gobbledonk Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 A few million of them actually. Not all Thais are Goverment Employees, work in Service Industry or Work Bar, but you are unlikely to encounter such people sitting in a Soi 4 beer bar or down walking street. Ouch .... so there are a few million Thais outside of Bangkok making serious money ? I see plenty of middle class Thais in Bangkok, but that isnt what I asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Ouch .... so there are a few million Thais outside of Bangkok making serious money ? I see plenty of middle class Thais in Bangkok, but that isnt what I asked. No offence meant, but I am sure that you understand where I am coming from. Not all companies are located in Bangkok, when I worked for a MNC in Thailand the BKK office employed 6 staff whereas office in Sri Racha was over 1,000 staff. 2009-2010 Thailand Salary Guide IMHO this report is rather conservative and many of the salaries quoted appear on the low side. Not just in BKK but in most provinces I go to I see a far higher percentage of "newish" vehicles on the road than I do "old bangers", not sur how it is in Australia but in the UK the average age of vehicles is older. Remember a New Car here could cost from 1 Million Baht upwards, thats AUD 36,000, far more expensive than your country. As I previously stated (sarcasticaly) the majority of Thais that Farang Tourist meet tend to be the ones in the "lower paying professions", and may partialy explain the support for "the rural poor" during recent events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Now I'm totally confused - I thought cars were generally much cheaper in Thailand and Malaysia, as that is where many of them are manufactured ? I remember an Indo guy telling me what he paid for his new 4WD in Jakarta back in 2004 and it was at least 20% less than you would have paid in Oz. I know that imported Ferraris and the like cost a fortune in Thailand because of the tax impost, but your average Ford or Nissan pickup should be a cheaper proposition than Oz, surely ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 I wish A new Toyota Fortuner will set you back 1.35 Mill THB, AUD 48,700 Cars are not cheap here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted June 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 << Remember a New Car here could cost from 1 Million Baht upwards, thats AUD 36,000, far more expensive than your country. >> However, Thais can drive off in a new car after on depositing a ridiculously low sum of money. They may saddle themselves with payments there is no way they could make, which is why so many new cars are repossessed after just a few months. p.s. There are far more BMWs and Benzes on the road here than we would see at home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted June 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Nah, this 60% is the urban elite that is oppressing the majority ... or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Now I'm totally confused - I thought cars were generally much cheaper in Thailand and Malaysia, as that is where many of them are manufactured ? I remember an Indo guy telling me what he paid for his new 4WD in Jakarta back in 2004 and it was at least 20% less than you would have paid in Oz. I know that imported Ferraris and the like cost a fortune in Thailand because of the tax impost, but your average Ford or Nissan pickup should be a cheaper proposition than Oz, surely ? The reason cars are high in Thailand, even if not imported is due to the excise tax which can go up to 50% on cars over 3,000 cc. Trucks are taxed at much cheaper rate, but when you add VAT at 7% and municple tax at 10%, it can add a lot. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allistar Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 I've become a fan of Operation Repo on cable TV in the U.S. Are repos in Thailand done the same way (sneaking around with a tow truck, looking for the car) or do Thais voluntarily return their vechiles after missing a few payments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 From what I have seen, up close and personal, the Thais do NOT voluntarily return their vehicles after missing a few payments. The repo guys come around at least every week, looking and asking, for months! In the US, I would expect that they get some legal court order and press charges of theft and fraud against the person, not sure about LOS in that regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartempion Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Each household spend an aveage 16' date='205 baht a month last year. [/quote'] Mrs Mekong nearly choked on her Green Tea reading that. Per week more like Living in a rice growing Isaan village I don't see much families having 16K/MONTH to spend, but Mrs and Mr Mekong know better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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