How do you lower the cost of car ownership in Thailand?

[BritManToo]

Old car .......... maint fees are really cheap.

I bought a Nissan BigM pickup, 15 years old for 150kbht.

Costs almost nothing to repair, still going 8 years later.

[NCC1701A]

look here:

 

https://www.prestigecarrentalbangkok.com/

 

 

[Surelynot]

2 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

were are you going to live?

if you have big money, i think you can rent a super car for hot dates in Bangkok. 

in traffic there are supercars all over Bangkok. like a parade on Sukhumvit during drive time. and RR, Bentley Lamborghini and Aston Martin dealerships in malls.

 

beautiful 2 seater Mercs and BMWs. 

Staggering the wealth you see...........I thought Sukhumvit Nana was something till we spent a month in Thong lo

[Excel]

8 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

There is, you've posted it already.    Don't listen to anyone who tells you that temporarily importing a vehicle is not possible, it is. 

 

39 minutes ago, Exp12345 said:

Thanks for the response! What do you think about temporarily importing your car from the west? I assume you wouldn’t pay the huge 300% tax then correct ? 

What your definition of a temporary import may be at variance to the Thai customs definition of temporary is. So do you plan on bringing your vehicle in for a maximum of 6 months on a once only basis ? If not it will not be classified as a temp import and in which case familiarise yourself with this and be mindful your car may well be confiscated

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30378880

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Excel

[Saltire]

Lots of helpful car fanantics in this Facebook group.

 

Expat Car Club Thailand (ECC)

[blackcab]

19 minutes ago, Exp12345 said:

I still don’t understand why I can’t temporarily import.

 

You can temporarily import. There is a procedure for this.

 

The best thing to do is have a go.

 

Please start a new topic and keep it updated so we can all see how easy or difficult you find the process.

[Captain Monday]

UBER and GRAB changed my life. Car ownership cost zero.

[Gulfsailor]

You can temporarily import a car. This is the scenario;

- Your car arrives by container. 
- it’ll take up to a month to get everything cleared with customs

- you pay a bond covering the duties and taxes upon import. For easy calculation use 75% on what the car is worth in Thailand (so not what it’s worth abroad or what you think it’s value is). Don’t forget the few thousand USD to grease the right palms to keep things moving. 

- upon exporting the vehicle after 5 or 6 months you find that customs is very slow on processing the paperwork and your shipment is held up. By the time you greased enough palms to finally release your car more than 6 months have passed. Result; You have just lost your bond. 
- At that time you decide to just keep the car in Thailand since you already paid the duties. 
- When you try to register the car you find this impossible, so you can’t ever get Thai plates. 
- so you decide to just keep driving it on foreign plates. Result; some government agency will happily come take the car from you.

 

[canthai55]

51 minutes ago, Excel said:

 I suggest you buy a second hand pick here due to the fact most of them have been involved in serious smashes.

Most ??? 555

Figures for 2562 show 6.7 million PRIVATE pickups registered in LOS

https://www.nationthailand.com/category/tech

This does not count commercial vehicles.

If you think 'most' have been involved in serious smashes ...

Well, people can make up their own minds if what you posted is in the realm of possibility. I would guess - NO

[Surelynot]

2 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

52 minutes ago, Excel said:

You mean apart from the fact that you can not "temporally " import a car here ?

Wrong - maybe do some research before you post drivel

 

 

....or you could say.....

 

I believe there is a way and you are incorrect in stating that you cannot temporarily import a car.......here is the information to support my statement.......

 

Isn't that so much nicer?

 

 

[canthai55]

51 minutes ago, Excel said:

 I suggest you buy a second hand pick here due to the fact most of them have been involved in serious smashes.

Most ??? 555

Figures for 2562 show 6.7 million PRIVATE pickups registered in LOS

https://www.nationthailand.com/category/tech

This does not count commercial vehicles.

If you think 'most' have been involved in serious smashes ...

Well, people can make up their own minds if what you posted is in the realm of possibility. I would guess - NO

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Exp12345 said:

Yes I understand he said that but from a financial and personal joy standpoint, what’s wrong with temporarily importing a “fun” car for a few months out of the year? 

Import fees will be imposed and the value of the perceived cost of what the car is worth will then also be taxed.  Unless you work for a Government in an official capacity importing your car is a waste of capital as you can buy one cheaper.

[canthai55]

Here is a link of a successful import.

Was a bike, but car will be the same.

Was a while ago, so have the goalposts been moved - ???

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1029275-car-import-worth-an-attempt/page/3/#comment-12837207

[Crossy]

Didn't the government rain on everyone's parade by totally banning the personal import of used vehicles and parts a few years back?

