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

[Peterphuket]

Recently I also wanted to sell my Isuzu MU-X and buy a smaller model, was interested in Honda or Toyota Corolla Cross, went to Honda first, nice sales lady showed me the model I was looking she show me inside and outside and also let me test drive it.
Then to Toyota, well I was quickly done there, sorry sir, since Corona a test drive is no longer possible....
Huh, no longer possible? Then how can I judge this car, "sorry sir....."
NO, not sorry, but stupid!" and then I left the showroom.

Is this common at Toyota now?

[richard_smith237]

11 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

18 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 !!!

 

 

 

 

 

Expand  

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

 

It’s a question aimed at you... Now, without even knowing what car I purchased, the model, or the year, you have claimed that I paid 'full sticker price' for a recent purchase - something you can't possibly know which makes you look stupid.

 

So, you have made a statement and a claim about something you can't possibly know, which is absurd, and instead of accepting that, you have doubled down, making yourself look even more stupid.

 

Next, you have chosen to bring 'grammar' into the fray, as if it strengthens your argument, but you failed in your attempt to use grammar and punctuation accurately, making yourself look, you guessed it, even more stupid.

 

Numpty indeed.....

 

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

Recently I also wanted to sell my Isuzu MU-X and buy a smaller model, was interested in Honda or Toyota Corolla Cross, went to Honda first, nice sales lady showed me the model I was looking she show me inside and outside and also let me test drive it.
Then to Toyota, well I was quickly done there, sorry sir, since Corona a test drive is no longer possible....
Huh, no longer possible? Then how can I judge this car, "sorry sir....."
NO, not sorry, but stupid!" and then I left the showroom.

Is this common at Toyota now?

 

I'm not sure about Toyota, but other dealerships are certainly offering test drivers....  I suspect this is a policy of that specific dealership, or worse still, possibly even lazy sales staff who just can't be bothered.

 

But, I had the same issue with Honda a few years back - I was looking at an Accord, and first things first I wanted to see if I could fit in it - so I needed to move the electric drivers seats back. I asked the sales lady to get the keys so I could move the seat back... the answer... 'no have'....  This wasn't a language barrier, it was a lazy barrier... next I looked at the CRV and asked a couple of questions which the sales lady could not answer...     wife and I just walked away shaking our heads - we were probably going to buy one of those cars...   'defeat snatched from the jaws of victory'... I wonder how many failed sales happen because of terrible sales service - it seems they only care about sticking a bow on a car for a photo !

 

 

 

 

[Doctor Tom]

On 1/23/2025 at 7:23 AM, JBChiangRai said:

Get with it and buy an EV.

Not if you have a working brain cell.

[Peterphuket]

14 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I'm not sure about Toyota, but other dealerships are certainly offering test drivers....  I suspect this is a policy of that specific dealership, or worse still, possibly even lazy sales staff who just can't be bothered.

 

But, I had the same issue with Honda a few years back - I was looking at an Accord, and first things first I wanted to see if I could fit in it - so I needed to move the electric drivers seats back. I asked the sales lady to get the keys so I could move the seat back... the answer... 'no have'....  This wasn't a language barrier, it was a lazy barrier... next I looked at the CRV and asked a couple of questions which the sales lady could not answer...     wife and I just walked away shaking our heads - we were probably going to buy one of those cars...   'defeat snatched from the jaws of victory'... I wonder how many failed sales happen because of terrible sales service - it seems they only care about sticking a bow on a car for a photo !

 

 

 

 

I have noticed before that car salesmen here in Thailand know little to nothing about the product they are selling, for the same salary they work at Lotus or the like.

The Toyota dealer who wouldn't let me test-drive the car was in Thayang, so I drove to another one in Cha-am, where I got the same answer, except that the saleswoman had one of these models herself and was inclined to let me test-drive it.

[phetphet]

12 hours 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!

Likely that if she is happy, the OP get's a quieter, easier life than if she wasn't.

[swissbie]

21 hours 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"

It would be very unusual to get a discount if paying cash. Dealers prefer purchase on installments as they can make additional profits.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

I have noticed before that car salesmen here in Thailand know little to nothing about the product they are selling, for the same salary they work at Lotus or the like.

