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Buying a New Car in Pattaya


jamie2009

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You have my sympathy with Pattaya main dealers.

Some 5 years ago I wanted to buy a Honda City and went to the main dealer. "No have, but look we have new Honda Jazz". I said I wanted a City because of the boot size for playing golf.

"No, no, you want Honda Jazz" was all I could get out of the mini skirted girl.

Eventually, I got the manager and the best they could do was show me a City in the poorly lit underground car park, the car belonging to an employee!.

I just left and went to Toyota and tried a Vios. I decided to buy that instead. So I ordered it in a specific colour. Two weeks later they phoned me and said it was ready. Blow me, if it wasn't the precise colour I ordered, but funnily enough I preferred the colour of the offered car and went ahead with the purchase. I've been very pleased with the vehicle.

However, when I went back a few weeks later to pick up the English version of the owners handbook the salesman admitted that the car I bought had been ordered by another farang who could not get the finance!!

So, basically, both main dealers are pretty shoddy in the way the deal with customers. Obviously, if the car had been a completely different colour (i.e. I ordered black and the vehicle was Yellow) then I would have refused it. But, you have to admire the brass neck of the salesman who admitted to me when I picked up my owners book, it was not the colour I ordered but it was the 'new, must have' colour!!

Both offered the major incentive of free mats. facepalm.gif

the Jazz has MUCH more actual storage space than a city because the seats fold down. If you want 4 passengers neither is going to hold anything anyway.

Just my two cents..bit I hope you are happy with your Vios.

Incorrect. The seats fold down on a City too. Mine is 3yrs old.

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Try Nissan instead , Sukhumvit , they are nice to talk to , they are used to foreigners there.

Not my experience a couple of years back. No English spoken on the Saturday we visited and staff actually ducked for cover scared they were going to get spoken to. Anyway, my Thai is passable and, yes they did have the car, no freebies or dicount and no we could not test drive.

Off to March Nissan at Laem Chabang (still Sukhumvit), still limited English but car we wanted available withing 72 hours (by obtaining from another dealer) discount, lot's of freebies and a test drive for as long as we needed.

Perhaps we were unlucky with the sales person we struck at Nissan Pattaya. Their loss Nissan Laem Chabangs gain.

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I am surprised Honda sell any cars. When i was looking at went to their main dealership in Na Jomtien. I asked for a test drive - no can do. I asked for a discount - no can do. I asked for free insurance - no can do. I asked if they had the model i wanted in stock - no have. I went across the road to the Mitsubishi garage and they said yes to all my questions and delivered the car within 3 days.

I dont understand the insurance bit you mention. You always get insurance with the vehicle.

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I am surprised Honda sell any cars. When i was looking at went to their main dealership in Na Jomtien. I asked for a test drive - no can do. I asked for a discount - no can do. I asked for free insurance - no can do. I asked if they had the model i wanted in stock - no have. I went across the road to the Mitsubishi garage and they said yes to all my questions and delivered the car within 3 days.

I dont understand the insurance bit you mention. You always get insurance with the vehicle.

It's a pretty standard "freebie" to include the first year's, what we in the West call "comprehensive," insurance "free" on new vehicle purchases. At least this is the case with Japanese and American brands...not sure if the same with the prestige European makes.

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Try Nissan instead , Sukhumvit , they are nice to talk to , they are used to foreigners there.

I second this, I own an Almera, auto, all the stuff they give you, 510k. Nice car, only 1.2 but powerful for engine size, extremely easy on fuel. Good size in cabin and boot.

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I am surprised Honda sell any cars. When i was looking at went to their main dealership in Na Jomtien. I asked for a test drive - no can do. I asked for a discount - no can do. I asked for free insurance - no can do. I asked if they had the model i wanted in stock - no have. I went across the road to the Mitsubishi garage and they said yes to all my questions and delivered the car within 3 days.

I dont understand the insurance bit you mention. You always get insurance with the vehicle.

not on the popular cars that has months of waiting time

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You have my sympathy with Pattaya main dealers.

Some 5 years ago I wanted to buy a Honda City and went to the main dealer. "No have, but look we have new Honda Jazz". I said I wanted a City because of the boot size for playing golf.

