Relative status of BMW and Porsche

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, Geoff914 said:

I have always thought when I retire to Thailand and if I came into some money I would buy a BMW but run flat tyres alone puts me right off. A space saver was bad enough.

 

I've been driving here for well over 20 years...  In that time I've had to change a tire twice...

 

...  Once in a car park, after returning to the car and seeing the flat.

...  Once after a blow-out on the highway.

 

Both times it was jeffing hot... I was pished wet through with sweat...    given hind sight I should have just called out a recovery service...

 

Our current car has no spare at all, and the tyres are not run-flats - Instead it is equipped with a Tire Mobility Kit (TMK) which includes a sealant and an air compressor. This kit is intended as a temporary fix for minor punctures in the tire's tread...

 

Given the rarity of a flat - its not something I'm concerned with at all..

 

 

 

 

 

[Geoff914]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Given the rarity of a flat - its not something I'm concerned with at all..

 

But when it does happen. I always drive second hand cars. I now notice ten year old cars in the UK don't have a spare at all and they are not run flats. What is the effing use of that, except to save money. At least in Thailand I assume calling recovery is not expensive.

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Geoff914 said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Given the rarity of a flat - its not something I'm concerned with at all..

 

But when it does happen. I always drive second hand cars. I now notice ten year old cars in the UK don't have a spare at all and they are not run flats. What is the effing use of that, except to save money. At least in Thailand I assume calling recovery is not expensive.

 

As I wrote...  Given the rarity of a flat - its not something I'm concerned with at all.

Given that most punctures would be tiny, the Tire Mobility Kit (TMK) which includes a sealant and an air compressor is easier to use than changing a wheel.

 

But, if I were concerned - I'd buy a spare... 

 

So, if thats something which concerns you, you can buy a spare and keep it in your boot...  Or even a space saver spare - or would you prefer to save the money ?... after all, the cost of spare in any vehicle is passed on to the customer anyway.

 

 

 

 

[KhunLA]

8 hours ago, KhunLA said:

 

Porsche Taycan price in Thailand start from ฿14,490,000 / €108,867 in Germany     Unless you got a spare ฿15M lying around, you'd have to be an idiot to buy the Porsche.  ...  You could buy a Xiaomi SU7

OR ... you could buy a house, or 3 and a nice BEV or ICEV, and have change in your pocket.

 

OR, that Porsche, and live out of that box apartment, and eat sip baht soup, damn inflation, as used to be ha baht soup 

[Geoff914]

21 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

As I wrote...  Given the rarity of a flat - its not something I'm concerned with at all.

Given that most punctures would be tiny, the Tire Mobility Kit (TMK) which includes a sealant and an air compressor is easier to use than changing a wheel.

 

But, if I were concerned - I'd buy a spare... 

 

So, if thats something which concerns you, you can buy a spare and keep it in your boot...  Or even a space saver spare - or would you prefer to save the money ?... after all, the cost of spare in any vehicle is passed on to the customer anyway.

 

 

 

 

May be in Thailand but are you from the UK? Most punctures in the UK are due to massive pot holes that usually total wrecks the tyre. I have never had a car with run flats but can they fix a gash in the side wall? I have had two tyres totally wrecked by pot holes. Fortunately I ent to the trouble of getting a full size spare.. It was worth it to be up and running in minutes not waiting forever at risk on the roadside waiting for recovery.

[richard_smith237]

27 minutes ago, Geoff914 said:

May be in Thailand but are you from the UK? Most punctures in the UK are due to massive pot holes that usually total wrecks the tyre. I have never had a car with run flats but can they fix a gash in the side wall? I have had two tyres totally wrecked by pot holes. Fortunately I ent to the trouble of getting a full size spare.. It was worth it to be up and running in minutes not waiting forever at risk on the roadside waiting for recovery.

 

I agree with you, that a lot of the roads in the UK are bad - they are in our area of the UK too.

 

But, to be real - the type of roads that have these pot holes in (i.e. B Roads) are not the type of road I'd want to be changing a tyre on in the first place - especially its the offside (drivers side) which is far more exposed and risky.

