JPPR2

<br />

<br />During our time together I noticed that my cousin and each member of his family were constantly using their mobile phones. Phoning to family and friends in the States mostly, even cutting our conversation short because they're addiction with the mobile phones were too great.

<br /><br />Beetlejuice, what you describe above is generally thought of by Farangs as the biggest nuisance in an office environment. In any business meeting with Thais envolved, every single one of them will chat on the phone at least once. Yes, during the meeting while others are trying to have some sort of meaningful conversation, and yes, several of them at the same time.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Off tangent to the OP

^ This behavior with cell phones is global. Not just here. Maybe foreigners will not answer their phones but they will sit and text, message and answer emails. In fact most foreigner business men find a meeting a time to catch up on such activities.

<br />

<br />Most women rich or poor, pretty or ugly, educated or not have no idea what is making them unhappy, bored and to over think. When times are good they think it can never last and they worry when times are bad they tend to over thing and worry and freak out by watching drama on tv, creating drama with the people around them or looking for a hero. If a man starts listening to her demands or worries then in her eyes he lost and she will lose all attraction to him and see him as fool for listening to her. From a man who him self was a house husband and now a working husband never support a woman, girl friend  and especially a wife. she has to stand on her own 2 feet and she has to work and pay her half. neever treat a woman as a helpless daughter no matter how beautiful she is no matter what nice words she chooses to use. BR<br />

<br /><br />In my experience it is men who "have no idea what is making them, unhappy, bored" etc.... But, will always blame it on someone else, its never anything to do with them....<br /><br />Western women are far more self-analytical, and realise exactly what the are feeling and why.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

I agree with both assessments in general. If you move somewhere unhappy, uncertain, bored etc it is most likely not going to do a 180 and be the dream world when you land. The individual may have ran but the reality followed them. Flying over the ocean does not clear your conscience. In fact I believe most foreigners moving here believe that the answer to their unhappiness resides with a young Thai woman and a lot of booze. That these subtle beauties can't wait to meet a foreigner man to love, cherish and take care of them. As we read on TV and other forums this, in many cases, is the farthest from the truth and reality.

Generally speaking most the foreigner men who stay in these cheating relationships are blinded by the fact they are still hooked on the "I cant believe this young beauty loves me" drug and will drop to their knees at all costs to have her stay no matter what she does. Once this young lady learns she has control of this broken man(or good hearted man) the exploitation begins. But in the end he allows this behavior to continue. He owns the outcome. I have zero sympathy for the individual. Case in point, I have a foreigner acquaintance friend I met 6 months back and he is in this "Love Drug" mode. To hear him talk is almost sad. Tells me she is the best "woman" he has ever met(19 years old). That she listens to him and cares. That she treats him so nice. That he knows she will not cheat on him. That he loves buying her things, That she wants a baby with him. I walk away shaking my head. He has been hooked on the "Crackgina". You cannot talk any sense to him.

Someone in this thread commented that they cannot understand why a man would marry a bar girl, I tend to agree. Why do they? Maybe it is because it is the path of least dating resistance. They speak the language and clearly know how to manipulate the situation. It is easy to meet them as they are in career where their job is to meet men. They are little sales women. Maybe because the guy got turned inside out by her and fears losing it. Either way most, from what I have personally witnessed and heard, end in a ugly mess with the woman going back to her money making little enterprise and the poor man broke and broken. I do not frown on what these women do, I simply laugh at the men that fall into the trap.

