24 minutes ago, Susco said:

 

That was also my thoughts, because I doubt that anyone who can afford a McLaren F! would be active on this forum.

 

It's called sado-masochism.......... and being a car nut 

8 hours ago, pedro01 said:

Has to be said - the locals do treat you differently in one of these and that's not a good thing.  The belief that the police pull you over less is a myth. Sure - they pull you over less than an Isaan Pick-up - but on par with a Honda Civic.

 

I just love the way they drive. I can drive to Sakhorn (9+hours) in my 5-Series and feel fresh as a daisy. Do that in a Fortuner and you need a few days rest.  It's a pleasure to be happy in a traffic jam and to look forward to the driving part of going somewhere. It's a personal thing. It's everyone's cup of tea but it pleases me.

BS, like all your opinions on this subject. 

21 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

BS, like all your opinions on this subject. 

I rather thought that about your opinions on the subject, I thought Pedro made excellent points.

 

 

Just now, Logosone said:

I rather thought that about your opinions on the subject, I thought Pedro made excellent points.

 

 

good for you. 

15 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

good for you. 

Don't worry, you won't be charged for that reply.

9 hours ago, pedro01 said:

Has to be said - the locals do treat you differently in one of these and that's not a good thing.  The belief that the police pull you over less is a myth. Sure - they pull you over less than an Isaan Pick-up - but on par with a Honda Civic.

 

I just love the way they drive. I can drive to Sakhorn (9+hours) in my 5-Series and feel fresh as a daisy. Do that in a Fortuner and you need a few days rest.  It's a pleasure to be happy in a traffic jam and to look forward to the driving part of going somewhere. It's a personal thing. It's everyone's cup of tea but it pleases me.

 

 

Clearly, I would never do long distance in a jap trash, but jap manufacturers are so lucky that so many people don't know this point.

 

And about cops, they clearly pull German cars less, but still, they do it sometimes. The difference in Thailand is that drug dealers do not drive German cars, so we are not a big target. Maybe we could be users, but not dealers. It is also clear for cops that we could be people who can make problems if we do not agree with their decision to scam us, so they prefer to avoid, and even more when we have a clearly visible dashcam.

 

 

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

BS, like all your opinions on this subject. 

I rather thought that about your opinions on the subject, I thought Pedro made excellent points.

46 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

good for you. 

Never bored to look like a ridiculous cheap charlie ? But it's ok, your wife must know it already ❤️

 

 

Just now, salsajapan said:

Never bore to look like a ridiculous cheap charlie ? But it's ok, your wife must know it already ❤️

 

 

You know nothing of me, my wife, or my circumstances. Sure I am clearly not as wealthy as you appear to be, as you clearly try to let us all know, but I could afford a whole army division of BMWs if I wished to waste my money on idiotic status symbols, so that the Thais get jealous and the  cops don't pull me over as much, which is rubbish as well. I'm not defined by my car, nor do I have a need to flaunt my 'western wealth' in front of Thais to make me feel superior.   

BMW. 

 

Remember the "BMW previously charged customers an annual fee for Apple Carplay integration, before a backlash from customers forced it to give it away at no extra cost – as other car makers do (including the likes of SsangYong)"...

 

Well, it seems they can't fix the stupid in the company. It isn't April Fools day...

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/technology/bmw-offer-heated-seats-cruise-control-netflix-style-subscription/

 

"BMW IS exploring the idea of subscription-based vehicle options such as heated seats, cruise control and sports suspension."

3 hours ago, Pilotman said:

You know nothing of me, my wife, or my circumstances. Sure I am clearly not as wealthy as you appear to be, as you clearly try to let us all know, but I could afford a whole army division of BMWs if I wished to waste my money on idiotic status symbols, so that the Thais get jealous and the  cops don't pull me over as much, which is rubbish as well. I'm not defined by my car, nor do I have a need to flaunt my 'western wealth' in front of Thais to make me feel superior.   

This post was not about wealth or bragging. OP was simply highlighting the discounts there is from German car manufacturers right now.

I think that is what this forum is about? Sharing, caring and helping each other.

 

Only one bragging is actually you. A full army division typically consists of 10.000-25.000 soldiers = I guess you can afford 5.000-10.000 BMWs, good on you!

 

I had been looking for a semi performance car the last 3 years and when they offered the C43 sedan at 3.69 mio thb in Dec. I decided to go for it.

I am also Danish and when I compared the C43 with nearly full option against the cost in Denmark it would be 1.5 mio thb more in Denmark than the deal I got in Thailand.

So for OP and me it feels like a relatively good deal. This thread was originally only about discounts and good deals.

 

Last note, I especially enjoy the MultiLED headlights, the road is very lid up at night and it automatically creates shadows for any other traffic. Very nice tool against the motorbikes without rear light driving slowly in the middle of a dark road. I would be very sad if I ever crashed into one of these "ghost riders". The LED lights have improved my chances to avoid these accidents by many %.

