I Dont Understand Why Rich Thais In Bangkok Buy Expensive Cars

[crazyguyinthailand]

He gets the really hot chicks.

You get the not so hot chicks.

Life is not fair.

He and Me get them. you never got none. Life is not fair.

[crazyguyinthailand]

I would rather be sitting in the comfort of my Benz than sweating my arse off pounding the pavement, even if it saved me a few minutes.

a few minute right, here we are talking nearly 1 hour.

[crazyguyinthailand]

It about face,you know? Same same chinese. They like about status. The want to be in different class.

Yeah I got that too. but I just think that being rich shouldn't make you stupid. get the best good location land, gold, watch and all that. but don't waste your time g in central BKK with a cabriolet car you never really will be able to drive without getting stuck in traffic 3 hours every day after work.

[laobali]

I would rather be sitting in the comfort of my Benz than sweating my arse off pounding the pavement, even if it saved me a few minutes.

But I wouldn't drive with the top down on a cabriolet in city traffic.

[crazyguyinthailand]

If you're going to spend 4 hours a day in traffic jams, better to be in a Mercedes than a Toyota.

Or take the BTS and already be home shower, eating watching 2 movies in that time

[supaprik]

Difference in Asia with the face thing is that these people with these overpriced cars, are very often NOT rich. They certainly don't live a rich lifestyle.

They own an expensive car AND THAT'S It! They live in a disgusting accommodation, with roaches and rats running amok, cheap arse flip flops and old clothes. Can't take many trips anywhere (and probably have little interest).

Chinese and Thai-Chinese are big offenders.

Now, there are of course actually rich Thais, but they are FAR fewer in number than most think.

Oh so true, The "Thai/Chinese that lives opposite us in our Moo bahn comes home last week in a new 740Li Bimmer cost with a couple of options? Just a tad over 10.5 mil thb ( on finance ) His house cost 3 mil thb to put it in perspective, When I asked he why he replied, " Mum is coming from up country and she would expect me to own this by now" I'm like......hmmmm ok have fun mate!

[jonesthebaker]

never mind there are probably a lot of things in life that you dont understand

[sirchai]

Wouldn't you also drive a fancy car, if money doesn't seem to be a problem? We've got a guy with a Ferrari here in Sisaket.

Dies he drive around a lot. No, it's an extension of his penis, like everywhere on this planet.-

[little mary sunshine]

How Stupid....If you can afford it, why not be stuck in traffic in a Rolls rather than on a yYmaha.

Edited February 1, 2014 by little mary sunshine

[blazes]

Weird how so many people on this thread seem to accept that it is ok to sit in traffic for four hours a day!!!

The sub-text here is the obvious truth that Bangkok must be one of the most uninhabitable cities in the world. Ok, the AIR might be cleaner than even worse polluting cities (like, say, Beijing,which probably accounts for any increases in tourist numbers these days), but really WHY suffer like that, why put your body and mind through that hell?

And the thought of the damage to one's ears as stereo systems boom out in closed cars makes me despair of the human race.....not to mention the stress stress stress road rage rage rage being bottled up, ready to be released by an early heart attack.

[laobali]

Difference in Asia with the face thing is that these people with these overpriced cars, are very often NOT rich. They certainly don't live a rich lifestyle.

They own an expensive car AND THAT'S It! They live in a disgusting accommodation, with roaches and rats running amok, cheap arse flip flops and old clothes. Can't take many trips anywhere (and probably have little interest).

Chinese and Thai-Chinese are big offenders.

Now, there are of course actually rich Thais, but they are FAR fewer in number than most think.

And Westerners don't do the same thing???? Buying houses and cars they cannot afford kicked off the financial crisis in the West......

Not to the see degree with the primary objective to gain face or its equivalent. To enjoy selfishly, but, as said, to lessor degree (at least so much is true in North America). Don't know about Europe as I only lived in UK for a little over a year many years ago.

