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Importing my car - impossible right?


tommytank

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8 hours ago, mr mr said:

don't listen to all the negative nancys here. they are all just jealous they can't afford such an awesome ride like you. if you can afford that dope ride then the taxes and hassle of bringing it here shouldn't be a problem for you either. 

 

giver man i got a guy in customs that can help. ????

 

 

 

The problem is that your "guy in customs" may like the "dope ride" more than the OP does and it gets "impounded".

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I was looking to import my car from Australia .After months of wrangling about the value they came up with the new price converted at some ridulous rate to tha Bhat .Long story short would have cost more than a newer model here .You also run the risk of compliance and missing parts in transit .Good luck !

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I have a 1989 Ford LTD Stretch limo that I paid AU$2,500 and I could have it landed here in Thailand on a drive on/drive off ship for AU$1,000 but then I looked at what Thai customs wanted for it to drive off the wharf 2,600,000baht is the figure that I was quoted by an agent so my son has the car to hire out in Australia and was getting AU$110 per hour hire. But I am glad I did not get it here because of the narrow streets. Stretch limo in the narrow streets of Thailand. Forget trying to import your car and yes the import laws have changed.

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Someone else might remember this as well. A few years ago a Hi-So Thai businessman tried to import a Lamborgini and the customs was that high that he would not pay what they wanted and they would not release the car so he went a got an excavator and wrecked the car so that no one else could take it. He was a That not a farang

Edited by Russell17au
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On 2/13/2021 at 9:57 AM, tommytank said:

Is it possible to import my beloved Porche Macan Turbo from the USA?

 

I'm sure I read on here many years ago it's practically impossible, right?

Impossible alone about this Car is left hand side driven, I guess: So not allowed in Thailand!

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On 2/13/2021 at 9:59 AM, Peterw42 said:

Its not impossible, it just ends up costing 2-3 times what the car is worth.

(what Thai customs says its worth, not what you say its worth)

damn right 300% import tax plus 7% VAT, sell it and buy 2 new ones same price as importing it. 

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On 2/13/2021 at 12:39 PM, tommytank said:

Ha...  I knew I'd get a mixed bag of replies.  I also have a Ferrari 458 Italia in the USA but would never dream of trying to import that here.


It's cool, I can leave these cars back in the USA...

I just saw a Macan today and it got me thinking how much I miss that car.  It really is a dream to drive it.

 

I guess it's either a CX-5, Everest or Fortuner for me then.  How dull.
 

There are so many amazing and affordable cars in the US. I would love to be a petrol-head there, except the women situation would probably be ....dull.

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On 2/13/2021 at 9:57 AM, tommytank said:

Is it possible to import my beloved Porche Macan Turbo from the USA?

 

I'm sure I read on here many years ago it's practically impossible, right?

Of course you can bring your car to Thailand .    But

It will be cheaper to give your car away /sell  over there and buy a new one here .

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1 hour ago, mwbrown said:

Coincidentally, I emailed these guys a few days ago for guidance on importing my 48 year-old electric-converted Porsche/VW 914.  Nothing back yet.

 

They're professionals.  They don't want to call you while they're still laughing.

 

I used to love driving my 914.  Cornered like it was on rails.  But I bought it to resell, so I only had it for a few weeks...

 

  • Haha 1
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I imported my own car from the U.K. around 12 years ago, all legal and (semi) above board. No real issues, but, it was expensive, tax ( was discounted somewhat) plus tea money ( no discount available! 555) . I know of a couple of others who also imported cars around the same time, also without issue.
My car was fully and legally registered and licensed and I have since sold it on , to a Thai V8 enthusiast, and transferred ownership without problem.
I posted all the details on this forum a number of years ago. (Search!)
However, as others mentioned above, things seem to have tightened up considerably in recent years , I really would think it is not worth it anymore.
The government has made it pretty clear , personal imported automobiles are no longer allowed, for anyone, Incl Thai or farang with WP, full stop! End of!

Edited by wordchild
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1 hour ago, wordchild said:

The government has made it pretty clear , personal imported automobiles are no longer allowed, for anyone, Incl Thai or farang with WP, full stop! End of!

I wonder how the luxury car importers do it. One2Car has 2020 Tesla's for sale, but I would like a Lucid Air.

I wrote to one importer but so far no reply.

Edited by Raphael Hythlodaeus
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On 2/13/2021 at 4:23 AM, chickenslegs said:

"Please note that a huge number of cars are stuck in customs waiting to be sold (Bid), because the importer didn’t realize how Thai customs are strict regarding cars and vehicles. Please ask us before loading your car!"

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0In the year 2000, it was considered impossible to have a 100% foreign owned company here, outside of Amity treaty and a few other programs we didn't qualify for. Yet I managed to get an Alien Business license from BOI. It wasn't one of their listed benefits either. 

 

So what was the secret? 

 

A lawyer that was at BOI regularly, knew the right things to put on all the application forms and knew all the players. 

 

That's what you need. Someone that regularly does this and interacts with the key players. 

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On 2/13/2021 at 4:54 AM, Surelynot said:

Nightmare.....spent an age looking into this....simply not worth the hassle....even if you did get it landed I can hear the customs officials now....."What car?"

Interesting you say that... I remember back in 2004, a customer, a Brit garage owner bought over 2 cars, one an old Merc and a cheap convertible, UK value at the time about 7K pounds. He went through the process of importing legally and after about a year of being in the country with the cars, he got raided. One of those Thai style commando raids at 6am. They took him and the cars away and he got out the same day, but the cars remained behind bars. To be honest I can't remember the exact outcome, but I think he lost at least one of them 'What car' syndrome again and was always in and out of court at great expense as the court was in BKK and we were in the South. An absolute nightmare, it just went on and on and on...........................

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You can find a wrecked Macan Turbo here then repair it with parts from an imported car.

 

You need to work out if it's worth it first because wrecks of luxury cars are ridiculously expensive here compared to the west.

 

There's still 30% duty or so on the imported parts.

 

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8 hours ago, bojo said:

Interesting you say that... I remember back in 2004, a customer, a Brit garage owner bought over 2 cars, one an old Merc and a cheap convertible, UK value at the time about 7K pounds. He went through the process of importing legally and after about a year of being in the country with the cars, he got raided. One of those Thai style commando raids at 6am. They took him and the cars away and he got out the same day, but the cars remained behind bars. To be honest I can't remember the exact outcome, but I think he lost at least one of them 'What car' syndrome again and was always in and out of court at great expense as the court was in BKK and we were in the South. An absolute nightmare, it just went on and on and on...........................

A hard lesson for sure....exposing your values, capital, income, property to Thailand is a dangerous activity.....I rent and that is it.....everything else says in the UK.....shame though....I had two SVR's could have made a fortune (or been robbed blind)

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/13/2021 at 4:20 AM, mr mr said:

giver man i got a guy in customs that can help.

Actually, you man in customs can't help. I believe it was last year or possibly 2019 when they announced a ban on the import of secondhand cars.

 

The taxes used to make it virtually impossible, now it is impossible.

 

Sorry jackdd - I didn't see your post before posting mine.

Edited by KhaoYai
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