"No, no, you want Honda Jazz" was all I could get out of the mini skirted girl.

Eventually, I got the manager and the best they could do was show me a City in the poorly lit underground car park, the car belonging to an employee!.

I just left and went to Toyota and tried a Vios. I decided to buy that instead. So I ordered it in a specific colour. Two weeks later they phoned me and said it was ready. Blow me, if it wasn't the precise colour I ordered, but funnily enough I preferred the colour of the offered car and went ahead with the purchase. I've been very pleased with the vehicle.

However, when I went back a few weeks later to pick up the English version of the owners handbook the salesman admitted that the car I bought had been ordered by another farang who could not get the finance!!

So, basically, both main dealers are pretty shoddy in the way the deal with customers. Obviously, if the car had been a completely different colour (i.e. I ordered black and the vehicle was Yellow) then I would have refused it. But, you have to admire the brass neck of the salesman who admitted to me when I picked up my owners book, it was not the colour I ordered but it was the 'new, must have' colour!!

Both offered the major incentive of free mats. facepalm.gif

the Jazz has MUCH more actual storage space than a city because the seats fold down. If you want 4 passengers neither is going to hold anything anyway.

Just my two cents..bit I hope you are happy with your Vios.

Incorrect. The seats fold down on a City too. Mine is 3yrs old.

Whatever. I just knew my mates City could get 4 adults and 4 sets of clubs, so we could all go to the course in one car. I can only get 3 sets in my Vios.

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We can argue semantics all day long, but the simple fact is that the Jazz has more volume and storage space. Try fitting a refrigerator, large luggage or anything else large in a city or Vios sedan. It's not going to happen.

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In my experience, the salesperson seem less enthusiastic about cash purchases probably because they get commission on the finance too.

Limited stock and colour choice is a problem for the small dealers that don't have much powers compared to the bigger network... but to a buyer... why should I care.

Ideally good salespeople would ring around and trade and barter their stock with other dealers for you...

for my last car... I had my wife rang around all the dealers until I had found one with the stock and colour I wanted

Our Thai friends bought from Bangkok dealer and even had his car delivered to Pattaya by the dealer for less hassle than being given the run around by the local dealers.

Do visit the local dealer of course, especially if that'll be where you'll get your car serviced during the warranty period... but you don't have to buy from them... and in most case, the service department is run entirely by different group of people salespeople in this business seem very transient, some stay on at a dealership or brands for months or a few years and move one to other dealer or brand entirely, no wonder they don't know anything about the cars they're selling, ask them about service interval and cost for each service and they don't know off hand... even some basic functions of the cars they don't even know how to demonstrate...

I always check out the service department and check out the waiting room and if possible chat with the customers waiting for their cars... that's the best gauge of whether the dealer/showroom deserve your custom

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We can argue semantics all day long, but the simple fact is that the Jazz has more volume and storage space. Try fitting a refrigerator, large luggage or anything else large in a city or Vios sedan. It's not going to happen.

actually the measured volume of the hatchback vs sedan of the same model like Jazz/City Yaris/Vios the sedan do have bigger storage volume, as the rear boot/trunk overhangs the rear wheel by a lot more. For storing smaller things that fits in the trunk, like luggages and golf clubs you can fit more in while still having room for people to sit inside... the Thai brochures don't have the storage volume so I can't proof this yet, (normally in Europe the way to measure storage volume is the German VDA method of filling the space with 200x100x50 mm block, it's roughly brick shaped)

But yes, for practicality, a hatchback with the seat fold down will let you carry things like washing machine or tall potted plant

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In my experience, the salesperson seem less enthusiastic about cash purchases probably because they get commission on the finance too.

Limited stock and colour choice is a problem for the small dealers that don't have much powers compared to the bigger network... but to a buyer... why should I care.

Ideally good salespeople would ring around and trade and barter their stock with other dealers for you...

for my last car... I had my wife rang around all the dealers until I had found one with the stock and colour I wanted

Our Thai friends bought from Bangkok dealer and even had his car delivered to Pattaya by the dealer for less hassle than being given the run around by the local dealers.

