I want to buy a sports car....

[Marcoose]

but don't want to get ripped off. As I understand it, Imported cars have the huge import tax added on, so I guess I would be looking to buy something manufactured in Thailand.

Budget-wise, I would like to pay qround the 1m baht mark, but could stretch to 2m. I like the look of the Toyota 86 GT, but it's far more expensive than the UK, so am guessing it's not built here. What is the closest I can get to something like that, while not paying the extra due to the car being imported?

Cheers!

[Don Mega]

1 million will get you into an RX-7.

http://www.one2car.com/search/search_result.aspx?Brand=B0031&Model=S0274&

or a Mitsu GTO 3000

http://www.one2car.com/search/search_result.aspx?Brand=B0034&Model=S0397&

or a Tojo supra

http://www.one2car.com/search/search_result.aspx?Brand=B0054&Model=S0579&

etc etc.

[Robert24]

Not sure what you consider a true sports car. But maybe have a look at the MG6. Otherwise if you want a real Sports car for under 2 million, you have to buy second hand.

[WarpSpeed]

Here ya go, in nice used condition or buy new, up to you.

http://taladrod.com/w20/Search/CarDet40.aspx?cib=1541899

Even has a moon roof, though the interior color does not inspire me there are several to choose from.

http://taladrod.com/w20/Search/TbMktPrc_FS.aspx?mk=26&md=364

[IMHO]

@OP: 80% import duty is only part of the story. Cars with engines > 3000cc or with > 220 HP attract a 50% excise tax no matter where they are manufactured.

In short, no-one manufactures sports cars in Thailand because the excise taxes still make them too expensive - and thus, you're just not going to buy a new sports car in Thailand for the money you're talking.

Other posters have already given you some good leads on used cars though

Edited March 2, 2015 by IMHO

[falang07]

As for me, this is one of the things I like Thailand for. If someone really feels the need for a sports car with a huge engine and fuel consumption, he should pay a hefty premium for it. Still, I do not think Thai roads (quality or traffic wise) are made for sports cars, trucks are the way to go.

[gamba]

In my young days I had a kit car based on VW but I was complicated and expensive to finally get it on the street. What about in Thailand if Import a nice kit car and finish in Thailand. Would it be possible to get it on the street and what about taxes. ?

Edit. I just see now this link https://www.facebook.com/KitCarTH

Edited March 3, 2015 by gamba

[recycler]

Some of the popular European cars like BMW and Mercedes are assembled here but still priced at import level because so many people keep buying them to elevate their status. BMW is twice the European price here, but apparently they make more money than when they would price them lower and sell more units.

What you can do is buy a local priced car and tune it up, most of the pick-up trucks can easily double the horsepower and torque, not to many sports cars will keep up with you.

[IMHO]

Some of the popular European cars like BMW and Mercedes are assembled here but still priced at import level because so many people keep buying them to elevate their status. BMW is twice the European price here, but apparently they make more money than when they would price them lower and sell more units.

What you can do is buy a local priced car and tune it up, most of the pick-up trucks can easily double the horsepower and torque, not to many sports cars will keep up with you.

Import duties are not the only taxes on cars... even locally assembled cars can have 111% of excise and interior taxes.

If you consider that a top-spec Camry costs almost 1.9M Baht, a Benz C180 for 2.8M isn't too bad.

[kerrysum]

As for me, this is one of the things I like Thailand for. If someone really feels the need for a sports car with a huge engine and fuel consumption, he should pay a hefty premium for it. Still, I do not think Thai roads (quality or traffic wise) are made for sports cars, trucks are the way to go.

Sports car? Or Muscle car, there is a difference.... Sports cars do not have huge engines, but muscle cars do.

[ggt]

You may want to contact the Thai monks...some of which own several expensive sports cars...or the Thai mafia who can put their hands on one if the price is right...

[KhnomKhnom]

I thot about it, looked at the Thai road surfaces and traffic and bought a Toyota truck. Very sporty......... in my mind.

