Shipwreck

Find a private buyer who is desperate for a sale - like a foreigner leaving the country. Use your Thai credit history/work history/salary to get a loan from a bank.

I just bought a used Jazz from a desperate seller with a 100% bank loan at 3.75% interest. I got 100% by telling the bank I was paying 100k more than I really was - usually they will give you 80% or less. (They don't actually check what the exact financial exchange between buyer and seller is.)

Said I was paying 400k (the book value of the car) actually paid 300k. Bank gave me 310K, so I actually had a bit extra after the fact. (I'm aware that the interest isn't actually 3.75% on the purchase price, but recalculated each year on the outstanding balance - I'll be paying it off early at a small discount anyway.)

I knew the seller and knew the car was good. I could turn around and sell it right now for more than I paid for it, but I needed a car and it fits the bill.

The terms are 3 years and the bank profits about 60k baht. I figured that is a decent deal considering there was no down payment. A slight down profit in fact.

Thoughts?

Normally I would assume no, but I have several friends who have secured bank loans for houses.

My question is, if I would like to buy a few rai - undeveloped, basically unused jungle or beach front nothing - can I get a loan from a Thai bank for the purchase? (Obviously under my wife/child's name - not mine)

The idea being to have something to build a retirement home on in 20-30 years when the time comes. Or sell it, who knows!

I'm thinking between 1-3million.

For reference:

I am married to a Thai
We have a child together
She is a housewife
I have been working in Thailand with a work permit for 7 years
I make a pretty decent income
I have a Thai credit history via a Thai credit card
Good references available

Basically I'm just wondering if it is possible or if anyone had heard of a foreigner being the guaranteer on their wife's land loan.
Thanks!

I'll let someone else post the specs, I'm a bit lazy from photo-shopping.

You have to admit though, they DO look very similar...

(Dodge Durango on the left, Toyota Fortuner on the right)

I know from a glance at the title that most people would shout out an immediate 'yes'. I am aware that airbags save lives and all the advantages towards them. However...I will be buying a car this year and a few of the models I am looking at only offer airbags for the driver. A passenger/door airbag is not an option.This got me thinking, that if, god forbid, we did have a large accident - what does that mean? I (the driver) am safe...while my family perishes or are badly hurt? Who would want that?Also, I would be driving 99% of the time in Bangkok, probably at pretty low average speeds. In that case an airbag might be more of a liability than a help.Is it really worth the extra 50k for one airbag? All thoughts are welcome.

Browsing around one2car.com and the like, it is easy to find Saabs, Audis and Volvos made in the 90's for less than 200k.

Naturally buying any car that is over 10 years old, you are going to encounter some problems.

The point of this thread is to have people who have experience buying/owning/repairing 'luxury' cars from the 90's in Thailand to share their thoughts. (I am excluding BMW and Merc simply because of the entry price)

So, let's say,

If someone were to spend 200-300k to buy a Saab/Audi/Volvo from the 90's, what would one expect to spend per year on repairs/insurance/etc?

Thanks for anything you contribute!