Auto Enthusiasts/gear Heads

[davethailand]

it was my partners car, from a place called top gear in pattaya, souped up a bit (280bhp) but it was the 205 version. not good on pattayas bumpy roads though.

[Guest chingy]

i heard about that place, i pass it a couple of time while in pattayas, they got some nice looking car, i would love to have a supra turbo, but as in los its outta my reach, way to expensive. i don't see to much of the old supra 86-90, those arew pretty good too.

[davethailand]

they have some nice stuff although expensive, but they **** around with the cars to much, adding bits and new interiors etc, not the best quality, buyer beware!

[Boon Mee]

Haven't gone thru all the posts in this thread so don't know if anyone's brought up the new Pontiac GTO?

My neighbor just bought one and it's a nice ride with lots of guts. He let me take it for a spin and it reminded me of the Buick Grand National - the chipped-up one that I had years ago.

This new GTO looks like a regular Chevy Caviler but handles really tight.

[350torana]

Not 100 % sure, but beleive the new GTO is a rebadged Holden Monaro , as the Chev Lumina is a Commodore (both with the 5.7 gen 3) stand corrected if i am wrong

[davethailand]

i've just read about it in a car mag, a bit plain looking compared to the old gto's, but the engine makes up for that.

anyone seen the new mustang/ shelby cobra concept.

[Boon Mee]

Not 100 % sure, but beleive the new GTO is a rebadged Holden Monaro , as the Chev Lumina is a Commodore (both with the 5.7 gen 3) stand corrected if i am wrong

I'm not familiar with the Holden Monero so can't say...

[Pepe']

In the grease pit yesterday. Had to deglaze a front rotor, rough up the brake pads

and reinstall. Not as much fun as it used to be but beats giving the "stealer" $250.

Next projects are air and fuel filters, plugs, radiator flush, power steering flush and detail...

[Crash999]

i would love to have a supra turbo, but as in los its outta my reach, way to expensive. i don't see to much of the old supra 86-90, those arew pretty good too.

Buying a newer Supra isn't a bad deal... It's about the cheapest horsepower you'll be able to find here in Thailand (280 to 320hp stock but easily modified to +50%), tons of street cred, available servicing at TRD, and they've stopped depreciating at around the 1.8 to 2m mark so you'll be able to sell the car for not much below what you bought it for.

Negatives are the time it can take to wait for available parts, the roads here beat the ###### out of the car so it's uncomfortable even to take short trips to Pattaya, and the cars can be prone to overheating issues- not good with the bad Bangkok traffic.

Owning the car was a love/hate relationship- I would get nervous every time I turned the key to start the car as it was a pain to get any issues dealt with. There wasn't much of a 'pulling factor' with the car as no one knows what you drive when you're in a bar, but driving around was great especially late at night when lots of guys in (real or fake) Mitsubishi Evos would try to race.

Some pics of my old Supra here.

The folks at the TRD garage were pretty good guys- the owner told me about one farang who put over a million baht into his Supra several years ago. He also had overheating issues and experienced a minor blowup one day when stuck in traffic on Ratchada. Found some pics of his car here.

Now am driving a basic BMW 3-series... Would love to find a good NSX, though servicing it I'm sure would be a real pain in the ass.

[Guest chingy]

mighty fine looking car you got there.

i didn't know the overheating was that bad in thailand, back in the state we also have traffic jam for hour but it doesn't seem to affect much.

Evos or Subaru wouldn't even come close to a Supra

[chonabot]

Agreed very nice Supra there! The Mitsubishi Evo's and Impreza's (uk spec) are similar to supras in performance, but the supra is a beauty in looks.

In the UK the supra and 300zx are popular for image in a Nightrider sense , the Evos and Imprezas are more common , also they are more versatile ( 4 doors , more space etc). A friend has a Supra that produces 500bhp, and an Evo with similar output. His everday car is a 911........I hate him

[davethailand]

me too

[Pepe']

Crash,

Which 3 series are you driving?

How is it for parts and maintanance?

How is it holding up to Bangkok traffic and roads? Fine I would guess?

Would you get another one there?

[chonabot]

me too

But he's in the UK Dave , I'm, sure he's rather be in Los

[davethailand]

yeh true, ok i love cars but i'm really not bothered about having a flash sporty car here, when i get a new one it will be a truck,

[davethailand]

http://www.dkeng.com/stock_list_detailed.php?l=1&t=3&i=69[

another nice pic for you

ferrari 288gto

[davethailand]

that last post should have been a picture, poxy computer

[Pepe']

Dave,

What truck are you considering.

[davethailand]

personally i like the mitsibushi strada, the new engine though 2800 turbo intercooler,

i like the tigers but i feel like i'm to close to the windscreen, (i'm 6ft2")

i've looked at all of them and i prefer the mitsibushi, (lovely interior)

i have to say though the isuzu looks really nice with some nice wheels etc

[chonabot]

GTO

Theres the link Dave , it's a beauty alright!

A friend knows the place quite well , in Watford, do you know the people who run the operation at all? Regards Trucks I agree the wheels make the apearance even more so than with cars.

[taxexile]

this thread, that i thought would turn into an interesting thread about cars,with some practical comments and useful tips is running out of fuel,has got a puncture,has failed its m.o.t. and is quickly rusting over. it has definately not been caught for speeding and is being overtaken by everything else on the board.

it has turned into the saddos corner down the pub on a saturday night where men talk cars.....or should i say blokes praise other blokes grease nipples and poke around in each others greasy toolboxes hoping for more praise for their choice of ball and socket wrenches and their knowledge of shaven inlet manifolds and oiled flaps.

someone (a doctor from los francisco or somewhere) even posted to inform us all he was about to change his brake pads. the excitement is killing me.

mustangs, supras,cobras,evos and imprezas my arse.

there is a whole world of morris marinas,datsun 180's,toyota corollas,ford anglias,vauxhall belmonts,chevrolet novas and pontiac aztecs out there.