[ignis]

The only one I can think of off hand Brand new

Hyundai Veloster around 1.2 million, or the Turbo model around 1,7 million.

[mike324]

Locally made cars still cost almost double the price depending on model and engine.

If you want a new car then you are out of luck, your only option is 2nd hand cars. Fun and reliable cars that are easy to service you should consider are GT86, Miata, 350z, WRX, Sirroco, GTI, Mini

[giddyup]

A low slung sports car would last about 5 minutes in my area (dark side Pattaya) what with pot holes and rough roads. In fact unless you are going to only drive on motorways I can't imagine a less practical car for Thailand.

[ronaldo0]

I would like a merc cls but the cost and crap engines they have here make it not worth it unless i win the lottery , next best will be new or low mileage second hand 3/5 series bmw or c/cla class merc. The amount you lose as soon as you drive a new merc or bmw away from the dealers makes it more likely that i will buy second hand with 10000 or less km on the car.

[rambling]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

[giddyup]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

There are also good roads that can turn into sh*t very quickly and you have no choice but to keep on driving with your muffler dragging in the dirt.

[rambling]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

There are also good roads that can turn into sh*t very quickly and you have no choice but to keep on driving with your muffler dragging in the dirt.

Probably. The cars I mentioned will be fine on most normal roads in Thailand unless you drive in the village somewhere "upcountry" on unpaved roads and then yep, get a Hilux or whatever.

I've driven around the country for 5 years now, never felt I needed, or wanted, a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle.

[giddyup]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

There are also good roads that can turn into sh*t very quickly and you have no choice but to keep on driving with your muffler dragging in the dirt.

Probably. The cars I mentioned will be fine on most normal roads in Thailand unless you drive in the village somewhere "upcountry" on unpaved roads and then yep, get a Hilux or whatever.

I've driven around the country for 5 years now, never felt I needed, or wanted, a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle.

I had a Jazz when I first arrived in Thailand, nearly tore out the suspension on more that one occasion, which prompted me to buy an old D max and in turn my Mitsu Triton. Not as comfortable or economical as the Jazz but it will handle just about anything.

[rambling]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

There are also good roads that can turn into sh*t very quickly and you have no choice but to keep on driving with your muffler dragging in the dirt.

Probably. The cars I mentioned will be fine on most normal roads in Thailand unless you drive in the village somewhere "upcountry" on unpaved roads and then yep, get a Hilux or whatever.

I've driven around the country for 5 years now, never felt I needed, or wanted, a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle.

I had a Jazz when I first arrived in Thailand, nearly tore out the suspension on more that one occasion, which prompted me to buy an old D max and in turn my Mitsu Triton. Not as comfortable or economical as the Jazz but it will handle just about anything.

Actually now I remember I once did wish I had a pickup, on one of the trips on the way back to Bangkok we dropped by the Mrs. uncle at his plantation somewhere I can't remember now. We couldn't drive all the way in to his house and had to walk 300m. So yeah on that trip, for 300m, it would have been nice to drive a D Max, the rest of the 1000+ Km we did on that trip, no, I would not want to be in a pick up.

Also driving a pick-up in Bangkok where we live doesn't sound attractive to me, the extra size, fuel consumption, parking hassles to name a few.

So yep, depends on where you drive. The OP should know if he needs a 4x4 in his area.

[landslide]

The Mazda RX7 has always held a soft spot in my heart. My first new car pruchase was a 1980 RX7. Lightweight, nimble, simple to work on, it was a fun car. I kept it for 5 years and 160,000 miles. It never gave me a lick of a problem. In 1995, I bought a new RX7. A very different car. It had a ton of power, and the handling was tight. I kept that car for 5 years also, but it was a second vehicle, so only put about 50,000 miles on it. Never had a problem with the Wankel Rotary engine, though many people did. I would love to still have my 97, but if driven in Thailand, would be in pieces in short order due to the rough road surfaces. The newer RX7 models look great, and would be a good choice, if you HAD to have a sports car.

