighbours (not sure how close they have to live, but it seemed to be pretty close) who have to attest you aren’t going to use the truck for commercial purposes.

I think a license endorsed for manual transmission is a requirement for any vehicle so equipped, not only trucks. Wasn’t an issue for me because I’d have been driving on my UK/International license (which I THINK would have been legal) and automatics are rare there.

You might also consider a Delica. The older ones are a bit, (not hugely) bigger than the later Varicar (which grew), but you’ve got a choice of engine type (diesel or petrol) and capacity, the cab is more roomy, a crash would probably be a bit more survivable, and you can get a workshop manual for them.

Discussed a bit in the “My own little blue truck?” and “My own not-so-little blue truck” threads, which you’ve probably seen but which I can’t find because the new search engine seems to be downright uppity. (Where does it get off “ignoring” my search terms?) IIRC Redwagon rates the Varica, Delica and the Zace, and disses the Pronto and the Econovan/Bongo (Fords)

Hope you have better luck than me (so far)

5

[quote=“Ducked”]Discussed a bit in the “My own little blue truck?” and “My own not-so-little blue truck” threads, which you’ve probably seen but which I can’t find because the new search engine seems to be downright uppity. (Where does it get off “ignoring” my search terms?) IIRC Redwagon rates the Varica, Delica and the Zace, and disses the Pronto and the Econovan/Bongo (Fords)

Hope you have better luck than me (so far)[/quote]Searching for “delica” with author “redwagon” turns up those two threads:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=49000
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=70679

6

Another possible option might be a Sunny pickup, which would be familiar and you could cannibalise your existing Sunny for parts.

Unfortunately most of the ones I see have either had the full kandy-kolored tangerine-flake streamline baby restoration, or appear to be falling apart, and the odd exceptions will be hard to find for sale.

I assume they are monocoque so more likely to need welding and probably won’t be available with dropsides.

OK, probably not a very useful suggestion, on reflection.

7

[quote=“Ducked”]
OK, probably not a very useful suggestion, on reflection.[/quote] :slight_smile: It’s OK. I have never actually seen a Sunny pick up. Maybe I haven’t paid attention. I’ve seen other models of the same kind, though. I assume you are talking about them fugly half-pick up-half-car thingies. I’ve seen them all built up and redone, but I rarely see them otherwise. They are so ugly that they are cute. Especially the ones that are still in good condition, but they are not cheap. Little blue trucks in good condition are much cheaper.

I was hoping we’d be able to buy one before CNY, but we decided to take our time to find the right truck for us. We’ve looked at a bunch of them already. With a budget of about 50-60k, it seems like staying away from second-hand dealerships is better. You don’t get much at a dealer for 50k, but you can find something quite decent from a private seller. The good thing about buying from a dealer, however, is you can ask to have the cabin exterior repainted. They will often do it if you commit to buying the truck. These cabins cost them peanuts to paint-they are so small.

marboulette

8

I think one difficulty with buying light comercials is that truly private sellers are hard to find. Most small businesses trading up will probably part exchange the old tin, so it goes back into the clutches of a dealer, with the associated markup.

My impression from periodic scanning of the Yahoo auction site is that most of the wee trucks on there are being sold by dealers, and the price seems (with the odd exception) to bottom out around 100k.

I think you’ll either have to get lucky, or get some guanchi.

I’m told Taiwanese tend to buy new shit, including cars, for CNY. If that applies to commercials (I’d guess less so because the Ooh-shiny face-factor is less important, but it’ll still have some influence) then this is a good time to be asking around.

9

:astonished:

10

:astonished:[/quote]

Don’t look at ME like that. The guy who gave us the car also owned a Grand Dink. :laughing:

[quote]the price seems (with the odd exception) to bottom out around 100k. [/quote]For 100k, I think you can get a really nice little blue truck. We’ve seen quite a few under 60K. They need a bit of TLC, though, but they seem to have a lot of life left in em.

marboulette

11

Good luck on your decision. Sometimes I envy you people of having the right resources for that. I still have to make my dream come true of owning one… :slight_smile:

12

ya

Im also interested in the varica (or however spelled) passanger version - Ill be looking around as well, but Im pretty lame at being a trailblazer so please update once you know stuff

13

Ok, I’m lost in space… why are people commenting that it’s their dream or that they’re hoping to own one but wifey won’t allow, blah blah? What the heck is this with the fascination with trucks?! :loco:

14

Ok, I’m lost in space… why are people commenting that it’s their dream or that they’re hoping to own one but wifey won’t allow, blah blah? What the heck is this with the fascination with trucks?! :loco:[/quote]

Dude its not just a truck its a BLUE TRUCK> think of the freedom that brings. You can chew beetlenut, wear the same clothes for days in a row, drive in flipflops, ignor all laws and park anywhere? !!

:laughing:

15

Ok, I’m lost in space… why are people commenting that it’s their dream or that they’re hoping to own one but wifey won’t allow, blah blah? What the heck is this with the fascination with trucks?! :loco:[/quote]

Dude its not just a truck its a BLUE TRUCK> think of the freedom that brings. You can chew beetlenut, wear the same clothes for days in a row, drive in flipflops, ignor all laws and park anywhere? !!

