steveromagnino

The styling and way they look is a generation forward of the current C class, but I strongly recommend test driving, I could not live with the jerky dual clutch of the A class it would drive me crazy. CLA looks very nice though, bear in mind it's a FWD so might not be quite as good for drifting as a C250 :-)

Sorry, but what is the problem with dual clutch and FWD cars ?

Thank you.

No problem with either dual clutch or FWD cars.

I do have a major issue with the very poor gear shifting ability of the dual clutch system in the A class benz I test drove, which was just awful. VW have a much, much better system, the system in the Benz would drive anyone crazy, as would a car with the tiptronic type auto systems used in cars like Mini Cooper S.

If someone was wanting to go drifting their car, then a RWD is needed, not a FWD (this is said a little in jest, as not so many people drift low end Benzes) so if purchasing to drift, then perhaps a CLA would not be the ideal choice unless it is the 4WD variant.

recently i have purchased C class C200, they do not provide test drive in Thailand.

In Aus, you can drive as far as you can

Actually, they do provide in most dealers, but there is sometimes a restriction on it and usually requires to prebook the test drive. Also requires that the dealer has a test drive car of that model (or equivalent) which is sometimes not the case.

If you call, and make an appointment, then usually a test drive is possible but if you just bowl up and expect to test drive, it is unlikely unless you bowl up in a similar sort of specced car - cuts down looky loos.

I've test driven Volvos, Benz, BMW, Audi, MINI, Lexus, VW in the last 24 months - all no issue with a test drive in some cases bowling up in other cases making an appointment. Benz have test drived just bowling up as well as needing an appointment; the A class I had to wait 3 months to test drive, pleased I did, on paper it looked great, in fact it was not really my cup of tea at all thanks to a very poor gear box - this also (along with incredibly poor service) pushed me away from the CLA also.

My parents actually spent a day test driving and did a bunch of errands overseas, went out for lunch, the whole 9 yards. Not sure that this would be ok in Thailand, I suspect not!!! Usually a test drive the dealer is in the car, and offers helpful advice, or in my case, hanging on for dear life as I did some 4 wheel drifts.

What sort of music do rats like?

edm and dubstep

Cheesy house

Some of you are attempting to cash in on this idea with similar ideas. A mouse? Oh no. That's rats 2.0 don't give away the new strategy for next year. Pidgeons? that's rats 3.0. Don't get me started on rats 4.0.

Our rat pumpkin cat business plan is unique, and will solve the world's pumpkin shortage. We will achieve 100X earnings valuation, because this is 65 times less than facebook. So it must be good.

I propose the business is called The Rat in the Cat Pumpkin brand. I have innovated with a new logo that has a cartoon aristocratic cat wearing a hat made of rat skin in the shape of an elongated pumpkin with stripes. No one has ever thought of anything like this before.

I am sure the CLA and the A class are not currently built in Thailand, they may be gearing up to do so in the near future (just as BMW are now going to be building Mini Countrymans here soon) but as of now, the batch coming in year end will be made overseas and imported.

The styling and way they look is a generation forward of the current C class, but I strongly recommend test driving, I could not live with the jerky dual clutch of the A class it would drive me crazy. CLA looks very nice though, bear in mind it's a FWD so might not be quite as good for drifting as a C250 :-)

For BMW they are importing presently MINI, coupes, performance models and the 1 series - again eventually it is possible all of these might be made here, but currently AFAIK they are not.

The C180 2 door coupe for around 2.99m I am not entirely sure, but am guessing that it is still an import; probably the next generation C class will be built here, but from what I understand it is built in CKD form (complete knock down) meaning it comes in a palette of pieces and is assembled here, without the engine etc being made from scratch here. however, this is beyond my knowledge to say for sure. The C180 is imported as a CBU (completely built up unit) - this all has an implication on duty and also depreciation (as some Thai buyers don't like buying small quantity cars on the basis that servicing them can run into issues with parts stock outs etc).

hmmm. Maybe I should just scan the license and show them, if it is written in English then it saves me a trip to MorChit. (Sathanee dtor bpai, Morchit, neck satay-chun Mor-Chit).