 

[Excel]

13 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Didn't the government rain on everyone's parade by totally banning the personal import of used vehicles and parts a few years back?

 

Correct.

Link to Nation info again

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30378880

Edited June 24, 2021 by Excel

[moe666]

4 hours ago, Exp12345 said:

Yes I understand he said that but from a financial and personal joy standpoint, what’s wrong with temporarily importing a “fun” car for a few months out of the year? 

It took a friend two years to import a car to Thailand and this was doing it by the book, no tea money. You can do it but get over the silly notion of importing one for a few months.

[moe666]

3 hours ago, blackcab said:

 

You can temporarily import. There is a procedure for this.

 

The best thing to do is have a go.

 

Please start a new topic and keep it updated so we can all see how easy or difficult you find the process.

You can bring a car or bike in on a tourist visa, they actually give the vehicle a visa. Canadian guy I met a few years ago did this for about 6 months ride around. He entered Thailand from Malaysia

[Crossy]

Do read the link @Excel posted earlier before doing anything.

 

[2 is 1]

LOL cars not expensive in Thailand! Ok Mercedes, BMW,Audi,Ferrari,Porsche is but like this one in Finland is 1.4 million bth, Thailand start price 600k bth!

 

[DavisH]

7 hours ago, Henryford said:

The costs of running a car here are very low. Tax, insurance, gas, repairs etc. The only big cost is the depreciation of any car you buy. If you buy one for 300,000 and keep it 10 years not bad. If you buy for 1.5 million, a different story. If you buy a second hand pick up you could probably sell it in 2-3 years and only lose 100k or so.

And even deptreciation here is much less than in the West. Jusrt compare the prices of old honda civics here to the US or the UK, for instance. A clapped out 3 series BMW for 200 quid in the UK would get 2000 quid here. 

 

Second hand prices for toyota / honda are very high here. For these brands, it's jusr better to buy new. 

 

And if the OP's "fun car" is a corvette, hellcat or similar...well, have fun getting it serviced here. 

 

Anyone with money can get a very nice car modified here for a reasonable price. It's just not worth bringing in an old car. Which I think is impossible now, anyway. 

[Golden Triangle]

I'm interested to know what car the OP wants to " temporarily" import, sounds like a waste of time and money to me.

[digbeth]

8 hours ago, Gulfsailor said:

You can temporarily import a car. This is the scenario;

- Your car arrives by container. 
- it’ll take up to a month to get everything cleared with customs

- you pay a bond covering the duties and taxes upon import. For easy calculation use 75% on what the car is worth in Thailand (so not what it’s worth abroad or what you think it’s value is). Don’t forget the few thousand USD to grease the right palms to keep things moving. 

- upon exporting the vehicle after 5 or 6 months you find that customs is very slow on processing the paperwork and your shipment is held up. By the time you greased enough palms to finally release your car more than 6 months have passed. Result; You have just lost your bond. 
- At that time you decide to just keep the car in Thailand since you already paid the duties. 
- When you try to register the car you find this impossible, so you can’t ever get Thai plates. 
- so you decide to just keep driving it on foreign plates. Result; some government agency will happily come take the car from you.

- after 3-5 years in the impound lot at customs dept sitting in the sun and dust, your car is auctioned off 

- if they potential bidders are smart, they'd have a look at the condition of the car and see that it's missing some vital component that's hard/expensive.... say the ecu to a Ferrari that the factory won't just sell to any random folk of the street.. the ecu that you'd conveniently lose before the car was taken from you, thus no one except you are left to bid on your own car, for less than the tax bill 

 

 

To be serious though, don't balk at the initial cost of cars with all the import tax, if you only use it for a year or two, selling it on, you won't be hit by deprciation as much as in the west

[alacrity]

9 hours ago, Exp12345 said:

“No taxes or import duties need to be paid in the case a foreign car is imported into Thailand for less than 6 months. You will need to pay a cash deposit or submit a bank guarantee that covers the amount of liable taxes and duties. This will be forfeited if the vehicle is not exported before the date indicated on the temporary import permit. Higher taxes and fines can also be awarded to importers who breach their temporary contract and extend their car’s stay in Thailand without further notice.

You will need the following documents to execute the importation:
1. The temporary import declaration form (6 copies in total)
2. The vehicle’s registration certificate
3. The passport or identification card of the owner of the vehicle.
4. An application form for the temporary import of the vehicle.
5. A proforma invoice or invoice
6. A certificate of legal entity
7. A re-export contract
8. Proof of power of attorney, if somebody other than the owner intends to drive the vehicle”

How much will the full process will cost you?

