Advice needed please.

[bill99]

Thanks for the replies so far.

It helps me a lot to understand more about what I am trying to do.

Thanks to seancbk for the links. I did follow through with them, and left messages/emails and are waiting for their replies.

Thanks also to Fruit Trader re link to overlandersthailand who I have also emailed and waiting for a reply.

By reading the response's it would seem because of the heat and the prices of resorts/hotels on the side of the road, it would be sensible to just stay in one of those each night instead of trying to buy a camper.

I will have to ensure whatever vehicle I buy, it must have good air cond.

I do have a motorbike licence, as had bikes as a teenager, but after looking on youtube at motorbike accidents in Thailand, have decided to try to buy a stationwagon or something that has a bit of space in the back so I can stay at a beach or whatever if the situation arises. 

Because I would be flying from NZ and approaching the area from the south I looked at Singapore to buy a vehicle thinking I could move north from there, but found the prices off the planet. It would seem they are trying to price vehicles so no one can afford them.

Then coming north looked at Kuala Lumpur and it would seem to me that the prices there seem to be quite reasonable. I can buy a reasonable Toyota Harrier or similar for under 20000 MYR. Maybe a Landcruiser or Prado for a bit more. Done around 100k's so still with some life left. Have to figure out how to sell it when I have finished with it, but that is another story.

It would seem that some poster's here think I may have a problem with crossing borders between the countries I am hoping to visit. I do not understand that ???? Advice again please.

Thanks to all for reading and your comments are appreciated.

 

[johng]

There really isnt much of a "camping" culture in Thailand..there are very few places with water electricity sewage (trailer park) (some in national parks) its so hot trying to sleep is helish unless you run the aircon/engine all night, if you open the windows youll be eaten alive by the bugs
Best to stay in a guesthouse or hotel overnight they are everywhere and cheap ,some double as short time places but are usable for a few hours sleep.

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, bill99 said:

 

I can buy a reasonable Toyota Harrier or similar for under 20000 MYR. Maybe a Landcruiser or Prado for a bit more. Done around 100k's so still with some life left. Have to figure out how to sell it when I have finished with it, but that is another story.

It would seem that some poster's here think I may have a problem with crossing borders between the countries I am hoping to visit. I do not understand that ???? Advice again please.

Thanks to all for reading and your comments are appreciated.

 

 

Here are some examples of second hand Landcruisers and Prados in Thailand. 

https://www.one2car.com/รถ-สำหรับ-ขาย/toyota/landcruiser-prado?page_number=1&page_size=25

 

[Lacessit]

22 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

Go to the car shows and you'll see camper vans for sale.  

Check the links I posted.... 

Hot?  Ever hear of airconditioning?

 

Thailand is not Australia, where there is a caravan park in every town with powered sites to hook up to so one can run an aircon off mains electricity. There are camping parks in Thailand, but AFAIK no caravan parks.

[bill99]

Thanks again. I am spending as much time as I can on the web trying to understand as much as I can.

If I buy a car in Malaysia and come into Thailand at the border, can I say my car is my way out or do I have to show a ticket (being air, bus or rail ticket)

It would seem that at the border you have to show you have an air ticket out ???

Was just talking to the Malaysian embassy here in NZ, and they told me that it is ok for me to travel to Malaysia and buy a car, but upon entry have to show ticket out again. I have read some post's that say people just buy the cheapest ticket they can and throw it away after entry.

IF I have a car can that be my way back out before my visa expires. ?

Thanks

[ubonr1971]

for sure your a kiwi lad asking about campervans. I presume you did this in europe many years ago? good luck finding a van in SE Asia

[AlexRRR]

yes crazy....to hot to sleep in a van or car.

[thaibeachlovers]

Only read first page, but my thoughts

DON'T.

 

Thailand is cheap enough you can stay in guest houses/ cheap hotels where you will have shower, toilet, fan etc. Food is very cheap- no need to cook yourself.

Where were you planning on defecating? It's not nice to pollute the environment which is why you can't do it anywhere in NZ now, and there are no camper parks that I know of in LOS where you can dump contents of a portaloo. While some do camp, there is no equivalent of camp grounds like in NZ.