The Toyota dealer who wouldn't let me test-drive the car was in Thayang, so I drove to another one in Cha-am, where I got the same answer, except that the saleswoman had one of these models herself and was inclined to let me test-drive it.

 

I'm never actually bothered about a test drive itself...  I think they are fairly meaningless... It would be useful to have a car for a weekend and go on a road trip etc... and then we can truly evaluate its ride and comfort etc... 

 

... but in truth, its just car...  all I want to do is 'sit in it' and know if I 'fit'... (as some cars are too small, and I'm no giant, but in some cars I'm too close to the pedals....  so thats all I'm really bothered about. 

 

The next thing I'm bothered about is 'after sales service' and much of that depends on reputation more than anything else (and why I have avoided manufactures such as ford and more recently Honda).

 

 

[Doctor Tom]

31 minutes ago, swissbie said:

It would be very unusual to get a discount if paying cash. Dealers prefer purchase on installments as they can make additional profits.

How? The interest payments go to the lender, usually a bank. 

[swissbie]

Just now, Doctor Tom said:

How? The interest payments go to the lender, usually a bank. 

Car dealers get a provision from the lender. Go and try to get a discount when buying a new car with cash.

[Doctor Tom]

1 minute ago, swissbie said:

Car dealers get a provision from the lender. Go and try to get a discount when buying a new car with cash.

I did and I got a discount? . 

[Ralf001]

14 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

her choice, did YOU read the bit about a  fat underpowered slug I stuck in there? I

 

The wife or the car ?

[vinny41]

33 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

How? The interest payments go to the lender, usually a bank. 

Banks and finance companies offer huge commissions to the dealer salesperson 

Recently in the Uk they had to stop delivery of used cars to customers as there was a court ruling

Judges in test case rule it was unlawful for lenders to pay commission to car dealers without borrowers’ knowledge

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/25/consumers-win-uk-car-finance-case-could-billions-compensation

In the UK these commissions were secret between the banks and finance company and the dealer the figures were never disclosed to the customer

one customer found that 33% of their finance loan was made up of  commissions

some dealers didn't provide a broker service and research a number of Banks and finance companies to see what was the best option for the customer instead they went to who ever paid the most comission

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, swissbie said:

Car dealers get a provision from the lender. Go and try to get a discount when buying a new car with cash.

It is possible to get a discount when  buying a new car with cash just requires a little more work to find the right salesperson.

Some sales people are only interest in finance sales only some sales people are interested in selling cars regardless if it iis finance or cash only

sometimes you will need to contact a number of different dealerships to find the right sales person that willing to make a deal

[SiSePuede419]

Nice looking sled.  How do you get the surfboard in the back. 🏄‍♂️

[Rampant Rabbit]

23 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It’s a question aimed at you... Now, without even knowing what car I purchased, the model, or the year, you have claimed that I paid 'full sticker price' for a recent purchase - something you can't possibly know which makes you look stupid.

 

So, you have made a statement and a claim about something you can't possibly know, which is absurd, and instead of accepting that, you have doubled down, making yourself look even more stupid.

 

Next, you have chosen to bring 'grammar' into the fray, as if it strengthens your argument, but you failed in your attempt to use grammar and punctuation accurately, making yourself look, you guessed it, even more stupid.

 

Numpty indeed.....

 

youd   argue black was white wouldnt you............... A QUESTION mark after my "you paid  full sticker [price " means duh what??? Its asking did you pay  full sticker price, dont bother  arguing go bugga   off somewhere else and bore them sheiteless instead

[Rampant Rabbit]

13 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Nice looking sled.  How do you get the surfboard in the back. 🏄‍♂️

I stick it in here.....or here 

[Rampant Rabbit]

19 hours ago, vinny41 said:

It is possible to get a discount when  buying a new car with cash just requires a little more work to find the right salesperson.

Some sales people are only interest in finance sales only some sales people are interested in selling cars regardless if it iis finance or cash only

sometimes you will need to contact a number of different dealerships to find the right sales person that willing to make a deal

Theres a lot of "sales" people who are really just NOT sales  people, usually young girls chancing there arm and hoping for pot  luck, here today gone tomorrow, then there are those that go the extra mile and those are the ones its hard to find.

[Rampant Rabbit]

20 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

The wife or the car ?