:laughing:[/quote]

Ah, there’s again proof that Tommy rocks. Tommy knows the real truth behind owning such an exotic vehicle as a blue truck. :laughing:

marboulette

16

Ok, I’m lost in space… why are people commenting that it’s their dream or that they’re hoping to own one but wifey won’t allow, blah blah? What the heck is this with the fascination with trucks?! :loco:[/quote]

Dude its not just a truck its a BLUE TRUCK> think of the freedom that brings. You can chew beetlenut, wear the same clothes for days in a row, drive in flipflops, ignor all laws and park anywhere? !!

:laughing:[/quote]

You should try to drive one in Taipei. I found that when I drive mine there, cars move aside to let me pass. Traffic isn’t the same as when you drive a car. Now when I drive in Taipei, I always use my Canter 3500.

C genial.
:laughing:

17

Marboulette, yer a nice kid and I’m not going to disparage you. If the OP wants a blue truck, then the OP should shop in Sanchong, not in a major city. I have seen many blue trucks for sale at far less than 60000 NT$. Maybe at need of a little tlc, but hey. Tommy who?

18

re: driving
definitely quicker to drive a blue truck, when moving I raced with three other blue trucks through the city streets/pavements/parking lots/sidewalks and parks with friends in the back… :discodance: sadly no beetle to chew and the driving position in the smallest did urk my back :fume:

re: money
of course Sanchong, Tai-Ke province, Tai-Bei - should have thought of that before - saw a payments thing for newish verica this morning 6000 a month, seems very reasonable… sure that will be 6000 a month and 400,000 downpayment knowing the reliability of signs posted in car lots! However, not too bad if youre looking at making money from it

re: additional
new estate (stationwagons) cars , nissan has 5 year 0% payments and their livana seems good for those wanting more balance and fuel econmy without trading usability too much - 60-65wan total (ie, 100,000 down and 10k a month)

19

Sanchong however also offers a lot of things at false prices. Somewhere down the line of discussion or signing contracts does the actual desired price often come up. Car sales, especially the mouth breathing type can often be a huge pain in the arse! Taichung is litterally full of the wankers. Checking out prices online will almost always show anywhere outside of Taipei with cheaper deals, but they very often end up being nothing but false promisses. Lower prices are often simply a lure to get people to take time off and travel out in the hopes of getting desired deal and once they are there feel they are obliged to make the most of their one day off to just make the damn deal and it get done, instead of what they should do which is spit on the sellers shoes before leaving in disgust. Its the cause of so many of our problems in the legitimate business world.
Never trust a price until its on paper, and NEVER! EVER! trust a car salesman.

Always ask for paperwork to prove a vehicle’s age. Always disregard previous numbers of owners. Disregard the so called “good condition” quotes from sellers. Disregard any advice they may offer, and ALWAYS do your own homeowrk so you need not ask any questions at all about the vehicle you are looking at other than to see its paperwork.

If going it alone without an independant inspector who will qualify the condition of the vehicle and its present state and may be called upon as a witness later, then take everything you need to make the paperwork and transfer ownership that day. Quite often if left alone with the seller the vehicle’s spec suddely changes from the one the buyer saw on the day of inspection once it has been transfered and the keys handed over. If no third party inspects a vehicle then it is simply the buyer’s word over the seller’s as to its original spec when the contract was signed.
Tyres may be swapped for balder ones, interior spec can change, engine components, you name it. You may not believe what some of these people are capable of.

Be carefull out there guys!

20

Been looking pretty actively, and I have to report that finding a blue truck under 60K isn’t as easy a task as I thought it would be. Most shops repaint/rebuild them and they want a bit more more for them.

I found one yesterday, the guy was asking 108k for it. After much negotiation, he was willing to let it go for 80. It’s a 99 Varica 1100cc. It’s white and it’s been completely redone. The paint is immaculate on both the box and the cab. It has the metal box, not the wooden one, and it has a nice thick rubber mat covering the bottom of the box. New tires. The cabin interior is also immaculate. New seat covers and new rubberized floor covering. It’s a gorgeous little truck and I wanted to buy it, but my wife refused. We decided to look some more instead of making a hasty decision. The good thing is as the weeks go by, we are saving more money. I am leaning toward upping our budget to 80K as a result of my research. It seems like for 80k, we can get a truck that looks brand new and that is mechanically sound.

I also found one for 68k. Varica 1997. Blue. Also in excellent condition, but not quite as nice as the white one for 80k.

Oh, and I found a 800cc Minicab for 45K. At that price it comes fully repainted and fixed up. They were working on it when I looked at it. It’s really cute because it’s so tiny, but maybe it’s actually too small. The price is good, but I noticed too much rust surrounding the front suspension mounts and I don’t trust it. That’s the best I found under 60k, the other ones were just falling apart and required too much work. I think we are better off spending a bit more and get one that is already fixed up instead of buying cheap and going through the hassle of getting it fixed, painted, etc.

I’m excited and I want a truck NOW! But I’m trying to be patient and do this right. Within about a month, our truck saving funds should be nearly up to 80k, so it’s going to happen in the near future either way.

If anyone with the ability to read Chinese could surf the online classifieds for trucks in the Kaohsiung area, that would be fantastic. We have a couple local friends helping with this, but man they are slow.

marboulette

PS: That’s great advice, sulavaca. Thanks, man. I will be as careful as I can. :slight_smile: