The permanent import of used vehicles into Thailand is not permitted. Period.

this is, of course, nonsense,it is permitted and it has been done (by myself and at least one other person that i know) but, it is expensive and can be complex.

interesting info! I know it was possible in the past, but they changed that some 2 or 3 years ago. If you imports were just recently, maybe something changed again. Will check this with my customs guy and report back.

yes, in both cases it was recently, last 6/9 months. I do not believe there has been any change in the basic rules, it has always been possible to import a used car into Thailand under certain conditions eg you are bona fide resident, you have owned the car for more than 12 months prior to import , you undertake not to sell for 3 years etc etc. And ,of course ,you pay all the various charges that are levied based off the cif (customs assessed value of the vehicle). In addition there are some exemptions for diplomats and the like.

Maybe what you are refering to is that a couple of years ago (so i have been told) customs jacked up the formula for assessing the cif by a considerable amount esp for larger cc vehicles, I gather this effectivly killed off second hand imports. As i said on an earlier thread my understanding is that customs may now be prepared to show some more flexibility around the cif calculation (though it is still expensive) if approached in the right way. BUT i think it helps a great deal if you have some contacts who will ensure you dont get messed around. Though I am very pleased to have done it, I was lucky, in having some contacts and would agree with the general opinion on this site that you need to think carefully before going through the hassle and expense

So are you gonna try to tell girls that its real?

Someone recently posted on here they did it with a high end sportscar.. Yes it cost them millions but they claim to be one of the few to actually pony up the cash.

interesting.....would like to know the details about that one, how they got through the process.

RaRo, as you know we have a few rich Thai Kids (HiSo) who spent some years in the US or UK and then bring their vehicles with them. Be it an Ford Explorer, H2 or 3 or even BMW Convertibles. For Thai's, in that level, with connections these licenses are easily granted. However, I only know one foreigner who was able to import his car from Austria, but this was 11 years ago.

For me, being a Logistics Provider, these issues come up 2 - 3 per month and I always decline the job, unless I deal with Thai's having the License or Embassy Folks who do not require a license.

Does anyone know where a replica can be built here ? (cayman or maserati)

I wouldn't mind having one here: the price of the original is scary and having one back home, well, unless it gets stolen within a week, I would only use it 30 days out of 700 or so....

I remember, some 20 years ago, it was possible to buy a Countach for 20,000 £....

Sorry, that was in the UK not here

I saw an old restored Camaro (60's or 70's) on Koh Samui that had to have been imported from America. The steering wheel was on the American side of the car etc. Gorgeous car too.