Buying a new car.........you'd think it was easy

[Rampant Rabbit]

Times are hard for car sales.................down how much % now~? anyway its a lot,  yeah yeah electric cars blah up up up but getting up from a low percent is easy. Last year we sold 1  car this years its 4 .......sales up 400% etc etc

Electric  cars aside.....Told   quite few dealers (ALL CONDUCTED IN THAI) Wife wanted a Toyota Corolla  Cross Premium Deluxe and give me their best cash ONLY price........... those that bothered to answer "their" facebook ads  came back with the wrong  car model numerous times, then those advertising the right model never had it even when the ad was an hour old ( its just a lure) that one sold already.......

 

Then there were the two who asked me to come see the car in person and one of them didnt even have the right model in stock when I arrived (45 minute drive) and insisted I come look at the "beautiful" model down which was just a  10 minute drive away..............try 40km at another branch of theirs and a good 30 minutes, and still the wrong model .

 

Numerous unreturned  calls then one offer of 100k off as changing from NiMh batteries to Li-Ion ( not  fussed about that at least it wont burn NiMh)

Joined the Corolla Facebook page and posted what I wanted and what I wanted to pay maximum...............got laughed at by some members then deluged with crap from many "dealers" offering very little off and saying  they had ex  demo cars with few km on......yeah right try 5800km, i wouldnt call that a  few.

 

Finally  (week or so of looking phoning messaging)...........found a new one 0km, spec i asked for, colour and trim  for 970k baht Made in July 24, list1,204000, ....told  them no fripperies required.

 

Moral of story.........They couldnt sell gold if it was free and if I was Mr Toyota I'd be appalled, but  some good  deals  around with considerable effort and time wasted.

Pretty sure Toyota doesnt let them advertise ANY discount so to get round it they sell a  few as " demonstrators" anything from 100km to 5-6000 and still more than I was  willing to pay.

Lets  not mention test drives " no have" for some dealers..........hmmmmm but you want me to spend 1.2million and cant try it.

Collecting car tomorrow.

Personally I think the things a fat underpowered slug with a "stunning" 98hp Atkinson cycle engine and piss  poor  electric motor when the Australians get a 2.0  with way more hp..........hers  happy though, <deleted>wagon awaiting collection

 

[JBChiangRai]

Get with it and buy an EV.

[novacova]

27 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Get with it and buy an EV.

Wrong model 

[Rampant Rabbit]

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

Get with it and buy an EV.

I got with it and bought the Wife what she wants not what some dickwad in a wetsern govt dictates.

[Celsius]

2 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

I got with it and bought the Wife what she wants not what some dickwad in a wetsern govt dictates.

 

[henryford1958]

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

[LespaulAN]

I bought a Toyota Cross from a dealer in Pattaya, quite fuss free. compare price from 3 dealer in the vicinity and chose the cheapest one. 

[richard_smith237]

No sure what your point was with any of that.... It seems you wanted a car but didn't want to pay the price of the car,,,, 

 

 

Our experience buying our latest car.

- Saw it on Show at one of the shopping malls, liked it.

- A few days later drove past a show-room so decided to pop in and have a look.

- Had time so decided to give one a test drive.

- Liked the test drive, decided to buy one.

- Went through the bourchers and other cars in the showroom.

- Decided on Model Spec, Exterior and interior colour (ensured they had stock in country)

- Discussed extras (just the usual stuff).

- Chose tint.

- Paid deposit.

- Picked up the car a week later.

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

6 hours ago, henryford1958 said:

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

 

Thats just dumb people who get fear-mongered by the news rather than understanding real risk. 

 

But, there may also be an issue with 'charging' and how they 'charge you'....  which may be a reason, as its unfair for you to use the 'communal electricity' to charge your vehicle. 

 

Any decent apartment will have a set up of charging stations or options for you to charge your car and bill directly.

 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

No sure what your point was with any of that

duh...........you paid  full sticker price for a car? salesmans wet dream, the point is with new car sales down dramatically now's the chance to get a bargain.......... thats if anyone actually gets  back to you when you enquire. NONE of those extras are free its  all built in, ask for a cash price and theyll tell you  a  lower price and  no extras "free"

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

duh...........you paid  full sticker price for a car? salesmans wet dream, the point is with new car sales down dramatically now's the chance to get a bargain.......... thats if anyone actually gets  back to you when you enquire. NONE of those extras are free its  all built in, ask for a cash price and theyll tell you  a  lower price and  no extras "free"

 

Did I ????... how much was full sticker price that I paid for ?...

