Thaiboxer

I believe a lot of people drink more while in Thailand than they would in their home countries. I've observed more of this trend among Europeans than among North Americans. It seems that there are more Europeans here, so it's hard to be certain. People I've met from Europe have told me how expensive it is to drink, especially in places like Sweden where alcohol is heavily taxed. As mentioned before, many people come here for the fun lifestyle and increased alcohol consumption often goes with this lifestyle change. That said, I find beer to be the drink of choice among most expats here. Back in the States, people often drink liquor and wine coolers too.

I haven't heard of Thailand being branded a Mecca for drunks. Pago Pago in American Samoa maybe be a Mecca for drunks though.

I think micksterbs has the final word on fuel economy; if your vehicle takes too much fuel, why not settle for half of it?

Actually I drive everyday in Bangkok and I've driven in other parts of Thailand as well. I've been on the road here for over five years, but it took a good few months till I got used to the chaos. I found it hard to believe coming from a place where driving standards aren't the greatest.

I know the roads here are poorly maintained/marked which makes things confusing. On top of this, many signs are either hidden or have been removed because of accidents and never replaced. Tree branches take the place of warning triangles when it comes to breakdowns on the roadside. I'm not surprised to see so many city buses with scrapes running down the sides; these guys often pull out without looking.

I've seen a big increase in the number of stay dogs that have been turned into pizzas on the roads. Cats have quicker reflexes than dogs, but with traffic being as crazy as it is, I would have thought there would be more kitty carcasses around. I guess the cats have adapted a little better than their canine counterparts.

The timing (cam) belt must be replaced every 100,000 kms; if that breaks on you, it's a BAD deal. Some modern vehicles are designed so that the water pump has to be replaced along with the timing belt (they're interconnected). In the States or UK, the garages are having a field day with these new designs. Now they can sell you more parts and labor. The average hourly shop rate in America now stands at $70/hr. I'm sure the UK is even more than that.

Agree with Plus as to the advantage on the petrol version...2WD is all you need. Four wheel drive is just more money, more parts to worry about and it takes more fuel. However, diesel is a BIG advantage, so perhaps 4WD isn't something to be too concerned about when looking at the Fortuner. Diesels give more power and better fuel economy than gas engines. They also tend to run much longer before needing an overhaul. There are no plugs/plug wires to worry about and diesel is also very safe as it won't explode if you spill some near a heat source. Diesel is a bit viscous like motor oil which means it also helps lubricate the engine in addition to the regular engine oil. Diesel powered vehicles also consumer hardly any fuel at idle and are very unlikely to overheat compared to gas engines. This is a good thing in BKK traffic jams; you can see the temp guage going up on a gas vehicle, but the ones with diesels keep cooler.

It must be fun to be a bus driver in Bangkok; they have virtually no rules. Racing, swerving in/out of lanes and stopping in the middle of the road are commonplace.

The green minibuses are the worst. They often hit the gas hard before passengers have a chance to sit down/hold on which causes lots of people to be thrown towards the back. I've seen many green buses overloaded to the point where the rear end is close to the road and the conductor has to get off the bus and back on again through another door in order to collect fares.

Keeping the lights off saves electricity; guess these folks aren't aware of a wonderful invention called the "alternator!"

Car salespeople in the USA are no different; there's a good reason why they're called "sharks". They just love to circle around their prey (you) and move in for the attack when they can. These sharks don't draw blood, but they'll bleed you dry financially if they can.

Not surprised to hear that...Porsches are definitely high maintenance. My parents had a secondhand 911 and I think the rear tires only lasted about 24,000 kms A family friend who used to have a Porsche service shop was able to tweak the suspension/alignment a bit so the tires wore a little slower.

Those old Mustangs and Ford Falcons are cool cars. Mel Gibson drove a modified Falcon in the movie "Mad Max II", which was called "The Road Warrior" in the States. His had a supercharger which could be turned on/off with a switch on the shifter. I wonder if anybody has ever fitted those old cars with a 5-speed. It's nice to have that overdrive gear while going down the highway; takes strain off the engine and saves fuel.

Punisher...the ignored stop signs (among other crazy things) is very commonplace here. You'll have to adopt some of the driving techniques here if you want to keep stress away! Many things they do here would get you in big trouble with motorists in the States.

Rdrokit...Sounds like the car in your pic was pretty fast! I remember GMC produced a few trucks called "Typhoon". It was essentially a Chevy Blazer with a Corvette engine under the hood. I was once taken for a ride in a 1987 Corvette Greenwood. It felt like being in a race car; plenty fast and cornered very well and I think this one was even an automatic.