Right, so in the West it is not "face", it is "keeping up with the Joneses". Knew a guy that owned a Ferrari in Luxembourg. Sa,e difference. Never left the garage as he couldn't afford the insurance...

Then it's an investment.

[laobali]

If you're going to spend 4 hours a day in traffic jams, better to be in a Mercedes than a Toyota.

Or take the BTS and already be home shower, eating watching 2 movies in that time

You really have no way of knowing whether the Benz driver did that commute every day. He may have been on his way to or from his gik. Whatever.

[robertthebruce]

I for one would never buy an Expensive Car here in Thailand, as driving, is so dangerous and scary, and the amout of Traffic especially in Bangkok, is a nightmare..

But, my take on it, regarding the ''Thais'' is that they dont know any better, they think this is the norm for the world, Traffic Jams and driving like Maniacs''...so for them, they think, the rest of the world is the same.

Only if they knew...

I had some Thai friends, who have just returned from Vacation from ''Japan'' i asked them what they thought of the driving standards over there, and they , looked at me a bit puzzled and said ''Same Same''.. ???

Japan as we all know is mega safe, and they drive very careful and correct..

Oh well, like they said, ''Same Same'' ???

It takes all to make the world go around...

But i will say, some smart cars going around Bangkok...

[Docno]

No big deal. I spend a lot of my time in Singapore and Mercedes are a dime a dozen. Even many of the taxis are Mercedes. The traffic in Singapore is not much better than in Bangkok, but at least in Thailand you have a 'hinterland' where you can go on weekends and open it up a bit. No such thing in Singapore. And to make matters worse, high end cars are much more expensive in Singapore because of a special government tax on vehicles (a Honda Civic will put you back over US$100,000). Yet every day in Singapore you will see people driving around in Porsches, Lamborghinis, etc etc (people who wouldn't be caught dead in a Mercedes). It's part of Chinese in Singapore here... showing off your wealth and success. Perhaps the Sino-Thais of Bangkok are no different...

[Sam Gold]

Absolutely not surprising for anyone who knows Thai culture. Logic and reason aren't factored in when it comes to face.

Also bear in mind these people sometimes aren't as well-off as they strive to show, as living above one's means is common in Thailand - Their exclusive ride could entail bigger sacrifices than having to sit in traffic jams.

[Sam Gold]

No big deal. I spend a lot of my time in Singapore and Mercedes are a dime a dozen. Even many of the taxis are Mercedes. The traffic in Singapore is not much better than in Bangkok, but at least in Thailand you have a 'hinterland' where you can go on weekends and open it up a bit. No such thing in Singapore. And to make matters worse, high end cars are much more expensive in Singapore because of a special government tax on vehicles (a Honda Civic will put you back over US$100,000). Yet every day in Singapore you will see people driving around in Porsches, Lamborghinis, etc etc (people who wouldn't be caught dead in a Mercedes). It's part of Chinese in Singapore here... showing off your wealth and success. Perhaps the Sino-Thais of Bangkok are no different...

Traffic in Singapore is significantly better than in Bangkok - and people can actually drive which makes a refreshing break.

[Mudcrab]

How Stupid....If you can afford it, why not be stuck in traffic in a Rolls rather than on a yYmaha.

Listen closely (so the others can't hear, don't want to make you feel stupid)... A Yamaha is either a motorbike or a musical instrument. Either way you won't be stuck in traffic in a Rolls (I presume you mean a Rolls Royce, not the bacon, lettuce and tomato variety).

If the Yamaha is a motorbike then you can scoot through the traffic.

If it's a musical instrument then why bother with any of this ...you're an artist and not concerned with the day to day hassles.