2 hours ago, THEN said:

This post was not about wealth or bragging. OP was simply highlighting the discounts there is from German car manufacturers right now.

I think that is what this forum is about? Sharing, caring and helping each other.

 

Only one bragging is actually you. A full army division typically consists of 10.000-25.000 soldiers = I guess you can afford 5.000-10.000 BMWs, good on you!

 

I had been looking for a semi performance car the last 3 years and when they offered the C43 sedan at 3.69 mio thb in Dec. I decided to go for it.

I am also Danish and when I compared the C43 with nearly full option against the cost in Denmark it would be 1.5 mio thb more in Denmark than the deal I got in Thailand.

So for OP and me it feels like a relatively good deal. This thread was originally only about discounts and good deals.

 

Last note, I especially enjoy the MultiLED headlights, the road is very lid up at night and it automatically creates shadows for any other traffic. Very nice tool against the motorbikes without rear light driving slowly in the middle of a dark road. I would be very sad if I ever crashed into one of these "ghost riders". The LED lights have improved my chances to avoid these accidents by many %.

Point is that this is NOT good deal. That's 95000 euro against the 53000 euro real base price. Put some optionals can be 65000. That's 30000 difference.

 

Glad that you like the adaptive led lights, that's a feature you can put also on a Fiat 500 or on a Toyota, don't need to buy a C43 ???? 

The S Class had night vision display already 12 years ago, if you want to avoid accidents..

 

 

 

 

50 minutes ago, Sundown said:

Point is that this is NOT good deal. That's 95000 euro against the 53000 euro real base price. Put some optionals can be 65000. That's 30000 difference.

 

Glad that you like the adaptive led lights, that's a feature you can put also on a Fiat 500 or on a Toyota, don't need to buy a C43 ???? 

The S Class had night vision display already 12 years ago, if you want to avoid accidents..

 

 

 

 

Point is that OP wanted to share what he believe is a good offer. I agree with him that the offer is great compared to original price for a nearly full spec'd C43 in Thailand or something with 6 cyl and similar performance.

This forum is still about sharing right?

Like it - read it.

Don't like it - dont read it or read it and bash it.

 

Different opinions are normal and everyone's right.

Have a great weekend all.

I talked to the local Benz dealer today about their business, and based on his response, it did not sound like they are 'desperate, or throw around big discounts to get the plebs to buy their overpriced Thai made junk.......'  /S

 

54 minutes ago, mistral53 said:

I talked to the local Benz dealer today about their business, and based on his response, it did not sound like they are 'desperate, or throw around big discounts to get the plebs to buy their overpriced Thai made junk.......'  /S

 

Pinocchio or Hands Christian Anderson.

21 hours ago, Sundown said:

Point is that this is NOT good deal. That's 95000 euro against the 53000 euro real base price. Put some optionals can be 65000. That's 30000 difference.

 

Glad that you like the adaptive led lights, that's a feature you can put also on a Fiat 500 or on a Toyota, don't need to buy a C43 ???? 

The S Class had night vision display already 12 years ago, if you want to avoid accidents..

 

 

 

 

There is no such thing as the, 'EU' price for these cars. 

 

Every country in Europe has different taxes on new cars. Some EU countries are more expensive than Thailand. Some Asian countries are more expensive than Thailand too. That's where the price difference comes in. 

 

I presume you don't drink beer or wine here because it's more expensive. I guess you don't eat steak for the same reason. 

 

Must be hard work living here and only buying stuff that is the same price or less than your home country. 

 

I don't like the 60 tax in imported then locally assembled cars but overall cost of living is still lower than home. 

 

Anyway, discounts are there for those that are interested... 

20 hours ago, mistral53 said:

I talked to the local Benz dealer today about their business, and based on his response, it did not sound like they are 'desperate, or throw around big discounts to get the plebs to buy their overpriced Thai made junk.......'  /S

 

Certainly Benz are tighter on discounts than BMW, they seem to have a standard 'max discount' allowed dictated by Benz (one dealership owner showed me the sheet from Benz) but you can still find ones that go beyond that. 

 

Still - every dealership we visited was empty when we got there. 

On 6/29/2020 at 1:30 AM, tiocfaidh said:

Can you have a look around for me please?

I'm looking for a Ford Ranger FX4 in white.

I'm in the UK and via email I have negotiated a price of 843,000 bhat with a few free extras.

FX4 Plus will be released soon, hold off till then and you may get an even better price on the FX4.

On 7/4/2020 at 1:41 AM, Sundown said:

If you think that a 530 at 100k euro is a bargain then go for it, why open a thread about it here? I don't understand. If the average TVF member had 4m THB to flush in the toilet he would buy 2000 nights of fun not a taxi car!

 

 

Most TVF members haven't got 2000 nights left...

