Taking a Car to LOS

[Mai Chob]

I am planning to relocate to LOS and have been told second hand cars are overpriced in LOS, so am considering taking my own over. It s a minibus, Mercedes MB140D which you see a lot of there acting as tour company minibuses.. Its not small...
Any info at all on car importation would be very appreciated! Ta...

[LivinLOS]

Long answer short... You cant... At least not in any cost effective way, the 'official' rules say that the import duty will be about 300% of the value they assess your car at (which is Thai values) but the reality is that if anyone at any level of the customs chain takes a fancy to it they simply keep inventing charges and amounts until you walk away, at which point they take it !! Plus you cannot get a fixed quote until the car is in the country and you cannot get the car back out (should the quote be bad) until the tax is paid.

Its one of the most corrupt and outright stealing depts of Thai government. I have watched 3 or 4 people go against this conventional wisdom / advice on Thai Visa and every one of them lost thier car without any recompense.

[briofoz]

How many BG's will fit in the MB 140D Mai Chob?

[Hobbsy]

Sell it in Oz and buy a new one in Thailand.

Minibuses rate alongside tuktuks and taxis and motorcycles with sidecars in the 'i hope they crash' league here.

[lowerpro]

If they can get money out of you they will and bringing your own motor is a sure bet of losing a tidy sum dont bother

[K2]

PM Easyrider Dean - sure he'll give you a good price for ya motor!

Unanimous advice - not worth trying to import used car here - one less round of ridiculous Thai paperwork you wont need to do.

[Mai Chob]

Originally Posted by briofoz

How many BG's will fit in the MB 140D Mai Chob?

.....a 'gaggle' Bri.

OK , the car stays in Oz....thanks for the long and short of it lads.

[Nicke]

I saw a Volvo with Swedish reg plates not long time ago, maybe they do a visa run every 6 months for the car?

[Soupdragon]

Originally Posted by Nicke

I saw a Volvo with Swedish reg plates not long time ago, maybe they do a visa run every 6 months for the car?

I had friends who worked in Singapore but commuted to Thailand every weekend. They were keen bikers so they kept their Singapore registered bikes here.(great for me as I had the use of a Honda Varadero 1000cc V twin when one of them got a contract in Australia and couldn't make it here so often but didn't want the bike sitting around for long periods). They had to do Visa runs for the bikes every 3 months.

[S1MON]

Originally Posted by Nicke

I saw a Volvo with Swedish reg plates not long time ago, maybe they do a visa run every 6 months for the car?

I saw a mini cooper S on UK plates in BKK a couple of weeks ago, but had a lot of livery on it, so must have been some sort of demo car or something.

While we are on a similar subject, can anyone update me on taking a proper bike into LOS in parts, i know i can get it in somehow, shipping bit by bit, but after that, is it easily registered and things??

[LivinLOS]

Getting ASEAN cars into Thailand can be done fairly easily for 6 months at a time (and SD its 6 months on Bikes.. Kev does the same with his US regged harley)..

For non ASEAN / Local country registered then A) bikes can be done without leaving a bond.. The person who is bringing it in leaves his personal agreement he will take it out but B ) Cars are totally another story and do legally require the full assessed bond to be given to the customs dept at the border, technically they are supposed to give it back when you leave the country but I cannot imagine that getting a multi million baht bond back would be easy. Thailand does not adhere to the carnet du passage system that applies around much of the rest the rest of the world.

I know some cars have been smuggled / bribed thier way into Thailand through cambodia, the southern border was not possible even for large T money (think million or two baht) but the black range rover you see in Patong on british plates came through cambo.

I am thinking of giving it a go on the cambo border if we do the Siberia drive.

[LivinLOS]

Originally Posted by S1MON

I saw a mini cooper S on UK plates in BKK a couple of weeks ago, but had a lot of livery on it, so must have been some sort of demo car or something.

While we are on a similar subject, can anyone update me on taking a proper bike into LOS in parts, i know i can get it in somehow, shipping bit by bit, but after that, is it easily registered and things??

Theres 2 issues..

Firstly theres import taxes.. If all parts are taxed on import you can generally get a big bike plated for about 80k I am told..

If theres no taxes paid on the imported parts then it gets a LOT more expensive.. Usually then a wrecked bike is found and the serials for the frame and engine are transferred over so that you 'repair' a wrecked bike instead of buy a new one.

[Maverick351]

Hey Mai Chob, I did see a XB Falcon up near Khon Kaen when I was last up that way. I wondered who owned it, and probably would have come from OZ.

I used to own a GT XB about 20 years ago, so was surprised to see one running around in Thailand.