[Docno]

No big deal. I spend a lot of my time in Singapore and Mercedes are a dime a dozen. Even many of the taxis are Mercedes. The traffic in Singapore is not much better than in Bangkok, but at least in Thailand you have a 'hinterland' where you can go on weekends and open it up a bit. No such thing in Singapore. And to make matters worse, high end cars are much more expensive in Singapore because of a special government tax on vehicles (a Honda Civic will put you back over US$100,000). Yet every day in Singapore you will see people driving around in Porsches, Lamborghinis, etc etc (people who wouldn't be caught dead in a Mercedes). It's part of Chinese in Singapore here... showing off your wealth and success. Perhaps the Sino-Thais of Bangkok are no different...

Traffic in Singapore is significantly better than in Bangkok - and people can actually drive which makes a refreshing break.

That's not my experience of living Singapore. Traffic's better, but not a whole lot. That said, I avoid Bangkok as much as I can. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are functional road cameras along all of Singapore's highways (90kph limit) so even if traffic is light, there's not much you can do. Back in Canada, if you were on the 401, doing 120 would put you in the slow lane.

[laobali]

Another thread going nowhere (pun intended).

[sirchai]

I can imagine a bunch of hiso Bangkok Thais moving to Khon Kaen just to drive their cars

There's a lot of truth in it. Many actually move to rural areas and enjoy life. Not just to drive their cars, they buy land and more.-

[onflipflops]

I think you mean Pak Chong, not Khon Kaen...

Khon Kaen is very far from Bangkok. Pak Chong is relatively close at just 2 - 2:30 hr drive, most areas flood-free, and it has a pleasant climate, bit too cold at the moment I would say... Prices for a plot of land here are un-Thai due to the rich from Bangkok buying up all land here.

I live there (I rent, can't buy haha) and see these kind of cars a lot, especially in the weekends when they visit their second homes. Some weekends we have traffic jams here due to all the Thai tourists visiting Palio and things like that. It must hurt to these rich people to see so many Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW here. A Fortuner or Pajero is for the poor here, and their Mercedes doesn't even stand out from the rest anymore...

I would advise them to visit elsewhere, where their car stands out from the crowd, or buy something like a Lamborghini or Bentley, which I only see every now and then.

Last month I saw 2 Lamborghinis in the national park and to show off even more one had parked his car perpendicular (I had to google-translate that word...) to the parking lines. I decided to park my dirty pick up in the lines just a foot in front of the car's nose, blocking his way out. But I think he was lucky the car at the back of his car had moved away, because when i got back the Lamborghini had managed to get away. A shame, I would have loved to see their faces, after having to ask around all the people to find the person who had blocked their car. Nex time I have to think of a better stragegy.

I have nothing against Lamborghinis or their owners, but I don't like people that like to show their wealth too much. Isn't owning a Lamborghini enough? Do you really have to park it like that?

To add to the OP's title: I don't understand why poor Thais anywhere in the country buy expensive cars

[rotary]

I can imagine a bunch of hiso Bangkok Thais moving to Khon Kaen just to drive their cars

Yea and have you seen the traffic in Khon Kaen on some roads, worse than Bkk in my opinion.

[Sam Gold]

No big deal. I spend a lot of my time in Singapore and Mercedes are a dime a dozen. Even many of the taxis are Mercedes. The traffic in Singapore is not much better than in Bangkok, but at least in Thailand you have a 'hinterland' where you can go on weekends and open it up a bit. No such thing in Singapore. And to make matters worse, high end cars are much more expensive in Singapore because of a special government tax on vehicles (a Honda Civic will put you back over US$100,000). Yet every day in Singapore you will see people driving around in Porsches, Lamborghinis, etc etc (people who wouldn't be caught dead in a Mercedes). It's part of Chinese in Singapore here... showing off your wealth and success. Perhaps the Sino-Thais of Bangkok are no different...

Traffic in Singapore is significantly better than in Bangkok - and people can actually drive which makes a refreshing break.

That's not my experience of living Singapore. Traffic's better, but not a whole lot. That said, I avoid Bangkok as much as I can. The other thing to keep in mind is that there are functional road cameras along all of Singapore's highways (90kph limit) so even if traffic is light, there's not much you can do. Back in Canada, if you were on the 401, doing 120 would put you in the slow lane.

