[F10TH]

There must be a few members from Thailand in the forum.
I'm not sure if they posted anything about Bimmers' retail price yet.

BMW Thailand has only 520i, 528i, 528i M-sport, 520d, 525d and Active Hybrid 5.

Super/unbelievable expensive here!!!

520i $115,000
528i $132,000
528i M-sport $138,000 (well, just M-aerodynamics kit)

520d $119,000
525d $135,000

Active Hybrid 5 ... you don't want to know it

LCI not yet available. possibly begining of 2014
At this price, no B&O. no navigator in 20i and 20d with tiny iDrive screen.
All of them CKD not CBU.
Cost of living in Bangkok is cheap but the cars are disproportionally expensive.

I just got my 520i.

[F10TH]

attached photos

[chocobo15]

you, sir, are a very wealthy individual.

Congrats!

[AP]

I'm sure someone from Singapore will chip in, I'm pretty the cars are ridiculously expensive as the government effectively discourage you from owning one.

[F10TH]

Addendum:

No option package offerred
M5 is available (CBU) at $322,580
Ferrari/Lambo in Thailand are around $700,000 - $1M
Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are $51,000
I remembered buying Accord in 2005 for only $25,000 something in Texas

[F10TH]

Originally Posted by AP

I'm sure someone from Singapore will chip in, I'm pretty the cars are ridiculously expensive as the government effectively discourage you from owning one.

Even that, people here keep purchasing cars like crazy.
If you come to bangkok, rent a car and drive it here, you'll see.

two main reasons I can think of .....
1. poor public transportation. car-dependent-like situation.
2. car is one of the major indicator of wealth! in Thailand

but not me, I spent $115K cause I love BMW.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by AP

I'm sure someone from Singapore will chip in, I'm pretty the cars are ridiculously expensive as the government effectively discourage you from owning one.

I have known people in Singapore that paid over a $100,000 for a minivan.

[chiasl]

In Singapore...

520i $220k
528i $240k
535i $300k

[khai Dow]

I must love them too. I spent more money than you would think possible buying an activehybrid 5. The addition of 20" 464 wheels cost over $7,000 on top. Like the OP said, it's not really like we have a choice. Not entirely sure that the cost of living is that much less here in Bangkok though. Yes you can eat for $5 per day if you want, but do you? I know I don't.

I still have an unused set of 351M 19" wheels and run flats. Suppose I should sell them really. Maybe that would ease the pain :-)

P.s. You didn't mention the fact that there is nowhere within 100 miles of Bangkok that you can get your car out of the terrible traffic and give it a proper sustained blast. Mind you, if and when a speed cop does pull you over, $5 is usually enough to sort it out. I guess this is the definition of yin and yang?

[bimmerjph]

Whats the used car market like there? Are they artificially expensive as well, or do the values of new cars take a massive nosedive (mores than usual) once you drive off the lot?

[khai Dow]

Originally Posted by bimmerjph

Whats the used car market like there? Are they artificially expensive as well, or do the values of new cars take a massive nosedive (mores than usual) once you drive off the lot?

The second hand market is relatively ok...I.e. You pay a lot for the car, but I would say you lose the same or more likely less than in other countries from depreciation. There are really 2 separate markets here though...official vs parallel import. You can pay $30,000 less for the same car if it's a parallel import. The downside is that your don't get BSI (free servicing for 5 years) and also (and this was the kicker for me) BMW Thailand will not service any non officially imported car. That meant to me that my warranty would have been potentially worthless and it was a risk I wasn't willing to take. It seems BMW are the only manufacturer doing this....Benz will service any car, though you may have to pay a little extra for it. Of only their cars weren't so ugly (IMHO) my life would have been a lot easier.

Example, a new M3 would cost around $350,000 (yes, really). As a parallel import, you'd probably pay around $200,000. Both numbers are enough to make a grown man cry, but hard to see past a saving of $150k. Would you spend $200k on a car and not be convinced you could get it officially serviced or have a warranty backed up by the official manufacturer? I just couldn't do it...

