madhav

I think the Audi warranty from memory is 5 years 150k. Most people who buy a new Audi will sell it before the warranty is over anyhow. VAG as a company is one of the largest car sellers in the world, their quality standards are very decent these days.

If we we are talking purely on warranties then the Korean car manufacturers like Hyundai and Kia will beat them all, (however it’s unlikely anyone in the market for a Euro will even look at these companies, especially in Thailand where the taxes would be stupid)

Last year I was in the market for a used Quattro based smallish car with the 2.0 turbo engine. The A4 or Q3 for 1 million would have been perfect. However it was very difficult to find them and they appeared to hold their value better than say the Q5 (which is too big for my liking)

If they manage to sell many many of the spec’d up A4 quattros it means a few years from now there will likely be quite a few for sale at a reasonable price. Hopefully by that time there will be a dealer and after sales service centre in the South also.

7 hours ago, speedtripler said:

Mine was only about 65 in bkk for the " R" model

The lowest one was 62 but I didn't like the colours 

Very easy to pick up an R in Bangkok second hand with 1000km on the clock for 50k baht.

Diamond autos in Bangkok are the best I know of. 

I’d take this modified TT-RS for less than half the price anyday: https://rod.kaidee.com/product-138530631#&gid=1&pid=8

I spent ages looking at all the options about 6 months back (within the 1 million price range). Seriously not much out there to compare that has comfort, power, euro quality and the ability to modify to go faster should that be your thing.

Ended up with a mk6 GTI. Have since spent a bit more on buying a hybrid K04 turbo from the UK, intake and exhaust and also a Cobb accessport etc to tune it to about 380whp on the stock fuel system which will make it a very fast hot hatch. Obviously going to need some decent tyres on it.

I recently saw a few nice used Audis for sale, S and RS models, but prices so damn high. 

1 hour ago, akirasan said:

Has anyone had any experience here with radar detectors like this one?

http://www.lazada.co.th/cobra-esd-9275-digital-9-band-laser-radar-detector-w-safety-alertamp-lasereye-intl-36638409.html?spm=a2o4m.search.0.0.183d555e7mvzNR&ff=1

I generally sit on 100 but I noticed the speed limit along many highways is 90

I used a machine called a ‘valentine one’ for years in Australia and they work well for specific types of hand held speed cameras, especially if you drive the same route. It looks to be a similar type of tech to the one you linked. They can and do false detect for all kinds of devices though, especially in built up areas.

Problem is that there are newer more modern types of speed cameras that use a different tech, not sure if this is even possible to detect. They were introduced some 10 years back in Australia and then it all changed so not as reliable as before.

I am not sure what tech they use in Thailand. In Samui where I live there are absolutely zero laws in regards to speeding. At night it basically becomes a racetrack and you hear can groups of cars and bikes racing the ‘circuit’. 

7 minutes ago, chickenrunCM said:

Yes, we have a restaurant & bar, and we got from 1 person 2 negative reviews within 10 month, and we made also a police report to indentify this person. Because for on Tripadviser you do not have any chance to let delete a clear negative comment. You get only automatic emails response if you claim something. Positive comment will not be published. Even if you not register your bussines on Tripadviser, everybody can register it and post pictures of it.

In any European countr you can go to court and force Tripadviser to delete your busssines or the fake comments, if not they will be punished, but in Thailand this way not work. So we have to go after the person who wrote it. On Tripadviser you can write reviews even you never visit the place. This is not possible on agoda or booking.com, what makes a big different. 

And by the lastest study more than 40% of all reviews online are fake. It´s a big industry and and especially Tripadviser earns a lot, they offer you for 40 USD/month a special customer service and you can be sure no bad comments to be published. 

I would consider the posibility to sue because these people are out there intentionally acting to damage the reputation of a business when they have not even experienced it. There are laws against this and there should be.

48 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

If you've got such signs on the wall that you have to pay for everything that's included in "service" ( and I assume that a hotel, resort, or place that has rooms for rent, should provide such service for free), then you don't have to wonder why such negative comments are made.

 

  If I were you, I'd look at some guys who're running the same business. These are usually the ones who write some bad <deleted> about your place, hoping that they'll get the booking.

 

  I'm sorry to say that, but the world nowadays with all the online opportunities has become to a very difficult one.

 

  You might have a beer with them and they smile in your face, but once they come home they write a new review under a pseudonym. There';s no restriction on how many e-mails someone has and a VPN is easy to use.

 

  

Yes it is all too easy with VPN now. There was this report of a fake non existent restaurant that had many 5 star reviews. It was all done to expose how stupid the whole system is. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10208910/Businessman-sets-up-fake-restaurant-to-expose-failings-of-TripAdvisor-website.html

We were so sick of the fake reviews we tried to take down our TripAdvisor listing, we discovered it is actually not possible. We didn’t even put the listing up ourselves either.

I also know like any system where people are put in charge, it is possible to pay the staff to get the negative reviews removed. 

This is a serious issue and TripAdvisor refuses to deal with it. Customers can and do basically write whatever fantasy story they want, and there is no policing system. There is also no verification system required, so basically anyone can write an anonymous review regardless to whether they actually stepped foot in the place. 