I will give that a try and if acceptable, will let everyone know.

Thanks for the heads up.

5 year drivers license has some English some Thai but if I couldn't read Thai I would not know that the Thai bit is a repeat of the English bit (which is why the rental company I guess said I needed to line up an international license).

Thanks for the feedback, all sounds simple enough!

I am going overseas and need to hire a car; they have told me they won't or may not accept my Thai license because it is written in Thai, I need an international driver's license written in English - this info coming from the car hiring company.

I don't have any other licenses, I believe someone who has many licenses is described in English as being Licentious, I am not licentious. Not even a little bit. Sadly.

I had read Soutpeel's quote here:

"Yes you can get an international driving permit ( no such thing as an international license) based on your Thai license, need the following:

A full 5 year Thai DL

Copy of your PP

2 X PP photos

THB 500 odd

I normally do mine at Mo Chit traffic department, typically in and out in 15 minutes and valid for 12 months"

Is this still the same situation or thereabouts? I have the tabian bahn etc etc and a bunch more other info, plus the 5 years license. Should be easy enough is that correct?

I know people running on Malaysian plates doing the same thing here. Mostly doesn't work out financially unless the car is from Langkawi. Means you need to do a monster drive to Malaysia or somewhere else and leave the car there from memory, every 3 months (possibly every 6).

No issues with cops, insurance is foreign and no doubt might start to be an issue if you started regularly having accidents.

If I can make a suggestion, your ad needs to look a lot more like this:

http://www.prakard.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=614916

it needs pictures, clear explanation of what is included and what is not included (aircon, wall paper, furniture, wardrobe, kitchen, hotwater, etc) and it needs to be bilingual at least; most readers of prakard are Thai and in that location, want to read Thai, not English.

Have a play around, see how you get on. the one above is 100k per sqm, so you are obviously not the highest priced; most of the units in this development 2nd hand seem around the 80k+ mark, I have to confess to not knowing the specific development but would say that you may just need to actually focus on putting together a decent ad, then wait.

If I can make a suggestion, your ad needs to look a lot more like this:

http://www.prakard.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=614916

it needs pictures, clear explanation of what is included and what is not included (aircon, wall paper, furniture, wardrobe, kitchen, hotwater, etc) and it needs to be bilingual at least; most readers of prakard are Thai and in that location, want to read Thai, not English.

Have a play around, see how you get on. the one above is 100k per sqm, so you are obviously not the highest priced; most of the units in this development 2nd hand seem around the 80k+ mark, I have to confess to not knowing the specific development but would say that you may just need to actually focus on putting together a decent ad, then wait.

If I can make a suggestion, your ad needs to look a lot more like this:

http://www.prakard.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=614916

it needs pictures, clear explanation of what is included and what is not included (aircon, wall paper, furniture, wardrobe, kitchen, hotwater, etc) and it needs to be bilingual at least; most readers of prakard are Thai and in that location, want to read Thai, not English.

Have a play around, see how you get on. the one above is 100k per sqm, so you are obviously not the highest priced; most of the units in this development 2nd hand seem around the 80k+ mark, I have to confess to not knowing the specific development but would say that you may just need to actually focus on putting together a decent ad, then wait.

If I can make a suggestion, your ad needs to look a lot more like this:

http://www.prakard.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=614916

it needs pictures, clear explanation of what is included and what is not included (aircon, wall paper, furniture, wardrobe, kitchen, hotwater, etc) and it needs to be bilingual at least; most readers of prakard are Thai and in that location, want to read Thai, not English.

Have a play around, see how you get on. the one above is 100k per sqm, so you are obviously not the highest priced; most of the units in this development 2nd hand seem around the 80k+ mark, I have to confess to not knowing the specific development but would say that you may just need to actually focus on putting together a decent ad, then wait.

I might get rid of my family next time by claiming ghosts....sadly I don't think they buy into all that though 55555555.