 

Again - If having a spare is something that really bothers an owner, its not hard to get one, perhaps just a space saver to get them to the tyre garage - its not really a big drama.

 

 

 

 

 

[ThreeCardMonte]

7 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

The Xiamoi YU7 is a cheap clone of the Porsche Taycan, a blatant rip-off. Like any cheap knock-off it has to make compromises, for instance, the battery of the Xiamoi is much smaller than the Taycan's and range is not as good.

 

The Porsche Taycan is still the best electric car money can buy.

 

 

A four door Porsche ?  Blasphemy!

[Cameroni]

2 minutes ago, ThreeCardMonte said:

A four door Porsche ?  Blasphemy!

 

I liked it. I liked the Panamera too. I prefer a real car. Not a fan of these tiny toy Porsches.

 

I mean still great cars, but too tiny.

[newnative]

    Porsche, hands down.  Not even close.   BMW and Mercedes are just common as dirt here, don't even warrant a look.  But, spouse and I still take notice of a Porsche when we see one.  Actually, some of the new Chinese models we are seeing make us sit up and take notice, too.  But, not BMW or Mercedes. 

[Patong2021]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

As I wrote...  Given the rarity of a flat - its not something I'm concerned with at all.

Given that most punctures would be tiny, the Tire Mobility Kit (TMK) which includes a sealant and an air compressor is easier to use than changing a wheel.

 

But, if I were concerned - I'd buy a spare... 

 

So, if thats something which concerns you, you can buy a spare and keep it in your boot...  Or even a space saver spare - or would you prefer to save the money ?... after all, the cost of spare in any vehicle is passed on to the customer anyway.

 

One day, when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, without access to a  car service, you will appreciate the benefit of a spare, even the "donut spare". The sealant options are not proven reliable and were intended to help with a single small puncture wound.  It won't help if the flat is due to a rim issue, multiple punctures, side wall damage, a valve and stem issue, or a blunt object puncture such as running over an object (metal pole, vehicle debris etc.)  The donut spare can at least get the vehicle to a service center. Some auto specialists  say that the hot temperatures of  Thailand do not help the set up and cure process of the sealant. others voice concern that the sealant can damage tire pressure sensors, damage the rims, and can result in the scrapping of the  tire altogether because they create a mess and  cannot be cleaned out of the tire interior.

Sealant options are fine for urban drivers,who have easy access to a car repair service. It is not so easy on a holiday out in the country, or up in the big country, or driving late at night  down south. I appreciate that an estimated 60% of vehicles no longer have spares, but this is just a rip off by the auto manufacturers under the guise of "saving weight". ideally, one never needs to rely on a safety feature, but the day you need it, is the day you will appreciate it.

[Geoff914]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I agree with you, that a lot of the roads in the UK are bad - they are in our area of the UK too.

 

But, to be real - the type of roads that have these pot holes in (i.e. B Roads) are not the type of road I'd want to be changing a tyre on in the first place - especially its the offside (drivers side) which is far more exposed and risky.

 

Again - If having a spare is something that really bothers an owner, its not hard to get one, perhaps just a space saver to get them to the tyre garage - its not really a big drama.

 

 

I had a tyre wrecked by a huge pot hole on the on slip road on the M25 at Junction 19. That is the long one on  the old M25 carriageway from Hunton Bridge so it is 60 mph slip road. I use to commute to Gatwick Airport and the was a bloody pot hole in the fast lane after Junction 9 going clockwise. Caught me out a couple of times but learnt where is was in always moved to an inner lane so never hit it doing 70. Some pretty horrendous pot holes on A roads and even motorways. At least on B roads and lanes you are not going at high speed when you hit them if you didn't see them.

[In Full Agreement]

18 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

All out of the reach of most Thais. I have had both Mercedes and BMW and  will never purchase them again. T

 

 

"All out of the reach of most Thais"       I'd say out of reach of most everybody.

[VocalNeal]

13 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

I liked it. I liked the Panamera too. I prefer a real car. Not a fan of these tiny toy Porsches.

 

I mean still great cars, but too tiny.

