My Experience Buying/Shopping For A New Car

[wandrinstar]

Thais just seem to buy a newer version of whatever the Neighbour has. Ive yet to see a Showroom here without some Demo Car, that the Bosses Wife uses.Generally again, the Finance is a Thais main interest,as trucks are for working.Next consideration is how much Bling for Your Buck.They never care about Fuel cause they Know they all do the same, give or take a split hair. I must be Thai.

[seriouseats]

do the same? my last car cost me 40% less in gas..

[katabeachbum]

do the same? my last car cost me 40% less in gas..

heard some others complain about Cruze 1,8 milage, how many clicks on your odo, and what is your present milage?

Had a look at it at Central today, 998k baht, but zero down and zero interest for police/public emplyoees makes it interesting

[seriouseats]

600km.. reset from 8.1km/l a couple days ago and now at 7.9..

But im almost driving mostly in Phuket town/bypass.. The problem is that the stupid transmission always changes to the wrong speed. I tried manual and if im not going above 50 km/h it wont let me go in 6th speed which is what honda does.. it goes into 6th speed if you're not pressing hard on the pedal.

Also when you release the pedal, it starts dropping down speeds quite abruptly, kicking the car and slowing u down very fast without letting u save some $ on neutral. (untill you hit 30kph then it goes on some sort of neutral-like speed @ 25km/l) Happens to me all the time, i get to 80-100kmh next to big c, then leave the car to get to the light by itself.. but i gotta start using the gas very soon because im at 50km/h when i hit farang restaurant.

Must be a way to hack the computer to at least be able to switch to any speed i want on manual..

But still happier knowing that i wont

Die in a horrible accident now that i have good airbags/strong body.

Don't have to be stuck with no cargo space. The car itself is as long and large as an accord.

Do not have to open my lights/rain wipers since its all auto.

won't die if i hit a pothole at more than 30km/h unlike in a city haha.

Other +'s are ++Status, possible of really good stable speed once thais get better with the engine(good mods in other countries as of now), Classy as phuck. All white with really dark windows(yet not dark inside), amazing projector lights, Parking sensors that actually feel small bumps, not just cars. Great quality clothe interior(the leather colors are quite ugly)

And my favorite.. the horn makes a deep sound instead of a gay beep like other LOS cars

Edited July 11, 2011 by seriouseats

[WarpSpeed]

Not only do you get Tire Kickers, you get Arrogant Oiks,in a Vyron look at me T Shirt.They ask you all the things they are sure you wont know, then tell you in a Loud Voice to impress other Customers in the Showroom.When they have made sure you dont know the Tyre Brand without looking,they inform you of the Valve Clearances. After rubbishing You and The Product, they get in their Truck and leave with a Loud IM OFF to THE VOLVO Showroom.This applies to Ferangs here only .As told to me by the Ford Dealer in Ubon Rat..Not that i imply this Forum has such Bums.

spot on , and sales staff general impression of farang, test drive and talking and dealing on price, but not buying

reminding me of late 2005, wanted a Fortuna, 3-5 months waiting lists, approached showroom, didnt even look at Fortuna, found senior sales staff, told him 10k baht in his pocket If I could have one in silver with Michelin tyres (hated the Bridgestones) within 3 days. but but you farang you need to look and testdrive, 3 days later we picked it up. Took me 2 days to sell Vigo, everyone happy

Yes, its unspeakable that someone wants to know the car, get a feel and make choice based on personal preference NOT on a word of someone else. All those 6.5 billion people have no idea, ONLY Thai dealers got it right.

Yes TiT....

[kuffki]

Not only do you get Tire Kickers, you get Arrogant Oiks,in a Vyron look at me T Shirt.They ask you all the things they are sure you wont know, then tell you in a Loud Voice to impress other Customers in the Showroom.When they have made sure you dont know the Tyre Brand without looking,they inform you of the Valve Clearances. After rubbishing You and The Product, they get in their Truck and leave with a Loud IM OFF to THE VOLVO Showroom.This applies to Ferangs here only .As told to me by the Ford Dealer in Ubon Rat..Not that i imply this Forum has such Bums.

spot on , and sales staff general impression of farang, test drive and talking and dealing on price, but not buying

reminding me of late 2005, wanted a Fortuna, 3-5 months waiting lists, approached showroom, didnt even look at Fortuna, found senior sales staff, told him 10k baht in his pocket If I could have one in silver with Michelin tyres (hated the Bridgestones) within 3 days. but but you farang you need to look and testdrive, 3 days later we picked it up. Took me 2 days to sell Vigo, everyone happy

Yes, its unspeakable that someone wants to know the car, get a feel and make choice based on personal preference NOT on a word of someone else. All those 6.5 billion people have no idea, ONLY Thai dealers got it right.