I agree GrebB, excellent contribution to the forum.Thanks

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />I've always had the understanding this was exactly what the sinsod is for - a kind of replacement for the alimony wives would get in the west that they don't get here - so of course it won't be returned.<br />

<br /><br />Not sure what the sinsod exactly is for...<br /><br />GF older sister (poor rice farmers) married to a farmer boy, sinsod was 30K.<br />I overheard mother saying &quot;hardly enough to pay for the wedding&quot; (a tent was set up and food/alcohol distributed to village folks, some donated 20 baht...total collected end of day around 5k baht)<br />I don't know where the money went, besides rent tent/food alcohol, did not see any improvement in life style or new furniture, but the 30k surely did not make them rich.<br />

<br /><br />My sinsod was more than that...and well worth it.  What a party.  Absolutely fantastic.  The sinsod paid for the party....as well as a western toilet for me when I visit!  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='<img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />' /> <br /><br />But a huge chunk was returned the next week....<br />

<br /><br />Craig, that is how a sin sod should be, not a way to cheat money out of a guy. Just to cover the expenses of the wedding and some money for show later to be returned. I would not have any problems with a sin sod like that.<br /><br />I have not paid a dime in sin sod and the inlaws did see me as a kwai with some money to start with but that all changed when i stayed firm in my beliefs and did not loan them any money. Now we respect each other and i have told my wife on a few occasions that i wanted to bail one of her brothers out. She told me not too as it would only encourage them to get more into trouble. <br /><br />We take her family out for moo kataa a few times )(sizzler was no success). The wife makes her own money and works hard so if she wants to donate to her family its up to her. But she has learned that loans will not be returned and stopped giving them to the persons that wont return them. <br /><br />If the wife works for her own money and pays part of the bills then she somehow is more careful of her money (and mine). I can imagine if a wife does not work or put an effort into getting money then its easier to spend the husbands money on the family. <br /><br />I am of the understanding that the more you help the more they will rely on you and get into trouble more. All kinds of foolish schemes were asked in the beginning, but not anymore so it does help not to spend money on the in laws. (if there was real need i would help of course)<br />

<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I agree 100% above and my GF works and has her own money. We split costs on things we do and she is quite adamant about her not being after my  money. She has never asked me for anything nor has her family. I will pay for dinner sometimes when we all get together but they usually start to reach for money and I say "I got it, mai pen rai.  <br /><br />Although I am not married and only dating, I think we all know there are many varying factors. One not discussed is the age of the woman/girl you are marrying. The younger the girl the more "perceived" contribution loss to the family if she marries and moves away, thus demanding a higher sin sod. It is also my understanding from my Thai friends that geography plays a huge roll as well (Isaan Vs Bangkok). I have also heard that the families financial status of the woman/girl you intend on marrying will also have an impact. I have attended 3 Thai weddings(all Thai/Thai)and in all cases the remaining balance, after wedding fees were paid, was returned to the bride and groom. I will say this, I like the no material gift at the ceremony. No toasters, No plates, no blenders etc. Attendees drop an envelope with their money contribution to bride and groom in a box. In one case after the count was done, the newlyweds received a little over Bt250k.<br /><br />In the end it should not be about money but always is. It is no different anywhere in the world. Funny how love or happiness is seldom mentioned in any posts. Shows a bit of shallowness IMHO. Regardless for each person reason for marriage, the idea is to marry not plan in advance for a divorce. Be smart on how you set the financial expectation with the family. Typically foreigners walk here waving money around and lighting cigarettes with 1000 baht bills. That behavior sets the bar. Live modest and be happy.

As to OP, When I asked my GF this questions, she said No. It is done and part of the ceremony. If negotiated up front then yes. But after the fact not going to happen

Up to this point I have found the dental services here in Thailand to be equal to and in some cases better then the US. I will say I have not had any serious dental work done both here and in the US i.e. root canals, teeth removal, caps, crowns etc but I do the 6 month maintenance and the service/care I get is excellent with proper feedback on gum condition and recommendations. The equipment is the same in US and I prefer the ultrasonic cleaning process over the old scrape method.

Coupled with the capability above I am totally impressed with the general service/courtesy and the difference in cost is quite eye opening.

A good point was made that there are probably good and bad places(as is anywhere in the world) and one might want to use references.

1) Here you are attacking a forum discussion which is what a forum is for. A guy asked about third world on another thread and knocked him for asking a question on a forum.

^ I merely informed him to use the search engine. That very discussion was beat to death about 2 months ago. I did not say anything derogatory. Problem with that?

2) Really think forum discussion is not for you, perhaps you feel above the riff raff here.

