Anybody Driving Mini Cooper In Thailand?

[AddictedToThai]

When I bought my MINI 1 year ago the salesgirl told that I am currently their only farang buyer. I dont believe that. It would be nice to find other MINI fans here.

I am particularly interested in tuning, upgrades. Anybody know good garages specializing in MINIs in Thailand?

[kennkate]

Looks like the sales girl was right

[Skyline]

Thats probably because most wouldnt pay 2 million baht for a Mini!

[crazyswede]

Im a MINI fan!!!

My wife weigh less then 40kg and havn´t cos 2 million baht .... yet.

[cobra]

Saw at least two or three Mini's in Bkk, so they're out there.

[eTiMaGo]

There's a LOT out there, it's a very popular, fashionable car with the more affluent kids... but like the OP noticed, doesn't seem to be many foreigners driving them...

[RadekGCZ]

Im a MINI fan!!!

My wife weigh less then 40kg and havn´t cos 2 million baht .... yet.

You are lucky man! My has 45Kg and costs me probably more than this

3 months ago I bought her (in EU) Mini Cooper Works S as her fisrt car, I was teaching her to drive it, it is in manual. I bought because she likes it but before I tried I dont like it since I feel it is too cool looking and Im not "Borat/metrosexual" but after 1minute from dealership I loved it! 210hp/1200kg, like go cart sterring and suspension. Price was 24K EUR for NEW car = 1.2M ThB not as 3M here.

It is like small BMW but fwd...

[kartman]

There's a LOT out there, it's a very popular, fashionable car with the more affluent kids... but like the OP noticed, doesn't seem to be many foreigners driving them...

Thats because all foreigners apart from one? realise that any other foreigners they would encounter driving it and are laughing and smiling are not admiring the car just the fact somebody parted 2million+ baht for it. I admire BMW for being able to pull it off.

[eTiMaGo]

There's a LOT out there, it's a very popular, fashionable car with the more affluent kids... but like the OP noticed, doesn't seem to be many foreigners driving them...

Thats because all foreigners apart from one? realise that any other foreigners they would encounter driving it and are laughing and smiling are not admiring the car just the fact somebody parted 2million+ baht for it. I admire BMW for being able to pull it off.

I think it's the parents of the cool kids who are smiling too, they don't need to buy their son/daughter a 5 mil Benz

Hmmm someone gimme 2 million so I can build you a Yaris/Jazz/Mazda2 that will kick the ass of any Mini in every way imaginable :D:D

[siggie2]

Who in their right mind would pay that sort of money for an average car.

Totaly beyond me

[AddictedToThai]

I wanted little sporty car which is also comfortable to drive

in Thailand there is no any alternative to mini in the range of 2 mil baht

proper bmws and merces cost at least 2 times more

[eTiMaGo]

I wanted little sporty car which is also comfortable to drive

in Thailand there is no any alternative to mini in the range of 2 mil baht

proper bmws and merces cost at least 2 times more

From that point of view, for a brand new, unmodified car at that price point, that's true. Mazda MX5/Miata are pretty good too, but pricier, I think...

Still, Thailand is such a wrong country for a car enthusiast

[Pdaz]

The mini is a very good car. Yes it is overpriced when compared to the UK/Euro price but youhave to look at in the context of Thai car pricing.. You can't compare it to a Yaris / Jazz etc.. The mini is in a completely different league in terms of handling, performance and build quality.. Ask yourself if the Jazz, Mini and Yaris were the same price which would you buy ? Of course if you want a Mini with an auto gearbox (or any of them really) you are beyond hope..

Of course if you want a cheap fun to drive three door hatch with a manual box, two airbags, leather interior, ABS and VVT with great handling there is really only one choice in Thailand..

Oh and I have seen a baldy headed old farang driving a mini convertible in Pattaya... It's probably his boyfriends car..

[FlatOut]

Who in their right mind would pay that sort of money for an average car.

Totaly beyond me

To add to that, who in the right mind would buy a 4x4 or a pickup that never gets used as intended? I'd rather have a Sherman tank.....oh wait they're called a Fortuner here aren't they? 2.5 tonnes of waste of space.

[dominique355]

I wanted little sporty car which is also comfortable to drive

in Thailand there is no any alternative to mini in the range of 2 mil baht

proper bmws and merces cost at least 2 times more

I just got myself a Volkswagen Golf GTi and had it slightly modified by VW's and AUDI's house tuner ABT. So now that little beast has 260 HP and all that for 2,7 Mio THB. Still a lot, especially when compared to the European prices. But for the Thai market, that's a real bargain.

A lot of fun, I just love this DSG gearbox, wow!

[Grant]

I just got myself a Volkswagen Golf GTi

Nice one. I like it

3 or 5 door?

[Grant]

Of course if you want a cheap fun to drive three door hatch with a manual box, two airbags, leather interior, ABS and VVT with great handling there is really only one choice in Thailand..

You'll have fun after few modifications only.

I wouldn't say that is totally bad car but to make it nice and fast you have to prepare another 100-200k baht

[kartman]

The mini is a very good car. Yes it is overpriced when compared to the UK/Euro price but youhave to look at in the context of Thai car pricing.. You can't compare it to a Yaris / Jazz etc.. The mini is in a completely different league in terms of handling, performance and build quality.. Ask yourself if the Jazz, Mini and Yaris were the same price which would you buy ? Of course if you want a Mini with an auto gearbox (or any of them really) you are beyond hope..

