Land Rover Thailand...

[ignis]

I think the later (**Ford**) engines came from a Jaguar...

Wonder how long before they use the Tata engine

[Jingjok]

Wow! Fellow Land-Rover enthusiasts in Thailand. This is rare

I have a holiday place in Surin, Phuket, which I’m about to put up for sale since I’ll be leaving Thailand permanently for Malaysia this year.

I keep a Bonatti Grey Land Rover Discovery V8 there, bought by me new in 2004 from Lifestyle Auto, the (then) Land Rover dealer in Phuket.

I drive it back and forth between Phuket and my home in Kuala Lumpur, always having it serviced at the main dealer in KL, who is very good. I recommend them to anyone who has a landie in Southern Thailand.

I was going to keep the Disco in KL, but don’t really need the vehicle any more, so may sell it. It has only 50,000 Km (32,000 miles) on the clock and is pristine. It’s a properly-imported Thai vehicle, listed on the international servicing database, not a grey market example. I arrived in Phuket yesterday after leaving it for six months, and it started on the button!

Apologies for the blatantly commercial post, but this could be of use to anyone who was thinking of buying a landie here in Thailand, or importing. They are a rare beast here, and the prices have reached ridiculous levels. I suggest no one even thinks about importing – the bureaucracy and taxes are impossible! (I tried).

The only way I know to sensibly import a vehicle into the region is to get a ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ visa, then you are entitled to bring in one car completely duty-free. I did it a couple of years ago with a different UK car, and it worked a treat. Containerised shipping was under GBP 1,000 all in.

So if anyone wants a Thai Discovery, viewable in KL or Phuket, PM me

[philip500]

Hello there, planning to bring a Range Rover from the U.K. via Malaysian 2nd Home System. Could you let me know who you used for shipping in the U.K; and costs to getting a Malaysian number plate.

Wow! Fellow Land-Rover enthusiasts in Thailand. This is rare

I have a holiday place in Surin, Phuket, which I'm about to put up for sale since I'll be leaving Thailand permanently for Malaysia this year.

I keep a Bonatti Grey Land Rover Discovery V8 there, bought by me new in 2004 from Lifestyle Auto, the (then) Land Rover dealer in Phuket.

I drive it back and forth between Phuket and my home in Kuala Lumpur, always having it serviced at the main dealer in KL, who is very good. I recommend them to anyone who has a landie in Southern Thailand.

I was going to keep the Disco in KL, but don't really need the vehicle any more, so may sell it. It has only 50,000 Km (32,000 miles) on the clock and is pristine. It's a properly-imported Thai vehicle, listed on the international servicing database, not a grey market example. I arrived in Phuket yesterday after leaving it for six months, and it started on the button!

Apologies for the blatantly commercial post, but this could be of use to anyone who was thinking of buying a landie here in Thailand, or importing. They are a rare beast here, and the prices have reached ridiculous levels. I suggest no one even thinks about importing – the bureaucracy and taxes are impossible! (I tried).

The only way I know to sensibly import a vehicle into the region is to get a 'Malaysia My Second Home' visa, then you are entitled to bring in one car completely duty-free. I did it a couple of years ago with a different UK car, and it worked a treat. Containerised shipping was under GBP 1,000 all in.

So if anyone wants a Thai Discovery, viewable in KL or Phuket, PM me

[Jingjok]

Hello there, planning to bring a Range Rover from the U.K. via Malaysian 2nd Home System. Could you let me know who you used for shipping in the U.K; and costs to getting a Malaysian number plate.

Hi Philip

I'll reply in the public forum since this information may be of future use to others.

In the UK I used:

Autoshippers Car and Boat Shipping UK

1st Move International Limited

International House

Chittening Industrial Estate

Avonmouth Bristol

BS11 0YB

Tel: +44 (0)117 982 8123

www.autoshippers.co.uk

In Nov 2007 I send a classic Lamborghini Countach from Southampton to Kelang Malaysia: 1 x 20ft container was £745 + £27 documents charge.