[chonabot]

You forgot Morris Travellers Tax.....

[taxexile]

You forgot Morris Travellers Tax

you mean the woody with the old ohv 998cc engine and the 6v electrical syst....wait a minute..... i'm getting like you lot now.

[Guest chingy]

tax what model of buffalo do you have

well if you running out of fuel, the first thing you need to do is walk to the nearest gas station, or if you have a thai wife/gf/..tell her to walk to the nearest gas station because its freaking damnn hot and you don't wanna walk

ok for a puncture, try look at the back of your car and see if you have a spare that been sitting for ages and hopefully it not flat, or maybe you took it out last summer to put it on the buffalo wagon and forgot to put the spare back, in that case you're outta luck, start walking, or maybe the wife/gf/..,

someone (a doctor from los francisco or somewhere) even posted to inform us all he was about to change his brake pads. the excitement is killing me.

yes i thought this was kinda funny too

[davethailand]

thats more like it tax lets get on to british leyand and princess's & allegros etc.

my dad had a daf years ago.

what about beetles anyone like them, i still have a 1974 1300 fully restored in london, it's been in a lock up garage for 4 years.

[davethailand]

siht, i'm boring myself now.

[Crash999]

Agreed very nice Supra there! The Mitsubishi Evo's and Impreza's (uk spec) are similar to supras in performance, but the supra is a beauty in looks.

In the UK the supra and 300zx are popular for image in a Nightrider sense , the Evos and Imprezas are more common , also they are more versatile ( 4 doors , more space etc). A friend has a Supra that produces 500bhp, and an Evo with similar output. His everday car is a 911........I hate him

Thanks Chingy and Chonabot! I do miss it sometimes... as do my friends, who had the benefit of riding in it but not the headache of taking care of it!!!

There are 300ZXs available here in Thailand for not much more than a million baht. Not sure about their reliability, though their engines probably are a bit more intact as I don't think they are usually modified as much as that in a Supra. That's one thing I looked for when I was shopping for a car- making sure that the engine hasn't been touched. Wasn't easy to find one as most had been toyed around with. My Supra had aftermarket exhaust, intake, intercooler, waste-gate, ECU, but all other mechanicals were original- even so, was putting out around 400hp one night even gave a Ferrari 348 a run for its money. Fat Chinese guy in the front seat wasn't amused.

The Evos and Scoobies are a lot more practical- I used to race at Bira with one of the sons of the Singha beer family and they were all Evo crazy. Almost bought an Evo VI at that point but am glad I didn't as the depreciation is pretty bad (at the time a good one was worth about 1.5m, now I see good ones advertised for around 800-900k only 3 years later... yikes!). Went over to his house one day and saw his dad's 993, 456, and all sorts of assorted cars... *drool*

Cheers!

[Crash999]

Which 3 series are you driving?

How is it for parts and maintanance?

How is it holding up to Bangkok traffic and roads? Fine I would guess?

Would you get another one there?

Hi Pepe,

I'm driving a 2001 318... a bit on the slow side but certainly adequate for driving around the city and can cruise comfortably at 130-140kph on the highway without much effort. Looked at a 323 but the difference wound up being something like US$250 per extra horse, so I took a pass.

I've been servicing the car at Millennium on Rama IV and so far have had no major issues- only one problem with the brakes in that there's a vibration just before coming to a stop, so I need to take the car back in.

Heard some warnings about electrical issues with the 3-series but I've had no problems whatsoever.

Car has aftermarket 18in wheels, springs and shocks- looks good and actually rides surprisingly well. One learns where the big holes and rough spots are- like turning left from Rama IV onto Asoke one has to slalom through a couple of sunken storm grates.

Overall I'm very happy with it... Bought it for not much more than a new Accord but gets far respect from the Thais. New it was 2.2m, bought it for 1.4m, and could probably sell it for 1.3m or more now.

If I had cash in my hand and was looking to buy another saloon car I'd probably buy another BMW. The only other temptation for me would be a used Alfa, but the depreciation is very steep, even after the initial 2 or 3 years.

Cheers!

[Pepe']

crash,

2001 318 I thought this might be a nice model for Bangkok.

I can't get over the prices though 2.2m = about $52,000 here

1.4 = allost $36,000. I keep wondering if it is worth it to bring a car over.

Here in the US noe they are practically giving them away. Not really we just say that but we just talk about never having seen so many 0% interest, cash back and low prices.

The used car market is comepletely in the toilet. There are some real steals.

Electrical warnings, hum, never really had an electrical issue on any of my numeruos 3's.

By sallon car you mean like a 7 series or some thing like that.?

Brakes I would visualy inspect the roters to see if they are glazed also the pads.

I just had this problem after nstalling brand new pads and rotars.

If your up to it you can remove the pads caliper and roter. Sand down the roter well on both sides, I used an orbital hand sander with medium emry cloth, and rough up the brake pad as well. If that doesn't do it it sounds like the caliper piston is not engaging correctly. That is unless something else in the assembly may be loose.

[Pepe']

taxexile & chingy,

Actually it was rotars, pads and a change over to braided steel lines and flush the system not a bad project for a doctor in Beautiful southern California. Save bigs bucks gives me something to do in between cold Sierra Nevadas.

No tech tips, no one has really asked.

I thougt I had some ideas on crashe's brake problem so I hope they are helpful.

I didn't see any of you other rocket scientists offering help

I don't know it all, just most of it. When I don't know something I open up the manual. Now that's rocket science