Of course if you want a cheap fun to drive three door hatch with a manual box, two airbags, leather interior, ABS and VVT with great handling there is really only one choice in Thailand..

Oh and I have seen a baldy headed old farang driving a mini convertible in Pattaya... It's probably his boyfriends car..

Or it's AddictedToThai?

[AddictedToThai]

Or it's AddictedToThai?

Oh, no

Mini convertible is bloody expensive and useless in +30 imho

[Digitalbanana]

Anyone buying a posers car in Thailand is somewhat laughable in some peoples view.

Where can one drive them except perhaps to Siam Paragon or the overhead expressway from Bangkok to Cholburi?

Thai roads are crap, so how silly to bounce one arse across them in an overprices small and/or expensive imported car. SUV's are the only way, and carbon footprints can be worried about in other counrties where there have already built a decent road networks by their fathers and time to worry about such things.

[kartman]

Or it's AddictedToThai?

Oh, no

Mini convertible is bloody expensive and useless in +30 imho

At least now we and you know your not alone.

[ThaiPauly]

Anyone buying a posers car in Thailand is somewhat laughable in some peoples view.

Where can one drive them except perhaps to Siam Paragon or the overhead expressway from Bangkok to Cholburi?

Thai roads are crap, so how silly to bounce one arse across them in an overprices small and/or expensive imported car. SUV's are the only way, and carbon footprints can be worried about in other counrties where there have already built a decent road networks by their fathers and time to worry about such things.

My wife was speaking to the Service Manager of a BMW dealership in BK about Minis.

She really likes them but he said that unless you only want it for driving around town it's useless.

You could do a lot of damage to it driving from say Bangkok to Chaing Mai in one

I've done damage to my own BMW driving that route, let alone a Mini

[Grant]

Where can one drive them except perhaps to Siam Paragon or the overhead expressway from Bangkok to Cholburi?

You could do a lot of damage to it driving from say Bangkok to Chaing Mai in one

AddictedToThai driving his MINI around Thailand - no problem at all, even on rural road in North-East provinces

[alien139]

Who in their right mind would pay that sort of money for an average car.Totaly beyond me

To add to that, who in the right mind would buy a 4x4 or a pickup that never gets used as intended? I'd rather have a Sherman tank.....oh wait they're called a Fortuner here aren't they? 2.5 tonnes of waste of space.

So you would suggest a better alternative to Thailands overall driving conditions ?

I rented a small Honda Jazz and went up country, all was fine on the major roads, but it was absolutely useless when I went to a small village and got bogged down in mud, a guy in a 4WD had to pull me out of the Soi, then in another situation a road was so bad I was scraping the underneath of the car, I wanted a high rise 4WD that day I can tell you.

That was a rental that I could return without a care, if it was my own car I would have been very concerned about damage.

I was in the North during last years rainy season and some places get very flooded, again, high pick ups and 4WD's carry on regardless, small cars get stuck.

My friend has a Toyota Fortuner and I think it's great, goes anywhere, can go through a metre deep of water, carries 7 people or lots of baggage and can get 13 Kms per litre when driven with care on a run, also it's smart enough in Thailand to pull up in the car park of a top hotel without disparaging looks from anybody.

It seems to me that you have very limited experience of real driving conditions in Thailand other than city driving, I will rent again on my next trip, but it will be a 4WD pick up or a Fortuner for sure, the Jazz is great round town, but overall, I'd rather have a Fortuner if I could afford one.

[eTiMaGo]

back on topic, I saw a black Mini One outside of Central Bangna, some kind of "7" special edition according to the graphic on the side, driven by an older foreign gentleman

So that's three so far, unless that was AddictedToThai that I saw there

[beano2274]

If you see a Red one surrounded by Police cars, then that is the Princesses car, she drives it sometimes instead of being sat in a nice comfy car.

Saw her driving around Lumpini once before, with a hel_l of a lot of Police cars around.

[Grant]

I wanted a high rise 4WD that day I can tell you

I don't want to drive big needless car just because some day I'll need it.

For that day I can rent a track and go off-road without any problem

[alien139]

I wanted a high rise 4WD that day I can tell you

I don't want to drive big needless car just because some day I'll need it.

For that day I can rent a track and go off-road without any problem

Yes, understandable if you stay on main roads, although a 4WD will go anywhere the Jazz will but the Jazz cannot go everywhere the 4WD will.

Having been stuck on very muddy roads in a Honda Jazz and waiting till a 4WD came along to tow me out, I'll be hiring the 4WD next time, luckily it was daytime and not the early hours of the morning.

I wanted to Visit a farm and the Jazz couldn't handle it with all the wet weather, I was stuck on an incline, a 4WD came along and pulled me out easily, luckily I didn't have to rely on you .

I have been down some very deep potholes in the rainy season that would probably break the suspension of a City driving car, each to his own though, I just know my preference. Pick ups and Pick up based SUV's are tough and well suited to on and off road conditions, and when people comment on the size, I think you'll find the Fortuner for example is not as long as a Pick up and probably not as long as an Accord or a Camry, both of whom would also get stuck in the mud.

I'll still tow you out of the mud if I see you stranded, don't worry.

[lime123]

you can go to newminisociety.com

you can use google translator or i can tell you but what do you want to know about mini? Thanks

[Grant]

I'll still tow you out of the mud if I see you stranded, don't worry

Thanks