 

By all means buy a car and drive around, but to get extension of long stay non O visa, you need a permanent address, so unless you intend on obtaining new visa outside LOS every year that would be a problem.

 

Thailand gets very hot. Unless you have power to run AC or fan your camper will be an oven, and where are you going to find a powered camp site?

 

While much of rural Thailand is forested, houses are almost everywhere, and it's not a good idea to just camp on the side of the road.

 

Unless you can speak fluent Thai, you will have a problem outside the cities. I'd imagine the same for the other countries.

 

Till you have been a while in LOS, I wouldn't recommend a m'bike, as very high accident rate for them, and driving in LOS is nothing like driving in NZ.

 

A couple of visits to Phuket is not sufficient to be setting off into greater Thailand. The country areas are nothing like Phuket.

I'd say your greatest problem would be not speaking Thai.

 

I think you should visit Thailand and rent a car to drive around a bit, before committing to campervans or suchlike.

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, bill99 said:

Thanks again. I am spending as much time as I can on the web trying to understand as much as I can.

If I buy a car in Malaysia and come into Thailand at the border, can I say my car is my way out or do I have to show a ticket (being air, bus or rail ticket)

It would seem that at the border you have to show you have an air ticket out ???

Was just talking to the Malaysian embassy here in NZ, and they told me that it is ok for me to travel to Malaysia and buy a car, but upon entry have to show ticket out again. I have read some post's that say people just buy the cheapest ticket they can and throw it away after entry.

IF I have a car can that be my way back out before my visa expires. ?

Thanks

This being Thailand, the requirement is whatever the immigration officer says it is at the time you arrive in front of him.

There is no standardisation as there would be in western countries. You could do worse than read the immigration/ visa sub forum for an idea.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎5‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 3:28 PM, bill99 said:

Thanks for the replies so far.

It helps me a lot to understand more about what I am trying to do.

Thanks to seancbk for the links. I did follow through with them, and left messages/emails and are waiting for their replies.

Thanks also to Fruit Trader re link to overlandersthailand who I have also emailed and waiting for a reply.

By reading the response's it would seem because of the heat and the prices of resorts/hotels on the side of the road, it would be sensible to just stay in one of those each night instead of trying to buy a camper.

I will have to ensure whatever vehicle I buy, it must have good air cond.

I do have a motorbike licence, as had bikes as a teenager, but after looking on youtube at motorbike accidents in Thailand, have decided to try to buy a stationwagon or something that has a bit of space in the back so I can stay at a beach or whatever if the situation arises. 

Because I would be flying from NZ and approaching the area from the south I looked at Singapore to buy a vehicle thinking I could move north from there, but found the prices off the planet. It would seem they are trying to price vehicles so no one can afford them.

Then coming north looked at Kuala Lumpur and it would seem to me that the prices there seem to be quite reasonable. I can buy a reasonable Toyota Harrier or similar for under 20000 MYR. Maybe a Landcruiser or Prado for a bit more. Done around 100k's so still with some life left. Have to figure out how to sell it when I have finished with it, but that is another story.

It would seem that some poster's here think I may have a problem with crossing borders between the countries I am hoping to visit. I do not understand that ???? Advice again please.

Thanks to all for reading and your comments are appreciated.

 

Far as I know you can take a vehicle across the border, but require documentation to do so. Your plan sounds very complicated and liable to all sorts of problems. Thailand/ Malaysia are unlike NZ in that cheap transport is available almost everywhere, though not, apparently, on Langkawi.

 

Up to me, I'd hire a car for Malaysia and buy a car in LOS.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 2:52 PM, bill99 said:

Thanks for the advice so far. Do I need Certificate of Residence to buy a car in Thailand ?

My intention is not to reside permanently there.

That question is better asked on the motoring subforum. You will also need insurance and a company to fix the car if it's in an accident ( for which you may need to speak Thai ).

You also need to research the police/ army road blocks and what to expect. I never drove long distance without my Thai wife because of them. Don't expect them to speak English.

If you are driving on your own in the rural areas and are unfortunate to hit/ kill a local, expect your life to get really bad, really fast, especially if not speaking Thai. I'd say one of those cameras that records everything to be essential.

 

Looking at your plan, you have spent a couple of holidays in Phuket, where most speak English, and plan to drive around rural Thailand alone without any Thai language skill ( unless you have been learning Thai ), and little knowledge of Thailand.