^ and just maybe I do..........

3) PS. Any reply here please, not PM eh.

^ As requested.

I suppose there are sites if you Google. There are forums for everything in every country.

I am just saying, looking for validation on an internet forum is odd. You have a bunch of posters using alias names who at the end of the day are going to make you feel like you are on a roller coaster ride. Most threads end up 50/50 on a question like this. So what do you then, believe the 50% that supported you or take into consideration the 50% that did not.? In the end you accomplished very little but air your insecurities or try to find reassurance on your decision.

The answer is with you. If you have to ask this question about age then you must be living with a level of guilt and insecurity, am I right? This was not about helping a relationship going bad, this was about age...PERIOD.

Why sugar coat it and be PC?. The fact of the matter, this is and always will be a huge social debate. No one wins. Is there a perfect age gap? NOPE....Is there a responsible age gap? You tell me.

Thailand, along with a few other SE Asian countries, are viewed by the world where old men who are lost souls come and eventually date or marry a women 20, 30, 40 years younger them. Heck there are even books about it. Internet marriage sites galore. "Buy a bride". Some even go off grid and "Buy" teenagers. Is it right? Is it wrong? I do not know. what do you compare it to? How many really work? How many end in disaster? I can say I know of 2 personally right now that are an utter disaster. Age gaps, 24 and 28 years. They both got addicted to "crackgina" on a visit here some time back. Better judgment out the window. Both are deep in family issues, Sin sot issues, Support issues. Ones expecting a child, the other thinks she is pregnant. I am simply stunned by the men that will send money to a woman they barely know, 25 years younger then them. Put them up in a nice condo, visit 2, 3 times a year. It happens a lot. Anyway in speaking with both of them they are living in terrible regret and are both confused. One is 53, the other 46. Both appear to be looking at someone to blame for this terrible predicament they are in.

Anyway I just say keep your laundry in your own basket. The answer is never going to be on a public web forum on a social issue. This is not a MAN only website. There is no "Bonding". Some good laughs indeed, good place to find things to do, where to buy a car, where to go fishing etc.

Maybe there should be a forum where to avoid the riff raff you pay to join. Have login sections where this can be discussed. Maybe there is a value. I just know that you cannot realistically post on TV openly. You will certainly get flamed on over and over as I will from this post.

I always find these threads quite entertaining.

In the end it is very sad in a way. In your home country, threads like this do not exist. There is a reason why.

The simple fact is that people come on here to justify their decision to be with a girl half(or more) their age and look for moral support from the others doing the same. If you were HONESTLY HAPPY and COMFORTABLE with your decision you would not be posting this question on any website looking for validation. Time to look in the mirror.

I guess you didn't read all the posts. I came to Thailand to get away from a 25 year old woman in the States and found a lovely older woman, 35 in Thailand.

I think topics like this would be a topic of Western forums but I don't know of any forums that are 95% male and straight in the West. Do you know of any forums in the West that discuss marital or dating problems with a bunch of guys both single and married of all ages? I think Thai Visa is a one of a kind. Tell me if I am wrong.

Please use Search feature, this has been discussed over and over.

I always find these threads quite entertaining.

In the end it is very sad in a way. In your home country, threads like this do not exist. There is a reason why.

The simple fact is that people come on here to justify their decision to be with a girl half(or more) their age and look for moral support from the others doing the same. If you were HONESTLY HAPPY and COMFORTABLE with your decision you would not be posting this question on any website looking for validation. Time to look in the mirror.

I'm going to get some flak for this...but the farangs I know who are always bitching about how they are treated by the Thais would be treated exactly the same way if they were suddenly transported into a Thai body.

It's like this: Thais are not going to treat you with respect if you lack hygiene, manners, polite dress habits, and basically walk around with a sense of owning the damned place.

How Thais treat people has far less to do with that person's nationality and/or race than it does with how that person presents himself, behaves, and relates to others around them.

A Thai guy walking around in a singlet with his gut hanging out and a liter of Singh in his hand, acting the total slob and being a pest would be treated no better than his farang counterpart.

