jimmybcool

I have had great luck with the luxury brands. But if you note my list above I don't keep any of them more than about 3-4 years so possible that the over-engineering is a problem more after that.

I would like to expand on why I've owned these cars and would I in thailand. I've owned them because I like the way they drive compared to say a Toyota or Honda. There is a difference and day in day out they are better. In the USA we have some very nice highways and can drive at higher speeds for longer times than in Thailand and they really earn their keep then. Also, getting service for these vehicles in the USA is easier and probably better. If I ever actually keep them past warranty I do not use the dealership for service. There are qualified service centers that charge a lot less. If I ever move to Thailand I most likely will not buy a Mercedes or BMW. First off I don't like the massive price increase. The gap between Honda and Mercedes in the USA is smaller than in Thailand as we don't charge a fortune for importing cars. I don't think I would like paying that delta there. Plus - well I've had nice cars here for years and rarely if ever get a scratch on it or hit a pothole deep enough to need repair. In Pattaya it is inevitable some motocy is going to run into you. lastly I would prefer keeping a lower profile regarding my financial situation in Thailand. The probable vehicle I would buy is a Honda CR-V or maybe a Toyota Fortuner. Something made there and serviced everywhere.

You could be right. I just don't think the less expensive lighter cars have as much impact protection. I have nothing against Honda except their modern selection of cars and sales teams at dealerships SUCKS. Was looking at cars for wife unit this year and thought a CR-V would fit the bill. They had NONE in inventory (major city in the USA) with higher end appointments. And their sales team instead of doing anything to see if it would be possible to get one tried to explain why it wasn't important. They did not seem to notice my wife was trying to get away from them as if they were <deleted> stuck on the bottom of her shoe. ????

I would but I have a bad back and I think the ride is a bit rough. ????

Back to the original point of this thread which is test and Go return. I really give up predicting anything the thai government will do. I can posit what I think they should do. First, regardless of where it entered originally Omicron is in Thailand. it is very infectious and there is really no way they will prevent it's spread. Best case with some restrictions they can slow it so their hospitals are not over run at any single point in time. I do not know if that is an issue or not. Regarding what they should do with tourists - open the damn door. Omicron is ALREADY THERE. A tourist arriving that has recently been tested in the west as negative is far more likely to contract covid in Thailand than to be bringing it with them. In either case repeat - omicron is already there. If Thailand wasn't showing large numbers of it now I could see restricting tourists. But now it's like closing the barn door after the horse already bolted. It would do more good for the large percentage of population that relies on tourist dollars to allow resumption of most tourist business than the slight additional harm created allowing them in.

Funny stuff in this thread. Lot of opinions and I wonder how many owned any of these brands. For myself in the last 20 years I have owned (or wife unit) this incomplete list: And I might have some of the years wrong. 200? E Class Merc 2010 S Class Merc 2012 Lexus LS 2012 ML Merc 2014 X3 BMW 2013 535 BMW 2017 540i BMW 2020 Porsche Cayenne 2021 BMW X5 2021 Audi Q3 There are pluses and minuses to all cars and these have their share. Realistically though the only consistent minus is they cost more than some other cars that will do pretty much what they do. For example a Honda will carry the same number of passengers and luggage just as well. But, there are differences other than basic job in how well they do it etc. You pay for it just as you pay more for a house with better views in a safer area. With regards to Mercedes one advantage you are paying for versus the similar sized Honda is safety. The attached picture was a car the wife unit was driving. She was at a complete stop and a full size Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck rear ended her that police estimate was moving at 65 MPH (104 KPH) and never touched the brakes. Yes, the whiplash caused some injury. But no part of the passenger compartment was violated and no one would have been cut on anything. I think in a Honda she might have died. That has some added value. And none of these cars ever left me on the side of the highway. Ever.

Yeah age and looks are all over the map in my experience. But I'm not looking for a girlfriend or pickup. I'm there for a caddy. It can be fun if they are cute or not. Not saying young and cute isn't a benefit in it's own right. LOL. And I've been gone 2 years now so don't know but assume the 300 as a standard tip for just doing the job. More if they were really good or more if you booked them. My regular caddy gets 500 baht. And she knows I will never yell at her. Or look at her as if she messed up the distance or putting line or anything. And I don't hit too many in the jungle either so it's a fun day for her too. I have to admit on the topic of caddies it fried my curds when I see a guy abusing their caddy. Won't go into detail but came close to hurting a guy once who thought his 15 year old newbie caddy was supposed to compensate for his 28 handicap lack of skills.