Do visit the local dealer of course, especially if that'll be where you'll get your car serviced during the warranty period... but you don't have to buy from them... and in most case, the service department is run entirely by different group of people salespeople in this business seem very transient, some stay on at a dealership or brands for months or a few years and move one to other dealer or brand entirely, no wonder they don't know anything about the cars they're selling, ask them about service interval and cost for each service and they don't know off hand... even some basic functions of the cars they don't even know how to demonstrate...

I always check out the service department and check out the waiting room and if possible chat with the customers waiting for their cars... that's the best gauge of whether the dealer/showroom deserve your custom

When buying cars, an all cash purchase often doesn't garner any discount for the reason you stated...even in the US. In fact, the finance buyer can often get a lower initial price (of course more expensive after the loan is paid off) than the cash buyer because of the fees and other "padding" built into a finance transaction. Of course, another factor is what, if any, dealer incentives the manufacturer may be offering at the moment.

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Having lost our new Toyota 1 week before delivery, (I believe someone else offered a premium as there was a waiting list) we were referred by a friend to a dealership in BKK who could source the cars quicker than here in Pattaya and was actually nice to deal with. We have now had two cars from the BKK dealership and are very happy with the service they give us. Initially there was a problem trying to get the cars free service here as the local Toyota garage said they wouldn't do it as we hadn't bought from them, 1 hour later after a phone call from the lady at the BKK dealership and the car was in for its service.

However seems to be a worldwide problem with car dealerships same as insurance sales men and lawyers.

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This is a Pattaya thing, so to show them your finger....

Go Bangkok,or elsewhere both physically or electronically.

it all goes far back when the mafia (thai not the foreign) was controlling everything in Pattaya.......

i went into a dealership for high end cars (luxury) they just looked at me and said, we closed....

later found out they dont sell cars to farrangs.... only connected Thais and only by appointment....

Or even better, if you have no rush....

from 2018 there is 0% import duties on cars in ASEAN

Did i mention that cars are at least 50% cheaper in Laos?

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This just reminds me of anything simple in LoS turns into an utter farce. Ever tried to buy a pair of shoes....Have you got these in size 42? They come back with a pair of size 46..........

You live in Pattaya and the best deal you get on a car is to get in a car and travel 160 + km to Bangkok to buy what you want....

Meanwhile back on planet earth.............................

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This is a Pattaya thing, so to show them your finger....

Go Bangkok,or elsewhere both physically or electronically.

it all goes far back when the mafia (thai not the foreign) was controlling everything in Pattaya.......

i went into a dealership for high end cars (luxury) they just looked at me and said, we closed....

later found out they dont sell cars to farrangs.... only connected Thais and only by appointment....

Or even better, if you have no rush....

from 2018 there is 0% import duties on cars in ASEAN

Did i mention that cars are at least 50% cheaper in Laos?

The import duties within ASEAN are already quite low...it's the local Thai EXCISE taxes that are high and these won't change in 2018.

So when are you moving to Laos...as for the rest of us staying in Thailand, whatever cars cost in Laos is irrelevant.

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When buying cars, an all cash purchase often doesn't garner any discount for the reason you stated...even in the US. In fact, the finance buyer can often get a lower initial price (of course more expensive after the loan is paid off) than the cash buyer because of the fees and other "padding" built into a finance transaction. Of course, another factor is what, if any, dealer incentives the manufacturer may be offering at the moment.

The system in Thailand looks like the manufacturer sets the price and allocated a 'margin' the dealer can spend on 'feebies' thrown in from insurance to mat and windows tint... this could be in the rang of around 30-50,000 baht... depending on the model and trim some dealer keep parts of this themselves, some like to buy in third-party accessories to appear better valued... some just discount the car's price instead

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My first Fortuner I bought in Bangkok. The last two (replacements) in Pattaya.

Pattaya sales is horrible. No incentives, no service, nothing ... lazy bunch ...

My last purchase I had to order the car and wait almost 3 months (it was a trade

in for my old car plus cash). The sales lady lied and screwed me over for some

"extras" (wood panels, and running boards).