This is an extreme stereotype, of course, but Thais (just like anyone else) are sensitive to manners, upbringing, appearance, cleanliness, dress, sobriety, "dating habits", etc.

If you are lacking, it isn't going to matter if you're a farang, black, Arab, or another Thai.

You have to earn the way you are treated here -- you can't just expect it because you show up.

^ No Flak from me on your post, you are spot on. I am like this anywhere I go in any country I visit. Respect and acceptance is earned, not just given.

I agree one should never worry about what others think, it simply has no value and it surely does matter what nationality you are, Aussie, Brit, US whatever .However I think clearly your conscience is eating at you. The answer you seek is not here on Thai Visa. The answer is in you.

This question was asked some time back, not about age gap specifically but age of the parties in general. I forgot the post title but you should search the forum. Of course filter as necessary. The gest was being in a relationship with a 35 ish year old or a teen/early 20 year old and the problems associated with maturity. There may be some assistance for you there...Maybe...

On a side comment, I would never ask my wife to drink more to increase her tolerance so she does not giggle....That is retarded. In fact why drink at all? I say accept that she has no tolerance for alcohol. it is a good thing IMHO.

This thread is going down the 'El crapper" I see.

Well hopefully you (OP) got out a little spreadsheet and did a Yes or No checklist based on some reasonable comments and observations. The answer is very clear. Since she and MIL are making it a business proposition with no emotion so should you. Simple as that. It is not complicated unless you are letting your other head do the thinking. Then all is for not. You will find a way to justify it right down the path.

On the flip side since it seems like all we hear on TV is horror stories, let it be known there are a ton of wonderful women in Thailand. People just do not come on the internet to post about it. Just like anywhere else on the planet. The sample size on this site is quite small to formulate a reality. It is very easy to become quickly jaded when all you read is negative comments about Thai women, MIL, Sin Sot etc. Sadly when someone posts a nice story it takes no more then 3 posts in and it gets trashed as it seems people love to read and post about peoples bad times. Guess it goes with the the territory.

OP: There are many a nice gal out there. I suggest that you look elsewhere. You did not travel here to be sucked into a nightmare that will most definitely drain your financial reserves(and shed years off your life). In the end you will probably lose out. I seriously doubt you would tolerate this in your home land with a woman. I know I would sure not.

Best of luck

Well in the case of Arnold it will be completely different. he married a woman much richer, more powerful and more educated then he was and is now. In his case he fuc_ked up so in the court system he will be the one thaqt caused the seperation but I do not think his wife will ask for anything in return

In the West, even a rich woman will get huge parts of a man's assets:

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/20/11 – Arnold Schwarzenegger has terminated his film and TV schedule that included five projects that could have earned him over $100 million.

On the negative side of his cash flow is that most of the money could go to Maria Shriver, who has hired a shark of a divorce lawyer. She could get a settlement of between $200 and $400 million, according to KNBC. They will work it out in mediation to avoid a media-circus court trial.

This is the Western way of Sin Sod. Even if you are not Arnie, you will be fleeced if you are a man.

Keep this in mind when you haggle a few thousand Baht your Thai GF wants. It is nothing compared to a Western divorce.

(and 50-60% of Western women will some day divorce)

Indeed.....However does not mean you should justify being fleeced because it is "Cheaper" here. If anything you should have learned something.

Can`t understand why so many farangs marry when they come here....puzzles me.

If you fit together well, no need for a paper chase .....been with my beloved for some time now...4 years

No house built, all items in my name (only a honda click) which was a present from me to her.

No money to her family, weekly, monthly or one time lumps...

Told her from the outset, no kids, wont be getting married, therefore no sin sod.....

Yes i feed her, buy her clothes, take her out and all that....but no money to her or her family.......(no kids)

She was working in a 7-11, but next month she starts her new course at the local Uni, and before you ask, she got credit for the course from the Uni...she wouldn`t or didn`t ask me to pay..