It was no problem to include additional parts or personal effects in the container so long as all was listed on the manifest.

Below are pics 'before' and 'after' to prove I'm not making it up

A friend is sending a UK car to Singapore this month; it appears the current price as at Oct 2010 is around £1,000.

I paid extra for the shipper to collect the car from Norfolk - all one needs to do is make a few phone calls, then a nice chap turns up with a car transporter, and deals with everything.

What you must ensure is that you owned the car (ie it was registered to you) BEFORE the day of issue of your MM2H visa. Thats the only stipulation.

Then you pay absolutely no Malaysian import tax, duty, back-handers or suchlike. Its true and it really does work.

I heard that some unscrupulous people allegedly buy a car just after their visa is issued, having only then heard about the car scheme, then allegedly fill in an earlier date on the V5 transfer document, pretending they had taken some time to post it off after buying the used vehicle privately. A UK registration document then allegedly arrives with the date of transfer back-dated. All most outrageous Im sure you would agree (Just be sure there are no outstanding parking fines!). Allegedly.

Getting the Malaysian plate is no big deal, there are many agents who will do this for you. I cant remember the exact cost, which means it was reasonable. A couple of hundred pounds equivalent comes to mind. Much less if you do it yourself, but this would mean much boring standing in line in Government offices.

I let my MM2H visa agent deal with it:

The Expat Group

Borneovision Sdn Bhd, 7th Floor, Tower Block

Syed Kechik Foundation Building

Jalan Kapas

Bangsar

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Tel: +60 (0)3 2093 9539

www.mm2h.com

If you have a European licence, they can also get you a Malaysian driving licence for very low cost. Its most satisfying to wave this when stopped for speeding in the UK during a home visit. Again, allegedly.

OK what else? Road tax: Watch out! Big-engined cars attract very high duty in Malaysia. My five litre Lambo was taxed at MYR 11,000: ie over GBP 2,000! So if youre bringing in a big beast, do check first.

Of course fuel and all other costs are half European prices, so things do balance out.

In my case, since I had a 25-year old+ vehicle, I immediately applied for classic car status, with the attendant 80% reduction in road tax. (Yes, that's not a typo, you pay only 20% of the assessed road tax). Again this works, but there are a few pitfalls, like difficult insurance on old cars, and the need to have two other Malaysian vehicles in your name. Plus you need a letter from a classic car club. All no problem once youve been in Malaysia for a time. Of course, there are all manner of work-arounds for everything, far too tedious to list here. A decent Dry Martini or two in Starhill, KL and Id be happy to elucidate to anyone who needs advice

Good luck to anyone else whos going the MM2H 10-year visa route. I really do recommend the scheme, and the country: life is so much easier there. Thats why I left Thailand.

Cheers, Mark

ps I still have a pristine Thai Land Rover Discovery if anyone wants it!

ps. Philip: What Rangie are you sending? I bought a 2008 3.6 TDV8 Vogue last week in the UK for my girlfriend, 19,000 miles on the clock, like new but at only just over half the new price. It is bloody fantastic - the best vehicle I've ever had.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Jingjok

[philip500]

Hello There,

Just getting the feelers. I was down Penang earlier this year, and enquired regarding importing a motor home on the 2nd Home system. However, i was told you can only bring in a private car, and registered a mininum 6 months in your own name prior to shipping to Malaysia.

As stated above, only gathering relevant information at the moment, will go for the Malaysian system in the next few years. By the way,álready have a Disco 1 here in Bangkok running on LPG these past 5 years. How much do you want for your Disco 2, send some photos internally and externally with the spec. The wife wants automatic now, geeting on a bit?

[hakku]

sam from auto exchange became the LR/RR distributor, british motors, showroom on Witayu road

http://www.landrover-thailand.com/

http://th-th.facebook.com/pages/Bangkok-Thailand/Land-Rover-Thailand-by-British-Motor-Thailand-Co-Ltd/157617504252421

Hak

Edited November 3, 2010 by hakku