Yes, more functional road cameras would make a massive difference in Thailand as (and that is also the case everywhere else for that matter) they will only listen and change their habits if you hit them where it hurts: their wallets.

However, the only solution to the congestion problem in Bangkok would be a congestion charge such as the one in London, which also decreased pollution levels.

[HerbalEd]

Funny how so many non-rich judge the rich so harshly and then self-righteously "think" what they'd do if they were rich.

I find it amusing how you rationalize to yourself how much better your life is because you're sitting outside on your bike in the heat, noise and dirty air, while he sits in his plush leather seats in a cool, quite, air-con car listening to music on a bitchin' sound system. I know which one I'd choose. 555

Edited February 1, 2014 by HerbalEd

[laobali]

How Stupid....If you can afford it, why not be stuck in traffic in a Rolls rather than on a yYmaha.

Listen closely (so the others can't hear, don't want to make you feel stupid)... A Yamaha is either a motorbike or a musical instrument. Either way you won't be stuck in traffic in a Rolls (I presume you mean a Rolls Royce, not the bacon, lettuce and tomato variety).

If the Yamaha is a motorbike then you can scoot through the traffic.

If it's a musical instrument then why bother with any of this ...you're an artist and not concerned with the day to day hassles.

I like to play my Yamaha Tyros while sitting in my limo waiting in traffic.

[razer]

There is smart money and stupid money. The price of a luxury car manufactured outside of Thailand is at least double the price in Europe because of import taxes. For me, there is a conflict in reasoning when buying an imported car.

[BoogerRed]

Isn't 1000 million baht, 1 billion baht?

They gots them self's a billion baht, right?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Suradit69]

cannot be bothered to read the op, but wish to respond to the title:

BECAUSE THEY CAN

I bothered to start to read it but quit after encountering these gems:

new rich Thais want to express them self's

Even if I had 1000 million baht and lived in BKK I would never ever buy a car like that. I would go for a motorbike cuz you are only driving alone or 2 persons anyway right?

Can't see why someone who buys a BMW is more impacted by the traffic than someone buying a Honda Civic or why dealing with Bangkok traffic jams is more frustrating than traffic jams in other cities that get tied up in gridlock. You don't even have to be all that wealthy in Thailand to hire someone to drive for you. Getting into a taxi still doesn't make the traffic move any faster. Riding a motorbike anytime, but especially during the rainy season, is not really on the table as an option for most people who could avoid it.

Even if we (by which I mean I have someone else drive) take the car (a mere Honda Civic) to Bangkok, we leave it parked at the hotel and resort to the SkyTrain or tuktuks or taxis. I agree the traffic can be a nightmare, but paying someone to drive me in my (fantasy) Benz still seems more attractive than than standing in a crush aboard a freezing SkyTrain car or listening to a cabbie doing a comedy routine as we inch forward and suck in the exhaust fumes... assuming I had the money and the Benz.

If I had a 1000 bazillion baht I'd buy a luxury car and pay someone to haul me around too, just cuz I could.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Suradit69

[thai4me]

Everyone is different. Everytime I say it is expensive, there is a "you don't earn enough" shouting back at me.

It depends on which side of the fence you are sitting.

[IMA_FARANG]

For many of them the car, the condo, or whatever they purchase ..... that purchase is not the point.

Owning the thing is not important, it is being SEEN to be able to own the thing.

That's why they have big fancy car, even if they never drive them or have a driver to drive their cars for them.

It's not the car, it's being seen to be able to buy the car.

For many wealthy persons the show of being seen to be wealthy is far more important than the reality of being wealthy.

(I must be important, I can buy that expensive thing).

Actually, many of them are quite insecure, and the show of owning the expensive item is how they bolster their own self-confidence.

They MUST be important if they can spend that much money ..... or that's what they tell themselves anyhow.

Edited February 1, 2014 by IMA_FARANG