One of the nicest aspects of golf in LOS is the caddies. I confess I am a lazy git and like having someone fix divots and ball marks. Rake traps, drive the cart or haul the clubs if I'm walking. And usually they are wonderful company. I truly miss this as much as the food or any other benefits to visiting Thailand. I have had one caddy in particular for years. And she is very good at her job outside the fact I just like spending time with her. My 3 buddies and I all book the same 4 caddies and it's a wonderful day out together. Funny story. I used to live in Pattaya in a condo. Woke up one day to play golf and got into the elevator to go downstairs for breakfast etc. Door closes and stops one floor down. An attractive young thai woman gets on and says good morning to me Khun jimmybcool. I am confused because I do not recognize her and as I am trying to place her and say good morning back she starts laughing. She says "You don't know who I am do you?". I confess it is true. She then says she has been my caddy for 2 years now and will see me at the course in a few hours. Turns out her boyfriend owned the condo below mine. Never saw her without the uniform before. Another funny story. I am playing Laem Chabang about 20 years ago. I get a caddy I've never met before and off we go. Well, when I was younger I was an OK golfer and from tee to green I am smoking it this particular day. After 7 holes I have had at least 6 birdie putt attempts inside 20 feet. I am also about 6 over par. I was also a really bad putter back then. So we get to the 8th green and I have yet again about a 20 foot birdie chance and the faithful caddy reads about 1 foot of break right to left. Well I can not see that much break and I ask her "Are you sure? I can't see it". She looks me in the eye and says "What difference does it make?" I laughed my ass off cause she was right. Good caddy. On the pictures above: 1 - Green Vally or whatever it's called now. Pretty sure 2 - Pattaya Country Club??? Maybe??? 3 - Greenwood. Can confirm reading her pocket. LOL 4 - Maybe Thai Country Club? Really guessing here. 5 - Perhaps Siam Country Club or one of it's sisters? 6 - wow no clue. That is old. 7 - also no clue. Never seen sleeveless tunics. Thanks for the thread. Brings back good memories.

That is an interesting take but seems to avoid the bigger picture of which nation is perceived as the greater threat by Thailand or other nations in the region. On some of those points: 100,000 troops in Asia-Pacific. Deemed aggressive posturing by whom? Pretty sure there are only 2 nations that concerns. North Korea and China. And it concerns them as it represents a barrier to any aggression they might consider. And it has worked so far. I am worried that as the USA weakens Taiwan might not be safe much longer. Okinawa folks are NOT the entire Japanese peoples. Yup, there have been far too many incidents surrounding that base. It needs resolution and the locals would like the base gone. Heck, got people near me in USA want the local airbase gone. In the bigger picture Japan likes having the USA as a military partner since they were made into a non-militant status following WWII. As the US seems to be withdrawing and no longer an assured balance of power in the region the Japanese are again developing deep water naval assets. The gloves are off and Japan is slowly militarizing. Seems it is Chinese aggression that concerns them not USA. Regarding the islands - no they haven't accupied disputed islands - they MADE disputed islands and have equipped them with military airstrips. They are claming mineral and fishing rights and enforcing them against weaker nations such as Viet Nam and Phillipines. If the US Navy didn't regularly sail right past these fake islands that have not been recognized my the international community they would probably enforce no shipping zones. They cry every time a naval ship violates their false claim of national waters. It is hard to find a legitimate spin that doesn't view China as the emerging aggressor in the Asia-Pacific region. And it is hard to spin the USA presence there for 70 years as anything but a stabilizing force for the most part. My bet is the Thais have zero concern with US military presense in the region. They are simply being cautious antagonizing China since it is becoming clear the US empire is nearing an end and China emerging and they fear China. Fortunately for the world and smaller nations there are other counterbalance emerging to face off with China in Japan and India. The USA doesn't have to be so dominant as they ramp up. Hopefully China as it becomes a dominant world power will also discover something akin to respect for other nations and human rights and becomes a decent international citizen. Probably not unless there is a revolution from within but one can always hope.

I think a little perspective is appropriate here. Yes, the US has had for over 70 years a huge military presence around the world. And yes China has had little. That part is all true. But when the concept of aggression is raised let's look at actions. In that 70 years of worldwide military dominance the USA has invaded, conquered and KEPT how much territory? Yes, not all actions are altruistic. Yes, the USA has used money around the world to gain influence. Yes, like every nation the USA put America first in it's foreign policy. But in the end of the day no nation in the world has reason to fear the USA is going to annex them for whatever reasons. In general because the USA had it so good we were happy to just keep the peace. Note we have NEVER made an aggressive move against China. We are their largest customer. They have zero reason to fear our navy assuming they have good intent. China however has not only annexed Nepal it is laying claim to MOST of the seas in southeast asia. I'm sure you have seen the maps of what they lay claim to and the fact they built islands and placed military bases on them in the middle of the ocean. Plus I am certain we are all aware of the very real threat of them invading Taiwan. And the fact China has little project-able force yet is coming to an end. They are actively in process of building a preeminent naval force. The pace they are on is replicating the French navy every 4 years which is impressive and it is including modern aircraft carriers. At this time with the lack of carriers no one takes them seriously. But they should. China has the largest navy in the world by numbers. Agreed the US Navy us far more advanced and in a shoot out China loses but who else stands in their way? And will that be true in 2031? There is a reason India, Korea and Japan are all upgrading and expanding their navies. That reason isn't the presence of US Naval bases or ships. it is the increasing aggressive tactics from Beijing.