New car - price negotiation range

[KurtCB]

Hi there!

 

I never bought a new car in my life. Neither in my home country nor in Thailand.
So I think it's time now ???? and I'm going for a new Honda Civic Turbo RS.

 

No experience in price negotiating so I am looking for help here.

 

The list price is 1,219,000 THB. I look out for good offers in Bangkok as I heard cars are here usually cheaper than in the provinces.
But the best offer I found so far is from a dealer in Chanthaburi.
They have this Valentines promotion right now: 60,000 THB cash discount, 10,000 THB petrol card and 1 year free insurance.

 

Is that a good deal? 

A friend bought a Pajero Sport 2 years ago for almost 1.6 Million. All he got was 50,000 THB discount for paying cash. Is that normal in Thailand or is my friend a bad negotiant ????

I am going to pay in cash too. Do you think it's possible to get another discount for paying cash on top of the Valentines promotion?

 

 

I hope someone will share their experience buying a new car in Thailand. Thanks a lot in advance!


regards
Kurt


 

[petermik]

yes its a good deal..take the offer to another dealer and ask if they can beat it

[transam]

Sounds good to me, dealers are not keen on cash as they make money out of finance deals, so bartering may not help paying cash.

PS. I like your choice of ride...Perfect for LOS, in my opinion, though for me it would be the CRV..????

Edited February 11, 2020 by transam

[JustAnotherHun]

I think it's quite a good offer.

Usually you get here not more than a one-year insurance and a small upgrade like tinted windows when buying a new car.

Very different to Europe (Germany), where you easily can get 15% or more depending on brand and model.

[KurtCB]

thanks so much for your replies!

 

Will go to Chanthaburi this Friday. Will keep you updated how it went.

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, transam said:

Sounds good to me, dealers are not keen on cash as they make money out of finance deals, so bartering may not help paying cash.

 

So right for me paying cash years ago, maybe different now.

When buying my new Toyota for cash 861,000 they wouldn't even knock the 1000 off at the time.????

[KurtCB]

I couln't wait until friday so I visited 2 Honda car dealers in Pattaya today to get a first feeling.

 

First in Na Jomtien. I did a test drive. After that I got an offer, clearly written down on a piece of paper.
The offer is ridiculous. However, the lady was nice and the service was OK.

I knew from my friend already that I can't expect any profesional consultation at a thai car dealer. So I went there already fully informed and he was absolutely right.

 

Then I went to the Honda Dealer in North Pattaya. I have never ever seen anything like this before.
No car available for test drive, absolutely no information about the car, no offer on paper - just a verbal offer. Well, to be honest, nothing to write down if you don't get a discount at all.
I want to buy a car for 1 million+. At least I excpect a coffee or a glass of water while waiting 10 Minutes (!) for a brochure.

 

Unbelievable ????

 

 

[legend49]

47 minutes ago, KurtCB said:

I couln't wait until friday so I visited 2 Honda car dealers in Pattaya today to get a first feeling.

 

First in Na Jomtien. I did a test drive. After that I got an offer, clearly written down on a piece of paper.
The offer is ridiculous. However, the lady was nice and the service was OK.

I knew from my friend already that I can't expect any profesional consultation at a thai car dealer. So I went there already fully informed and he was absolutely right.

 

Then I went to the Honda Dealer in North Pattaya. I have never ever seen anything like this before.
No car available for test drive, absolutely no information about the car, no offer on paper - just a verbal offer. Well, to be honest, nothing to write down if you don't get a discount at all.
I want to buy a car for 1 million+. At least I excpect a coffee or a glass of water while waiting 10 Minutes (!) for a brochure.

 

Unbelievable ????

 

 

Welcome to Thai car sales people. Where the customer comes last.

[spidermike007]

My experience has been that they do very little discounting here. Not like in the US, where you can dictate terms on a new car. 

 

That will change soon. Consumer spending is down and discounting will be coming soon to these arrogant car dealerships. 

[alien365]

4 hours ago, bahtboy said:

It'd be a good idea to ask for an instruction manual in English language when you place the order. Don't accept a "cannot"! 

I got my manual in English with help from Honda in India. I was told it did not exist here until I approached customer services in a different country. Then an English version was magically found and sent to me from Bangkok.  

[TheFishman1]

You should understand that if the dealership sell a specific amount of say civics they get paid back threw there parts department money from the manufacture as a owner of a dealership in the States we usually got between 35-95 thousand back each month. The best time to negotiate is like the last or second to last day that extra car could be worth thousands on the

manufacturers rebate ask to speak to the general manager usually salesmen don’t really know this good luck

[Zigcap]

58 minutes ago, KurtCB said:

I couln't wait until friday so I visited 2 Honda car dealers in Pattaya today to get a first feeling.

