Can't believe the prices for imports here.

[Sakeopete]

Just today I seen a Thai ad for a 2005 BMW Z4 2.5 the seller is asking 1.25 million Baht just out of curiosity I compared that price to the USA. They average at about 300 000 Baht. LOL enough said  the tax regime here is insane. I am surprised that Thailand's trading partners don't retaliate over the crazy taxes that prevent people buying imports. 

[Jerry Cornelius]

Try comparing UK to US prices. Happens around the world. After a while, you either; forget about it, get used to it, or move to where they're cheaper..

 

Not many choices really.

 

Jerry

[giddyup]

Best option is a locally produced vehicle.

[wwest5829]

As the topic says taxes on imports... I'm hoping that The Donald will demand lower tariffs on wine imports. Course that has a slim chance as 1.) much wine is from California (rather a blue state) and 2.) The Donald may still think we are talking about Taiwan, not Thailand.....

[BEVUP]

Same here but the local cars are pretty much the same

IE : Am buying a Toyota Sienta (2017) & thought i would google & came across a used 2017 model for a couple of thousand $ cheaper (I think in Japan )

But on another note went to the Mall to buy wife some clothes & their specials (anything up to 50% off ) were petty much what you would pay in the west

[1FinickyOne]

Hi Pete - Go out and enjoy a nice 40 baht lunch... part of the fun of living in another country/culture is that things are not the same as back home. Then after lunch, you might go to the local temple for a 100 baht hour long massage... 

[Katipo]

11 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

Hi Pete - Go out and enjoy a nice 40 baht lunch... part of the fun of living in another country/culture is that things are not the same as back home. Then after lunch, you might go to the local temple for a 100 baht hour long massage... 

Maybe he can't go out for a lunch or a massage because he can't afford a car to drive there 

[steve187]

look at any european car, its the way it is, just find a low tax car you like, pick up cheaper.

[Xonax]

Just imagine how traffic would be in Thailand, if everyone could afford a car.  Even worse is, that there is an 80% import duty on food and health products, which cannot be found produced locally in Thailand.  Just check the price of apples in any supermarket, which may very well be from last years harvest.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

It should be 3 million for crap cars

[coops]

You could be trying to buy a car in Singapore, and the license that allows you to buy a car.

 

[helloagain]

Sakeopete....... most people here dont pay tax government has to get money from somewhere

[IAMHERE]

I'm from the mid-west of USA; I visit New Orleans or anywhere in Florida and I get taxed outrageously on hotels and rental cars. Why? Because those taxes affect 'others'  not locals. Thai's pick up precious little of the tax cost of imported goods.

[JRUSA]

3 hours ago, BEVUP said:

Same here but the local cars are pretty much the same

IE : Am buying a Toyota Sienta (2017) & thought i would google & came across a used 2017 model for a couple of thousand $ cheaper (I think in Japan )

But on another note went to the Mall to buy wife some clothes & their specials (anything up to 50% off ) were petty much what you would pay in the west

Agreed, I notice it all the time.. especially on sneakers. Before coming here I bout a new pair of sketchers was in central after and they had a 50% of sale..I paid about 900 baht in the US and after the discount here they were still 1,500 and up..

[LivinLOS]

17 hours ago, giddyup said:

Best option is a locally produced vehicle.

 

Best locally produced 2 seat rear wheel drive sportscar ?? 

[giddyup]

59 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

 

Best locally produced 2 seat rear wheel drive sportscar ?? 

Only available as import, so expect to pay high prices.

[LivinLOS]

33 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Only available as import, so expect to pay high prices.

Precisely my point.. 

 

Telling me to buy a locally produced product, when that product doesnt exist.. Seems like a lazy response.

[giddyup]

42 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Precisely my point.. 

 

Telling me to buy a locally produced product, when that product doesnt exist.. Seems like a lazy response.

There are plenty of countries that don't have locally produced sports cars, and that also have high import duties, Thailand is one of them. Don't see the point in moaning about it. BTW, I said buying locally produced was the best option, never suggesting that what you were looking for was available locally. If I could buy a Benz for the same price they are in Germany, perhaps that's what I'd be driving here.

[Shackleton123]

2 hours ago, JRUSA said:

Agreed, I notice it all the time.. especially on sneakers. Before coming here I bout a new pair of sketchers was in central after and they had a 50% of sale..I paid about 900 baht in the US and after the discount here they were still 1,500 and up..