Yes TiT....

I do not believe its TIT, because if you call up the head office as i did, things change very quickly.

I think its down to the actual dealer and have a feeling if you bother to go all the way up the ladder, you may find that it is totally against company policy.

I got my test drive literally 15 mins after i contacted head office and reduced the waiting time from 1 month to maximum 2 weeks and head office was willing to give me company car for 1 week

[WarpSpeed]

I seriously dont know where you've got the info but i never heard of any thais taking a test drive for more than a few mins.. My gf said it makes no sense.. but then again most of her friends are decently educated and wealthy so they might not be dumb enough to ask a dealer for a 3days test drive(who in their right mind would even think thats possible?)

Best reason why test drive might be frowned upon at some places is that the test driver go crazy on the car.. They seem crazy around here and just 5mins ago. I saw a bunch of muslim farangs in a chevrelot captiva test drive driving 120kph and drift breaking at a busy uturn (in the oposite uturn lane fortunately no one was uturning also they went in front of 2 people already waiting to turn) almost crashing into oncoming traffic.. Saw them doing a bunch of other bad maneuver while they were in front of me on a long road..

Most test driving cars i have seen around from mitsu and chevy are all going extremely fast and its usually by people who probably don't own a license.

I test drive a car the way I'm going to drive it when I own it, no bad maneuvers but not like an old lady either, the car has to perform to the standards I expect from it otherwise what's the point? My motto is "better for it to break while they own it then after I've purchased it" which has happened all to often to me in the past and if they don't fully understand that, too bad..

[WarpSpeed]

spot on , and sales staff general impression of farang, test drive and talking and dealing on price, but not buying

reminding me of late 2005, wanted a Fortuna, 3-5 months waiting lists, approached showroom, didnt even look at Fortuna, found senior sales staff, told him 10k baht in his pocket If I could have one in silver with Michelin tyres (hated the Bridgestones) within 3 days. but but you farang you need to look and testdrive, 3 days later we picked it up. Took me 2 days to sell Vigo, everyone happy

Yes, its unspeakable that someone wants to know the car, get a feel and make choice based on personal preference NOT on a word of someone else. All those 6.5 billion people have no idea, ONLY Thai dealers got it right.

Yes TiT....

I do not believe its TIT, because if you call up the head office as i did, things change very quickly.

I think its down to the actual dealer and have a feeling if you bother to go all the way up the ladder, you may find that it is totally against company policy.

I got my test drive literally 15 mins after i contacted head office and reduced the waiting time from 1 month to maximum 2 weeks and head office was willing to give me company car for 1 week

The and the were supposed to indicate my sarcasm and in essence agreement with you..

[kuffki]

The and the were supposed to indicate my sarcasm and in essence agreement with you..

Did not mean to "argue" was just saying that this is not company policy but rather dealer's choice to behave in certain way.Every person can be turned into a potential customer , just like every customer can be turned into a tire kicker.

Off topic: reminds me of a situation when i was 19 years old(was not long ago )

One of my friends was from a very very rich family and decided he wants to buy a porsche, so he asked his dad for a blank cheque and of course it was not a problem.

So off we went to one dealer who had a nice looking Porsche for $300 000, my friend asked if he could test drive it, but was told to get out of the shop.( i do understand seeing 2 19 year old kids would get this kind of reaction)

However at the time, i was pretty pissed off, while my friend did not look bothered at all. He just left the shop and suggested we go across the road. Off we went

The other dealer had little more brain cells and allowed him to test drive, cut the story shot, he purchased that Porsche with all the extra's and ended up paying around $360 000

After doing the deal, he dragged me back to the first dealer, asked for the sales manager, told him of what has taken places not so long ago and then showed the sale contract.

The look on managers face was priceless, the sales guy who told us to get out i believe was fired that very same day. Do keep in mind this took place16 odd years ago when $360 000 was huge money,

Perfect example of "stupidity" and all sales guy had to do was ask some simple questions, such as name and perhaps how he was planning to pay. His name was and still is very well known in the country, and regarding the payment, he would

have showed blank signed cheque.

[surayu]

After doing the deal, he dragged me back to the first dealer, asked for the sales manager, told him of what has taken places not so long ago and then showed the sale contract.

The look on managers face was priceless, the sales guy who told us to get out i believe was fired that very same day.

