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15-Year-Old Faces 1.3m BMW Bill in Bangkok

A 15-year-old boy is facing repair costs of more than 1.3 million baht after a BMW he bought using his own income was badly damaged in a crash in Bangkok. His family said the woman driving the vehicle has not contacted them or offered assistance with the repair costs.

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The teenage student, identified as a part-time computer programming teacher, used his earnings to pay instalments on a BMW iX3 Sport valued at 3.7 million baht. As he was too young to sign the purchase agreement, the vehicle was registered in his father’s name.

In August 2025, the family gave the BMW to a car rental company in Bangkok to generate additional income. The following month, the teenager’s father collected the car and showed it to a woman who was reportedly an associate professor and had expressed interest in BMW vehicles.

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The woman later asked to use the car, and the family said a verbal agreement was made that she would help pay the vehicle instalments while she was using it. However, the family said the BMW was not returned as agreed.

In December 2025, the woman allegedly asked the teenager for 100,000 baht in exchange for returning the vehicle. The teenager and his mother attempted to recover the car, but it was involved in a crash before they could get it back.

On January 29, the teenager’s father learned that the BMW had been badly damaged in a crash while the woman was driving. The woman initially told the family that the damage was minor, but the teenager used the vehicle’s GPS application and found that it had been towed to a police station with extensive damage.

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Pictures courtesy of Amarin

A repair garage first estimated the cost at 1.1 million baht. The teenager’s mother later said the amount had increased to more than 1.3 million baht and that the family would have to cover the repairs because the car insurance had expired.

Amarin reported that the mother said she and her son had been without the BMW for almost seven months. She added that the vehicle was normally used to transport students attending the teenager’s coding classes. The family released dashcam footage of the crash and images of the damaged vehicle.

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10 July 2026

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Sigmund Gold Member

Sigmund

Advanced Member

No different then many adults who buy swanky cars but do not have any cash left for fuel or basic regular maintenance. All about show and image due to high lack of self esteem. Sad the amount of people who foolishly think driving in a swanky car give them more status or respect...

Jimjim1 Silver Member

Jimjim1

Advanced Member
6 hours ago, Front Row said:

What a silly question! Of course car insurance is available in Thailand.

But is insurance available for short time car hire vehicles

And if so which companies will cover it?

connda Star Member

connda

Advanced Member
(edited)

No insurance on a new car? Lending the car out to generate income? Since when will a financial firm loan money for an uninsured new car?
Live and learn the hard way I guess. Up next: walk away from the responsibility to pay the loan? I've no sympathy for people who want to own status symbols.

Edited by connda

Dan O Ruby Member

Dan O

Advanced Member
6 hours ago, LALes said:

A woman "borrows" a car and then demands 100,000 baht to return it??

She should be brought up on extortion or theft charges.

Why didn't the 15 year old's family go to the police after such a demand?

Something doesn't add up here.

they loaned the car out to a rental company but didnt carry insurance which would have covered the issue if properly covered. they couldnt afford it to start with and should have never been allowed to "buy it" but that's how they do things here. The police should have notified the registered owner after the accident since the driver wasn't the owner but no mention of that.

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
23 hours ago, Rams86 said:

I'm sure the taxation department will be sniffing around this one

You think part-time teaching will earn him more than B150,000 per year?

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
22 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

His parents should educate him not to drive without a driverslicense

Where was it reported that he was driving the car?

Liverpool Lou Star Member

Liverpool Lou

Advanced Member
22 hours ago, temuFarang said:

Is car insurance a product available in Thailand? Anyway, what kind of parent would allow a 15-year-old to buy a BMW?

Probably the kind of parent that I can see the entrepreneurial benefit of an income from that car being rented out.

NanLaew Star Member

NanLaew

Advanced Member
7 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Then it's out on hire to get additional income for payments, meaning they obviously couldn't afford the payments in the first place after the initial deposit, and searched for other forms of income to pay the monthly instalments.

Isn't that the fundamental reason some foreigners put their condominiums on Airbnb? Because they can't (never could) meet the mortgage payments and need the rental income to make up the numbers on their investment?

Bday Prang Star Member

Bday Prang

Advanced Member
2 hours ago, Sigmund said:

No different then many adults who buy swanky cars but do not have any cash left for fuel or basic regular maintenance. All about show and image due to high lack of self esteem. Sad the amount of people who foolishly think driving in a swanky car give them more status or respect...

Those driving swanky cars do get respect , the only problem is, its from the sort people who give respect to others based on what vehicle they drive.

Bday Prang Star Member

Bday Prang

Advanced Member

in the video it looks as if it was intentionally crashed into the other vehicle Presumably the damage to the other car was covered by his Por ror bor legal minimum compulsory insurance ? . I predict his "students" will be offered additional lessons, I also suspect they will be finding their own way to school

cardinalblue Platinum Member

cardinalblue

Advanced Member

A car is not an investment but an expense...Let me get this straight...he rents it out to cover installment payments yet he is not old enough to drive?

Why go into debt? Should have stock in a company of his choice (after he did his research)

Great on computer skills less so on financial management...what about not having car insurance especially on a rental vehicle?

Family is entering butter knife territory on IQ

Celsius Diamond Member

Celsius

Members

Bro richer than 90% who posted on this thread

Jonathan Swift Platinum Member

Jonathan Swift

Advanced Member

On the bright side, no one was hurt

Deleted123 Ruby Member

Deleted123

Advanced Member
10 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Isn't that the fundamental reason some foreigners put their condominiums on Airbnb? Because they can't (never could) meet the mortgage payments and need the rental income to make up the numbers on their investment?

I wouldn't know, I wouldn't be so daft.

As my MAM said, if you can't pay cash, you can't afford it.

It was an old way of thinking, I suppose, but did me not much harm.

J Branche Gold Member

J Branche

Advanced Member
18 hours ago, Sigmund said:

No different then many adults who buy swanky cars but do not have any cash left for fuel or basic regular maintenance. All about show and image due to high lack of self esteem. Sad the amount of people who foolishly think driving in a swanky car give them more status or respect...

My understanding of East Society you described is how society works here.

Like you mentioned some think the attraction of a high value or socially popular but exclusive item will Mask the lack of basic attributes or skills. Maybe lack of psychological development and understanding meaning it is at the level of a late stage teenager.

Priorexpat Silver Member

Priorexpat

Advanced Member

Pay the man spoiled brat.

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