28k per sqm is a really nice price, where is that, presumably not Sarin Place, but on the opposite corner, Rachyothin Park or somewhere like that? I quite like Sarin Place, decent prices; for 5m there you would be looking at around 100sqm (from memory).

To the OP, I don't think that you need to go that low per sqm to sell however. But I would not benchmark against the other units of the same time for sale; someone in my building is attempting to sell at 70,000b per sqm (older building) and someone in the building opposite wants 80,000b. 10% lower than these won't sell. 20% lower than these won't sell. Because anyone wanting to buy knows full well that where I live (maybe 4km away from Rachayothin closer to MorChit) was selling for 30-40,000b 5 years ago, no one wants to be the mug paying double that now. 45,000b I would guess is the realistic max in my 12 year old building; whereas Ideo and Issara are around 70,000-85,000 just by virtue of newness and access to financing etc etc along with better facilities.

Anything around 70k per sqm and up is 'getting on the high end' for the area. M Lardprao is higher again, and the other Major Dvt project whose name escapes me next to JJ Park is higher again (well over 100k per sqm for an art deco looking monstrosity) but those are awesome view type places closer to Central Lard Prao and the prices taper off quite chronically currently heading further north; no doubt as soon as the skytrain goes in that will all change. Until then....loads of new projects and chronic traffic. Not impossible to sell by any means, but you need patience. Check out www.thinkofliving.com and you will see there is a lot of research on new developments now.

For rental, the market is moving upwards, slowly, if you can nail a decent tenant they will pay (at a guess) something like 12-15k a month partially furnished (you can check this on ddproperty.com or prakard.com to see if it is reasonable); obviously this is hard to stack up on straight rental yield alone but once the skytrain goes in there will be pain, then pleasure. Also the Suzuki Avenue or whatever that Siam Future development on the corner is called helps too. As does Rao which is just up a little further;-) Renting furnished is where it is at. Selling the unit, any furniture I and many buyers would attach a value of zero to it as I would biff it all. Different mindset.

There are a few misunderstandings in this thread. Buyers make logical decisions, just because you cannot see the logic, doesn''t mean there isn't a logic here.

Why do MANY Thais like purchasing smaller size condos new rather than 2nd hand?

1. They don't need to pay up all the cash upfront so they have the ability to save during the construction period, often there are favourable promotions etc

2. They have access to borrowing at often a higher LTV (loan to value) percentage than 2nd hand; Thai banks will often not provide as favourable mortgages to a 2nd hand property

3. Because of the way developers price (cheapest price off the plan, increased price during construction, maximum price at completion) buyers are totally aware that to purchase new off the plan is cheaper per sqm 'on average' than purchasing when completed. This also applies even when there is substantial inflation (as we have seen in the last 5 years) in pricing

4. Purchasing a building which has poor reviews on places like prakard.com is a known problem for the buyer; purchasing off the plan from the same developer, it is not known yet whether the same problems will occur

5. The fees for transfer etc are often covered by the developer along with promotional offers...which don't exist 2nd hand

6. For the investment market side (people buying to flick or people buying to rent out) all these factors push the off the plan market ahead of buying 2nd hand

7. Once selling 2nd hand, 2 years old is the same as 10 years old, so you are 'stuck in the middle' where you didn't pay prices like those of us who bought 10 years ago (e.g. I paid 29,000b per sqm) and so you are squeezed with all the drawbacks of 2nd hand without the super duper prices of anything purchased pre 2006

8. So a purchaser of 2nd hand is also aware that they will be buying and selling on the 2nd hand rather than the new market; buying off plan means you can sell roughly when the building is completed and pre transfer - once transferred that window is gone

Having said all of this, the market is changing rapidly, and GOOD buildings have no issues selling 2nd hand. I do not know this specific project, but would guess it might or might not be 'good' however there is a lot of construction in the area, so there is a lot of 2nd hand units to choose from. At a price of around 80,000b+ per sqm, that's the same price or higher as buildings like The Issara, Ideo, LPN Soi Sena (from memory), UDelight, The Room Lard Prao etc. So..my guess is you may be at the upper end of the curve and thus pricing yourself out of the market if you want a quick sale. Also, FYI the rental market for 2 bedrooms (this is actually really more like a 1 bedroom + study size right?) is not as strong as for 1 bedrooms, plus most investors will not really look at this to purchase, when they can get the upside of buying off plan as per points above, and running 3X leverage compared to your purchase where they have to pay 100%.

