Owning a car in Pattaya Why?

[i claudius]

Personally I did not come to live in Thailand to downgrade my lifestyle, I used to own a car in London which I only used a few times a month, but was great to have it there for shopping, weekends away, going to see friends, and I use the car I have here for pretty much the same, if I wake up one morning and have a burning desire to go to BKK or Koh Chang or Hua Hin I can without a moments thought.

I mostly use my bike for round town but if I am not going to BigC or Lotus for groceries but sometimes if I am going somewhere with parking I am just in the mood to go in airconditioned comfort even if it does take a little longer.

I took part in a trial in Australia by doing without a car for a year. I applied the same money one would otherwise pay on amortisation costs, depreciation, insurance, maintenance, fuel, parking costs, washing anf cleaning and instead had a booklet of vouchers to use taxis everywhere. So at the end of the journey you simply filled out the amount and signed it. No cash needed.

When I wanted to splurge I simply phoned up for a rented limousine with a driver. When I wanted to go to rural Australia for the weekend I simply rented a car.

There was never any worry about having had too much to drink to drive and never any worry about parking.

My verdict at the end of that trial was that when living in a city you would have to be mad to actually own a car and not owning your car far from curtails your movements -based on that experience it actually increases your freedom and flexibility not to own an albatross.

Good on you ,but us modern people who can afford it and want decent transport at a moments notice ,to go and do as we please without having to go and rent ,phone a company to take us a couple of miles ,much prefere to live our lives in comfort ,as for your way of life as i said good for you ,but dont preach to us ,we are not interested .

[mercman24]

sold my car in the uk and borrowed my mates car for 3 months before i came over here, in those 3 months i done one long journey, so now over here no car no motorbike, g/f say "why you not buy car" (status symbol) i say, so i spend a million on a merc, and what happens, i am sat in a traffic jam, we were sat in a taxi having this conversation, i said we are sat in a nice air con taxi with a driver, i would have to have a lot of taxi rides to equal a million, so that mill i can spend on you my love.. big smile, all thoughts of a posy motor gone . lol !! (yeah, as if) he he. like i am going to Hua Hin in June , have got a limo to take us there for 2000/1800 return, that is £38 in uk terms, dam bargain. (oh and she gets the "pose" value)

[misterphil]

My wifes Hi-So and doesnt want to get dark skin so we have to have a car lol

[Dannyboy666]

Agree 100% that a motorcycle often makes far more sense. I own both a car and 2 motorbikes, the bikes are my favorite.

I agree its less safe but after 7 years and no accidents (just a car accident) I think it also depends a lot on the rider.

. Even Experts get in Accidents, You Never Know...But it will happen, Unfortunately, I've been riding years, and a car pulled out in Jomtien, my GF joined the Space Program and I Embraced the Cattle Bumper from the side, Ribs broke, hand mangled, front teeth almost knocked out , company truck hit me, and the Lovely Jomtien Police did absolutely nothing, Hospital Bills , Rented motorbike , I Recieved Nothing...

[Naam]

You don't need a car I walked everywhere in Pattaya for many years. Lived in a fan room ate sticky rice with chang beer daily. Total beach bum lifestyle but didn't waste money on transport. Wrecked my motorbike (drunk driving)before so I stopped riding them.

not everybody can afford that classy lifestyle

[TommyUK1960]

Is it the boys that get these big bikes and especially the Harley's are just trying to find and live their missed youth.

Out today I see one old geyser on his Harley, he was very unstable on the bike with shaky arms. Must have been 70+.

For his own and everybody else's safety guys should give up the motorbike when they are old and get the shakes.

[muffy]

Bangkok too , why own a car , taxis are everywhere and cheap. Who are you trying to impress, yourself ? For the price of insurance for a year ,I can use taxis for a year .

Edited May 28, 2015 by petercool
edited bold type

[Naam]

your women will be 10 times more happy in a car regardless of any other advantages.

Yeah I remember that from my early Pattaya days.

My friend beautiful, you know she have car

usually them women folks prefer crying in the back of a Benz instead of sitting happily on a motorcycle or a bahtbus

[Naam]

Bangkok too , why own a car , taxis are everywhere and cheap. Who are you trying to impress, yourself ? For the price of insurance for a year ,I can use taxis for a year .

...and still have some change left for Chang

[topt]

sold my car in the uk and borrowed my mates car for 3 months before i came over here, in those 3 months i done one long journey, so now over here no car no motorbike, g/f say "why you not buy car" (status symbol) i say, so i spend a million on a merc, and what happens, i am sat in a traffic jam, we were sat in a taxi having this conversation, i said we are sat in a nice air con taxi with a driver, i would have to have a lot of taxi rides to equal a million, so that mill i can spend on you my love.. big smile, all thoughts of a posy motor gone . lol !! (yeah, as if) he he. like i am going to Hua Hin in June , have got a limo to take us there for 2000/1800 return, that is £38 in uk terms, dam bargain. (oh and she gets the "pose" value)

I take it that is 2000 baht to go and a further 1800 baht to come back?

If not can you post the contact details of the driver

[pbonline]

Who wants to live in Pattaya anyway..