Can you imagine how the same story could have turned up in Thailand? The manager arrive, the sales man confirm you where the two inconsiderate farangs interrupting his somtam/permanent nap moments, then the whole staff, manager included, join in a massive beating up of the would be customer/friend, at the same time all the taxi/motosay drivers stop to give you a good kick while you are inconscious on the floor.

Then the branch organize a staff's party to cheer up the hero sales man : " khun Somchai, you saved us from the huge annoyance of having to re-order a new car, updating the books, making phone calls and sending fax and e-mails around, i will propose you as the new manager for the next branch we open" ...how different that would be from the news we read everyday here in LOS?

[uglydogfarm]

I have had good luck in Nakhon Sawan at Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Honda. Was able to test drive and discuss financing options. I did not buy yet, as I'm still in "tire kicking" stage. But I did get follow up calls from Toyota, and Mitsu. All in all, a good experience.

[kuffki]

You have a very vivid imagination, Or you are speaking from experience.amazing after all those beatings you received , you can still type - lol

Ps. I suggest yOu visit a decent car dealership and see how it really works. Just BMW is an excellent start

After doing the deal, he dragged me back to the first dealer, asked for the sales manager, told him of what has taken places not so long ago and then showed the sale contract.

The look on managers face was priceless, the sales guy who told us to get out i believe was fired that very same day.

Can you imagine how the same story could have turned up in Thailand? The manager arrive, the sales man confirm you where the two inconsiderate farangs interrupting his somtam/permanent nap moments, then the whole staff, manager included, join in a massive beating up of the would be customer/friend, at the same time all the taxi/motosay drivers stop to give you a good kick while you are inconscious on the floor.

Then the branch organize a staff's party to cheer up the hero sales man : " khun Somchai, you saved us from the huge annoyance of having to re-order a new car, updating the books, making phone calls and sending fax and e-mails around, i will propose you as the new manager for the next branch we open" ...how different that would be from the news we read everyday here in LOS?

[wandrinstar]

I love the idea of phoning the Head Office.By the time you find someone with half a Brain in any Thai Office, the Model you reqire info on has been upgraded or replaced.

[kuffki]

I love the idea of phoning the Head Office.By the time you find someone with half a Brain in any Thai Office, the Model you reqire info on has been upgraded or replaced.

It's funny as that's what I thought but to my surprise when I called I got marketing manager within 5 mins and he spoke fluent English. He said he would call back and did call back in less than 5 mins, gave his personal number and was very pleasant to a point where matters were in his hands.

The moment matter got to sales- everything went downhill.

[FarangBuddha]

I would mention that there are 2 Toyota and Mitsu dealers on Sukhumvit (between Nua and Naklua end) and the ones on the north side were streets ahead of the ones on the south -

Doesn't Sukhumvit basically run north to south...so how can anything be on the "north" or "south" side of it (at least until it gets up towards the top of the Gulf and vears to the left)? Maybe you could clarify by stating the good ones are on the side of Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital or the opposite side or in the alternative are on the side of one driving north or driving south

Apologies for my geographical faux pax - I should have course have said on the East side - IE dark side of Suk. Or to be crystal the opposite side of the road to Bankok Pattaya Hospital.

Thx...that's the one I use to service my T too :jap:

[FarangBuddha]

and if you want to test drive, leave farang pattaya for a couple of days, and go to Thailand, sorry meant Bangkok, where dealers have test vehicles, trained staff, guts and money to order units not sold yet, IOW able to deliver without you waiting 3-6 months

Humm...I not sure a test drive sitting for an hour in a car to drive 1 kilometer down Sukuhumvit at 10 kph is going to give one much of a sense of a car Much better to test one in the provinces or Pattaya area, with the abundance of expressways and back country roads with little traffic. I don't know how car dealers operate, but aren't the "test" vehicles provided by the manufacturers? Also, probably a good way to road test a particular vehicle, after one has narrowed down the search to a couple models, would be to rent one for a day or so. Sure, it costs a few baht but when making such a large purchase, it can be justified IMO.

PS: What does "IOW" stand for?

[wandrinstar]

I love the idea of phoning the Head Office.By the time you find someone with half a Brain in any Thai Office, the Model you reqire info on has been upgraded or replaced.

It's funny as that's what I thought but to my surprise when I called I got marketing manager within 5 mins and he spoke fluent English. He said he would call back and did call back in less than 5 mins, gave his personal number and was very pleasant to a point where matters were in his hands.

The moment matter got to sales- everything went downhill.

What Company Head Office, Proton.?.