[easyrider_au]

Originally Posted by Maverick351

Hey Mai Chob, I did see a XB Falcon up near Khon Kaen when I was last up that way. I wondered who owned it, and probably would have come from OZ.

I used to own a GT XB about 20 years ago, so was surprised to see one running around in Thailand.

I seen a HQ getting around Pattaya last trip.......Kinda weird when ya don't even see em on the roads now back home.

PS...Have passed on my partners number to MC.

[Mai Chob]

Originally Posted by easyrider_au

I seen a HQ getting around Pattaya last trip.......Kinda weird when ya don't even see em on the roads now back home.

PS...Have passed on my partners number to MC.

Thanks for that Craig.
Was the Holden you saw in Pats a Statesman? I saw one there recently, and a HQ in Phuket somewhere...How do they get parts, bring 'em in in their luggage?

[The Loop]

Originally Posted by Mai Chob

How do they get parts, bring 'em in in their luggage?

Maybe the cars are sold along with a DVD of the ABC series "The Bush Mechanics".

They show in detail things like;

Brake fluid made from washing powder mixed in water?
Welding a muffler with jumper leads, fencing wire and a car battery.
Replacement brake pads carved from mulga-wood with a tomohawk.
Strips of blanket wound into windscreen-wiper blades.
A tail shaft is easily replaced by rolling a car on its side.
Timber and fencing wire can fix a broken spring;
A door that won't stay closed can be sorted by knocking a wooden peg, latch-like, through the roof channel.

I`m sure the Thai`s would warm to this sort of stuff,practical and low cost motoring.

[easyrider_au]

Originally Posted by Mai Chob

Thanks for that Craig.
Was the Holden you saw in Pats a Statesman? I saw one there recently, and a HQ in Phuket somewhere...How do they get parts, bring 'em in in their luggage?

Was just a HQ sedan.
As for parts.........I've never seen a HQ break down.

I'm actually carrying some chrome H-D V-Rod oil filters with me, for my buddy in Patts that just got one.

BTW Lew, The Bush Mechanics was a great series.

[Mai Chob]

Originally Posted by The Loop

Maybe the cars are sold along with a DVD of the ABC series "The Bush Mechanics".

They show in detail things like;

Brake fluid made from washing powder mixed in water?
Welding a muffler with jumper leads, fencing wire and a car battery.
Replacement brake pads carved from mulga-wood with a tomohawk.
Strips of blanket wound into windscreen-wiper blades.
A tail shaft is easily replaced by rolling a car on its side.
Timber and fencing wire can fix a broken spring;
A door that won't stay closed can be sorted by knocking a wooden peg, latch-like, through the roof channel.

I`m sure the Thai`s would warm to this sort of stuff,practical and low cost motoring.

Yep a great TV series featuring aboriginal mechanical creativity in the bush...mainly with old Ford Falcons...who needs air when you can fix a tyre with tightly packed grass OR a fuel pump when you can reroute the fuel line thru the windscreen wiper pump?? ( makes for a pretty jerky ride , that one 555)

[The Loop]

Originally Posted by Mai Chob

( makes for a pretty jerky ride , that one 555)

Still probably better than some of the tuk tuk and taxi rides i`ve had in LOS though.



Australia`s version of Top Gear??



YouTube - Bush Mechanics

YouTube - Aboriginal Rules - Training Tips

[Simbo]

We once fixed a steering rod back in place with a strip of motorbike inner tube- was good enough to get back down the mountain and 50k to the nearest proper repair place.

[dennisinkamala]

Was gonna bring my 2 cars from the UK and whilst no one could give me definate prices for importing them a figure in excess of 90,000 sterling was bandied around.
As they did not cost me that new, I aint taking the chance.
I have 2 cars for sale in the UK if anyone is repatriating.

Denver??????????????????

[Mai Chob]

Originally Posted by dennisinspain

Was gonna bring my 2 cars from the UK and whilst no one could give me definate prices for importing them a figure in excess of 90,000 sterling was bandied around.
As they did not cost me that new, I aint taking the chance.
I have 2 cars for sale in the UK if anyone is repatriating.

Denver??????????????????

Me too, with windows and seats added ( now 6 seater) , 2001, 190k km, great cond. , air and steer. Work and play and a good surfers getaway vehilce... Current prices w/out xtras 14 grand. Mine 12 grand.


Easy may offer me 4k...5555...

[Nautilus]

4k for a car?

[LivinLOS]

AUS $$ !!

But its always fun telling Thais what kind of cars you can get at prices back in the west.. Especially older big engined cars that no one wants.

BMW 750 50k baht..
Toyota supra 3l 30k baht..
Nice merc SL 200 - 300k baht.
S class merc same (would be 1 mil here easy).