 

... you dont even know what car it is, let alone what the price was ya silly numpty !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vinny41]

58 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

duh...........you paid  full sticker price for a car? salesmans wet dream, the point is with new car sales down dramatically now's the chance to get a bargain.......... thats if anyone actually gets  back to you when you enquire. NONE of those extras are free its  all built in, ask for a cash price and theyll tell you  a  lower price and  no extras "free"

Personally I have found it better to keep how you will fund the vehicle until the end of negotiations as I don't know a single salesperson where their opening price is also their final price

Also seperated what extras are being funded by the brand and what extras are being funded by the dealer

Normally 1st class insurance free servicing , car recovery are all funded by the brand so no cost to the dealer

additional accessories such as carpets camera if required are funded by the dealer

You got a good discount because you bought a car that was made in July 7 months old

I know of dealers that will try to sell a 7 month old car for the same price as one made in 2025 but most people if there is no discount on the older car are going to choose the 2025 model

[atpeace]

8 hours ago, henryford1958 said:

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

No they don't. 

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, atpeace said:

8 hours ago, henryford1958 said:

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

No they don't. 

 

How do you know ???

 

His condo [the condo henryford1958 lives in] may very well ban EV's from parking or charging there....   

 

... There is no possibly way for you [atpeace] to know this one way or another...

 

 

I think its quite feasible that some condo's could come up with such knee-jerk regulations...  but thats beside the point - the point here is that its impossible for you to know unless you know exactly where he [henryford1958] lives.

[atpeace]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

How do you know ???

 

His condo [the condo henryford1958 lives in] may very well ban EV's from parking or charging there....   

 

... There is no possibly way for you [atpeace] to know this one way or another...

 

 

I think its quite feasible that some condo's could come up with such knee-jerk regulations...  but thats beside the point - the point here is that its impossible for you to know unless you know exactly where he [henryford1958] lives.

Yep, still calling BS 🙂 

 

[richard_smith237]

Just now, atpeace said:

Yep, still calling BS 🙂 

 

 

OK... So he... [henryford1958] is stating the Condo he lives in does not allow EV's from Parking there or Charging there. 

 

You are calling him a liar.... 

 

 

@henryford1958 - over to you....    Which condo / apartments are you living in ?

[stat]

8 hours ago, henryford1958 said:

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

Is that common in Thailand? Thx

[atpeace]

Just now, richard_smith237 said:

 

OK... So he... [henryford1958] is stating the Condo he lives in does not allow EV's from Parking there or Charging there. 

 

You are calling him a liar.... 

 

 

@henryford1958 - over to you....    Which condo / apartments are you living in ?

You really want a fight - 555.  Is this you virtue signaling? Cute 🙂  Rage on -you the man!

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, atpeace said:

11 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

OK... So he... [henryford1958] is stating the Condo he lives in does not allow EV's from Parking there or Charging there. 

 

You are calling him a liar.... 

 

 

@henryford1958 - over to you....    Which condo / apartments are you living in ?

Expand  

You really want a fight - 555.  Is this you virtue signaling? Cute 🙂  Rage on -you the man!

 

You've openly called another poster a liar - yet accuse others wanting a flight....      time for you to re-think what you've written.

 

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, stat said:

8 hours ago, henryford1958 said:

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

Is that common in Thailand? Thx

 

Only about 3% of Condo's / Apartments in Thailand have EV charging facilities...   So its likley most don't have the option anyway. 

 

And those which do have 'power points' may not be happy with residents using 'communal power' to charge their vehicle....  so that might explain the 'ban' on charging of EVs (i.e. via a granny-charger into a regular 220v socket).

 

But that does not explain outright the 'ban on EV's parking' there...  which could be a miscommunication, or a regulation the juristic committee have passed.

 

Lets not forget that recently one of the Ferry companies from Mainland to Koh Samui banned EV's - so its clear the waters on this matter are somewhat muddied and car from crystal clear. 

 

 

[atpeace]

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

You've openly called another poster a liar - yet accuse others wanting a flight....      time for you to re-think what you've written.

 

OK 🙂

[CallumWK]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thats just dumb people who get fear-mongered by the news rather than understanding real risk. 

 

Even in EV land (China) EV's are banned from underground parking lots in many places.

 

[richard_smith237]

25 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Even in EV land (China) EV's are banned from underground parking lots in many places.

 

 

I wouldn't deny it...  Fear is an amazing thing...  No so long ago were were all wearing masks and the world shut down.