I am definitely doing my next purchase outside of Pattaya. I know it will be a pain

in the neck to drive around and find the dealers, but I am counting an experience

like I had with the bkk dealer on my first Toyota purchase.

I already know that any Toyota location will be happy to perform the service, so

the location of the dealership will be only once an issue ....

luudee

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If every car dealership had every model, in every variation of spec, and in every colour, they would probably have to stock 200 cars/trucks at any one time. That ain't gonna happen, and I don't mean just in Thailand.

It's fairly normal the world over that if the specific model/spec/colour you want isn't in stock, it must be ordered. The chances are if you have specific requirements, they'll have to order it. The time it takes to fill that order will depend on many things, but one to three weeks I'd suggest is average.

As to test drives - if you were blindfolded and rode as the passenger in equivalent manufacturers models, it's doubtful anybody would know what they are in.

New cars drive/handle/feel/smell like new cars. If anybody is making comparisons on handling, turning circles, HP, cabin space, boot space, accessories, etc ad infinium, then the best place is the internet.

A test drive of anything is practically a waste of time of the buyer and the dealer. You can't really test a car until you've bought it - so read reviews/comparisons and place your order.

Even back home, I'm sure most dealerships can sense a tyre-kicker. And I'm equally sure the same is true in Thailand, be the tyre-kicker a local or a foreigner.

On a different note, went to the Toyota dealer in Na Jomtien to get some work done on my aging vigo. Great reception, good English from the chick - she understood the need to check the idler pulley when changing a timing belt, and knew what a tie-rod end was. And pricing!! Couldn't believe it.

To flush the radiator, replace the full front suspension, bleed the brakes, replace the tie-rod ends, replace the fan belt, replace the timing belt and idler pulley and pressure piston, and replace all suspension bushes is only 20,000 Baht. Might be a few more if they have to replace the fan belt idler pulley and service the water pump. Cheap as chips. thumbsup.gif

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If every car dealership had every model, in every variation of spec, and in every colour, they would probably have to stock 200 cars/trucks at any one time. That ain't gonna happen, and I don't mean just in Thailand.

It's fairly normal the world over that if the specific model/spec/colour you want isn't in stock, it must be ordered. The chances are if you have specific requirements, they'll have to order it. The time it takes to fill that order will depend on many things, but one to three weeks I'd suggest is average.

As to test drives - if you were blindfolded and rode as the passenger in equivalent manufacturers models, it's doubtful anybody would know what they are in.

New cars drive/handle/feel/smell like new cars. If anybody is making comparisons on handling, turning circles, HP, cabin space, boot space, accessories, etc ad infinium, then the best place is the internet.

A test drive of anything is practically a waste of time of the buyer and the dealer. You can't really test a car until you've bought it - so read reviews/comparisons and place your order.

Even back home, I'm sure most dealerships can sense a tyre-kicker. And I'm equally sure the same is true in Thailand, be the tyre-kicker a local or a foreigner.

On a different note, went to the Toyota dealer in Na Jomtien to get some work done on my aging vigo. Great reception, good English from the chick - she understood the need to check the idler pulley when changing a timing belt, and knew what a tie-rod end was. And pricing!! Couldn't believe it.

To flush the radiator, replace the full front suspension, bleed the brakes, replace the tie-rod ends, replace the fan belt, replace the timing belt and idler pulley and pressure piston, and replace all suspension bushes is only 20,000 Baht. Might be a few more if they have to replace the fan belt idler pulley and service the water pump. Cheap as chips. thumbsup.gif

I don't know where your from but in the UK every major car dealealer has at least one model of every car of the manufacturers albeit in various specs.They will have other models available on site but not on show. They also have a computerised list of the current cars available or when they will be released by the factory.

Ok the manufacturers might have a different way of supplying Theo cars which means they do not have to pay for the car until it is sold.

Yesterday as I quoted the showrooms had 1/2 cars and loads of sales girls playing on their mobiles.

Discount is not normally available for cash in the UK, like here they want you to take finance, extended warranties etc, there isn't normally much profit in just selling a new car.