Yeah, but "50% off" here means half of the ludicrous price they first thought of, which was about three times the normal price, so in effect reduced price is now one and a half times normal. (actually that's pretty much the same as most places)

[Robert24]

You could be trying to buy a car in Singapore, and the license that allows you to buy a car.
 

Good point. In Singapore cars are a lot more expensive than here. All relative...

[Billy Bloggs]

The OP was rabbiting on about a second hand car, dont think they carry great taxes on them,

Compare prices as some have said with lots of things, good and bad, I especially like the price of NEW motor scooters here, so much cheaper than my home country where they really know how to slap the taxes on.

[cacahootie]

Sure, imported sports cars, big bikes and the like are eye-wateringly expensive here, but you can pick up a simple pickup for less than the lowest price available in the USA, whereas a 4x4 Fortuner is ~ $10k more than a similar 4Runner.  The tax regime here may be backwards, but it is what it is.  Work with it not against it and you'll end up ok.  Thailand has a very protectionist import duty schedule, and when you couple that with the upside-down auto excise taxes, you end up with a distorted market where a subcompact Honda is more expensive than a base model pickup.  Personally, I like pickups, so I'm not complaining too much except about big bike prices...

[steve187]

4 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

Best locally produced 2 seat rear wheel drive sportscar ?? 

motor cycle and side car,

or a 2 door pick up

both driven by locals at brake neck speeds, and the motor cycle is fast away from traffic lights.

[Foozool]

German cars are not affordable by many people since they are imported cars with higher tax bracket by custom. 

You either can afford the high price or just buy a Japanese car with lower tax bracket and more affordable than German cars. 

Another problem is parts that are not stuck at local part stores or even MB or BMW dealers for older German models. 

[bazza73]

The market here is distorted with a 100% tax on vehicle imports. That supports higher prices for used car imports.

I recently drove a Suzuki Ciaz, not expensive at about 580,000 baht. I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality and how quiet it was on the road. Never going to be a racing car; however, seemed good value for money.

[JRUSA]

Here's a question, from what I understand, from trips to Singapore they require replacement of cars after they are 5 yrs old. I believe there's some kind of buy back program. The older models are the exported to other Asian countries for sale. That sounds like a good way to get a decent 2nd had car.. most likely a one owner job. Did I understand that correctly? 

[Naam]

8 minutes ago, JRUSA said:

Here's a question, from what I understand, from trips to Singapore they require replacement of cars after they are 5 yrs old. I believe there's some kind of buy back program. The older models are the exported to other Asian countries for sale. That sounds like a good way to get a decent 2nd had car.. most likely a one owner job. Did I understand that correctly? 

no you did not. there's no requirement in Singapore to replace a 5 year or older car.

[JaseTheBass]

The market here is distorted with a 100% tax on vehicle imports. That supports higher prices for used car imports.
I recently drove a Suzuki Ciaz, not expensive at about 580,000 baht. I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality and how quiet it was on the road. Never going to be a racing car; however, seemed good value for money.

They're good little cars. There are obvious best choices in each segment for locally built cars, yet some people still buy Toyotas. Weird...

Sent from my R2D2 droid using my C3P0 manservant

[Naam]

41 minutes ago, JaseTheBass said:

They're good little cars. There are obvious best choices in each segment for locally built cars, yet some people still buy Toyotas. Weird...

interesting is also the fact that some people buy BMWs, Ferraris, Porsches, Mercedes, Lamborghinis, Bentleys...

 

when a wise man was asked why his answer was "because they can." 

[Rdrokit]

19 hours ago, bazza73 said:

The market here is distorted with a 100% tax on vehicle imports. That supports higher prices for used car imports.

I recently drove a Suzuki Ciaz, not expensive at about 580,000 baht. I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality and how quiet it was on the road. Never going to be a racing car; however, seemed good value for money.

Actually the import tax on a new car not assembled in Thailand is 328%. I can see charging a big import tax as it forces many car companies like Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Ford and Chevrolet to name a few build assembly plants here in Thailand and employee many Thais would would not have a job unless the assembly plants were here in Thailand. I think the US should adopt this policy as it would force many foreign companies to build plants in the US and employee US workers.