LETTER: Grey car market

I ENJOYED your article about the grey car market in last month’s issue. I think it did a good job of revealing a business in Bangkok that’s growing rapidly - the business of selling luxury cars to the affluent. 

One thing I noticed though is that the article mainly featured opinions from official dealerships who are losing out. There were no interviews with customers of luxury cars – is this because the customers don’t mind the risks in buying cars from the grey market and are happy with what they are buying?

I for one have not heard horror stories and I know many people who have bought their luxury cars and supercars through “greys.” They say that the advantage of lower prices justifies the future risk of expensive servicing, and add that the risk of confiscation by the authorities is virtually zero.  

The consumer is also confident that if he/she walks into a grey showroom and pays Bt20m for a Ferrari, that grey importer will not dare give them a less than perfect product, otherwise the dealership risks losing future business and its reputation. Remember - the rich also have friends.  

I suspect that many government officials, including customs, are part of this proliferation. In this case the real loser is the general public because, due to tax avoidance on auto import laws, there is less money into government coffers - a too familiar story in Thailand.  
Your article doesn’t exactly reveal how this “business” is conducted monetarily nor does it reveal the details of trickery and shortcuts we as consumers should be mindful of. But if I purchased a Porsche at a well-known grey importer and saved

four million baht, am I a happier consumer?  

Timothy M, Bangkok