So, in a nutshell get yourself out OR tell them no....yes i understand some can play the long game, if they do and for very little, it means to me that after that yes the will be rewarded.....good luck

^+1 pretty much exactly where I am.

I came here with same thoughts, why rush and get married? It seems to me that the OP is caught in "The older man and beautiful younger women sexed a lot " syndrome which is almost like being drugged. You take your better judgment and toss it all out the window. The beauty here is like a powerful narcotic. I also agree with another poster, find a woman who is established with her own assets.

To the OP:

I personally would not want my last say 25 years of life to be a brutal challenge dealing with a MIL. In fact doubt with her badgering you, you will last another 15. Your GF is already sick as you noted. Has to have an effect on you(and probably a hospital bill). My hunch is that this money demand is only the beginning. I mean if you really stepped back... took a big deep breath you would see this for what it is. I am not saying you are not in love. I am not saying to ignore Thai culture and be insensitive but you have to be rational in your decision. At 55 your wisdom should kick in here. How would you handle this back in your home country?

If it is any help I am similar age differential situation as you (50/37). I would never tolerate it. My GF was established, had her own career, own condo, own assets. I did not want to meet someone and have to "raise" them. I cant understand why foreigner men feel compelled to do this. Support is one thing, shelling out endless money is another. I bet if I looked I have not even spent $250K baht in TL living here yet and I have been here nearly full time for 2 years(sans a few trips back to US for personal needs). You said they have money and business etc. You would think they would just want their daughter to be happy, why take money from you? Because you had sex with her? Hmmmmm. Just read what you wrote, the answer is right in front of you.

Sorry to say it but it appears you are falling into the foreigner Meal ticket trap. All that was discussed in your original post appears very superficial, "Sex"..."Her beauty", "You giving money for her to start business" "Mom wanting money for sex to long"....Nothing was mentioned of compatibility, happiness. sharing, loving, life experience etc.

My 2 baht from the nose bleed seats

In the market for a clean RVF 400. Will pay top dollar if the bike is in excellent condition.

PM if you have one or know where I can locate one. Prefer it to be in the Central BKK area.

I will leave the Ian Forbes posts alone only because he needs to up his med dosage to stop the delusional thoughts and to quit try to convince himself it OK....

My thoughts on the subject of Age difference.. It does make a difference HOWEVER where it makes a difference is how young is the girl in the relationship. If you are say 35ish and up and dating a late teen or 20 yr old, you have some serious issues to overcome(within yourself) primarily as this "Child" has zero life experience and is doing nothing more then looking at you like a father figure. I mean what would you talk about? Her Make up, Hello Kitty collection, help her with her homework? Sit around with Mom and Dad at dinner? Let's be realistic.

If you are say ~50 and she is ~35 and up, that is not uncommon both here and in the US. This women, "for all intents and purposes" has lived a bit, understands what she likely wants in life. Has life experience behind here, Probably a few bad relationships under her belt, Most likely works, has a circle of friends and so on. Of course this is all generalized, cannot be any other way. To many age variables to discuss

In the end, if you are paying for the "Sex" and believe you are getting affection and have a 'Wonderful, loving care situation, You feel like a MAN because a 20 year old thinks your are sexy and so on I agree with others, stop paying and see how fast they stay around and compliment your bed time prowess. To comment about it as a "Relationship" is silly. it is nothing more then paying for sex.

I think the OP was asking this question for the people who have a long standing, "Not business arrangement" Those do not count.

As for me, I am 50, my GF is 38( 39 next month). Up to this point our relationship is very good

Interesting read this AM over my glass of OJ.

Are we making any progress? 7 pages in and looks quite A1 typical TV thread normal. Of course "Normal" being subjective. Its down to a battle of about 4 or 5 regular multi thousand posters. It should fizzle quite soon as they will tire of themselves but they definitely padded their post numbers.

Next thread please...........

I think the best thing TV could do is eliminate the "General Topic section". Honestly after the "Welcome section" you are on your own. The politeness ends. This behavior is not exclusive to TV.