 

Probably better to rent a 'fun' car, when you need it, during your transient visits. Preferable to the inconvenience of wrangling a cheap ride, IMO. And could be tax deductible.

 

 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

I would never buy a used vehicle in Thailand. Ten years ago we sold my wife's old Honda Jazz for some crazy high price to a dealer, way more than I expected to get. To my amazement, he'd sold in on in a week for an even higher price. The price of used vehicles is so high here you might as well just buy new. You also don't know how the oil has been treated. Full service history is pretty much meaningless. My sister in law never changes the oil on her Fortuner, she just drives it and drives it until the engines seizes, pays for the repairs, and then repeats the process.

 

We presently have a 2015 Honda City since new. It's inexpensive to maintain, runs on E85 and hasn't missed a beat. I can't remember what the odometer is at, my wife schedules oil changes, but I think it's over two hundred thousand kilometres.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[worgeordie]

Just because there are forms and papers saying you

can import a car, temporary or otherwise, does not

mean you can do it, one of the quirks of Thailand ,all

departments seem to have a different set of rules and

regulations.it's a minefield.

regards worgeordie

[Thomas J]

There is no question that car prices are high in Thailand.  I don't really know all the reasons since Thailand is far closer to car makers in Japan and Korea than the USA is but a Toyota Camry in the USA at FULL MSRP. of about 772,000 THB compared to about 1.45 million THB here in Thailand.   Now things like car insurance is inexpensive compared to the USA.  The only thing you can do is to purchase a used car with modest amount of mileage on it.  If you choose a model that is not popular the price will of course go down but if you do, also expect you will have some difficulty in selling it should you ever want to dispose of it.  You can get some reasonably nice cars/suv's in the 400,000 - 500,000 baht range.  Even less if you want to go to models that are 4 years old or more. 

[Airalee]

If you need a manual transmission, either a 2nd hand Lotus Elise or MX5 (manuals are rare for these though) ฿1-3,000,000

 

Automatic Transmission Audi TTrs, BMW Z4 m4.0i ฿2.5-4,000,000

 

Anything else will cost big bucks…not that the previously mentioned cars are cheap but compared to Porsche/Ferrari/Mclaren/Lamborghini, they’ll certainly offer far more bang for the buck.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Airalee

[WilliamSmits]

I am renting and more often taking taxi. In the city a car makes no sense. Going to the beach in HuaHin, Pattaya, Chantaburi or even further I take a taxi.

(Maybe the bus after Covid)

Works out much cheaper, saves time taking care of car, insurance, license, servicing etc

[donmuang37]

20 hours ago, Exp12345 said:

I’m just super into cars and they mean a lot to me, so even if it’s hard or difficult or a PITA, etc I will do whatever it takes to make it happen. I just don’t understand how you “can’t” temporarily import a car to Thailand. Maybe there are some agencies that will help me out I don’t know. 

I'm a "car guy," too.  So here's my take:  Prices for import "luxury cars" run about 2x the USA price, so you are tempted to do it.  If you do, the Thai bureaucrats will love you.  You're not the first person to try to circumvent Thai taxes, so they will rake you over the coals.  They have a lot more experience than you do and know all the tricks about extracting money from newbies.  And don't forget S-L-O-W.  They will sit at their desk, reading FB, drinking coffee and tell you, "Maybe next month. I'm too busy now. But if you want to pay an expedite fee..."  ????????????

 

Whether you need a car or not depends on your lifestyle. Ifcyou are a bar-fly, no car needed.  Better take taxis and live longer! ???? I  live in Bangkok with my wife. She drives a 2017 Ford Focus 1 5 turbo that's fun too drive.  I drive Ford Ranger Wildtrak Bi-Turbo that drives well for a pickup.  Drive the car around town and the Ranger on road trips.  Works for us.

Good luck, Don

P.S. Don't believe all the naysayers, we've owned 4 Fords since 2011. Service has been great! ????

[Aussieroaming]

22 hours ago, Surelynot said:

1. Give up on any notion of importing

2. If at all possible, I would rent "as and when" you need a car (living in BKK I wish I had not bought a car.....huge waste of capital doing nothing and rapidly depreciating).

3. If you have to buy I would give up any fancy notions of a nice car........three years old, reasonable milage....still costs a fortune.

4. I have gone from an SVR to a Mazda....still crying.

I live in Bangkok. I think I've done about 15 km's in the last month and the same the month before. 2 x trips to my closest Makro. We live right at a BTS stop and across the road from a Big C super centre, so only (mainly) use the vehicle for out of city trips, of which there have been nil since April. Its very hard to justify vehicles in Bangkok, no doubt about that unless you commute to work and aren't near a transport hub.