buying a tuk tuk .

having been a biker for 40yrs, and the former girlfriends papa is a tuk tuk driver, I checked it out..chinese made, so life span abit dubious, chain drive v the shaft drive , chain drive always easier to repair, replace or what have you. prefer the kick start v the electric start, so when battery goes flat can still kick it into life hopefully..it seems some of the tuk tuk guys get some real mileage out of them, and can be a good little work horse, if maintained regulatly, even if they are if abit slow..handy for throwing things in the back, including the inlaws, might even make a dollar here and there, or lease it out when not in use.

me I would rather make a trike myself, but thats just because I have made bikes before, but go for it dude if thats your dream, and you have the money..I wouldnt give a dam what others think..heck I would have one of those V8 powered canoes you see in BKK if I lived near the Mekong..who says us farang have got to keep up with the Jones when living in thailand, only the ruddy Jones...live alittle man, do all the things you ever wanted to do in life.

I do believe the ones with the small motor you see around udon,probably do go quite A ways on A gallon of gas.And you could probably make A few baht here and there.If the price isn't to expensive it might be the way to go.

thrilled wrote:I do believe the ones with the small motor you see around udon,probably do go quite A ways on A gallon of gas.And you could probably make A few baht here and there.If the price isn't to expensive it might be the way to go.

yeh you might make the odd baht leasing it out,or even enjoy driving it around the village or nipping the shops ,but i wouldn,t try picking up fares in town,don,t think you would last very long

Also when driving in one most cars and pickups keep out of the way of them because they know they dont have any insurance. You also never get stopped by the police when driving one,you dont need any insurance no tax,you dont even need a licence. If you buy one just fill it with gasoline and of you go!!

keith555 wrote:You also never get stopped by the police when driving one,you dont need any insurance no tax,you dont even need a licence. If you buy one just fill it with gasoline and of you go!!

Really? Where did you hear this?
Did your source also tell you that leasing it out wouldn't constitute a "business" or work and therefore wouldn't require a WP?

Farangs driving a tuk tuk, what a f......en joke, are you cheap charlies. If you are a CC, you shouldnt be in Thailand.
The few falangs I have seen up there driving them look absolutely ridiculous. Buy a cheap 2nd hand car.

Nothing wrong with owning a tuk tuk / samlor call it whatever you want, some of the customised ones around town are very good.
You do need licence and ins and tax though.
You can get them customised with a bigger engine if that is what you want, better than a bike and cheaper than a car.
Only people who think a farang is daft is the person who secretly wished he/she had one but thinks they look stupid in one.
Go for it and be dammed.

Khun Paul wrote:Nothing wrong with owning a tuk tuk / samlor call it whatever you want Go for it and be dammed.

KP for once I agree with you ( I must be eccentric )

But .... Tuk tuks and samlors are not the same

A Tuk tuk is the same as a BKK Taxi ... Daihatsu powered ( 450cc and up ) ,shaft drive with reverse, low center of gravity ( improves cornering ) , hydraulic brakes all round and fun to drive ( been there , done that )

A Samlor is a Chinese low class copy of a tuk tuk .... has a 125/150cc copy Honda engine, fixed rear axle ( crap around corners ) chain drive ( high maintenance ) Rear brakes????? .... 2 fan belts running on V-Drive pulleys ( YES SERIOUSLY! ) and a high center of gravity which makes them very unstable ...
IMO ... I'f you've got the money to buy a new Samlor in Udon ... spend it on a proper tuk tuk ( second hand ) and you'll have more fun and a longer life expectancy

cryptic wrote:Farangs driving a tuk tuk, what a f......en joke, are you cheap charlies. If you are a CC, you shouldnt be in Thailand.
The few falangs I have seen up there driving them look absolutely ridiculous. Buy a cheap 2nd hand car.

When I see someone enjoying themselves,at no expense to anyone else,I feel good for them!Not in a major hurry,family involved driving if needed,convenient and easy,thought about getting one myself,but don't have anywhere to keep it now!

I know a couple of guys that have them,along with their cars,motorcycles,motorbikes and bicycles!!Does that make them ''cheap''??

I think people that are so judgmental without knowing the people, are ''a f......en joke''

cryptic wrote:Farangs driving a tuk tuk, what a f......en joke, are you cheap charlies. If you are a CC, you shouldnt be in Thailand.
The few falangs I have seen up there driving them look absolutely ridiculous. Buy a cheap 2nd hand car.

Totaly agree with Stan

If I had a tuk tuk, it would be parked somewhere between the Chopper and the Fortuner!
Wifey tends to take the Fortuner and the niece runs off with the chopper ... SO .. does that make me a CC for havin' a tuk tuk? ... Cyrptic ... I think you need to be a little bit more broadminded before you start condemning farangs here!

P.S. Buy a cheap second hand car here? ... Get out of holiday mode and start living here .... There's no CHEAP 2nd hand cars here!

There are some interesting comments in this thread!

Texpat wrote:silly, attention-seeking eccentric -- without the common sense.

Lee Rhodes wrote:Jeeze, I feel sorry for these people. Check out of the psychiatric ward and catch a flight to Thailand.

cryptic wrote:...are you cheap charlies. If you are a CC, you shouldnt be in Thailand.

Is it frustration, disillusionment, awareness of the own sad life, envy or simply boredom that makes you write unqualified stupid comments like these? Is it necessary to prove the own mental narrowness in this way?

Interesting indeed!

panick wrote:

Khun Paul wrote:Nothing wrong with owning a tuk tuk / samlor call it whatever you want Go for it and be dammed.

KP for once I agree with you ( I must be eccentric )

But .... Tuk tuks and samlors are not the same

A Tuk tuk is the same as a BKK Taxi ... Daihatsu powered ( 450cc and up ) ,shaft drive with reverse, low center of gravity ( improves cornering ) , hydraulic brakes all round and fun to drive ( been there , done that )

A Samlor is a Chinese low class copy of a tuk tuk .... has a 125/150cc copy Honda engine, fixed rear axle ( crap around corners ) chain drive ( high maintenance ) Rear brakes????? .... 2 fan belts running on V-Drive pulleys ( YES SERIOUSLY! ) and a high center of gravity which makes them very unstable ...
IMO ... I'f you've got the money to buy a new Samlor in Udon ... spend it on a proper tuk tuk ( second hand ) and you'll have more fun and a longer life expectancy

thats right panick.....most confuse the two...and one is far better than the other, the real tuk tuk will out live the cheap tacky chinese copy which will need lots of loving care and major organ transplants..and will be a better purchase...imo. and a customized one(Real Tuktuk) can be real cool....and the brakes won't permanatly squeak... broom broom broom................

panick wrote:I must be eccentric

lol..you did have a coffin shaped petrol tank on your bike...

beer monkey wrote:.....most confuse the two...and one is far better than the other, the real tuk tuk will out live the cheap tacky chinese copy which will need lots of loving care and major organ transplants..and will be a better purchase...imo. and a customized one(Real Tuktuk) can be real cool....and the brakes won't permanatly squeak... broom broom broom................

To naysayers, not beer monkey per se: A tuk-tuk is not the sort of vehicle one would drive on dirt roads during the rainy season. Which is WHY samlors are the vehicle of choice tee baan awk and tuk-tuks are rarely ever seen outside of Bangkok. Like others have posted, my samlor is going in the driveway next to the SUV and the Jazz.

I say good on anyone driving whatever toy their heart desires.

A true Samlor does not have any type of motor, it is a 3 wheeled pedal power bike. You can go to the following site to see short history, pictures etc of Samlors and Tuk Tuks
http://www.frangipani.com/huahin/samlor.htm