 

If lived in a large condo I'm not sure how happy I'd be with 100 EV's from China parked underneath me...  even though I'm fully aware the risk of ICE combustion is far far greater.....   

 

Just wait until we are driving around with mini-nuclear-fusion reactors under the hood....   parking 100km away only ?

 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Did I ????... how much was full sticker price that I paid for ?...

 

... you dont even know what car it is, let alone what the price was ya silly numpty !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you do know that when an "?" is put in a  sentence what it means dont you ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????? numpty

[Rampant Rabbit]

5 hours ago, vinny41 said:

Personally I have found it better to keep how you will fund the vehicle until the end of negotiations as I don't know a single salesperson where their opening price is also their final price

Also seperated what extras are being funded by the brand and what extras are being funded by the dealer

Normally 1st class insurance free servicing , car recovery are all funded by the brand so no cost to the dealer

additional accessories such as carpets camera if required are funded by the dealer

You got a good discount because you bought a car that was made in July 7 months old

I know of dealers that will try to sell a 7 month old car for the same price as one made in 2025 but most people if there is no discount on the older car are going to choose the 2025 model

Dealers insurance prices are insane often 30k, roojai will cover the same for 7800 in the case of a  Corolla. all the other " freebies" are junk and can be  gottten for peanuts outside

I dont like wasting time with back and forths  with dealers, I tell em what I want and how Im paying, then the back and forth starts............but thats if they even bother to follow up. A 7 month old  car is nothing, go look round the showrooms and check them out, seen them over 18 months old and longer sometimes with the dumbasses  still asking  full  price.

The "age" and lets be  honest here,  really makes  little  odds when buying new only  difference is when selling and years down the line make s little  odds  compared to the up front discount,, you still get the same 5 year warranty on everything from the date of delivery, the only major  change if you can call it that on a Corolla is the switch to Li-Ion battery which I couldnt care  less  about, a  saving of  240k+ has a  far higher meaning to me. She keeps her cars for at least 8 years.

However as  some here want to waffle on about burning cars and  safety/charging facilities and as ususal  drift  off into other crap as  opposed to the main substance of good discounts ,poor  sales and <deleted> service then ill bow  out and leave all the  "numpties" ( apparently) to it. Meanwhile she can drive round in her "old" car😮

[josephbloggs]

On 1/22/2025 at 10:49 PM, Rampant Rabbit said:

Times are hard for car sales.................down how much % now~? anyway its a lot,  yeah yeah electric cars blah up up up but getting up from a low percent is easy. Last year we sold 1  car this years its 4 .......sales up 400% etc etc

Electric  cars aside.....Told   quite few dealers (ALL CONDUCTED IN THAI) Wife wanted a Toyota Corolla  Cross Premium Deluxe and give me their best cash ONLY price........... those that bothered to answer "their" facebook ads  came back with the wrong  car model numerous times, then those advertising the right model never had it even when the ad was an hour old ( its just a lure) that one sold already.......

 

Then there were the two who asked me to come see the car in person and one of them didnt even have the right model in stock when I arrived (45 minute drive) and insisted I come look at the "beautiful" model down which was just a  10 minute drive away..............try 40km at another branch of theirs and a good 30 minutes, and still the wrong model .

 

Numerous unreturned  calls then one offer of 100k off as changing from NiMh batteries to Li-Ion ( not  fussed about that at least it wont burn NiMh)

Joined the Corolla Facebook page and posted what I wanted and what I wanted to pay maximum...............got laughed at by some members then deluged with crap from many "dealers" offering very little off and saying  they had ex  demo cars with few km on......yeah right try 5800km, i wouldnt call that a  few.

 

Finally  (week or so of looking phoning messaging)...........found a new one 0km, spec i asked for, colour and trim  for 970k baht Made in July 24, list1,204000, ....told  them no fripperies required.

 

Moral of story.........They couldnt sell gold if it was free and if I was Mr Toyota I'd be appalled, but  some good  deals  around with considerable effort and time wasted.

Pretty sure Toyota doesnt let them advertise ANY discount so to get round it they sell a  few as " demonstrators" anything from 100km to 5-6000 and still more than I was  willing to pay.

Lets  not mention test drives " no have" for some dealers..........hmmmmm but you want me to spend 1.2million and cant try it.

Collecting car tomorrow.

Personally I think the things a fat underpowered slug with a "stunning" 98hp Atkinson cycle engine and piss  poor  electric motor when the Australians get a 2.0  with way more hp..........hers  happy though, <deleted>wagon awaiting collection

 

Great, congrats on buying your wife one of the most boring and overpriced cars on the market. Not sure what the rest of your post was about really, but enjoy!