 

The only Porsche I would consider is a 912.  The old ones were the best.

[Cameroni]

10 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

The only Porsche I would consider is a 912.  The old ones were the best.

 

So if I were to give you a Carrera now, you'd say "No, get off my property with this trash"?

[VocalNeal]

3 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

So if I were to give you a Carrera now, you'd say "No, get off my property with this trash"?

 

Yes too big. Modern Porsches are huge. 

 

Although, I might accept it then sell it to buy what I really want.🤫

[Cameroni]

5 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Yes too big. Modern Porsches are huge. 

 

Although, I might accept it then sell it to buy what I really want.🤫

 

I much prefer the bigger Porsches, a sensible evolution. These tiny Porsches are just too small.

 

Even the latest Carrera, the 992, is too small for my liking.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911_(992)

[VocalNeal]

Just now, Cameroni said:

 

I much prefer the bigger Porsches, a sensible evolution. These tiny Porsches are just too small.

 

The smaller the car, the bigger the road/track. 

[Cameroni]

Just now, VocalNeal said:

 

The smaller the car, the bigger the road/track. 

 

But it's so cramped when you sit in one of the small older Porsches. 

[VocalNeal]

6 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

But it's so cramped when you sit in one of the small older Porsches. 

 

As are many sports cars. 

[Cameroni]

7 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

As are many sports cars. 

 

Yes, and something clearly objectionable, which is why Porsche made the newer models larger and more comfortable.

 

Good call.

[Patong2021]

41 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

So if I were to give you a Carrera now, you'd say "No, get off my property with this trash"?

 

Anyone who lives outside of Bangkok and Pattaya will say no thank you. There are only 6 dealerships in Thailand. 5 are in Bangkok and 1 is in Pattaya. The proprietary Data key forces the customer back to the dealer service center for technical work. The handful of alternative service centers are also all located in Bangkok and they cannot do some major work.

 

Anyone with experience with these cars would also ask, the condition and the age, If a classic, it might be considered as a collectible investment and they might say yes. If a relatively recent model and off warranty, the answer would be no thank you. Who wants to pay10,000-20,000 baht for general service.

[VocalNeal]

29 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Yes, and something clearly objectionable, which is why Porsche made the newer models larger and more comfortable.

 

Good call.

 

The subject of the thread is status which doesn't interest me. I don't need an arrival car. The problem with the status thing is that you are basing your car choice on the knowledge of the majority who don't necessarily know anything about cars.

Given the 3 German choices I would pick Porsche on ideological grounds. 

 

However, I prefer my cars to be flickable. So I tend to favour lightweight ones. 

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Anyone who lives outside of Bangkok and Pattaya will say no thank you. There are only 6 dealerships in Thailand. 5 are in Bangkok and 1 is in Pattaya.

It didn’t stop me ordering a new one in Chiang Rai.

[Cameroni]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

 

The subject of the thread is status which doesn't interest me. I don't need an arrival car. The problem with the status thing is that you are basing your car choice on the knowledge of the majority who don't necessarily know anything about cars.

Given the 3 German choices I would pick Porsche on ideological grounds. 

 

However, I prefer my cars to be flickable. So I tend to favour lightweight ones. 

 

 

 

It's a silly question really, anyone in their right mind would choose a Porsche, as the build quality of the Porsche is unrivalled anywhere, even Germany. This is common knowledge.

 

Second would obviously be Mercedes, and third BMW.

 

Having said of course there has to be a model specific clarification. The 996 Porsche would probably lose out to a Mercedes Gullwing. A Mercedes A Class would lose out to a Porsche Cayenne, obviously.

 

I am not talking status, I'm talking pure desirability of the car, build quality, value etc.

[JBChiangRai]

1 hour ago, Cameroni said:

 

It's a silly question really, anyone in their right mind would choose a Porsche, as the build quality of the Porsche is unrivalled anywhere, even Germany. This is common knowledge.

 

Second would obviously be Mercedes, and third BMW.

 

Having said of course there has to be a model specific clarification. The 996 Porsche would probably lose out to a Mercedes Gullwing. A Mercedes A Class would lose out to a Porsche Cayenne, obviously.