I manage a health resort and we keep very strict records of all our guests. We know each and every person who comes and stays. We get so many fake negative reviews and are constantly complaining to TripAdvisor to remove them but they won’t do anything. They just say that the reviews are within their guidelines. It becomes increasing difficult to run an honest business because of dishonest people like this, it seriously damages our reputation. Of course I can pay for fake positive reviews but I don’t want to go down this path. But one begins to think what options are left?

39 minutes ago, AllanB said:

Only last week a guy on this forum paid a shit load of money for an electric scooter that won't go up hill. Wake up and smell the bullshit lads.

2 hours ago, johnarth said:

thanks for the info, I too was looking at electric, but I was told they very cheap to buy, from this article I can see they are not, just to mention a big seller in China is a gas-electric scooter 

There are several options available now:

1: http://www.lionbike.com/store/product/มอเตอร์ไซค์ไฟฟ้า-1727138-th.html
2: http://www.eminimotor.com/15719574/ฮอนด้า-m8

3: http://www.star8thailand.com/มอเตอร์ไซค์ไฟฟ้า-juno/

Price wise I think they are ok considering they are new.

2 minutes ago, Foxy52 said:

Just walk to work <deleted>, it's only 1 km and it'll keep you fit

Several issues, one is that we have to frequently carry items, two is that we have rescued some dogs in the resort and they want to follow us home, so it is a game of hide and seek everytime we want to leave by foot, third is that when it gets really hot in the middle of the day and I need to make several trips back and forth it is exhausting walking up and down that hill and requires me to change my clothes because they'll be drenched in sweat.

6 minutes ago, mwbrown said:

I did an extensive search for an electric scooter, ended up buying the Toyotron which is the best of the bunch but still not great.

 

UDA bikes cannot be registered to ride on the road, so take them right off your list.

 

I made a video about my search and choice, you can watch it here.  Subsequent videos are about all of the fixes I made to the bike and my upgrades.

 

 

I came across your video, was inspiring. I think there are a few more choices since then as I mentioned in the thread. I suspect there will be even more in the next year. I was not too keen on paying 70k for the toyotron like I said on the previous page so until prices come down and power and torque goes up, I will stick with gasoline based option. A second hand yamaha aerox. 

5 hours ago, macknife said:

The price has gone up since they first came out and it didn't include registration on the sticker price.(Never has)

So a couple of k on top of the Yamaha website price is quite reasonable for an island price. Items on any island are always a bit more expensive. Get a Thai to ask the price when you are not around. I suspect it will be the same.

2k extra for registration and insurance is standard practice and normal.

I think you are overthinking , as you are not being ripped off in any way. If you want to live on an island you have to pay a little extra for things. It's not the farang price, it's just the price.

If you went to the mainland and bought a new one, it would still end up costing you the extra in travel/shipping expenses anyway.

Sure come to Bkk and get a used one, but it won't be new and then welcome to the whole new crazy bureaucracy of trying to register it in Surat Thani.  (do they not have used ones there?)

My advice to you is pay a bit extra there. You are not being ripped off. Buying a used one from another province will cause you serious headaches.

I would not go to all the effort to get a new one shipped or drive it from another province only to save 3k baht. I agree is stupid. However to save 13k baht, and considering I am going to Bangkok anyhow and it is not out of my way? I think is worth it. But we all have different value systems.

None available in Surat, I did check. As for buying used, well the bike has done less than 2,000km, so is practically new. There is no issue to have the name changed on the green book, will do it as soon as I buy it in Bangkok. From there is ok to use the bangkok plates in Samui. My car has BKK plates, some of our work cars also. Used cars here sell for crackpot prices. 

40 minutes ago, speedtripler said:

No some dealers rape more than others.... Pays to shop around or have a Thai ring around them all for  you.... 

I spoke only in Thai from start to finish but probably the white skin is enough for the usual price adjustment.

“He Farang, he rich. Make price more.”

I went to the other dealer on the island, and the price I was quoted was 70k baht, and this was just for the standard model. Not including registration, was another 2k. I said that I want to do the registration myself and they said ‘mai dai’. So I said thanks and walked out.

Am going to bangkok next week so will pick one up there. Have seen a few second hand options with 2-3k km on the Odo going for around 50k baht. Will buy one like this and send it back via the post office for 2.5k. Baht. Will save at least 13k baht like this.

There is almost no incentive to buy from local places like this. I understand people want to make a profit but how stupid do they think we are. 

11 hours ago, ktm jeff said:

I was interested to follow this electric bike tale. Until they become more powerful , with a quicker re-charge time , and with price and quality similar to regular bikes , they wont suit many people. Give it 5 years , and maybe battery technology will have improved to such an extent they become viable. Same with electric cars. Have you considered a cheap dual sport bike , such as a Lifan X-Cross or the X-Plore 200. They are well within your budget , at about 48,000 Baht.Both would cope with the hills and road surfaces , and servicing will be cheap.