I really think you need to come here on holiday and rent a car to practice driving in LOS, which is nothing like driving in NZ. In NZ the worst I expected was to be fined for going 5 kph over the limit. In LOS, I was on the lookout for imminent death all the time, and was nearly killed many times. One can't relax for a moment driving here.

[johng]

I'd just hire a car or pickup truck and maybe motorcycle in each country...no paperwork hasel vehicle replaced if it breaks down you can hire a nice car for less than it would cost to buy a "dodgy" second hand one.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 8:56 PM, Elkski said:

132 days in Thailand, much time outside big cities,  and I have never seen a camper van.  I have never seen a campground.   It would be hot to sleep, dangerous at night or leaving such a thing unattended. No washout stations.   But I have wondered if this is a possible growth industry. 

Camp grounds in many National Parks, but only for tents. Doubt power is an option.

There are often cabins, but probably need to book ahead.

[bill99]

Thanks to all that have replied to my post.

I have taken this to the motoring section as it would seem to be better suited to the topic.

Thanks again for all of your advice

[TPI]

Why give up on the boat idea? A friend of mine bought a nice "Nichols Tri" and staffed the boat with Ozy, Kiwi and Asian birds for ten years! Buy a second hand one in NZ crew it from NZ and sail it up to Asia! The longest leg is NZ to Oz, you don't sound too old, think of the fun!!  

[bill99]

Was going to do the boat thing with two friends but when it came to crunch time they did not have the money.

A good cruising boat around 40 ft can be bought in Langkawi for around 80K US$. I have the experience and the physical assets etc but not enough cash to be able to do it myself ...sooo  can afford to loose a bit of money to use a car for a year or so and do some overland travelling and sightseeing.. Think I have convinced myself that cars are cheaper to buy in Malaysia than Thailand.  

Before I book my flight ticket just trying to confirm that I can buy a car and get it insured in Malaysia using a hotel address as my place of residence. Someone has told me I  cannot buy a car because  I don't have residential address.. ?????? Anyone know   ????

[Dick Crank]

A real Winnebago would be like rock star stuff here, never have come across one.

[mogandave]

Plenty of buses around

[South]

On 5/12/2018 at 11:41 PM, TPI said:

Why give up on the boat idea? A friend of mine bought a nice "Nichols Tri" and staffed the boat with Ozy, Kiwi and Asian birds for ten years! Buy a second hand one in NZ crew it from NZ and sail it up to Asia! The longest leg is NZ to Oz, you don't sound too old, think of the fun!!  

I've done that leg both ways many times but on 30,000+ tonne container ships. Personally wouldn't want to do it on anything much smaller. Might be fun, but I value my life.

 

Incidentally, here in Thailand I noticed a caravan 'showroom' near Singburi and I have seen a few camper vans et al, all from Europe:

 

A German couple in a German registered converted Unimog. (Songkhla)

Two French couples (traveling together) in two French registered Renault campers. (Khanom)

A Slovenian (Slovakian?) family, mom and pop and two young kids in a Slovenian (Slovakian?) registered 40' bus (Surin Beach, Phuket)

 

Having said that, I haven't seen anything else for quite a while.

 

Might be an adventure of kinds a few years ago but these days I prefer secure beds, hot water, tv and a/c ....... but then I'm getting old!

 

[bill99]

I have done as much web homework as I can, and I arrive to Kuala Lumpur on 27th May. I have booked a hotel in Chinatown for 2 weeks and have found several vehicles on Mudah and Carlist to look at when I arrive. Not campers, but 5 door Toyota SUV's that I can sleep in the back of, if I have to. Planning to stay in hotels along the way.

 Have spoken to the Thai consulate here about my plans and my passport is in now getting it's visa.

Tried really hard to get an answer about buying a car without permanent address in Malaysia and get conflicting stories (even the Malaysian Consulate could not tell me) so  are going to take a bit of a risk and just turn up and do it. Feel the fear and do it anyway haha.

Thanks to all that have helped me. Regards Bill

[Elkski]

Start an Instagram blog.   

Have an G rated version and a R rated version. 

Now fire up a Thai dating site so you have some company along the way.