[katabeachbum]

and if you want to test drive, leave farang pattaya for a couple of days, and go to Thailand, sorry meant Bangkok, where dealers have test vehicles, trained staff, guts and money to order units not sold yet, IOW able to deliver without you waiting 3-6 months

Humm...I not sure a test drive sitting for an hour in a car to drive 1 kilometer down Sukuhumvit at 10 kph is going to give one much of a sense of a car Much better to test one in the provinces or Pattaya area, with the abundance of expressways and back country roads with little traffic. I don't know how car dealers operate, but aren't the "test" vehicles provided by the manufacturers? Also, probably a good way to road test a particular vehicle, after one has narrowed down the search to a couple models, would be to rent one for a day or so. Sure, it costs a few baht but when making such a large purchase, it can be justified IMO.

PS: What does "IOW" stand for?

IOW, in other words

[FarangBuddha]

and if you want to test drive, leave farang pattaya for a couple of days, and go to Thailand, sorry meant Bangkok, where dealers have test vehicles, trained staff, guts and money to order units not sold yet, IOW able to deliver without you waiting 3-6 months

Humm...I not sure a test drive sitting for an hour in a car to drive 1 kilometer down Sukuhumvit at 10 kph is going to give one much of a sense of a car Much better to test one in the provinces or Pattaya area, with the abundance of expressways and back country roads with little traffic. I don't know how car dealers operate, but aren't the "test" vehicles provided by the manufacturers? Also, probably a good way to road test a particular vehicle, after one has narrowed down the search to a couple models, would be to rent one for a day or so. Sure, it costs a few baht but when making such a large purchase, it can be justified IMO.

PS: What does "IOW" stand for?

IOW, in other words

Learn something new every day...never seen this acronym before...what's the rule for these...can anyone make one up and we're supposed to guess what it means

[WarpSpeed]

The and the were supposed to indicate my sarcasm and in essence agreement with you..

Did not mean to "argue" was just saying that this is not company policy but rather dealer's choice to behave in certain way.Every person can be turned into a potential customer , just like every customer can be turned into a tire kicker.

That's why I said TiT.... Of course it's not manufacturer policy, it's just TiT where it's all in the same vein, electronics and on and on..

[kuffki]

I love the idea of phoning the Head Office.By the time you find someone with half a Brain in any Thai Office, the Model you reqire info on has been upgraded or replaced.

It's funny as that's what I thought but to my surprise when I called I got marketing manager within 5 mins and he spoke fluent English. He said he would call back and did call back in less than 5 mins, gave his personal number and was very pleasant to a point where matters were in his hands.

The moment matter got to sales- everything went downhill.

What Company Head Office, Proton.?.

See the very first posting-MITSUBISHI

[katabeachbum]

The and the were supposed to indicate my sarcasm and in essence agreement with you..

Did not mean to "argue" was just saying that this is not company policy but rather dealer's choice to behave in certain way.Every person can be turned into a potential customer , just like every customer can be turned into a tire kicker.

That's why I said TiT.... Of course it's not manufacturer policy, it's just TiT where it's all in the same vein, electronics and on and on..

agreed, but as a guest in this lovely country, I accept 90% of the dealers do not act as I am used to or expect, so I purchase what I want, pay for it, enjoy it, and leave it to them to find ways to do better business.

Maker happy, dealer happy, I am happy, and next year when I want a new one, dealer still happy and I get what I want when I want at the lowest price they are allowed to sell

no hazzel, no dealing

LivinginLOS, simplifying life

[WarpSpeed]

The and the were supposed to indicate my sarcasm and in essence agreement with you..

Did not mean to "argue" was just saying that this is not company policy but rather dealer's choice to behave in certain way.Every person can be turned into a potential customer , just like every customer can be turned into a tire kicker.

That's why I said TiT.... Of course it's not manufacturer policy, it's just TiT where it's all in the same vein, electronics and on and on..

LivinginLOS, simplifying life

Never seen this once since being here almost 9 years now..EVERYTHING without exception is more convoluted, frustrating and discouraging then I've ever experienced in life from buying simple car insurance coverage where I had to fight to get MORE personal liability coverage for MORE money on an older car to ANY customizing you wish to do on your own car, it's all convoluted and those are just the automotive examples and don't factor in day to day business practices...

I just referbed a Toyota Crown and can't even begin to tell you how many times I was told mai me, mai dai or mai chai on everything from machine work and bead blasting of the head and manifold to gaskets to a new carb but guess what? I found those services and products anyway exhausting as it was, as I knew better and have a different "can do" attitude about doing the job right that is as foreign here as we are...Still had to do a personal cleaning on the parts though as a hot tank and concept of proper parts cleaning and inspection before re-assembly is every bit as foreign a concept..

