[salbrecht]

Hello Everyone,
I am just wondering if there are any E90 owners on this forum in Thailand.

I recently retired here from California where I had a very well sorted 540i/6. It had a Dinan Stage 4 suspension and a Quaiffe differential. I was a very active member of the BMW CCA and the Golden Gate Chapter. I enjoyed eight years of track schools, as well as nine years of autocross competition. I also instructed at the Car Control Clinics for 12 years. There are many wonderful miles and really great memories buried deep within my brain.

So here I am in Thailand where driving is a real challenge indeed. Having the steering wheel on the right side, and driving on the left side was weird for a while, but I got used to that quickly. The real challenge is all the motorbikes and REALLY slow drivers that choke the roads. The ratio of motorbikes to cars must be in the neighborhood of 150:1, and a high percentage of them don't have mirrors, or tail lights. With no mirrors, they don't see you coming from behind, and just pull right in front of you. With no tail lights, they disappear into the dark at night. Unbelievable! Stupid! I used to think Boston had the worst drivers (thirty years experience there), but Boston would be a cake walk compared to Thailand. I am afraid to drive in Bangkok, and refuse to do so.

BMW may be an expensive car, but they are cheap in America compared to Thailand. My 320d was $80K, about $20K more than my E39. A new Z4 here is a bit over $200K, even more expensive than a 7 series.

That said, I have no buyer's remorse. This oil burner is awesome!! It is almost as fast as my old 540i, and gets 40-50 mpg depending upon driving style and conditions of course. I destroyed a run flat tire in a pot hole a month or so ago, and a replacement cost $720. WOW!. That means a four tire set will be about $3K. I do love the car a lot though. Even in stock trim I think it would out handle my old E39. It's very comfortable of course, what BMW isn't?

I live about three hours East of Bangkok in the boondocks. There is a great beach 2km from my house. There are a lot of E30s (mostly 318) in the area, and many of them look brand new. I imagine they are pretty cheap to buy and maintain at this point, and of course the E30 is pretty much bullet proof. There are 2 or 3 E34 528 in town, as well as a recent 720d. As you might guess, most of the cars are Honda and Toyota. Lots of Honda and Toyota SUVs and pick ups also. I have the only E90 that I have seen so far. Surprisingly enough, the 320d will not be in the 2011 lineup. Sounds like BMW NA. IMHO, BMW NA is making a big mistake not selling the 320d in America. Then again, Larry Koch didn't ask me for my opinion.

I guess I have prattled on long enough for my first post. Be safe out there!

Cheers
Steve Albrecht

[boontarin]

Hello Steve,

I'm Boontarin, nice to meet you. I'm Thai and live in Bangkok, and I also using E90 320d like you.

I really agreed that motorcycles in Thailand drive very bad, but Just keep the distance between them is the greatest thing to do. Also, one of the rubbish motorcycle hit my Porsche Cayenne too.

And one more thing, people in Thailand always change the driving lane, I also don't know why. And driving in Thailand is a bit aggressive, but not much as China.

The import tax here is very high, so that's why the car is very expansive. If u buy 3 Series in Thailand u may get a high 5 Series spec in US or Europe.

For me, I love my 320d so much, and I feel like this is the most suitable 3 Series for me. It's great for driving everywhere, whether in the city, or outside. And Bangkok have a lot of traffic so we can't drive so fast, just 320d have enough power for me.

Hope u enjoy staying in Thailand