Buying a 2nd hand used car, what is the process and what should i take note of

[TheJoker999]

Recently i just paid a deposit for a 2nd hand used car. Still in the process of sending the car to the dealership to get a full inspection. 

What is the transfer process, and what do i need to take note of. Are there any chances that i get cheated? 
What if the car is still on finance from the previous owner, please do advise.

I have all my documents prepared such as my thai driver license, my certified address from my embassy.

Your help is greatly appreciated

Edited June 2, 2019 by truemove

[Lacessit]

Every chance you may get cheated. Winding back odometers is a national sport. At the very least, have a compression test done.

Personally, I wouldn't touch a car that is still encumbered by finance with a barge pole. Too many variables to go pear-shaped.

Buying a car from Asians is a lottery. Some are good with regular maintenance, others are not. If there are no service records, be very careful.

[cornishcarlos]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Buying a car from Asians is a lottery. 

 

Wow.... 

Don't you mean buying a 2nd hand car is a lottery ?

[geoffbezoz]

14 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Every chance you may get cheated. Winding back odometers is a national sport. At the very least, have a compression test done.

Personally, I wouldn't touch a car that is still encumbered by finance with a barge pole. Too many variables to go pear-shaped.

Buying a car from Asians is a lottery. Some are good with regular maintenance, others are not. If there are no service records, be very careful.

80% of pick-ups will have had accidents and normal cars around 40%. Just don't do it unless you know the history of the vehicle yourself and personally know the owner. Unless it is an old banger 2nd hand values are way to high. Best to go for a new one.

[Mansell]

Only buy from farangs you know.....unless the car is only two years old then a Thai is okay......I wouldn't trust the dealership to check the car out, most of them know zip......see if there are any maintenance records. Good luck.

[SpokaneAl]

In the US, for example, by entering some parameters, one can easily find out an approximate value of a used car, which gives the potential buyer, and seller, a starting point. I have never seen that in Thailand, which would give me pause. I see the same issue for reselling homes. Who knows what they should sell for.


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[TheJoker999]

39 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Every chance you may get cheated. Winding back odometers is a national sport. At the very least, have a compression test done.

Personally, I wouldn't touch a car that is still encumbered by finance with a barge pole. Too many variables to go pear-shaped.

Buying a car from Asians is a lottery. Some are good with regular maintenance, others are not. If there are no service records, be very careful.

 

29 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Wow.... 

Don't you mean buying a 2nd hand car is a lottery ?

 

23 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

80% of pick-ups will have had accidents and normal cars around 40%. Just don't do it unless you know the history of the vehicle yourself and personally know the owner. Unless it is an old banger 2nd hand values are way to high. Best to go for a new one.

 

16 minutes ago, Mansell said:

Only buy from farangs you know.....unless the car is only two years old then a Thai is okay......I wouldn't trust the dealership to check the car out, most of them know zip......see if there are any maintenance records. Good luck.

 

10 minutes ago, SpokaneAl said:

In the US, for example, by entering some parameters, one can easily find out an approximate value of a used car, which gives the potential buyer, and seller, a starting point. I have never seen that in Thailand, which would give me pause. I see the same issue for reselling homes. Who knows what they should sell for.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

Thank you for the insight guys, i'm planning to buy a 2014 continental car. Servicing records looks clean and nothing dodgy. 
How do i go about checking whether the car is still on finance? Please advise, thank you! 

Edited June 2, 2019 by truemove

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Wow.... 

Don't you mean buying a 2nd hand car is a lottery ?

Not necessarily. Good secondhand cars have service records. Brands such as Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan have good reputations for reliability. Sorry, forgot Honda.

Edited June 2, 2019 by Lacessit

[Lacessit]

29 minutes ago, truemove said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the insight guys, i'm planning to buy a 2014 continental car. Servicing records looks clean and nothing dodgy. 
How do i go about checking whether the car is still on finance? Please advise, thank you! 

A continental car is a gamble here, as not many mechanics know how to service them, and getting spare parts is an issue.

I understand if the car is on finance the owner will not have the blue book, as the finance company keeps that and won't release it until the loan is paid out.

Ask the owner for the blue book. If he/she can't provide it immediately, there's your answer.

[TheJoker999]

24 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

A continental car is a gamble here, as not many mechanics know how to service them, and getting spare parts is an issue.

I understand if the car is on finance the owner will not have the blue book, as the finance company keeps that and won't release it until the loan is paid out.

Ask the owner for the blue book. If he/she can't provide it immediately, there's your answer.

Thank you for all the advice given, really appreciate it! Planning to use the car for 1-2 years only. Its like a leisure car since i'm working from home. 
Thank you once again! 

