Goblins Reef

I very much doubt the Russians in Phuket, or anyone else, are using the Ruble to finance their stay. The Thai banks wont accept rubles, perhaps some money changers or black marketers might but most Russians will be using Dollars, stashed overseas I would imagine.

3 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Depends on what the negative views are. 

"MG owners rated the brand’s overall reliability particularly poorly, with 35% of MG owners reporting a fault in the first year of ownership in the 2022 Driver Power survey, but the mood improved when it came to value for money". 

https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/mg/hs/reliability#:~:text=MG HS reliability,came to value for money.

As you say, the MG reviews are often very poor. It's far better to go with Honda or Toyota in Thailand because they are a known quantity. They have a proven track record, everyone knows how to repair them and parts readily available plus the dealer network is extensive.