 

First in Na Jomtien. I did a test drive. After that I got an offer, clearly written down on a piece of paper.
The offer is ridiculous. However, the lady was nice and the service was OK.

I knew from my friend already that I can't expect any profesional consultation at a thai car dealer. So I went there already fully informed and he was absolutely right.

 

Then I went to the Honda Dealer in North Pattaya. I have never ever seen anything like this before.
No car available for test drive, absolutely no information about the car, no offer on paper - just a verbal offer. Well, to be honest, nothing to write down if you don't get a discount at all.
I want to buy a car for 1 million+. At least I excpect a coffee or a glass of water while waiting 10 Minutes (!) for a brochure.

 

Unbelievable ????

 

 

We bought a Pajero Sport 6 months ago.

 

Email or call all the dealers you can find Even in Bangkok. Negotiate the best deal. Get insurance, get a big discount and free service oil changes. That’s about all you can get. 
 

Bangkok dealers will deliver also. 
 

one dealer we put a deposit with, didn’t tell us the new model year was coming out the same week we ordered the old model. We passed and got the deposit back. Find out when new models come out. 
 

Most dealers don’t have stock. You will have to order. And any dealer that will not allow a test drive, walk away.

[rickb]

I think the offer you got in Chanthaburi is a very good offer.  In my experience in Thailand, having bought two different vehicles, they usually don't give a cash discount.  What I got each time were add-ons for free, like plastic rain guards over the windows, special floor mats, and other things that the dealer normally sells on site.  I also got the free one year insurance each time.  Make sure the insurance offered is Type 1, not Type 2 or Type 3.  I also agree with the other posters that suggest you won't get any further discount by offering a cash payment.  Dealers normally want you to take the financing because they make a lot of money on the interest.  So I suggest you try to have a local dealer match the offer from Chanthaburi or buy the car from the Chanthaburi dealer.   

[peterb17]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

My experience has been that they do very little discounting here. Not like in the US, where you can dictate terms on a new car. 

 

That will change soon. Consumer spending is down and discounting will be coming soon to these arrogant car dealerships. 

Fortunately we do live the US - so a comparison is not terribly relevant - ‘arrogant’ ? 

 

To the OP- I really don’t think you will get much of a discount - I bought two CHRs from Toyota ( brilliant cars!) - got a 10000 baht discount .

 

They threw in some accessories, glass coating and free insurance- 1st class insurance probably worth 25,000 per car.

 

The dealers are all corporate- they don’t have the authority to offer discounts unless part of a countrywide promotion.

 

Previously had a city - and found the servicing and customer service at Na Jomtien Honda to be excellent . 

I  

Edited February 11, 2020 by peterb17

[Jaxxper]

Sounds like a good deal to me. Last new car we bought here no movement on the price but they threw in free, window tinting, seal coat, underside rustproofing , a bicycle and 1 years insurance.

shop around but I’m sure in money to them it’s all the same, just variants on a theme.

[Sydebolle]

The cash has little incentive as the dealership/sales staff is getting commissioned by the finance company, if the customer (and most of them do) finance the car. So the car is paid in cash to the dealership, either by the customer directly or then by the finance company. Makes bargaining a little more challenging. 

 

In your case, define EXACTLY, what car/model you want; you might have to be a little flexible on the colour. You've done that with a "Honda Civic Turbo RS". 

Then visit all dealers within 60 kilometers and ask them for their best price. Get a name card and punch it onto a price list of that particular dealership. 

Then return to the closest dealership to your place/residence and tell them, that you got the best offer somewhere else. Yet you would place the order with the closest to home dealers - as they will have to do the free of charge services at the beginning anyhow; irrespective of point of purchase. 

Worked wonders each and every time; including Honda. The first year car insurance free is a normal freebie; they count on the fact that once you have an insurance you hardly change it. 

Good luck and be tough; nobody in this country sell you anything without a profit. So far the level is set in Chantaburi; not knowing where you reside you might want to consider the approach I've written further up. 

In closing, forget free umbrellas, plastic carpets, ice boxes and other <deleted> - it costs nothing - so tell them to keep the stuff and lower the price another 5K - 10K instead. Since finance companies these days are little more careful about their ever-increasing  figure of non-performing loans you stand an excellent chance of a good deal. Be open to a "last year's model"; Thais are crazy about their holy cow called "car" and hence go for the 2020 models only. 

[Stevemercer]

It seems the small motorbike/scooter market is much more competitive.

 

When I last brought a scooter they discounted the price by 10% and threw in free servicing for the life of the bike. 