[SteveK]

My Thai wife absolutely point blank refuses to ever even consider buying a second hand vehicle, the 4x4 and motorcycles we have were all bought from new by her. Back in the UK, I have always, always bought second hand, never had a problem and saved a huge amount of cash. Indeed my grandfather used to own a car dealership, even he said buying new is a mugs game, the minute you start the engine and drive onto the road you have lost thousands and thousands of pounds.

 

But this being Thailand there are some very good reasons why Thais are extremely averse to buying second-hand:

 

1. Second hand sellers still expect to get a significant proportion of the money back that they invested, often second hand prices are not that much lower than buying new.

2. Thai people are not renowned for their ability to stick to a servicing schedule.

3. They also have a lot of accidents, you could easily end up buying a total lemon. And as mentioned, there could well have been some funny business involved with the vehicle.

4. My wife is very superstitious, she says that you don't know if the car has been crashed and someone died in/outside of it, and it could have "ghosts". If I laugh I'm in trouble, I'm just telling you her viewpoint.

 

In essence, buying a used vehicle in Thailand definitely is very much a lottery, and I would definitely NOT trust my local garages to perform a comprehensive check prior to sale, and you won't have any chance of recouping anything from them if they declare a dud car to be worth buying.

 

If there is at least some service history with receipts, no finance outstanding (I'm not sure how you could be 100% sure of this in Thailand), and TWO or more reputable garages declare the car roadworthy, I think you'll be fine.

 

There was a recent story on here about a guy who bought a brand new Honda Wave 125i, which sounded like it had severe fuel injection issues, when he took it back to the dealer he was laughed at. So be extra careful.

Edited June 2, 2019 by SteveK

[TheJoker999]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, SteveK said:

My Thai wife absolutely point blank refuses to ever even consider buying a second hand vehicle, the 4x4 and motorcycles we have were all bought from new by her. Back in the UK, I have always, always bought second hand, never had a problem and saved a huge amount of cash. Indeed my grandfather used to own a car dealership, even he said buying new is a mugs game, the minute you start the engine and drive onto the road you have lost thousands and thousands of pounds.

 

But this being Thailand there are some very good reasons why Thais are extremely averse to buying second-hand:

 

1. Second hand sellers still expect to get a significant proportion of the money back that they invested, often second hand prices are not that much lower than buying new.

2. Thai people are not renowned for their ability to stick to a servicing schedule.

3. They also have a lot of accidents, you could easily end up buying a total lemon. And as mentioned, there could well have been some funny business involved with the vehicle.

4. My wife is very superstitious, she says that you don't know if the car has been crashed and someone died in/outside of it, and it could have "ghosts". If I laugh I'm in trouble, I'm just telling you her viewpoint.

 

In essence, buying a used vehicle in Thailand definitely is very much a lottery, and I would definitely NOT trust my local garages to perform a comprehensive check prior to sale, and you won't have any chance of recouping anything from them if they declare a dud car to be worth buying.

 

If there is at least some service history with receipts, no finance outstanding (I'm not sure how you could be 100% sure of this in Thailand), and TWO or more reputable garages declare the car roadworthy, I think you'll be fine.

I requested the dealer to send it to BMW servicing center to do an assessment before i finalize my purchase, so far the books and service history looks fine to me. Brake calipers are rusting for 1 side, other than that it looks fine. I guess i will have to wait for the report from BMW then. Car is 5 years old and the selling price has almost depreciated 65%. To me, its a very good deal and i might even make a profit if the car is in good and working condition.   I really hope the assessment turns out positive, cant wait!

 

[SteveK]

Sounds like you've got a good deal, I would still want an independent garage to check it over, cost will be negligible. Would you care to say how much you are spending? 

[TheJoker999]

14 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Sounds like you've got a good deal, I would still want an independent garage to check it over, cost will be negligible. Would you care to say how much you are spending? 

Getting a 2014 bmw 6 series coupe for 1.3mil with 80,000km on it, tested the car and it seems to be all good
I doubt i will be clocking over 8,000km annually, thus i foresee that i wont have any difficulties selling it off 1-2 years time with a huge loss, or i might even make a profit aha.... Dealer seems reputable with a few branches, even offered to pay for the inspection if i were to confirm the purchase after i receive bmw report. I will take your advice and send it to a independent garage for a 2nd opinion, overall the shop was very happy to accommodate with my  requests. 

Edited June 2, 2019 by truemove

[DaRoadrunner]

3 hours ago, truemove said:

What if the car is still on finance from the previous owner, please do advise.

The blue registration book will either be with the finance company or at least have their stamp in it. Also have someone who reads Thai check if the registration name matches the owners ID card. A myriad of things can be wrong with a used car (especially when it has been in the hands of Somchai !), take a friend who knows a lot about cars, or drag Da Roadrunner out to look at it (ex UK motor trade).

