How would you spend THB 1.5mil to enter a Chiang Mai --> Pai road race?

[brobro2424]

Im jokin im not racing to Pai. Honest guv. Since driving scooters and boring cars around northern thailand I've fantasized about having a decent car to make the most of that twisty tarmac. After a few years working back home Ive got some THB together and wondering how to approach it. What would you spend 1.5mil on? Is there a reasonably new hatchback which was fitted as standard with a detuned engine to meet emissions standards, that could be retuned easily? I do want it to be a daily driver as well. Or are diesels better for tuning gains?  I'm in Chiang Mai and my plan so far is to ask the local tuning shops but I'd love to tap the knowledge here first

[Airalee]

Not sure there are any newer cars in that price range that are fun cars.

 

10(ish) year old Mazda MX5, VW GTI/Golf R or spend a little more for a Lotus Elise (probably not a good/comfortable daily driver though).

[brobro2424]

6 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Not sure there are any newer cars in that price range that are fun cars.

 

10(ish) year old Mazda MX5, VW GTI/Golf R or spend a little more for a Lotus Elise (probably not a good/comfortable daily driver though).

thanks i'd seen mx5 as a possible, didnt know there were GTI's or R's around. Tasty!

[The Hammer2021]

What car would you buy...etc etc might be a less obtuse title

[brobro2424]

2 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

What car would you buy...etc etc might be a less obtuse title

clickbait init

Edited October 20, 2021 by brobro2424

[LivinLOS]

Try to find a manual Z4 E89 3l.. Hell would even take an E85 if manual.. 

For a toy currently building an E30 coupe fake M3.. Scoping around for a good engine package.. 

[poyai111]

Jazz manual. Add turbo, enhance suspension, swap drums for disc brakes on rear, recaro driver seat and go for it! Should be close to the budget

[alesaldana]

It's a little bit more expensive than the budget you have, but I think this could be what you are looking for

https://www.toyota.co.th/gryaris/  ????????????

 

[Airalee]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

Try to find a manual Z4 E89 3l.. Hell would even take an E85 if manual.. 

For a toy currently building an E30 coupe fake M3.. Scoping around for a good engine package.. 

I’m not sure there is a manual Z4 (or Z3) in all of Thailand.  Never seen one for sale.  Not sure why so many cars here are all automatic and the few that I have ever seen for sale with a manual are usually über expensive specialty models (Cayman GT4, Boxster Spyder, GT3, 993TT, Audi TTRS, Lotus)

 

Here’s a guy who upgraded an E36 318is to M3 specs.  Wonder how reliable it would be.

 

https://www.one2car.com/en/for-sale/bmw-m3-bangkok-metropolitan-pinklao-borommaratchachonnani-road/8141637

 

 

[LawrenceN]

I went to the Bangkok Motor Show last year. A BMW motorcycle dealer had a slightly used demo bike for sale. 900cc sport bike for 500K baht. I didn't buy it. Have to trade in the wife first.  I still pine for it. What would I do with the remaining million? 

[malathione]

Toyota FT86 being that you want a daily driver. Saw one for 1.3 million a few days ago. A tad old, 2014 they said, but quite clean. Auto, unfortunately.

Edited October 21, 2021 by malathione
add info

[Freddy42OZ]

21 hours ago, brobro2424 said:

Im jokin im not racing to Pai. Honest guv. Since driving scooters and boring cars around northern thailand I've fantasized about having a decent car to make the most of that twisty tarmac. After a few years working back home Ive got some THB together and wondering how to approach it. What would you spend 1.5mil on? Is there a reasonably new hatchback which was fitted as standard with a detuned engine to meet emissions standards, that could be retuned easily? I do want it to be a daily driver as well. Or are diesels better for tuning gains?  I'm in Chiang Mai and my plan so far is to ask the local tuning shops but I'd love to tap the knowledge here first

 

You should join this Facebook group
 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/421876725467311/

[VocalNeal]

You could get a used Volvo s60 and breathe on it a bit. ????

 

What I was told when I asked my friendly Volvo expert about a V40 hatchback.

 

Now if I had 2.65 to spend on a car I'd go the Toyota route mentioned in a previous post.

Edited October 21, 2021 by VocalNeal

[LarrySR]

Subaru BRZ for the twisties. 
 

[seedy]

Some VERY strange answers to the OP for a well handling car for twisty roads.

A Jazz - !!! 555

[LivinLOS]

16 hours ago, Airalee said:

I’m not sure there is a manual Z4 (or Z3) in all of Thailand.  Never seen one for sale.  

Theres a few unicorns I have been told of, but also not seen sold. 

The early e85 with M54 is manual swappable for low money but the e89 N54 becomes an electrical reprogramming nightmare apparently. I have long considered buying the cheapest sub million E85 I can find and ringing it with a UK sourced Z4M (though those are appreciating fast now). All up sub 2 mil and a legit M spec car. 

I am currently trying to source a M54B30 6sp or a S54 6sp package at the moment, most likely will need to import it myself as the Thai bangkok dealers I have spoken to have universally been beyond awkward and arrogant. Not sure why there's been such bad communication honestly. 

In UK one is +- 6x the cost of the other, and there it would not be worth going high end (the M54 plus boost is dirt cheap option) but the S54 probably adds multiples in value to the finished car here. Horns of a dilemma as the choice kind of relies on my ability to get the build ok, or really high end worth of the added investment. Even considered doing what most do with the v8 UZ option but I would like to stay straight 6. 

[LivinLOS]

16 hours ago, LawrenceN said:

I went to the Bangkok Motor Show last year. A BMW motorcycle dealer had a slightly used demo bike for sale. 900cc sport bike for 500K baht. I didn't buy it. Have to trade in the wife first.  I still pine for it. What would I do with the remaining million? 

get good medical cover ????

I enjoy my bikes.. But my skills being less than Rossi-like means I dont drift them much.. Its that interplay of traction, slide, inertia etc that cars give.. 

[Robin]

Are there no Subaru Impreza's or Mitsubishi Evo's in Thailand?  I have driven these in UK and the perfomance and road holding is stupendous.  Being turbos, there is the option to increase power, but for normal road driving you might not want to..  Even the basic models are fast.

Alternatively, Nissan GTR are said to be made with 400BHP and then de-tuned to the Japanese requirement of 276 BHP.  Quote from Nissan;  very little tuning is needed to get 400BHP.   Some people have taken these cars to 100BHP.  Nissan have admitted that they 'made a mistake' and designed the engine for this level of power.

[stratocaster]

Unfortunately not available at any price at the moment but the only car for the race would be the 500 bhp 624 kilogram Ariel Atom. Watch the in car video of it being driven round the Nuremberg circuit by someone who obviously is not a numpty unlike the Ferrari and Lambo drivers that he passes with ease.