Technically, it should be that way anywhere in the world, but as you see, it can be pretty chaotic here! Sometimes, the "main road" side (bigger road) will consider themselves to have the right of way. Also, the "might is right" rule is always there; the bigger and/or more expensive set of wheels will try to go first and you're usually expected to give way. Motorcyclists often feel as if they own the road and thus will shoot straight out from nearly anywhere without looking. Having driven here for five years, I've seen my share of crazy driving. I'm from South Florida which is not a nice place to drive but it's heaven compared to Bangkok!

Rdrokit...What kind of car is that? Looks like something out of the 60's or 70's.

Agree with sunny747; my parents had a secondhand, Porsche 911 with a turbo body, but without the turbo engine. It chewed up tires like bubble gum but luckily my father had the car serviced by a long time family friend which saved him a bundle. I had the pleasure of being allowed to drive the thing twice and I believe only my mother knew about that! As for work cars, my dad had a Dodge Caravan and my mom had a Chrysler Sebring. Both of those were reliable and had plenty of power to get them from A to B.

As for attracting police attention, I agree with xerostar on that one. Where I'm from, there are TONS of cops from all jurisdictions hiding in the bushes or under some bridge with laser guns which the old "fuzz buster" devices used for radar detection won't pick up. There are many fancy cars in my hometown, but when a 911 or something similar zips down the street, many eyes are upon it. Even without somebody deliberately messing up your wheels, there's always the chance that some careless shopper at the local grocery store will put their door into it or scrape the side when backing out or pulling into a parking space. With the way things are set up here coupled with the erratic driving, I would be on pins and needles trying to drive a fancy sports car unless I were a Fortune 500 member who could afford to repair it constantly!

Cars here are way overpriced so owning a hot rod that you don't make from an existing old Ford or something costs a fortune. The Siam Paragon shopping center in Bangkok has a lot of nice sportscars on display with price tags that would give you nightmares. Back home, those cars would probably sell for 1/3 to 1/2 the price they go for here and places to service them are more abundant. My early 80's Toyota has a tachometer which is about its only sporty aspect and I doubt the thing would reach more than 130kmph (coming down a hill of course). However, it serves us well and getting little scrapes here and there from crazy motorcyclists is no big deal.

I agree with those who are all for revenge without the killing. How about putting a garden hose through one of the windows during the night? When they finish their karaoke session, the house will be flooded and we all know what water does to wood!

I know you need a passport to get into Laos, but I've never heard of an automobile passport. So driving into Laos isn't like driving from Texas to Mexico afterall.

I lived in the States for 26 years, but I've never kept track of who built what engines for Boeing or any other aircraft manufacture. I do know that we had many more car makers back in the day than we do now.

I'm from the US.....you got that right. I never knew about Rolls Royce producing jet engines and I wasn't saying the company couldn't make faster vehicles. I was saying the particular car in the picture looked like a crawler. As another poster said, Rolls Royces were built for beauty. Perhaps that one is an exception

Corky...I know you love European cars, but I think you should stick with the Benz. That old Rolls Royce couldn't reach 100 km/h in 15 minutes.

If done properly, LPG should be safe and effective. I've never heard of any confirmed cases of engine problems related to LPG. The main thing to worry about is how well they do the connections; you need to make sure there are NO leaks!

I live in BKK and still see a fair amount of 95 gasoline for sale and 91 is available virtually everywhere. The government talked about phasing out 95, but not 91, beginning in January of last year. I wonder if this is just talk, or if they're really going to do it. My car is 27 years old and gasohol would eat the fuel system alive. It handles 91 just fine, which is what I've been using.

That comment from the PTT guy is ridiculous. What does he care...that guy can afford to drive anything so the rest of us can climb up a tree. If they actually do away with all gasoline, perhaps we'll have to have an old car rally and maybe "remodel" a few houses/lawns along the way.

Anybody want to start a rebel car club?

The anxiety will pass once the little one is here:)

The law is very sexist in favor of Thai men. Western ladies can get residency without too much hassle in most cases, whereas us guys whose wives are Thai must deal with the yearly visas. If you're married to a Thai, I'd suggest getting a Class "O" visa, as you can work on it and yet remain in the country if the job goes south. If you're not working, you'll need to show 400,000 Baht in the bank at the time of renewal.

The USA hasn't designed the world's most beautiful cars, but they have designed some of the most durable. Those old Chevys, Dodge Chargers and Ford Falcons are used for banger racing; a sport imported from the UK. Cars are generally made to go, not for show! An example would be 1970's era cars: Some of those old diesel Volvos and Mercedes are butt ugly bathtubs on wheels, but they're still running decades later. Some of the most beautiful cars are also not long lasting.