I originally joined this site as I was looking for a motorcycle to buy and maybe at some point meet people. However a short time later found a better site for motorcycle searches. I occasionally drop by the the General topic sections as I see a topic of interest but sadly it takes hours of filtering through nasty hateful cheap shots and usually by the 10th post the thread is a circus. But it is the internet. You either take it or leave it. I prefer reading the paper.

I personally will not post anything in my profile on any internet site not because I am hiding but the fact of the matter there are some real mental health cases out there in cyber space who take this stuff to personal. To some the internet is their only friend. I have said before anyone who wants to PM me can and I would be glad to chat.

Honestly it all boils down to discipline, some self respect and values. I have no issue meeting women both here and when I lived in the US, I am just very disciplined and will not date someone unless my interest is peaked and that is not always a physical thing. Sure that is what initally draws you in but that wears off fast. I have dated some beauties that were the most self centered, shallowest, materialistic women I have ever met. The US is loaded with them. TRUST ME. What has been great so far is I have not personally witnessed that here yet but have read numerous horror stories.

My point being; Be cautious on the 'Beautiful" drug or 'Kid in a Candy Store". It might look good to the eye but have a HUGE impact on your wallet and a lot of drama. If you leave the great GF you have now because you found someone prettier you may end up on the short end of the stick. I think another thing that is very important whoever you meet, honesty is paramount. If you play games so will they. The truth stands alone. I have been very clear and honest up front. I have no intention of getting married, children are not going to happen but I will be monogamous and share unconditionally. I have an excellent relationship right now and an awesome GF. She loves what we have and we both appreciate each others life styles and are learning about our cultures. I do not need to fill an ego by dating 2, 3, or even 4 women besides the health risks by having multi partners. Just not my style, never was. Find the right one and get to know her. She may be your perfect match.

Sorry, guys, just to get back on to the topic, and of course I may be naieve and I admit I have not read all the replys, but it seems there are sooooo many Thai ladies looking for a farang, any da*m farang. I have today joined Thai Love Links, I am no looker and after just 2 hours there are least 40 ladies who want to know me. How can the poster possibly struggle to find a suitable companion with numbers like this?

One constantly hears endles rubbish about how Thai ladies don't really like farangs. What nonesense. One has to arm oneself with a stick to beat these them off. Perhaops the poster has set out to achieve failure as some kind of SM adventure, I can think of no other explanation for the difficulties he describes.

PS, sorry about spelling, I have had two beers.

I have mixed views on internet dating. I personally have never used them but have known a few that have here. Based on their feedback I would never use them. The Thai women that are throwing themselves at you so easily are doing it for a reason. The feedback from these guys has been from wanting to marry them on the first meet, Have children, sex for money, a lot have lied about their age. Most have many men on the hook. A great number have been burned by Thai men and want a meal ticket out. Some are actually call girls using the site as a money train, some have children and need support. One guy has dated about 20 different gals(or at least met 20 gals). Some he has said ended before it even started. I enjoy listening to their escapades but man is that a lot of drama to deal with.

So I think the OP is asking an honest question. He wants a relationship not a Thai internet dating nightmare. With the vast number of beautiful women here it just takes time to meet the gal you want to share time with. They are out there. I have posted this before, go to night markets, malls, walk the street areas at night when people are out and about. Make eye contact, a smile, be polite, dress respectfully, If you live in an area frequent it a lot. Folks get to know you. They feel comfortable. One may even approach you. I met my GF at a night market. I knocked her food out of her hand by accident. We have been dating ever since. A very nice women.

police are treating his killing as 'death by assault' but have so far not a made any arrests

Why not manslaughter? Don't tell me, "death by assault" is a lesser crime applicable to the death of farangs.

No.

There is no 'manslaughter' (as it is known in the West) charge in the Thai judicial system.

Firstly, my condolences to family and friends of the man who lost his life.

My sentiments exactly about manslaughter. You must leave your judicial western thoughts back at the airport you left if you are moving to any other country. They do not exist. There is no Global "uniform" law. This tragedy is not a "Thai no respect of foreigner" event. This sounds like a bad situation and could happen anywhere in the world.