 

It may interest you that not everyone is here for girlies too. After over 20 years here, the idea of conversing with an 18 year old, uneducated bargirl about "whe you from, what you do" sounds like torture. Definitely more rewarding things to do here IMO.

I am a bit lost as to who wants to buy what here.

 

If someone is considering a new E350e or 300e Maybe look for an S less than three years old.

 

You can purchase extended manufactures warranty if the vehicle is less than three years old.The extension can be up to eight years. MB bits are ‘kin expensive.

 

You will find the ride much smoother and much quieter.

2 hours ago, JAS21 said:

I am a bit lost as to who wants to buy what here.

 

If someone is considering a new E350e or 300e Maybe look for an S less than three years old.

 

You can purchase extended manufactures warranty if the vehicle is less than three years old.The extension can be up to eight years. MB bits are ‘kin expensive.

 

You will find the ride much smoother and much quieter.

I draw the line at dealing with a Thai 2nd hand car salesman. English ones are bad enough... 

13 hours ago, pedro01 said:

I draw the line at dealing with a Thai 2nd hand car salesman. English ones are bad enough... 

You should look at the private sales or even advertise for one ... no dealers ...,

23 hours ago, JAS21 said:

I am a bit lost as to who wants to buy what here.

 

If someone is considering a new E350e or 300e Maybe look for an S less than three years old.

 

You can purchase extended manufactures warranty if the vehicle is less than three years old.The extension can be up to eight years. MB bits are ‘kin expensive.

 

You will find the ride much smoother and much quieter.

There is no real answer to that. OP highlighted that good deals can be made at BMW/MB and he ended up buying a C43.

I made the same choice and I do agree with you all that it is by no means a "steal" with the car prices in Thailand. But If I compare the C43 with an BMW M4, I got mine at less than half price. Though the M4 is a different animal, they are almost in the same class.

 

I consider the C43 a good deal since it came with full options compared to C300e @ 3 mio THB. + equipment for a 4 cyl hybrid.

 

Also possibly one of the last purebred 6 cyl gasoline engines on the market. The future spells hybrid with 3 or 4 cyl motors.

 

 

Old Memories just wont go away. I can remeber when a C Class [Cattle] Benz was much the same price as a Ford 4/4 Scorpio made in Germany too. Totaly irreleven point here these days but i still cant see what one gains over a top Honda or Toyota here having bought all 3 over my 30 years here.  I will add the 2 BMW SUVs ive had have been a Bloody Farce, but they were 3 year Lease n Dump thank Nature.

21 hours ago, JAS21 said:

You should look at the private sales or even advertise for one ... no dealers ...,

Indeed, I do that as well. On the other hang it's difficult to find vehicles which have been cared for and maintained well all the way till the actual day they get sold. From my experience many private sellers neglect their car for quite some time while they are looking to sell and/or after having bought a replacement car.

Yesterday I tried to drive a Toyota Camry. Really, some people call this a car ? Really sad for you to know nothing to this extend. When driving back my Sclass I feel like Trump in his airforce one !

 

 

4 minutes ago, rambling said:

Indeed, I do that as well. On the other hang it's difficult to find vehicles which have been cared for and maintained well all the way till the actual day they get sold. From my experience many private sellers neglect their car for quite some time while they are looking to sell and/or after having bought a replacement car.

 

Clearly, if you know that you will sell it soon, why caring for it. This is why i would never buy a second hand car here, especially a German car.

 

 

1 hour ago, salsajapan said:

Yesterday I tried to drive a Toyota Camry. Really, some people call this a car ? Really sad for you to know nothing to this extend. When driving back my Sclass I feel like Trump in his airforce one !

 

 

Yeah totally agree, I tested the Mazda 2 it's completely trash compared to my Bentley Bentayga

On 7/3/2020 at 2:45 PM, pedro01 said:

So when you were (for example) looking at a German made door that had been bolted on in Thailand - what did your expert eye reveal?

A brand new Benz door I had to slam cuz it did not fit properly.

 

A carpet so sparse in pile it resembled my balding head .... I could go on. Those who have worked in the motor trade see a car differently to the general public.

 

The figure has changed over the years but last time I looked ....to qualify for local assembly they have to be 58% local content. Nuff said.

On 7/14/2020 at 1:16 AM, DaRoadrunner said:

A brand new Benz door I had to slam cuz it did not fit properly.

 

A carpet so sparse in pile it resembled my balding head .... I could go on. Those who have worked in the motor trade see a car differently to the general public.

 

The figure has changed over the years but last time I looked ....to qualify for local assembly they have to be 58% local content. Nuff said.

That made me laugh out loud. You should have gone for believable there. 

 

As for your 58%. Pretty sure you mean the minimum 54% local manufacture to be qualified as locally made ala Toyota, Honda etc. 

 

Anyway - the idea that someone put the door on wrong on a BMW/Benz, that it then got past QC and the dealer never spotted it - absolutely hilarious. If only they all had your eye for a closed door. 

 

Spot any issues with this one?