25th Motor Show Thailand

[englishoak]

Popped into the Motor Show this weekend just out of curiosity. OK I already know that you pay a lot for a new car here unless it's a pick up. WOW ! the numbers being thrown around was quite a surprise on some models, especialy ones from europe. Up to 300% or even higher, I kid you not. Falang guy at the mazda stand told me the MX 8 was looking at 340% tax

About 80% of the show was focused around 4x4s pick ups and land rover style's,interestingly the honda Jazz PC was getting a lot of attention. It made me wonder why more small cars were not on sale.

Cheapest I could find were the pick ups beginning at 600,000 ish

How about a Mini Cooper at 2.8 million or a 7 series BMW at 8.5 m.... ?

Mabe a Jaguar XJ 3.2 at 3.8 m or why not go the whole hog and get an XJ 4.2 at 7.6m.

A new Cherokee Jeep at 4.5m was a real steal !!!!

My favorite was Porsche 911 turbo at a reasonable price of 19.4 million Bt thats a cool 500,000 dollars or 275000 english pounds

I had to laugh at the lovely girl trying to sell me a Volvo S 80 at a discount price of 3.3m she just did'nt understand why I laughed

A sobering thought is so far they have sold 10,500 at the show alone and thats a lot of units even if most were pick ups.

Awful lot of spare cash out there somewhere, or mabe it's all on the finance who knows? I do know that lately Thai's have a lot of money to splash around on the things they decide they want. Even if it is twice the price of thier house

[taxexile]

It made me wonder why more small cars were not on sale.

big equates with wealth and power and for years big has ruled.

cars were mostly for the rich. and mostly big.

pick ups for the more practically minded.

these days with a burgeoning middle class,easy loan terms and the availability of a much wider range of models including lots of very practical small cars at good prices you dont need to be super rich to own a car.

expect the small car sector to be the fastest growing sector within the next few years.

i went to the motor show as well, wanted to see a strange looking toyota prototype and the bentley continental. impressed with both.

strangest thing though was the way the thai men were literally drooling over the hundreds of bulimic insect like models the companies use to decorate their stands.

if i was in the market for a new vehicle i would probably go for a pick up.

dont know why, but they seem so suitable for here.

[englishoak]

Good point taxexile and yes I to was quite perplexed by the drooling over the models on the stands. You'd think they had never seen a sexy young girl before here ? in Bangkok? very wierd !

I too would go with a pick up as you never know where you will end up, today saw flood water at Impact but not a drop in Bitec

[Axel]

Can't talk about the prices. It is their system. Import duties and taxes. Makes you wonder why locally made cars do adjust to the import-prices.

The girls there. Nice to look at but don't ask for RPM, they would not even know about the mileage I offer.

Anyway, I am a bit old fashioned, if I go for a hair cut that's what I want, a cut, wash and BJ, the latter only by hairdryer.

[tutsiwarrior]

I'll have one o' them anorexic half naked high yellow girls to boot (American for extra) with my new Ferrari...or is it in the boot of my new automobile?

(Chuck Berry could have a field day with this one...any of them cuties called Maybelline?)

It's a shame...nowhere to park the mother in Suphan Buri outside of my super deluxe converted shophouse...if I leave it out over night young hooligans would scrawl 'falang, fukc you' on the expensive paint job. Who knows what they would do if I attached a luggage rack to the removable top (smash the top to steal the rack...)?

I want to be cool and boogie like everyone else but sometimes you just can't win...

[Guest chingy]

when im heading back home, im getting myself one of these

$18,000 - $30,000

thailand will never have one of these.

[tutsiwarrior]

you sure couldn't find a big enough parking space that's for sure

[tutsiwarrior]

is there a motorcycle exhibit at this motor show? anything along the lines of 'customized harley davidson products'? No sight of large tattooed fellows in denim with a deaths head insignia with their trousers down hooking down CHANG beer with 'HUH, HUH, HUH' waiting their turn to ravage a few dozen of the available anorexics? Cops can't do nothing as they see real bad asses for the first time...but they wouldn't anyway...it's all subsidised.

I couldn't see any success regarding successful marketing of 'modified' Harley Davidson products...if you mess with their bikes they'll kill you...

[lofu2]

Pass the nitroglycerin pills! My wife wants another Lexus 430 if we move to Thailand. Maybe if I sold the gold in my teeth??

Lofu2

[Guest chingy]

i don't think they have Lexus in thailand, if you wanted one it would be an import item, or maybe second hand owner.

one gold teeth is not enought, you need a dozen gold teeth, ask her if she want a tuk-tuk instead

that pony is beautiful isn't it, ford have out done themself on this one, affordable price, beautiful shape, and pure power. only made in the USA

[OldAsiaHand]

And, for whatever it may be worth, you can forget about selling anything you buy after driving it for a few years.

Thais don't buy used cars unless they are very, very cheap -- if then. There's really no market at all here for better cars when they are used.

Say you buy one of those four to five million baht Jags. You drive it two years and decide to leave Thailand. What could you get for it? My guess is you'd be lucky to get one million. Real lucky.

[englishoak]

Tutsi no bikes to mention. just a ducati stand and the only custom bike around was a sad lil honda all on its own in the car park all mine. At least I did'nt sit in traffic for 3 hours getting in and out and turn around looking for a parking space.

Yup there was lexus but didn't check the price, just think BMW and mabe 7m for 7 series as a compare.......

Never looked at the second hand market but it's an idea in the future as just mabe they are reasonably priced. Bit like the uk where not many buy new but after the tax and duty comes off for a sale second hand a 6mth old model can be 25% cheaper than new.

