| Author |
Message |
Najib Amanullah (Najib)
Junior Member
Username: Najib
Post Number: 116
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 - 1:04 am: | |
Jeff I've only had my car for about 4 months so its too early to tell. However, so far I've not had any problems. The temperature guage stays steady at the recommended level as well as the oil guage. Air-con is good but the real test will come in summer when it hits 48-50c in the afternoon. I just try to always park in the shade and keep cleaning the leather etc regularly.
I'm not going to be selling my daily driver in a hurry though.
Phuket has some good winding roads but that car is going to cost you a wad just to maintain. You really must want it bad. Good luck. |
Jeff Whitley (Phuket_jeff)
New member
Username: Phuket_jeff
Post Number: 4
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 7:16 pm: | |
Tourism has been taking off here for the last 10 years so the roads are actually really good now and there's a cool 20 km stretch that leads out to the airport where you could open it up. As far as mechanics go it would be the old fly the mechanic down from Bangkok scenario (labor is very cheap here!).
Thailand does have a 2.5 km circuit so some track time could be possible. Then there's the track in Kuala Lampur where they hold the F1 and I know they have stuff going on there.
Thanks everyone for the help and input on this issue. Sounds like the heat and humidity can be overcome. |
Nika (Racernika)
Member
Username: Racernika
Post Number: 507
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 10:30 am: | |
HAHAHAH no actually - I wouldn't :o) |
TomD (Tifosi)
Member
Username: Tifosi
Post Number: 635
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 10:26 am: | |
Nika
Would you wear the t-shirt for country club casual? |
Nika (Racernika)
Member
Username: Racernika
Post Number: 506
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 9:47 am: | |
Well - I just want a T-shirt from there! If anyone will be going soon - I will send over the money! It is the perfect shirt to wear here at the office on casual Fridays:
*Phuket*
(big grin) |
Ken (Allyn)
Member
Username: Allyn
Post Number: 385
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 9:41 am: | |
The best 10 days I ever spent was in a Dec in Thailand. Mid 80's and dry! Phucket was the best too. I can't imagine how much fun driving a Ferrari would be in Thailand but I'd DEFINITELY not be driving it in Bangkok!!! I'm not that good a driver. BTW, how does one find a Ferrari mechanic in Thailand? I imagine Bankok is the only place to look but that's quite a long tow from Phucket! |
Martin (Miami348ts)
Intermediate Member
Username: Miami348ts
Post Number: 2011
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 8:13 am: | |
Down her ein good old South Florida we have similar humidity as you have in Phuket. Been there before and it compares pretty good.
I have no clue where oyu can drive that car there. When I was in Phuket some 15 years ago the streets were dirt with pot holes the size of the Grand Canyon.
As for the mkelting of the plastic parts. There is an easy solution to that:
Take them off and scrub them under water with a powder cleaner, that bathroom sh*t that smells so bad. Rub it with a scratchy dishwash sponge and Just rub all the grime off. It takes a few minutes but it will come off.
|
Jeff Whitley (Phuket_jeff)
New member
Username: Phuket_jeff
Post Number: 3
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 7:44 am: | |
41 celsius, that's around 110 fahrenheit or so. No over-heating problems and the A/C works OK? Have you had to make many repairs that you could identify specifically due to the heat?
Yes you are correct that the 267% tax is an import duty that is imposed on cars greater than 2800 cc's and that have more than 220 bhp.
To give everyone an idea of prices a new M3 is about 178K while a 911 (non-turbo) is 255K. A new 360 runs 442K.
|
Najib Amanullah (Najib)
Junior Member
Username: Najib
Post Number: 115
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 5:42 am: | |
I think that's 267% Custom Duty or import tax. So a Ferrari will cost almost 4 times as much and have even fewer buyers (who can afford to pay) when you come to sell.
However, here in Saudi Arabia it is now 41c but my 348 is behaving rather well even in these hot temperatures. A 1993 should have had all the problems sorted out and the Air-con. isn't too bad either. |
Lung (Lung7707)
Junior Member
Username: Lung7707
Post Number: 63
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 11:27 pm: | |
U don't replace them...you scrub off the rubber coating and get it painted. Actually, its alot nicer looking after the paint job. Alot smoother finish. Very easily done. |
bruce wellington (Bws88tr)
Junior Member
Username: Bws88tr
Post Number: 166
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 11:16 pm: | |
JEFF
267 % TAX?? WHAT IS KEEPING YOU THERE??
HOW MUCH IS A GOOD HUMOR BAR??
BRUCE |
Jeff Whitley (Phuket_jeff)
New member
Username: Phuket_jeff
Post Number: 2
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 11:09 pm: | |
>>267% tax?! is that a typo?
No that's the tax here in Thailand and I think that Lung in Singapore has the same type of tax there.
Thanks for that info lung. Your heat and humidity there are just about the same as here.
Thank you also Robert in FL. I believe that your humidity is even worse there than here so it's good to hear that your car is handling it.
Plastic mouldings melting... Any replacement suggestions? |
Chris Young (Bimmerboy)
New member
Username: Bimmerboy
Post Number: 35
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 10:47 pm: | |
267% tax?! is that a typo? |
Lung (Lung7707)
Junior Member
Username: Lung7707
Post Number: 62
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 10:38 pm: | |
Jeff,
I live in Singapore, 1 hour south by flight. Never had any overheating problems on the engine. BUT!! the interior plastic mouldings in the 348 does melts...I have seen it happened to alot of the 348s and some 355s here. lung |
Robert Ginsberg (Chefrobear)
New member
Username: Chefrobear
Post Number: 6
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 10:29 pm: | |
Here in Florida the temp. lately has been in the mid eighties. My 308 handles it just fine although my A.C. just quit. Not to worry I usually don't use it anyway. In South East Asia though It might be the humidity and the frequent rains that may hurt the car. |
Jeff Whitley (Phuket_jeff)
New member
Username: Phuket_jeff
Post Number: 1
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 9:21 pm: | |
I live in Southeast Asia where the average high temperature is around 87 degrees with the low being 75.
I am considering purchasing a 1993 348 with 12K on it, but I've seen some posts here about F-cars not handling heat well.
Can anyone either confirm or deny tropical conditions (Magnum P.I. excepted) and how this relates to performance.
There is a huge 267% tax on foreign cars here so I'd hate to spend all the $$ to find out the car is not suited to this environment. |