Foreigners often don't look at the same things Thais would. In the ad if the unit is south or north facing, that's a major plus. Yet most foreigners would buy west facing (for the nice sunset view) which is the least popular for a Thai person (or an experienced expat) who is well aware that it is way too hot. Ceiling height. etc etc.

I would strongly recommend the best places to sell are www.prakard.com www.ddproperty.com and sites that specialise in this type of the market. The ad must be in Thai or you cut off 95% of the market in this sort of area; farang centric websites are a total waste of time for this type of area, as not many developments sell to foreigners except perhaps 'brand name' developments like Supalai 10 years ago, Major Wind, etc (maybe Supalai has the most foreigners, but that's more the farang guy/Thai wife expat workers here type market with kids as the facilities are pretty good and loads of stuff for all the little look kreung brats to do like peeing in the pool and playing cricket* etc - note Supalai is also 2nd hand and around 50,000+b per sqm so more like 3m probably for a unit your size). Agents at this end of the market, also 'not so useful' - 3% is however quite standard as a rate.

Any chance you can send a link to me via PM of the ad? I might personally be interested....at the right price. To rent out.

*Thai look kreung bratty kid version of cricket = get two crickets and make them fight on the grass. Somewhat different to 'ashes' version of cricket.

try this site, usually has a summary of upcoming fights at Lumpini etc.

http://www.muaythai2000.com/en/quota_lumpinee.php

I like the Petchyindee promotions, as they have a lot of my favourite fighters usually (Nong Oh, Sam-A, etc).

For Thai fights (the ones where it is Thais against foreigners) that is here

https://www.facebook.com/thaifight.tv

And you can link up somehow from there. I'd much rather watch Thai vs. Thai or Thai vs. foreigner in the stadiums, the Thai fights card some of the foreigners should probably not be in the ring (of the fights I've seen) as they are being carried and not really a competitive fight. Others....very competitive.

various players from Thai premier league, Asian Premier League (I think) and some national team members; a few big names in there from the previous generation.

Sort of like a ''barbarians" team in rugby.

^{Imagine Chalerm and Thaksin going to war with each other. It would not be pretty.}

^{I once saw Chalerm at a hotel breakfast buffet in Phitsanulok more than 10 years ago, trying to act like a big shot of course...he gave me a look like: 'You aint shit" .... How such an animal 'is allowed' to get into office amazes me.}

Some others have got a pistol butt in the face. Alledgedly of course.

PS the alleged pistol butt in face was allegedly to a son of a Thai diplomat. Allegedly solved in an diplomatic way, allegedly, I think

There are more than just one case of alleged pistol whippings, the one I was referring to happened not to a diplomat, just the result of a spot of bad driving.

No doubt it might be in the double digits, were it safe to publically accuse the gentleman in question without fear of worse occurring than just a pistol whipping.

Lovely chap.

^{Imagine Chalerm and Thaksin going to war with each other. It would not be pretty.}

^{I once saw Chalerm at a hotel breakfast buffet in Phitsanulok more than 10 years ago, trying to act like a big shot of course...he gave me a look like: 'You aint shit" .... How such an animal 'is allowed' to get into office amazes me.}

You are lucky you only got a look. He is well known for his attempts to stare people down, and to play the big man. ironic given his favourite colour (pink) but I guess that colour doeth not make the man.

Some others have got a pistol butt in the face. Alledgedly of course.

This story has really brought a smile to my face. After all the scorn myself and others on TV have heaped upon Chalerm, glad to know that others in the government have realized his short comings as well.. Regarding his spit the dummy speech about what really happens in Thai politics, he is saying nothing more than what has already been said on TV many times. But he has violated the omerta, the code of silence for the ranking level politicians in Thailand. And for that he will pay dearly. Do not be surprised by seeing him move to the forefront of the investigation for tax evasion on his fleet of luxury cars....