[MoonRiverOasis]

Never seen this once since being here almost 9 years now..EVERYTHING without exception is more convoluted, frustrating and discouraging then I've ever experienced in life from buying simple car insurance coverage where I had to fight to get MORE personal liability coverage for MORE money on an older car to ANY customizing you wish to do on your own car, it's all convoluted and those are just the automotive examples and don't factor in day to day business practices...

I just referbed a Toyota Crown and can't even begin to tell you how many times I was told mai me, mai dai or mai chai on everything from machine work and bead blasting of the head and manifold to gaskets to a new carb but guess what? I found those services and products anyway exhausting as it was, as I knew better and have a different "can do" attitude about doing the job right that is as foreign here as we are...Still had to do a personal cleaning on the parts though as a hot tank and concept of proper parts cleaning and inspection before re-assembly is every bit as foreign a concept..

The trick is to understand when the person answering the question does or doesn't in fact know the answer - because you'll get one every time regardless...

Sound like you've got it mostly figured out though

[surayu]

You have a very vivid imagination, Or you are speaking from experience.

Well, for this particular case, none of the 2 options apply, i just like to read and see what happen around me, and if that wouldn't match my personal idea of how it should be, i just don't go on to deny it, what's the purpose of it?

[kuffki]

You have a very vivid imagination, Or you are speaking from experience.

Well, for this particular case, none of the 2 options apply, i just like to read and see what happen around me, and if that wouldn't match my personal idea of how it should be, i just don't go on to deny it, what's the purpose of it?

you the one trolling telling the story, so you tell me

[surayu]

so you tell me

Ok, grab my hand my son and let's go for this walk, you know, at first you gave me the impression of someone quick to pick things up and came up with the right conclusions by yourself, my fault on that evidently.

So let's start. It's a fact that locals tend to attack even with an unnecessary level of force for some of the silliest reasons (loosing face?) and others thais will just join in not because they find out who was right and who was wrong, but just in base of their xenophobic attitude. There have even been people killed just because they were "farangs", no other "guilt".

Now to the receipe you have to add the attitude you find when you go shopping around, and see how do they take great pride in doing whatever they like while at work, things like talking to their phones, texting messages, playing on pc, you name it, but trying to put some willingnes in their job or at least respect whom is going to pay for their salary it's considered as less then zero in their list of important things.

Can you see now how a fictional story could very well fit in with the everyday life in such a state of affairs?

[kuffki]

While the trolling,Ops sorry the story is telling is fascinating , the so called fictional story did not take place in Thailand which I did make pretty clear!

If you found difficult to follow it , I thought price quoted in $ not baht was an indication of the location.

I do understand that perhaps the amount was hard for you to grasp, but believe it or not there people with money and they do not retire in Thailand .

As for locals attacking , perhaPs if they see you as an easy prey- they sure will. Just like they will rip you off and scam you if they see a scared, lost little foreigner.

I have lived here for almost 9 years and have had Plenty of altecations and none so far dared to attack me.

But anyhow your theory's have absolutely nothing to do with the thread, so unless you have something relevant to add, may I suggest you troll elsewhere.

so you tell me

Ok, grab my hand my son and let's go for this walk, you know, at first you gave me the impression of someone quick to pick things up and came up with the right conclusions by yourself, my fault on that evidently.

So let's start. It's a fact that locals tend to attack even with an unnecessary level of force for some of the silliest reasons (loosing face?) and others thais will just join in not because they find out who was right and who was wrong, but just in base of their xenophobic attitude. There have even been people killed just because they were "farangs", no other "guilt".

Now to the receipe you have to add the attitude you find when you go shopping around, and see how do they take great pride in doing whatever they like while at work, things like talking to their phones, texting messages, playing on pc, you name it, but trying to put some willingnes in their job or at least respect whom is going to pay for their salary it's considered as less then zero in their list of important things.

Can you see now how a fictional story could very well fit in with the everyday life in such a state of affairs?

[wandrinstar]

The comments on the Cruzes Auto Box,does rather prove kuffkis test drive is a good idea. A change from a City,isn't one for the better if you don't like the Box. More so when buying into a relatively unknown product here.Chevy did offer me a test drive,and were polite.I only popped in from reading posts here.I sat in it only, and the Interior makes the Fords look like a Proton..Now i wish i had tried it.You don't expect a Wonkey Auto these days, especially from G.M.:jap:

[MoonRiverOasis]

You don't expect a Wonkey Auto these days, especially from G.M.:jap:

I think the words you were looking for are: "You don't expect a Wonkey Auto these days, except from G.M."