[Don Mega]

Bangkok too , why own a car , taxis are everywhere and cheap. Who are you trying to impress, yourself ? For the price of insurance for a year ,I can use taxis for a year .

without naming the cost of the insurance your post is very vague but lets assume 15k per year.

Thats 41b per day taxi money.

Yeah, cannot see that working to be honest.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Don Mega

[nickmanchester2]

Its true, depending on if you are in the darkside or not, bikes getting hijacked over there, so I would suggest a car or motorbike taxi - although I would not want to live there after trying it.

I have a car and motorbike and hardly ever use either, mainly baht bus or walk everywhere - I should really at least sell the car although its not that expensive to run - you can even get 3rd party insurance for a few thousand a year, and tax about 3000... so its not that bad. One thing which I will be using the car for is a border bounce to cambodia.

[Regyai]

sold my car in the uk and borrowed my mates car for 3 months before i came over here, in those 3 months i done one long journey, so now over here no car no motorbike, g/f say "why you not buy car" (status symbol) i say, so i spend a million on a merc, and what happens, i am sat in a traffic jam, we were sat in a taxi having this conversation, i said we are sat in a nice air con taxi with a driver, i would have to have a lot of taxi rides to equal a million, so that mill i can spend on you my love.. big smile, all thoughts of a posy motor gone . lol !! (yeah, as if) he he. like i am going to Hua Hin in June , have got a limo to take us there for 2000/1800 return, that is £38 in uk terms, dam bargain. (oh and she gets the "pose" value)

I take it that is 2000 baht to go and a further 1800 baht to come back?

If not can you post the contact details of the driver

Never mind the dopey driver

Tell us where you buy these 1M THB Mercedes

Edited May 28, 2015 by Regyai

[Naam]

sold my car in the uk and borrowed my mates car for 3 months before i came over here, in those 3 months i done one long journey, so now over here no car no motorbike, g/f say "why you not buy car" (status symbol) i say, so i spend a million on a merc, and what happens, i am sat in a traffic jam, we were sat in a taxi having this conversation, i said we are sat in a nice air con taxi with a driver, i would have to have a lot of taxi rides to equal a million, so that mill i can spend on you my love.. big smile, all thoughts of a posy motor gone . lol !! (yeah, as if) he he. like i am going to Hua Hin in June , have got a limo to take us there for 2000/1800 return, that is £38 in uk terms, dam bargain. (oh and she gets the "pose" value)

I take it that is 2000 baht to go and a further 1800 baht to come back?

If not can you post the contact details of the driver

Never mind the dopey driver

Tell us where you buy these 1M THB Mercedes

[brling]

sold my car in the uk and borrowed my mates car for 3 months before i came over here, in those 3 months i done one long journey, so now over here no car no motorbike, g/f say "why you not buy car" (status symbol) i say, so i spend a million on a merc, and what happens, i am sat in a traffic jam, we were sat in a taxi having this conversation, i said we are sat in a nice air con taxi with a driver, i would have to have a lot of taxi rides to equal a million, so that mill i can spend on you my love.. big smile, all thoughts of a posy motor gone . lol !! (yeah, as if) he he. like i am going to Hua Hin in June , have got a limo to take us there for 2000/1800 return, that is £38 in uk terms, dam bargain. (oh and she gets the "pose" value)

I take it that is 2000 baht to go and a further 1800 baht to come back?

If not can you post the contact details of the driver

Never mind the dopey driver

Tell us where you buy these 1M THB Mercedes

and then tell us where did you meet this "LOVE" , the one you want to spend 1 million on ? Pattaya ? You guys from the UK are ....... lol

[Thailand J]

my HOnda Click gives me freedom, but my Toyota has a roof

[canarysun]

Hello!

If you live in Pattaya and you are " single " ( highly recommended ...) You don't need a car or a motorbike! There is no reason apart from being just " bloody lazy " why you can't walk everywhere.If it's a distance of 3 KM or less then just walk.It's also very good for you,it's safer and you get a lovely tan and stops you from looking " hideously white & fat " ....

C.S x

[thhMan]

I only drive an Almera... I also have a Benelli 600 and my wife has a 3 wheeler... and we also have 1 Yamaha elegance...

The Almera is cheap as chips to buy and even cheaper to run.... on a rainy day, its fantastic.. shopping, its great... vacations, just love it....

When I want to go out and be stupid, I take the 600 for a fang

Missus picks the kids up from school in the 3 wheeler as traffic is stupid during school hours

We go shopping and to dinner in the car....

Choices mate.... I have no pension, not any savings, but I work hard at what I do and getting a car for us was a must....

Edited May 28, 2015 by thhMan

[i claudius]

To all the people who do not want a car(to be honest I assume most just can't afford one) my wife needs a car for work ,but forgetting that,we live in the dark side just outside north Pattaya,today I had to go to immigration in Jomtien ,then meet a friend in central,after that the wife and I had to go to our bank in Naklua,then we called in to her office in the dark side s Pattaya ,well if you like the baht bus best of luck with that,is people who have a life outside sitting in a bar or watching tv,need decent transport

[BernieOnTour]

You don't buy a car to drive in Pattaya, you buy one to drive somewhere away from Pattaya.