[steelepulse]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

There are also good roads that can turn into sh*t very quickly and you have no choice but to keep on driving with your muffler dragging in the dirt.

I just drove from BKK through Chumphon and Surat Thani on low profile tires. The highway is crap and I ended up watching for every pothole and still managed to hit some which were bone rattling when doing anything over 80. One was so bad it knocked the plastic undercarriage/skirt straight onto my tire causing a loud noise which I thought was a flat/blowout. Really fun though when finally getting decent tarmac, but was kind of funny watching diesel belching trucks flying past me on the crap sections of road ( 95% of the road from BKK to Chumphon).

Back on topic, OP were you looking for a good handling car with a lot of power, or a basic 2 litre engine with a sports car chassis?

[WarpSpeed]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

Yep, there are some mountain roads that just scream for a nice sports car as well as some nice stretches of highway. It'd be hard to tell the guy in an R8 that passed me well over 150 on 7 south on the way to a race at Bira one weekend that a sports car is no fun in Thailand.

[WarpSpeed]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

There are also good roads that can turn into sh*t very quickly and you have no choice but to keep on driving with your muffler dragging in the dirt.

Probably. The cars I mentioned will be fine on most normal roads in Thailand unless you drive in the village somewhere "upcountry" on unpaved roads and then yep, get a Hilux or whatever.

I've driven around the country for 5 years now, never felt I needed, or wanted, a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle.

Agreed..

[rambling]

Assuming you do mean sports car as opposed to super sports (which would be out of your budget) you can look at some roadster options. Second hand, such as the Mazda miata, BMW Z4 or even Mercedes SLK if you don't mind a slightly older car. All should be good fun to drive.

Unlike some of the comments above I think Thailand is a good place for a sporty car, there are some nice roads and beautiful scenery in many parts of the country. Also long stretches of highway, where if you're not careful you could easily go over the speed limit which is of course a very bad thing to do, plus you'll be hit with a huge fine of 1,000 Baht, so obviously not worth it lol ;-)

Yep, there are some mountain roads that just scream for a nice sports car as well as some nice stretches of highway. It'd be hard to tell the guy in an R8 that passed me well over 150 on 7 south on the way to a race at Bira one weekend that a sports car is no fun in Thailand.

Indeed, I forgot to mention the numerous tracks and the fun weekends. Cheers.

[seedy]

One Post Removed

7) You will respect fellow members and post in a civil manner. No personal attacks, hateful or insulting
towards other members, (flaming) Stalking of members on either the forum or via PM will not be
allowed.
8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities.
9) You will not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its
participants, or trolling. Trolling can be defined as the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on
the internet by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary
intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic
discussion.

[WarpSpeed]

^ I can only imagine?

[WarpSpeed]

As for me, this is one of the things I like Thailand for. If someone really feels the need for a sports car with a huge engine and fuel consumption, he should pay a hefty premium for it. Still, I do not think Thai roads (quality or traffic wise) are made for sports cars, trucks are the way to go.

Sports car? Or Muscle car, there is a difference.... Sports cars do not have huge engines, but muscle cars do.

Really??

Hennessey Venom GT the fastest car in the world at the moment.. Yes, faster then the Bugatti Veyron. And not just in a straight line, lately I've seen a lot of videos of the Buggati's getting their tail kicked on the low end up to about 200Mph. Not even close..

Edited March 3, 2015 by WarpSpeed

[peterb17]

MX5 is the way to go- not a huge engine, light and handles really well- had a MK 1 in the UK for over ten years- never missed a beat- really reliable.

You can certainly get an older MK 1 for well under a million.

But unless you have a garage, a soft top is not such a good idea here.

So the one with a retractable electric hard top would be better- I think they are 2.5 m new, but as you could hunt around for a used one.

The world's best selling sports car!