Test drive, it will give you a feel how the car handles, steering,acceleration, cornering braking etc, paying thousands for some thing without testing it is a no no for me. Surely it's in the manufacturers interest to provide a car or two which in the UK are normally sold on as 'demonstrators'

Is there a shortage of new cars in Thailand or do they have pay up front for them meaning they don't want thousands of baht sitting in their showroom.

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If every car dealership had every model, in every variation of spec, and in every colour, they would probably have to stock 200 cars/trucks at any one time. That ain't gonna happen, and I don't mean just in Thailand.

It's fairly normal the world over that if the specific model/spec/colour you want isn't in stock, it must be ordered. The chances are if you have specific requirements, they'll have to order it. The time it takes to fill that order will depend on many things, but one to three weeks I'd suggest is average.

As to test drives - if you were blindfolded and rode as the passenger in equivalent manufacturers models, it's doubtful anybody would know what they are in.

New cars drive/handle/feel/smell like new cars. If anybody is making comparisons on handling, turning circles, HP, cabin space, boot space, accessories, etc ad infinium, then the best place is the internet.

A test drive of anything is practically a waste of time of the buyer and the dealer. You can't really test a car until you've bought it - so read reviews/comparisons and place your order.

Even back home, I'm sure most dealerships can sense a tyre-kicker. And I'm equally sure the same is true in Thailand, be the tyre-kicker a local or a foreigner.

On a different note, went to the Toyota dealer in Na Jomtien to get some work done on my aging vigo. Great reception, good English from the chick - she understood the need to check the idler pulley when changing a timing belt, and knew what a tie-rod end was. And pricing!! Couldn't believe it.

To flush the radiator, replace the full front suspension, bleed the brakes, replace the tie-rod ends, replace the fan belt, replace the timing belt and idler pulley and pressure piston, and replace all suspension bushes is only 20,000 Baht. Might be a few more if they have to replace the fan belt idler pulley and service the water pump. Cheap as chips. thumbsup.gif

I don't know where your from but in the UK every major car dealership has at least one model of every car of the manufacturers albeit in various specs.They will have other models available on site but not on show. They also have a computerised list of the current cars available or when they will be released by the factory.

Ok the manufacturers might have a different way of supplying the cars which means they do not have to pay for the car until it is sold.

Yesterday as I quoted the showrooms had 1/2 cars and loads of sales girls playing on their mobiles.

Discount is not normally available for cash in the UK, like here they want you to take finance, extended warranties etc, there isn't normally much profit in just selling a new car.

Test drive, it will give you a feel how the car handles, steering,acceleration, cornering braking etc, paying thousands for some thing without testing it is a no no for me. Surely it's in the manufacturers interest to provide a car or two which in the UK are normally sold on as 'demonstrators'

Is there a shortage of new cars in Thailand or do they have pay up front for them meaning they don't want thousands of baht sitting in their showroom.

As my avatar states "New Zealand Kiwi", I'll leave you to guess where I hale from.

My experience of driving and buying new cars is that all new cars of comparable configurations drive more or less exactly the same. They sort of have to, because otherwise they wouldn't sell.

Sure the Top Gear team were able to push vehicles to the limit and were able to reveal comparative deficiencies amongst manufacturers/models.

So unless a dealer lets you take their demo to a race track so you can thrash it to the limit, a 10klm test drive will tell you absolutely nothing about performance. You're not going to find that the transmission kickdown is slow/fast, or that the brakes start to fade under pressure, unless you really stress the car - that's why it's better to let the experts do this and read their findings.

If a car has a quirk, they will find it. Blind spots, under/over steer, spongy brakes, poor cornering, good/bad suspension, etc etc. I've bought many new cars just based on specs and reviews. I've usually owned earlier models so know roughly what to expect. I drove my friends nuts when I'd alternate Ford/Holden/Mitsi/Toyota every three years. No brand loyalty. whistling.gif

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suzuki swift is a nice car starts at 442,000 baht

and truth be known, the Suzuki Swift has a lot more power than I expected, I have owned two Susuki SUV's, a Jeep Samarai, drove that all over Europe - a real chick magnet, who are tired of Mercedes and BMW's - real fun car and a Swift. contrary to all the so called 'experts' I never had that Samarai up on two wheels in any cornering maneuver at any speed. thumbsup.gif

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I don't know where your from but in the UK every major car dealealer has at least one model of every car of the manufacturers albeit in various specs.They will have other models available on site but not on show. They also have a computerised list of the current cars available or when they will be released by the factory.