Toshiba released a new report showing their latest battery tech. 6 mins for a full recharge allowing over 300km in range. See here. Probably requires some serious infrastructure in terms of recharge equipment and costs a fortune, however it's progress in the right direction. 

At the end of the day for someone like me, it comes down to what is available for purchase right now. And there is a very limited range. The Juno would have worked 100% fine if I didn't live on the top of an unusually steep hill. I think for 99% of people who live in normally places houses or apartments, it will be fine.

I did not know about the Lifan brand. I checked it out and the prices seem very reasonable. I now have my eye on a lightly used (2000km) aerox for 50k baht in bangkok. (prices in Samui are obscene, ie think 70k baht for base model) Will probably take this as the power to weight is slightly better than the 200cc Lifan models and I like the ease of an auto scooter.

Are the prices fixed all over the country? I went to my local Samui branch and they quoted 3k more than listed on the national website. 

So the bike arrived, first impressions are that it is quite a neat little unit. Top speed I got it up to was about 60km/h on the straights. The torque is instant, and takes a bit of getting used to. I do like the instant on and ready to go part of things. I think for the price is quite reasonable.

This bike is perfectly suited to city life, the power is sufficient to take one to and from a destination with minimal fuss and the maintenance would be almost non existent. For my needs however, being that I live at the top of an extremely and unusually steep hill (see pics below), I do need something with quite substantial power. The bike did make it up with me alone (72kg), but with two  people it is not possible. I already have someone who want to buy it, so no skin off my nose.

From here I have looked for some more powerful electric based alternatives and quite simply there isn't anything sub 50k with enough power to suit my needs.

The same company star8 has a 2500 watt Pegasus model for 59k, see link here, looks great, but isn't able to be registered here in Thailand.

There is a 4000 watt model Vectrix VX-2 available, but is above my budget, it costs 120k baht here in Thailand for the basic lead acid model, does have some great specs, but needs to be ordered and would have to wait 6 weeks and can't even test it before. So forget it. 

The 3000 watt toyotron I considered, but not really happy to spend 70k bay on it when I can get a new Yamaha Aerox 155cc for 63k baht. 

So for my needs on an stupidly steep hill, there isn't much available in electric so I will probably go for the Yamaha Aerox which will have sufficient power and is well priced imo. 
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/23409590@N04/shares/PbW3sY

I personally think the tech will improve as time goes on. Think better power, better torque, better range and obviously better quality. Already electric based transport has far less moving parts so a lot less to maintain and potentially go wrong.

Several countries have already set dates to completely ban the sales and production of all gasoline/diesel vehicles. China is the latest country to announce it, (remember they are responsible for 30% of the total production and sales of the whole world, so this is a pretty big deal)

Holland by 2025 
India by 2030.
Norway by 2025. 
France by 2040.
Britain by 2040.

Scotland by 2032
Germany hinted that they will follow suit soon also.

Thailand?.... 2200?
 
Car manufacturers are also on to it:

Volkswagen: will bring 30 or more by 2025, (roughly 25 percent of its total sales)
Daimler: (owner of Mercedes-Benz) will have 10 new EVs to market by 2022.
Volvo: all its models introduced in 2019 and after would be hybrid or electric.

BMW: by 2025 it would have 12 new BEVs and 13 new hybrids on the road.
Jaguar Land Rover: all of its new models from 2020 onward would be hybrid or electric.
Tesla: which plan to sell 100 percent BEVs now and forever.

As far as motorcycles go I am not so sure. I know Honda Thailand are planning to produce an electric model within a year or so

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

I second that. Await your results

noli nothis permittere te terere.

Hopefully will be delivered by the end of this week.

non sunt delectabiles

1 hour ago, HidyHo said:

Please let us know how this works out.  I'm curious to know.  And, good luck.

 

P.S. I am impressed with how you handled all all typical ThaiVisa B.S. in your thread :)

Will do, Hopefully it will make it up the hill :)

The whole purpose of the thread was to get some help to find some more options or suppliers for an electric scooter. However as always someone managed to find a reason to start throwing some abusive comments around. Is ok though as I was never going to take it too seriously. I work at a health resort and deal with all kinds of angry and abusive customers. Some people are just looking for a way to argue about something and unload. 

Ordered 1 Juno model with lead acid battery for 42k. Is possible to register, so no issues. 

21 hours ago, guzzi850m2 said:

1 km is next to nothing, I walk that min everyday but more often 4.

 

Walk or get two bicycles giving you a bit of exercise.

Of course we love walking and exercise and agree but many times we have to carry boxes of goods to the work so is impossible.

Dear AllanB, at the end of the day I personally am not interested to buy a gasoline based bike, so although it may work great for you, and I can see you are listing many great reasons, but I am not interested. 

32 minutes ago, balo said:

Why not buy an electric bicycle instead . Only 1 km to work , no need for a big bike . My electric bicycle , battery is good for 45 km , I paid 20k for it .  And then you'll get the exercise as an added bonus when you run out of power. 

 

As I would need to buy two (for my partner and myself) economically makes more sense to spend a little bit more and have a much better and more powerful setup. It is not just the commute to work, would also use it for short trips elsewhere.