This is great to see him thrown under the bus !!!!!!!!!!!!!

True, and yet Sanoh cursed Thaksin stating from memory that in Chachoengsao they say his name and spit on it, and spoke openly breaking the omerta as well regarding how skim works in Thailand.....was a chief instigator in destabising the house....then just 4 years later they were back to being pee norng gun eek laew.

Chalerm has his own insurance I am sure, that protects him. The illegal casinos in the past that others have claimed he and his family were involved with (along with running numbers on the illegal lottery in his precinct, er, constituency) are but a small part of the rumours that circulate around him. When people describe him as the Thai J Edgar Hoover, they aren't referring to his choice of evening dress, but rather the long and persistent rumour that he has a file on major political families and patrons which are used as a form of leverage to get what he requires.

While he might seem to be thrown under a bus, or perhaps more fittingly these days under a illegally grey market imported vehicle with a dubious ownership history, no doubt what he knows about deals in the past is enough to bring him back from the dead multiple times. Not many senior politicians aid and abet their son to run from the law for 12 months, do a snowjob on the evidence against him, and then proudly parade the son around town while boasting how he did it, and then not long after....end up a deputy PM with the aim of bringing back a convicted fugitive former PM.

Having been disciplined by the Thai Military in the past there was little if any possibility that DPM Chalerm Yoobamrung could work with the Thai General responsible for operations in the troublesome south of Thailand.

He didn't visit the south more than what, once, he didn't ever communicate any specific plan (probably due to orders from the Boss to do nothing) and PT have no actual policy for handling issues in the south - is it any surprise that he would be ineffectual? Let's bear in mind the issues in the south stem specifically and directly as a result of Thaksin's meddling in the past, and unwillingness to take responsibility for the idiocy of various policies there (the mosque deaths, the idiotic spamming of paper origami cranes instead of actual policy, the military interference) - so it is not surprising it would not be improving.

Chalerm's biggest issues seem to be with Pol. Col. Thawee Sodsong - he's a policeman not a Thai General.

So to be clear, that's not 80+11.1+7, it is price * 1.8* 1.111 * 1.07 = 113% duty and that's calculated also on the shipping cost and the estimated value of the car, not the purchase price.

Assuming $50k USD for the car and $10k to ship it, that's going to be a 4m baht car at least.

Also, it is going to sound stupid, if you pay that much, you at least want to annoy your neighbours.

I am sure YUMA (IIRC the current importer) would not be selling them for 8m if they were able to be imported for 4m.

Your math is correct

Why would you assume an official importer wouldn't mark up 100%? The money to run their business has to come from somewhere

100% markup is actually very low compared to mainstream brands - but there's a lot of expenses that quickly eat into that.

Oh, I mean if they could sell it profitably (at whatever margin they want) for 4m, they would; as the cost price is 4m, the price must therefore be something more than 4m.

But yes, for a boutique brand a price margin of 100% would seem to likely be something not unreasonable, now that I think about the cost of carrying parts etc to service it.

This is so demonstrative of the Thai problem: this isn't an image problem, it's a public health problem. Thais are fundamentally incapable of recognizing any consideration that goes deeper than image. As a result, they have a HUGE image problem. From my end, if I know a product is Thai, I immediately am suspect of its quality and if a Thai person says anything, I automatically assume they are lying. I remember when the Thai government said it was furious with the US for issuing a terror alert to its citizens in Thailand without going through to Thailand first. It said the terror alert would hurt Thailand's image. Two days later, a bomb went off in central Bangkok, wounding the Iranian who had been carrying it. Of course it came out from the US side that they and the Israelis had been warning the Thai government of a terror attack to be perpetrated by Iranians for months before the alert went out to US citizens.

Certainly this particular government and its predecessors has a history of misrepresenting the truth, starting with the chicken flu and finishing with rice pledging. However, to claim ALL Thais are unable to look beyond image is simply a racist, broadbrush stroke slur of over 60m people, the majority who you have never met.