Ok the manufacturers might have a different way of supplying Theo cars which means they do not have to pay for the car until it is sold.

Yesterday as I quoted the showrooms had 1/2 cars and loads of sales girls playing on their mobiles.

Discount is not normally available for cash in the UK, like here they want you to take finance, extended warranties etc, there isn't normally much profit in just selling a new car.

Test drive, it will give you a feel how the car handles, steering,acceleration, cornering braking etc, paying thousands for some thing without testing it is a no no for me. Surely it's in the manufacturers interest to provide a car or two which in the UK are normally sold on as 'demonstrators'

Is there a shortage of new cars in Thailand or do they have pay up front for them meaning they don't want thousands of baht sitting in their showroom.

There is a list of all the upcoming productions and allocations from the factory, on occasion with better salesperson, I was shown the printout of this list, if there is a vehicle in the colour and spec that I wanted but that car belongs to another dealer, they would ring around and swap it with one of the car they have in stock, or if the worse come to worse, refer me to their colleague in the showroom that has that car (and that salesperson probably now owe them one) .... but that's probably too much work for most lazy salesperson.

The way the dealer pays the factory is another source for frustration... looks like they have a clearing system where the factory send the cars out first, and once the showroom make the sale the factory send along the relevant documents needed to get the car registered... with the result being that cars are delivered without plates for months (resulting in use of the red 'trade' plates) Some dealer get their act together and register cars quickly, some waits until they have a bunch of customers and do it all at once....

One way to force them to get your registration quick is to make them agree that you'll only take the car with completed registration, by all means have the bank made out a cashier's cheque to the dealer for the full amount, wave the cheque around in front of them but don't take delivery until they have complete registration.... I did this once, the result is that my car was ready but it just sits there in the dealer's lot for a week.... I could have driven the car a way a week earlier without plates.... but having bought a car and had to wait months for the dealer to get my plate... I don't want to go through that again.

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  • 1 month later...

suzuki swift is a nice car starts at 442,000 baht

and truth be known, the Suzuki Swift has a lot more power than I expected, I have owned two Susuki SUV's, a Jeep Samarai, drove that all over Europe - a real chick magnet, who are tired of Mercedes and BMW's - real fun car and a Swift. contrary to all the so called 'experts' I never had that Samarai up on two wheels in any cornering maneuver at any speed. thumbsup.gif

I had a suzuki sj413 ( samarai) for a few years i really enjoyed it, but i was a bit younger then.

I took the swift for a test drive today along the 36 road, it was noisy and a bit gutless, it only had 10,000 on the clock, the saleslady said the Ciaz was quieter, so off we go another test drive, a little quieter but not great. (25,000 baht dicount on the swift and 40,000 on the Ciaz)

we have a 10 year old city auto with 113,000 kilometres, that we are thinking of replacing, and was a bit disapointed with the swift as it looks quite nice, we were only looking at paying around the 500,000 baht mark for an auto model, its only going to be used as a second car now, as i have got the new tritton for longer journeys, looked at the mazda 2 (30,00 discount) and the mitsu attrage( 30,000 discount). ruled out honda as they are a bit pricey bottom spec is close to 600,000 baht, with no discounts.

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The aThai automobile industry countrywide keeps a very limited supply on hand, you will always see more available cars at a used car shop then a new one. The one thing I did learn a few years back is that there are some dealers on the out skirts of Bangkok with a larger selection but still not a huge one.

You have two choices:

A. Rent a car and cruise every car dealer from here to and including Bangkok until you find what you want.

B. Find the car you might want on a second hand lot and take it for a test drive, once you are satisfied with all , the go to a dealer and place an order for what you want, it will take 2 to as many as 6 weeks.

Good luck

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