Importing A Range Rover Evoque

[cocteau30]

Friends,

I've searched the forums - my search revealed more than 2480 topic discusions. I think I've read about 30, and a good 50% were snarky, annoyed responses that we've all discussed this before or that it is hopeless. I also followed two that were very relevant to a question I have, but one forum was cut off because it suggested bribing a Thai customs official, and the other reflected the way I was thinking, but didn't take it to the next step. So my apologies in advance if this has been covered.

Ok, here it goes:

I was in the mall and fell in love with the Ranger Rover Evoque. They qouted me 4.8 mil baht, but I received a qoute from a UK dealer for the same model for 1.6 mil baht. I've read some suggestions that at times it is profitable to import from abroad, at least temporarily, and I'd like to pursue that line of thinking here in regards tot he RR Evoque.

I work in Kenya, which has a duty free scheme that allows me to import, register and license a vehicle tax free if it comes from the UK (I also would avoid the VAT in the UK if I immediately exported it). I could arrange to have it shipped sea frieght from Kenya to Southeast Asia for a nominal fee. My understanding is that I can easily send it to Malaysia and drive it into Thailand duty free for six months with the right paper work. But I would have to retain my Kenyan plates, and pay a depost for the import duties on the vehicle to the Thai Customs officials should I stay a day over the six months, but this would be returned to me once I drove the car out of Thailand.

We're not sure how long we are going to stay in Thailand, but if we did exceed the six month limit, is it possible to drive the RR across the Malay border, collect my deposit (which I'm theoretically entitled to if I don't exceed the six months), then drive back again and reset the process for another six months? Mind you, I used to live in Turkey, and they would pop the hood, write down the serial number, enter it into a database, and require that the car remain 6 months outside of the country before it could come back in again. There was no legal way around that. I wouldn't be surprised if that existed here, but thought I'd ask the forum as my question wasn't answered after reading several posts and my eyes ache.

Thanks in advance,

Car-flipper