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https://www.thailandpost.co.th/index.php?page=article_detail&addon=product&group_id=543&topic_id=85&language=en Thai Post EMS is ฿120 for 4kg. Standard parcel ฿65 Insurance will be a few Baht on top.

Judging by the size of a lot of the expats I see, a food shortage could be a good thing...

Shell Thailand is actually a UK-registered company (incorporated way way back in 1913). I don't think they are affiliated with any other oil company in Thailand. For as long as I can remember (20+ years) they have been a little more expensive than competitors. PTT is the old government-run Petroleum Authority of Thailand (for those with long memories). I believe they own the Thai Oil refineries and they also own Amazon coffee shops (and probably a few other businesses). Seems to me that PTT have expanded and are squeezing out Shell and Esso.

Daihatsu Xenia was designed for the Indonesian market. Also sold as the Toyota Avanza and sold in 'emerging markets'. Veloz is the top trim level of the Avanza but the name wasn't used Thailand. New Xenia/Avanza is FWD and sold around the world - just called Veloz in Thailand, Avanza name seems to have been dropped in TH. I think its the Alza in Malaysia and Rumion (??) in South Africa.

The DIP before the RIP guys! Bitcoin on sale, buy, buy, buy..!

CVTs make a great deal of sense on smaller cars. They are relatively compact and light, they have better power transfer efficiency than conventional autos, they can cover a wider range of gear ratios (typically 7:1) and, of course, the gear ratio is infinitely variable. The Toyota CVTs (made by their Aisin subsidiary) seem to be extremely reliable. The K400 series used in the Yaris was introduced in 2004 and Aisin have refined it over the years so that it is now an extremely good transmission in all regards. Honda make their own CVT and whilst older ones (up to about 2015) had occasional problems the latest ones also seem very good. I have a friend with a Honda that has 500k km on its original CVT. Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki all use the same 'CVT-7' (JF015E) made by Nissan's Jatco subsidiary. Jatco bought the original design rights from Fuji Heavy Industries (i.e. Subaru) about 25 years ago. The '7' refers to the fact that it is their 7th generation of CVT - which gives a clue that they have had problems.... Jatco have about half the world's CVT market and the JF015E is their most popular CVT, good for up to about 150bhp. About 15 million have been made. I have rebuilt two JF015E's and in both cases the major fault was failure of the input shaft bearing. The Jatco box is smaller and lighter than Aisin's and you can see its a somewhat marginal design. Bosch supply the belts to both Jatco and Honda and in June 2018 they started supplying redesigned belts using improved matrials. Jatco's made late 2018-on should be more robust than the earlier Jatcos. On the JF015E there are two fluid filters - an internal mesh filter and an external cartridge filter. We always change the cartridge filter when we change CVT fluid. Mitsubishi dealers (in the UK) don't list the filter so we buy from Suzuki or Nissan (its the same part). Use only genuine Nissan NS3 CVT fluid - do not use any of the cheaper 'universal' CVT fluids that are available. I think the later Jatco CVTs should be fine in the little Nissans, Mitsubishis and Suzukis - they only deliver about 80-90bhp, which is well within the CVT's capacity. For bulletproof reliability and best driving characteristics the Aisin (Toyota) CVT is probably the one to go for.

Never actually owned one but sold, serviced, driven lots... What is your reason for considering the car. They are solidly built. Bit thirsty on fuel and I am not a big fan of the Subaru CVT. Main selling point is good offroad/4WD performance. If you don't need to go offroad/4WD then something like a Mazda CX5 is probably a better buy.

The original 4Runner was built on the Hilux chassis and was known as the Hilux Surf in some markets. However since MY 2010 the 4Runner has been based on the Land Cruiser Prado chassis. You really do get a lot more for your money with the 4Runner as compared with a Fortuner. The current Fortuner is desperately outclassed by even Toyota's own products in other markets and this is no doubt behind their decision to bring in a completely new '23-on Fortuner on the GA-F platform - so basically it'll be a Land Cruiser/Tundra under the skin. It should be a hugely superior product to the current Fortuner.

Impossible question to answer because it totally depends on lifestyle. My wife and I spend 6-8 months a year in Thailand and couldn't live without a car because we tend to travel about quite a bit. Based in Pattaya but with a house in Udon and friends scattered around the country. In Pattaya I tend to drive only when going shopping. If going out for the evening locally we use Bolt/bus etc. I the UK I have been riding motorcycles for 45 years, including racing and acting as a motorcycle instructor and examiner. In Thailand I don't travel on anything with less than four wheels - two wheels are too dangerous IMHO.

Sounds strange and very difficult to make a diagnosis with limited information... Video the engine when it stops. A stalled engine will stop immediately and rock on its mounts. If fuel supply is shut off it will stop less violently and may continue to make one or two revolutions. Few thinks to check... 1. Check operation of clutch pedal switch (if it has one). 2. Check for clutch drag (on flat ground with engine off, engage 1st gear, depress clutch. Does car easily roll back and forth?). 3. Engage 1st gear, depress clutch and then try to start engine. Does it start? 4. Look for any wires contacting or fouling the gearshift linkages (both under the centre console and in the engine compartment).

Your Fortuner is still a baby. 145k km is not a lot for most modern vehicles. When I sold my old Camry back in February it has almost 400k km. Original engine and transmission with no major repairs. Only had new brakes, radiator, engine mounts and general service items. A friend in Saraburi has a seven year old Honda Freed with 500k km. Again, original engine and transmission.

I agree, the 4Runner is vastly superior to the Fortuner. Toyota are laughing all the way to the bank with the Fortuner, a relatively cheap to produce car sold at a premium price.