If you want to spend the rest of your life around the block, you don't need a car, but that is not my definition of life.

I have a car, because I live in Pattaya...

I won't take the risk ro drive around on a bike, I prefer to have some steel, airbag and safery belt around me.

Just to many drunken falang, crazy motorbike taxi drivers, and....

That said, we also drive around a lot in the near, and a 2-wheeler on Sukhumvit and the like is near to suicidal ...

[dotpoom]

Because I live in Pattaya I own a car to get away from it at regular intervals....nothing greater than a driving holiday away from it all to isolated parts for exploration.

[Asiantravel]

To all the people who do not want a car(to be honest I assume most just can't afford one) my wife needs a car for work ,but forgetting that,we live in the dark side just outside north Pattaya,today I had to go to immigration in Jomtien ,then meet a friend in central,after that the wife and I had to go to our bank in Naklua,then we called in to her office in the dark side s Pattaya ,well if you like the baht bus best of luck with that,is people who have a life outside sitting in a bar or watching tv,need decent transport

If you are attributing not wanting to own a car purely to affordability, then how do you explain the phenomenal success of Zipcar now in 26,000 cities and nearly 200 countries and where almost 20% of Zipcar members actually sold their own cars after joining?

I would say it's got far more to do with changing attitudes.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678285/zipcars-impact-on-how-people-use-cars-is-enormous

[Asiantravel]

Another thing to remember about car purchase is the high rate of tax Thailand imposes on imported cars and trucks that in many cases may triple the price of a new car compared to buying the car in the country it comes from.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Asiantravel

[impulse]

people who have a life outside sitting in a bar or watching tv,need decent transport

Nail. Head.

But Lord knows I wouldn't have the balls to say it...

Edited May 28, 2015 by impulse

[robblok]

To all the people who do not want a car(to be honest I assume most just can't afford one) my wife needs a car for work ,but forgetting that,we live in the dark side just outside north Pattaya,today I had to go to immigration in Jomtien ,then meet a friend in central,after that the wife and I had to go to our bank in Naklua,then we called in to her office in the dark side s Pattaya ,well if you like the baht bus best of luck with that,is people who have a life outside sitting in a bar or watching tv,need decent transport

Got a car and 2 bikes, and I prefer to ride the bikes because of the traffic. Its not about affording its that cars are stupid in traffic situations. They are safer but will cost you hours of your life in an other way.

[i claudius]

To all the people who do not want a car(to be honest I assume most just can't afford one) my wife needs a car for work ,but forgetting that,we live in the dark side just outside north Pattaya,today I had to go to immigration in Jomtien ,then meet a friend in central,after that the wife and I had to go to our bank in Naklua,then we called in to her office in the dark side s Pattaya ,well if you like the baht bus best of luck with that,is people who have a life outside sitting in a bar or watching tv,need decent transport

If you are attributing not wanting to own a car purely to affordability, then how do you explain the phenomenal success of Zipcar now in 26,000 cities and nearly 200 countries and where almost 20% of Zipcar members actually sold their own cars after joining?

I would say it's got far more to do with changing attitudes.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678285/zipcars-impact-on-how-people-use-cars-is-enormous

.

Apart from the fact I have never heard of or ever seen a zipcar,I can't see it taking off here in Pattaya,and in my old town in the UK,it would be stripped for spares and sold of in the first few days 555

[Don Mega]

what differentiates zipcar from a car rental place?

[impulse]

what differentiates zipcar from a car rental place?

Pricing model, and not much else it seems. It's a subsidiary of Avis.

My forecast: As soon as enough suckers sell their cars and get dependent on Zipcar, they'll jack up the rates, or the extras. I can see them putting a computer in each car, and charging extra if you, for example, use the air conditioning.

Right now, US (Houston for example) prices start at $74 per day and $0.45 per mile above 180 miles in a day. (Does include fuel and insurance) Not much less than a limo with driver here in Thailand.

http://www.zipcar.com/houston/learn-more?plan_key=monthly_no_commit_acq_w_credit

Still, looks like a great concept. But I'm sure they'll booger it up.

Edited May 28, 2015 by impulse

[giddyup]

To all the people who do not want a car(to be honest I assume most just can't afford one) my wife needs a car for work ,but forgetting that,we live in the dark side just outside north Pattaya,today I had to go to immigration in Jomtien ,then meet a friend in central,after that the wife and I had to go to our bank in Naklua,then we called in to her office in the dark side s Pattaya ,well if you like the baht bus best of luck with that,is people who have a life outside sitting in a bar or watching tv,need decent transport

Got a car and 2 bikes, and I prefer to ride the bikes because of the traffic. Its not about affording its that cars are stupid in traffic situations. They are safer but will cost you hours of your life in an other way.

That's the reason I'm in Thailand, because I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere. I don't live in BKK where I have to sit in traffic jams for hours, if I arrive 15 minutes later in my pickup than I would on a bike, who cares. At least I arrive with both legs still intact and my brain still inside my head.