Edited June 2, 2019 by DaRoadrunner

[SteveK]

Wow that price seems to be insane to me, but if you've got the cash and are happy then why not? I'd be terrified spending that on a 5 year old car which has half that value in the UK.

 

1,300,000 baht!

 

I hope everything goes well - no wonder the dealership were accommodating!

Edited June 2, 2019 by SteveK

[TheJoker999]

11 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Wow that price seems to be insane to me, but if you've got the cash and are happy then why not? I'd be terrified spending that on a 5 year old car which has half that value in the UK.

 

1,300,000 baht!

 

I hope everything goes well - no wonder the dealership were accommodating!

Their 6 series is going for 4.6m the last time i checked which was 3 months back. We cant really compare asia car prices with the US and UK..... Its dirt cheap over there imo. 
In singapore the cheapest japanese car is going for around 72k US and only works for 10 years haha! 

[DaRoadrunner]

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Wow.... 

Don't you mean buying a 2nd hand car is a lottery ? 

 

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

  3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Buying a car from Asians is a lottery. 

Both statements are true, but my mind boggles at some of the things I've seen wrong with Asian owned cars. Take the car to a main dealer and pay them to check it over (pay now save pain later!). Any faults found can be used to bargain down the price. The dealer also has a computer record of servicing.

 

Careful, there are a lot of accident damaged ones around with bent steering, suspension and chassis. Have you seen how a crab walks?

[TheJoker999]

8 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

 

Both statements are true, but my mind boggles at some of the things I've seen wrong with Asian owned cars. Take the car to a main dealer and pay them to check it over (pay now save pain later!). Any faults found can be used to bargain down the price. The dealer also has a computer record of servicing.

 

Careful, there are a lot of accident damaged ones around with bent steering, suspension and chassis. Have you seen how a crab walks?

Noted! Thank you for the advice! Hopefully, bmw will provide me a detailed report, hope no under table money between my dealer and bmw ahahaha

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, truemove said:

Noted! Thank you for the advice! Hopefully, bmw will provide me a detailed report, hope no under table money between my dealer and bmw ahahaha

I hope you are aware servicing costs for Mercs and BMW's are 2-3 times that of the Japanese brands. Although if you can afford 1.3 million baht for a car, I suppose maintenance is not a problem. Personally, if I had that kind of money, I'd be buying a new Honda or Toyota. Each to their own.

[TheJoker999]

11 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I hope you are aware servicing costs for Mercs and BMW's are 2-3 times that of the Japanese brands. Although if you can afford 1.3 million baht for a car, I suppose maintenance is not a problem. Personally, if I had that kind of money, I'd be buying a new Honda or Toyota. Each to their own.

I'm < 26 years old, single.... my first ride was a bmw 320 and since then i grew in love with bmw haha! probably japanese cars when i have a family next time

[TheJoker999]

16 hours ago, DaRoadrunner said:

 

Both statements are true, but my mind boggles at some of the things I've seen wrong with Asian owned cars. Take the car to a main dealer and pay them to check it over (pay now save pain later!). Any faults found can be used to bargain down the price. The dealer also has a computer record of servicing.

 

Careful, there are a lot of accident damaged ones around with bent steering, suspension and chassis. Have you seen how a crab walks?

I placed my deposit with the dealer for around 30,000 baht, after bmw finishes the inspection do i pay the full amount to my dealer or do i wait till they transfer the vehicle to my name on the blue book first? Do advise, thank you!  

[SteveK]

3 hours ago, truemove said:

I placed my deposit with the dealer for around 30,000 baht, after bmw finishes the inspection do i pay the full amount to my dealer or do i wait till they transfer the vehicle to my name on the blue book first? Do advise, thank you!  

Personally, I would forfeit the deposit and buy a brand new Honda Wave for 57,000 baht. Once you've had a few people hit your car whilst parked, and you've seen the repair bills, you might end up agreeing with me. But if you've got the money to buy it, service and repair it, then fair play to you, you're doing much better than me!

 

Don't believe the initial report - they have a lot to make from you by selling you the vehicle! There's a very good chance it has accident damage which won't be "noticed" by the mechanics, especially if offloading to a farang.

Edited June 3, 2019 by SteveK

[TheJoker999]

16 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Personally, I would forfeit the deposit and buy a brand new Honda Wave for 57,000 baht. Once you've had a few people hit your car whilst parked, and you've seen the repair bills, you might end up agreeing with me. But if you've got the money to buy it, service and repair it, then fair play to you, you're doing much better than me!

 

Don't believe the initial report - they have a lot to make from you by selling you the vehicle! There's a very good chance it has accident damage which won't be "noticed" by the mechanics, especially if offloading to a farang.

I have a R15 V3 sitting at home already haha, the bmw will be a leisure car for me, probably utilizing it once or twice weekly

[steven100]

make sure it's got all four wheels