[F10TH]

chiasl - wow!!! is it for real!? only few people can afford it then, or no!?

khaiDow - lol, thanks for joining. My goodness, you got that !@#$ Hybrid 5. I envy you.
You should tell them how much you pay for your bimmer plus that freaking 20" wheels!
As he said, speed ticket is not strict here. You can drive as fast as you want - push on the gas and drive like you stole it! - seriously. Unfortunately, you barely find the place to do that.

[khai Dow]

Originally Posted by F10TH

chiasl - wow!!! is it for real!? only few people can afford it then, or no!?

khaiDow - lol, thanks for joining. My goodness, you got that !@#$ Hybrid 5. I envy you.
You should tell them how much you pay for your bimmer plus that freaking 20" wheels!
As he said, speed ticket is not strict here. You can drive as fast as you want - push on the gas and drive like you stole it! - seriously. Unfortunately, you barely find the place to do that.

Yep - and in Singapore you also need to pay the COE - certificate of entitlement. That costs another $50K - though you get that back when you sell or can transfer to another car. Still adds to your initial purchase price mind you.

I'd rather not say what I paid for mine - makes me cry when I say it out loud or do the calculation. I probably could have had 2 M5's in the US for the same money.

The other thing is the options list - or lack of it. They bring in the cars (AH5 has to be imported) with a standard set of options and no chance to add anything extra that you want other than MSport parts or other post factory build add-ons. That is frustrating too.

The one positive on the AH5 is that it gets a tax discount as its a hybrid with a 3L or less engine (according to Thai law). That kind of counteracts the extra import tax they add to most other cars. The 520i and d models are somewhat less expensive because they are assembled locally. The F11 with a similar spec is about $50K more expensive because they don't assemble here...ouch!

[bobblehead]

are all those $ in US ... holy ! You can buy a house with that kind of $

[chiasl]

Originally Posted by F10TH

chiasl - wow!!! is it for real!? only few people can afford it then, or no!?

khaiDow - lol, thanks for joining. My goodness, you got that !@#$ Hybrid 5. I envy you.
You should tell them how much you pay for your bimmer plus that freaking 20" wheels!
As he said, speed ticket is not strict here. You can drive as fast as you want - push on the gas and drive like you stole it! - seriously. Unfortunately, you barely find the place to do that.

Merc and BMW are the top two brand sellers in Singapore, followed by Toyota. In recent years, more Porsches or Ferrari's are sold in Singapore than Subaru's.

[pablo-the-diablo]

The funny thing is... you dont actually need a car in Singapore... I spent a few years there -and I love nice cars- and never even considered buying one.
My singaporean friends told me it is all about the status. If the government is trying to discourage people from driving cars and congesting the small country... well... they are losing that battle I would say :-)

[combatbmw]

OMG... I want to express my deepest apologize for you and those ridiculous prices.
Unless Minimum wage is 60 bucks an hour, then that is just a rip off.

Jesus, Id move in a heart beat.

[masuzu]

Malaysia is the 2nd most expensive car to buy.
Bought myself a 528i m-sport.

520d-110$
520i-115$
528i m-sport - 130$
AH5 - 154$
M5 - 280$

[manilae90]

Same here in the Philippines. I paid 105K USD for a 520d and thats after the discount. If you dont mind having it in standard black and leatherette seats, there is a special 520d model for around 95K

[jackaleyess]

Halo. Welcome to the expensive part of the world to own a car. I gt my 528i M-sport for $140k. But one thing good is most Malaysian Bimmers came with high spec. Even higher than Thailand and Singapore if you check carefully. But our opposition is fighting for lower car price. Our government has enough of taxes but still ended up deficit. And we are one of the most corrupted country in the world. Sad...

[jackaleyess]

Originally Posted by masuzu

Malaysia is the 2nd most expensive car to buy.
Bought myself a 528i m-sport.

520d-110$
520i-115$
528i m-sport - 130$
AH5 - 154$
M5 - 280$

Bro, we are not the 2nd most expensive. Its Norway i think. Its damn expensive to own one even if we earned in Norwegian Krone.

[jackaleyess]

Damn even in Thailand ur bimmers are all ckd? Same here in Malaysia. If thats the case, i think Thailand's ownership of luxury car is way much more than Malaysia.