[Rampant Rabbit]

2 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Great, congrats on buying your wife one of the most boring and overpriced cars on the market. Not sure what the rest of your post was about really, but enjoy!

her choice, did YOU read the bit about a  fat underpowered slug I stuck in there? If  the point isnt clear about low sales and big discounts I cant help you and if theres  any car that needs a big discount its that one.

[vinny41]

2 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Dealers insurance prices are insane often 30k, roojai will cover the same for 7800 in the case of a  Corolla. all the other " freebies" are junk and can be  gottten for peanuts outside

I dont like wasting time with back and forths  with dealers, I tell em what I want and how Im paying, then the back and forth starts............but thats if they even bother to follow up. A 7 month old  car is nothing, go look round the showrooms and check them out, seen them over 18 months old and longer sometimes with the dumbasses  still asking  full  price.

The "age" and lets be  honest here,  really makes  little  odds when buying new only  difference is when selling and years down the line make s little  odds  compared to the up front discount,, you still get the same 5 year warranty on everything from the date of delivery, the only major  change if you can call it that on a Corolla is the switch to Li-Ion battery which I couldnt care  less  about, a  saving of  240k+ has a  far higher meaning to me. She keeps her cars for at least 8 years.

However as  some here want to waffle on about burning cars and  safety/charging facilities and as ususal  drift  off into other crap as  opposed to the main substance of good discounts ,poor  sales and service then ill bow  out and leave all the  "numpties" ( apparently) to it. Meanwhile she can drive round in her "old" car😮

roojai yes offer lower premiums compared to brand insurance but normally the capital amount with roojai is lower

Toyota does offer a scheme to reduce insurance costs

**First-class insurance Toyota Care PHYD (Pay How You Drive, get a discount) for the first year, with insurance capital not exceeding 80% of the vehicle value (depending on the vehicle model under the campaign conditions), including 24-hour emergency roadside assistance

when buying cars new age and manufacturing date  is important for example last year there was 2 versions of the Corolla  Cross the current version was announced in February 2024 so its important to find out from the dealer when does the factory stop producing the older version and when do they start producing the current version and on the deposit form its a good idea to specify either the manufacturing month or state that you will only accept a car that is x number of months old

and they offer a scheme to extend the warranty  

Toyota Connected Frequent Service Rewards Plus (TCFR Plus+)

Get the right to extend the car quality warranty period up to 5 years or 150,000 km.

Get the right to extend the quality warranty period for the engine and powertrain up to 8 years or 225,000 km.

For hybrid engines, extend the hybrid battery usage warranty for 10 years*** along with a 5-year hybrid system warranty.

https://www.toyota.co.th/promotion/corollacross

[Rampant Rabbit]

4 hours ago, vinny41 said:

roojai yes offer lower premiums compared to brand insurance but normally the capital amount with roojai is lower

Toyota does offer a scheme to reduce insurance costs

**First-class insurance Toyota Care PHYD (Pay How You Drive, get a discount) for the first year, with insurance capital not exceeding 80% of the vehicle value (depending on the vehicle model under the campaign conditions), including 24-hour emergency roadside assistance

when buying cars new age and manufacturing date  is important for example last year there was 2 versions of the Corolla  Cross the current version was announced in February 2024 so its important to find out from the dealer when does the factory stop producing the older version and when do they start producing the current version and on the deposit form its a good idea to specify either the manufacturing month or state that you will only accept a car that is x number of months old

and they offer a scheme to extend the warranty  

Toyota Connected Frequent Service Rewards Plus (TCFR Plus+)

Get the right to extend the car quality warranty period up to 5 years or 150,000 km.

Get the right to extend the quality warranty period for the engine and powertrain up to 8 years or 225,000 km.

For hybrid engines, extend the hybrid battery usage warranty for 10 years*** along with a 5-year hybrid system warranty.

https://www.toyota.co.th/promotion/corollacross

we  got all that above, and we increased roojais payout to 900k up from 770k for total write  off, manufacture date was JUL 24 so its not even 6  months  old yet, some people were a bit pissed that at the motor show after taking bookings  they announced the battery change, i wasnt bothered by that.

[CLW]

On 1/23/2025 at 11:26 AM, henryford1958 said:

My condo bans EVs from even parking, or charging, there.

How long do you live here?

Do you really think this will be enforced?

The Burmese security guard surely knows all EVs and hybrid cars on the Thai market....

And as opposed to other countries Thailand doesn't have a dedicated license plate or mandatory sticker for EVs.