Your car has the 1GD-FTV engine which is made in various versions according to the regulations of the market in which it will be sold. AFAIK a 2019 Thai-market vehicle would be to Euro IV standard and therefore require only EGR and a catalyst after the turbo. So NO DPF. Models made for export for Australian market, for example, are Euro V and so DO have a DPF. Euro VI versions of this engine (UK etc) have DPF plus SCR with a urea tank. Models fitted with a DPF and made after August 2018 have a manual 'DPF Regeneration' switch located on the dash to the left/right of the steering wheel (left/right hand drive).

On a manual gearbox vehicle the engine management electronics (ECU) does not receive information about which gear has been selected, so you need to think about mechanical causes. I am not familiar with this vehicle, however several years ago we sold a Citroen car. The customer came back after a few days with the same complaint that you have. After a lot of investigation we found it was due to a poor electrical connection to the HP Diesel pump on the engine. The high torque reaction when pulling off in first gear was causing the engine to rock on its mounts and tug slightly on the fuel pump feed wire, pulling the connector apart slightly. When setting off in second gear the engine rocked less and the problem didn't occur.

You think you've got problems..... After having an Aston Martin on order for a year I can't take delivery of the car because the factory doesn't have the parts to complete it! Its currently 90% built and sitting in a car park in Warwickshire - along with quite a few others - awaiting headlights, and various other bits.....

2-3 year old cars in Thailand are not particularly good value. Likely better to buy new and negotiate a good purchase package....e.g. discounted price, some extras such as first year insurance, window film, three years service, dashcam etc etc. My suggestion is avoid these cars which have three cylinder engines and limited safety features. For ฿550k (after discount) you can get a new Toyota Yaris in mid-spec. A four cylinder engine which is smoother and can run in Atkinson cycle when cruising. The gearbox is an Aisin K411 CVT, which is pretty much as good as a CVT gets. 7 airbags, stability control etc. Reversing camera. Android auto. Its also a well-sorted chassis with nicely-weighted steering and handles decently. Much better than a Mirage or March if you need to do a long drive. Call around Toyota dealers in Bangkok for best price. Some Thai friends of mine who work for the government recommend the Toyota Thonburi branch on Lad Phrao road. Awkward location and small showroom but apparently they give good discounts.

Its true that these mini-MPVs have quite a small footprint. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because a vehicle is taller its a lot more spacious. The Almera and City are comparatively spacious but bear in mind that they both use turbo'd 1.0 three-cylinder engines. I am not a fan of these. The P10A 1.0 used in the Honda uses cambelt-in-oil and electronically-controlled oil pump and thermostat. My experience in the UK is that these engines run very hot - not much room for error. They are also a bit 'thrummy' at lower RPM due to significant engine imbalance. No denying they have good economy and power to weight ratio though.

I assume this is a troll post. ฿170k a month (around 4k GBP) is hardly a 'high life' budget, especially in central Bangkok - which wouldn't be a great place to spend retirement. My wife (Thai) and I have a potential budget of around £6k/month (฿240k) BUT we never spend anything like that. My wife owns a couple of properties (no rent to pay), we can both speak Thai and we exercise in the gym and by walking and swimming. Used to own a Camry but too big for just two people so just bought a new smaller car. Bolt app. if I don't want to drive. We struggle to spend ฿80k a month. Rest normally goes into bank/trackers - my kids will get it eventually. To answer your question, Uber is very 2020, Bolt is the thing now. Not sure why you would want to keep a driver on a retainer. They will likely be eating or sleeping when you want them. Just use Bolt app.

Looks great! I'm in UK right now but definitely going to be ordering some food when we get back!

I think the BRV is a nicer car and likely a little more solidly built than the Suzuki. The current BRV uses the L-series 1.5 and CVT gearbox from the previous generation Jazz. Well proven and parts available everywhere. The XL7 is based on the Ertiga and uses the K-series engine which is also very well proven. However the Suzuki uses a conventional four speed auto. Bear in mind that a completely new BRV went into production in Indonesia earlier this year. No idea of Thai price or availability - but you should enquire...

Its not difficult to scrape even a standard height saloon/sedan car in Bangkok (or any other Thai city for that matter). There are sharply angled ramps, bits of raised ironwork, sharp dips in the road etc. If you are going to drive a vehicle with low ground clearance then you need to be very observant. Easier said than done, I know. When I had my Ultima GTR (in UK) I scraped it on some raised ironwork. It cracked the gearbox casing. That was an expensive mistake!

Most vehicle fatalities happen when a vehicle rolls over and pickups are about three times more likely to roll than a car (due to much higher centre of gravity and higher roll centre) - that's US NHTSA data. Doesn't take much to flip a pickup.

I found then at non-franchise used car dealers advertising on One2Car etc. Seem to be a few dotted around the country, not only in Bangkok. E.g. 2020 Vios with only 50km. I spoke to one dealer who told me they are cancelled fleet orders. Obviously offered at a discount but you've already lost two years warranty, the car will have a lower resale value and you don't get the free 'extras' offered with a brand new car.

I have to agree that Pattaya/Jomtien is full of idiot bikers. Its not only the ear-splitting noise, but also the terrible riding standards. I have been a motorcyclist for 50+ years (my father and grandfather were also bike riders). Got experience with all kinds of bikes, and did a bit of racing in my younger days. I have also been a UK DAS bike instructor and an IAM Observer and Examiner. I don't travel on anything with less than four wheels in Thailand. Know too many people who have been killed or injured on bikes - its multiple times more dangerous than in the UK. The guys on the noisy big bikes are not genuine bikers. Most are utter dickheads with poor bike-handling skills and, as you say, simply trying to show off and posing. Would love to see a police crackdown to get these idiots off the road.

Interesting thread for me because I have some family visiting Thailand later this year and we plan to travel this area. What are the road gradients like? i.e. are there very steep inclines?