Think i'll get me a Jag XK8 when I pop back to the uk for a few months, mabe a griffin or viper or even ferrari then sell it when I come back & lose a little dosh on the deal after all there is no chance of buying in to a little luxury here and the amount you lose when you sell is the price of a house for crissake, so may as well make the most of it back home.

[tutsiwarrior]

does ferrari do a line in diesel pickups? Not on display at the motor show?

[the gentleman]

when im heading back home, im getting myself one of these

$18,000 - $30,000

thailand will never have one of these.

I like that mate - any more photos - some people like porn pics, I like car pics

[the gentleman]

does ferrari do a line in diesel pickups? Not on display at the motor show?

coronation soi gossip for you - the chief designer of Ferrari racing team has just bought land in Phuket and Montoya was in town the other weekend for a "bit of fun"

[tutsiwarrior]

innate, ferrous based copulation is a crime against humanity. Watch out or that Mustang will cut off yer dick and fry it on the exhaust manifold...

[the gentleman]

sounds a little edgy, but Ive got naf all else to do at the mo - Im up for it - it beats the duck getting it.

[tutsiwarrior]

ducks are benign creatures with no concern of the provenance of their dribbling food.

a Mustang with a 427 under the bonnet is malign and aggressive...maybe that's why guys with little dicks and the associated sexual apprehension like them so much...

[Guest chingy]

im a little guy with big dicks, that like stang, actually this particular model of stang is quite unique, a whole new design concept using oldies structure, i tell you when this baby come out, it will sell like hot-cake, i'll problaly get one, and hope it would become a clasic later on.

[Phil Conners]

And, for whatever it may be worth, you can forget about selling anything you buy after driving it for a few years.

Thais don't buy used cars unless they are very, very cheap -- if then. There's really no market at all here for better cars when they are used.

Say you buy one of those four to five million baht Jags. You drive it two years and decide to leave Thailand. What could you get for it? My guess is you'd be lucky to get one million. Real lucky.

Hm, I think that only goes for the no-name (In Thailand) cars, i.e. anything but Benz, BMW and Porche - the demand for these brands keep the depreciation similar to a pickup truck.

Problem with all those otherwise nice cars such as Jags is a complete and utter lack of spare parts. Anything break and you can forget about your car for a couple of months until new spare parts have been shipped over from where it was built.

[taxexile]

it will sell like hot-cake

exactly, it will sell like hot cake, one hot cake to be precise.

you would think that a country with such an aptitude for producing things mechanical and technical would be able to produce a decent car.

but their cars are the worlds worst, surpassed in performance,quality,technology,value and style by cars from just about every where else in the world.

unexportable,heavy,poorly handling lumps of metal. an insult to the customers foolish enough to purchase them.

stick to jeans,hamburgers and weapons uncle sam, and leave the japanese and the germans to supply us with cars.

[Up2U]

does ferrari do a line in diesel pickups? Not on display at the motor show?

coronation soi gossip for you - the chief designer of Ferrari racing team has just bought land in Phuket and Montoya was in town the other weekend for a "bit of fun"

The Chief designer of Ferrari racing team is a Thai?

[the gentleman]

does ferrari do a line in diesel pickups? Not on display at the motor show?

coronation soi gossip for you - the chief designer of Ferrari racing team has just bought land in Phuket and Montoya was in town the other weekend for a "bit of fun"

The Chief designer of Ferrari racing team is a Thai?

Rory Byrne = Thai , no but his company is

[the gentleman]

it will sell like hot-cake

exactly, it will sell like hot cake, one hot cake to be precise.

you would think that a country with such an aptitude for producing things mechanical and technical would be able to produce a decent car.

but their cars are the worlds worst, surpassed in performance,quality,technology,value and style by cars from just about every where else in the world.

unexportable,heavy,poorly handling lumps of metal. an insult to the customers foolish enough to purchase them.

stick to jeans,hamburgers and weapons uncle sam, and leave the japanese and the germans to supply us with cars.

I agree taxexile - but it looks nice.

Its about the same price as the new Monaro (GM Holden in Aus), the Aussie "muscle" cars are always fast, I would be guessing the Mustang wouldnt get any where near it.

Chingy-thanks for the photos mate, never seen it before - very nice.

Didnt John Holmes drive a Mustang?

[tutsiwarrior]

john holmes?...(with respect for the dead) small banana...my dick is bigger than his was and I prefer a 2CV...

[Pepe']

Englishoak,

You said the new Cherokee was a steal. Were you kidding or serious? What other suvs or 4x4 pick ups looked good and were reasonably priced?

[tutsiwarrior]

beware of nissan sunnys with roof mounted 50 caliber ordnance with all SUVs in the crosshairs...

[englishoak]

Pepe Duuu joking

[Pepe']

Very good. OK you guys are more laughs than a barrel of monkies...

[OldAsiaHand]

Hm, I think that only goes for the no-name (In Thailand) cars, i.e. anything but Benz, BMW and Porche - the demand for these brands keep the depreciation similar to a pickup truck.

Problem with all those otherwise nice cars such as Jags is a complete and utter lack of spare parts. Anything break and you can forget about your car for a couple of months until new spare parts have been shipped over from where it was built.

None of that reflects my experience. The lack of a used car market is primarily because, on the whole, Thais see not buying new cars as low class. At least the kind of Thais who buy the expensive cars see it that way. In large part the reason they buy a Mercedes or Jag or Land Rover is to show how much money they have. Buying a used one, to most Thais, makes them look poor, and cheap, and they sure don't want to look like that when they're shelling out millions of baht.

As for the parts problem, that's something I've just never experience although I've heard stories, of course. I've owned three different makes of expensive imported motor cars over my years here and I have found utterly no difference among them when it comes to supplying parts for repairs.