I have read this hundreds of times in the US. Guy could have said something, flipped them off, told them he would kill them, more words exchanged etc. There is little information about what happened. I put very little credibility in any media forum. They all lie, embellish, exaggerate and make stuff up. I think best course of action here or anywhere in the world is stay in your car and just go home. Regardless his death was not legal and the wrong doers should be punished. Of course just like in East Palo Alto, Compton, Bronxs, it is not likely the locals will step up and point a finger.

I have asked many times about Lithium Ion battery technology. It is one being looked at but again not yet as they are still attempting to perfect the basic battery system now. I have been in a few Tesla cars and the acceleration is very good and I love the quiet on the open road. However I did not care much for the car in commuter traffic. The stop and go traffic eats the battery time down rather fast. But again I do not care for much for any traffic

As you know the traffic in general BKK area is just like NY, LA or any metropolitan area. It is not ideal for that car. I do think the Tesla or any EV based car would do well outside the area on the long open stretch roads. I do have concerns about ride height on the Tesla as the waterline can get high in areas during torrential rains in Monsoon season.

In the end I still think all these EV based cars are a bit of a novelty item reserved for the wealthy. Most use it as an item to talk about at the dinner party. The Tesla clearly fits that model being it is a Lotus based body chassis which is a total 2 seater sports car.

I would enjoy testing an EV car here for any of the 3. As an engineer and a huge car enthusiast it would be fun to gather all the pertinent customer data for feed back coupled with the Datalogger.

replying to JPPR2:

Wow! wrightspeed has an awesome speedster! and your friend from tesla must have left too early. The tesla roadster 2.5 was tested in cold conditions this winter and due to its temperature sustainable system for the batteries, no drop in range was detected...go to their website and also read their blogs from customers....same answer...so there you are wrong...about the tesla. however, the leaf is a different story using a more basic air cooled system so yes maybe there will be a slight effect on range. but as i said, wait for better battery technologies....

Tonykalniev,

I am not saying it will not work, just not now as the technology is simply not proven. I know Tesla's testing criteria and you should probably know the geographic location of the bloggers. Most Tesla cars are sold in California and used very sparingly. The others outside the area are used as a novelty car on weekends and car shows. None of these cars have any proven seat time in a day to day operation. General consumers are going to want and require reliability. It is the single largest problem facing Tesla, Chevrolet and Nissan as this product emerges. My hunch is we are realistically 10+ years away from a car that will meet or exceed the general consumers needs and wants. Of course this radically depends on how much oil companies prove they are a failure.....

Again It may work someday but battery technology has to become far more advanced, smaller and more stable. The Leaf will never fly here. Batteries will cycle and die. The cost to replace is exorbitant.

On a side note, my colleague left after the IPO...He did VERY well... The other colleague is still there. I have been in both Tesla and Wrightspeeds facilities. They are(or shall is say were) both just up the road from me. Now they are 8000 miles away.

2 of my engineering colleagues friends work(ed) for the company mentioned. One works at Tesla motors, the other now works for Wrightspeed. Both have been instrumental in the power development and reliability at both places. We had this discussion numerous times. The number 1 killer of efficiency in batteries is heat or cold. Thailand has a sustained higher temperature. Electric cars will simply not work in Thailand and to cool them would entail an entire new packaging design including fans and all sorts of new ideas. In the end they will never see even close to the estimated miles per charge and a hot battery will not charge effectively.

The same phenomenon has to be considered in extreme cold regions as well, Say Alaska or east coast of US during winter. Canada will suffer the same fate. This is why California loves Tesla cars. The weather is nominal, temp range swing is minimal. Even the gas engine kicking in to charge the battery pack it will not allow the vehicle to yield the results expected.

IMHO, the use of LPG and CNG are best alternatives here in Thailand and more cars should be delivered standard with it. Leave the electric cars for the US Yuppies who feel they will assist in the global warming crusade( Thats my cynical crack )