 

I am not talking status, I'm talking pure desirability of the car, build quality, value etc.

I’m not sure about build quality.

 

My Taycan had to be trailered to Bangkok twice for air con failures. They trailered it back at their expense.

 

My Mercedes was trailered to Chiang Mai when the infotainment system needed replacing.  I had to collect it from Chiang Mai, they wouldn’t trailer it back.

 

We have a Mercedes dealer in Chiang Rai now but still no BMW dealer.

 

I was unhappy with Porsche service, they knew there was a problem with air con pressure sensors in Cayenne’s and Taycan’s.  They should have replaced all 3 when the first failed, they did replace the remaining 2 when the second failed.

 

The BYD Seal Performance is 90% of a  dual motor Taycan at 20% of the price and the build quality is on a par. 

[nick supreme]

On 7/25/2025 at 12:40 AM, Patong2021 said:

As a former owner of a Mercedes coupe, 5 years /14,050 KM and BMW 328 series 4 years  /12,000 KM, the  reliability of parts  after warranty ends, was low

Mercedes: My windshield wiper (the  fad 1 wiper version) had to be replaced every year, the headlight and  tail lights would burn out  every few months, corrosion  started on rear panel in year 4, catalytic converter malfunctioned year 4, brakes  had to be changed year 3, fuel pump defect, seat belt defect, air conditioning failed, side window motor failed.  

BMW: Everything was fine until year 3, and then the recalls started, and then the  electrical wiring defects, the  vented seat stopped working,  automatic transmission computer system went nuts, cheap plastic grill started to discolor. Seats showed dirt and could not be cleaned because the   "pleather"  was of poor quality, plastic  interior finish would rattle, Ceiling panel had a n annoying vibration after year 1, And I hated the run flat tires as do most drivers.

 

 

 

 

BMW, bring my wallet.  

[nick supreme]

Expensive cars are huge waste of money. 

[Patong2021]

11 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

It didn’t stop me ordering a new one in Chiang Rai.

How long did it take to have the issue repaired, from pickup to return delivery? Did the dealership give you a replacement automobile?  I expect it was over a week.  I only have one motor vehicle available at any given time, and although I am a low mileage user, need the vehicle. Thailand isn't the best for public transit and Hua Hin ride hailing doesn't work too well outside the core and after 10 pm. I don't think there is much coverage upcountry either. What will you do when the vehicle is out of warranty and you have to get the vehicle 800 km /11 hours+ to Bangkok? Are you really going to be happy with the cost of the transport, and the hassle of getting service?

[save the frogs]

On 7/25/2025 at 11:53 PM, Cameroni said:

Yes, and something clearly objectionable, which is why Porsche made the newer models larger and more comfortable.

sports cars are not always practical.

people still need to drive their kids to school. 

so companies start making "hybrids" of sports cars and luxury sedans.

that's why Porsche even makes an SUV. Is it really still a sports car? 

 

this is the vanderhall.

probably more fun to drive than most of these porsches.

it's designed for fun and nothing else. 

 

[JBChiangRai]

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

How long did it take to have the issue repaired, from pickup to return delivery? Did the dealership give you a replacement automobile?  I expect it was over a week.  I only have one motor vehicle available at any given time, and although I am a low mileage user, need the vehicle. Thailand isn't the best for public transit and Hua Hin ride hailing doesn't work too well outside the core and after 10 pm. I don't think there is much coverage upcountry either. What will you do when the vehicle is out of warranty and you have to get the vehicle 800 km /11 hours+ to Bangkok? Are you really going to be happy with the cost of the transport, and the hassle of getting service?

It was away about a week each time, I didn’t ask about a replacement vehicle so I didn’t get one.

 

I sold it at it’s 2nd birthday for several reasons, warranty expiring, first service due, 4 new tyres needed (150k baht) and lastly insurance due (120k baht).

 

I would have taken out an extended warranty if I kept it, but I was offered 90% of what I paid as there was still a 12-18 month waiting list.  The waiting list dried up a few months later.