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

Threw in free servicing for the life of the bike. 

Hmmmmmm, must have been a Honda.............????

[4MyEgo]

7 hours ago, KurtCB said:

I am going to pay in cash too. Do you think it's possible to get another discount for paying cash on top of the Valentines promotion?

The way I see things is dealers are struggling, albeit for the ones that go through finance, that said when I purchased my pick up 4 years ago from Ford, no other dealer wanted to deal (cash), Ford dropped their pants to the tune of 35,000 off of the asking price, through in one years insurance, floor mats, tray fit out, wind/sun visors on all 4 doors and I was happy with that.

 

After we purchased the pick up we got calls from all the previous dealers that we saw prior to Ford, we told them too late we purchased, oh, but, but, we could have negotiated...lol too late suckers.

 

The above said, if your happy with the deal, go for it, if you want more off of the top, then dig deep and play the field, i.e. if your not in a hurry, it will only be a matter of time before someone drops their pants.

[transam]

The good all-rounder.....????

 

[transam]

I would ignore all the freebie inexpensive stick-on stuff, it may cloud your "vision"...????

Edited February 11, 2020 by transam

[Crossy]

+ many on all of the above.

 

You may be able to get an interest rate deal on the finance, particularly if there's a vehicle show on. Be persistent, they will want you to go to the show to get the deal, tell them you don't do crowds.

 

Otherwise it's the usual, insurance, film (make sure you get quality), rain deflectors, bug deflector, mats, bed liner if it's a pickup.

 

[ross163103]

I've bought four new cars in Thailand and my experience is they do not come down very much at all from sticker price. The most I got off was 30,000 baht on a 1.6 mil car.  Unbelievable how little they will negotiate, must be supply and demand.......very little supply and lots of demand.

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, transam said:

The good all-rounder.....????

 

Too bad we don't get red here. I have the modern steel metallic one. 

I'm pushing ym wife to there the civic harchback turbo in sonic grey (so I can drive it). The crv doesn't like to be chucked around corners, but its not that bad. The civic will feel like a sports car in comparison. She prefers the honda city turbo, and is 500K less than the civic. 

 

Its best for the OP to shop around. We got a good deal with the crv - 40K discount, 3K / month for 1 year was also paid by Honda; cermaic coat, 1st class insurance, plus other bits and pieces. 

[CharlieH]

As others have said, my experience is also that of "freebies" and add-ons over actual cash discount.

You can also get finance deals on really low percent rate, why use your money when you can use others if the interest is low or even zero! 

 

Definitely shop around, even to other provinces. Good luck.

[sucit]

The best way i have found to negotiate is to pretend you are interested in a lower end vehicle when you enter, and ask what they would be willing to do on price if you jump up (to your original choice). 

 

They are gonna offer you a bunch of free stuff you kay or may not want. Window film etc. Some of the stuff is very nice. But mind you, that will just be a starting point in the negotiation. Try to chip a little bit more away from there. 

[Kalasin Jo]

9 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

I think it's quite a good offer.

Usually you get here not more than a one-year insurance and a small upgrade like tinted windows when buying a new car.

Very different to Europe (Germany), where you easily can get 15% or more depending on brand and model.

That's pretty  much what I got, plus some rubber footwell mats.

[CNXexpat]

Sometimes you can get test drive cars with a good discount. Ask for it.

[thailand49]

I wrote this over a year ago with my experience in buying a vehicle here in Thailand. I wasn't completely available the first time I made the first purchased year back the car for the wife.

 

Not in a hurry, months prior I went to the Bangkok car show. I spoke to a number of dealers in Bangkok heard the same thing they would give more off but the best I got was 10,000 baht off the list along with all the same items, tinted windows, truck liner, floor board, door guards, 1 year insurance. As noted not in a hurry I wanted to get a final answer can you really bring them down more?

 

With a number of quotes in hand, whenever I was driving around Chon Buri, basically Pattaya area I went in to see if I could do better. Basically the model was a Toyota Truck Hilux two models E (899,000) G (969,000) after a number of dealers not much movement but one day a dealer quoted me in writing finally E (869,000) G (939,000) with that in hand I went back to my regular dealer who I got the first car had him match or do better which he did came in at 865,000.

 

Based on ops report from my experience back in the States if they are offering a special discount this might be coming from the maker Honda might be able to get a bit more from the dealer?

[onekoolguy]

9 hours ago, bahtboy said:

It'd be a good idea to ask for an instruction manual in English language when you place the order. Don't accept a "cannot"! 

I sure wish I would have done that! In order to get one in English I have to go online and the cars are not exactly the same when built in other countries.