You cant buy me.................bet you wish you could though eh🤣

[Rampant Rabbit]

20 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

I did and I got a discount? . 

and me got  a big f off 240k discount and  about 6  years  ago 100k off a  pick up

[Flyguy330]

My Condo in KL refused to approve installation of charging facilities within the covered garage area at the recent AGM. They are going to provide a charging bay in the exterior parking lot.

Simple fact is that many people are concerned about EV vehicle fires. Yes, petrol vehicles burn too, but not with the same intensity - fire departments here probably could not cope with an EV fire.

Besides that, they weigh two or three times as much as regular IC powered cars, and our building is old (and currently undergoing heavy rehab work for decaying rebar in support structures).

I'm all in favour of EV's, if you have a private house, a driveway, and - even better -some solar panels to charge it.

For Condo's - the risk to all outweighs the benefit to the few.

[kwak250]

21 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I'm never actually bothered about a test drive itself...  I think they are fairly meaningless... It would be useful to have a car for a weekend and go on a road trip etc... and then we can truly evaluate its ride and comfort et

 

The next thing I'm bothered about is 'after sales service' and much of that depends on reputation more than anything else (and why I have avoided manufactures such as ford and more recently Honda).

 

 

I also feel the same about a test drive.

Going up the road and back you can hardly get a feel for the car.

 

Renting a vehicle  for a few days if available is always a good idea.

 

I understand why you have avoided certain Manufacturers but interested why Honda is included as always been happy with their vehicles

[G Rex]

I would not buy a new car without driving one first.  You should not just accept the blurb from motoring journalists - they are not averse to embellishing the product after enjoying a slush-fund weekend away being financed by the manufacturer.

I have ordered and paid deposits on vehicles - and then found after driving them, that the experience was underwhelming at best. I have then cancelled my order - without any problem.

I have bought 8 new vehicles in Thailand, and test drive them all before purchase.   I have not had an experience like the OP has had - but maybe that is because I have never considered buying a Toyota!

 

 

 

[josephbloggs]

1 minute ago, G Rex said:

I would not buy a new car without driving one first.  You should not just accept the blurb from motoring journalists - they are not averse to embellishing the product after enjoying a slush-fund weekend away being financed by the manufacturer.

I have ordered and paid deposits on vehicles - and then found after driving them, that the experience was underwhelming at best. I have then cancelled my order - without any problem.

I have bought 8 new vehicles in Thailand, and test drive them all before purchase.   I have not had an experience like the OP has had - but maybe that is because I have never considered buying a Toyota!

The very first time I was buying a new car here (25 years ago or so) I went to Honda to try the Accord. There wasn't a lot of choice in the market back then. They wouldn't let me test drive so I walked out. Went to Nissan to look at a Cefiro, they let me drive a customer's car around the car park only. I ended up in another Honda dealer that did let me test drive the Accord properly, and I bought it. Can't imagine buying a car with having a decent test drive. Think it would be very unusual to not be allowed to test drive these days. (Oh, I did buy one car without a test drive as I knew I wanted it so badly: Subaru Impreza WRX).

I don't really like having the salesperson along for the ride but it is expected. Test driven BMW, a few Volvos, Hondas, even a Proton Exora which I had the whole family in - all put a salesperson in the vehicle. (And yes, I am one of the few people to be able to say they have bought a Proton Exora. Great value, never has trouble). 

 

Best test drive experiences: I walked in to Mercedes Thonglor and asked if I could test drive a CLA250 when they first came out. They said yes, took my license, gave me the keys and said off you go - no salesperson, just me on my own. Quite a fun little peppy turbo engine that got given some good exercise. I didn't buy the car though as there was an eight month waiting list.

Went to ask for a test drive of a Lexus IS250 many years ago. They gave me the keys and said "bring it back tomorrow". So I took it up to Pattaya and back, drove it a lot, picked up mates, it got a very thorough testing.  And I did buy it.

 

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

22 hours ago, swissbie said:

It would be very unusual to get a discount if paying cash. Dealers prefer purchase on installments as they can make additional profits.

How? The interest payments go to the lender, usually a bank. 

The bank/finance company pays substantial commissions to the dealer.

[spidermike007]

It boggles the mind, I hear car sales are down you would expect that there would be some motivation to move a vehicle.

 

One question for you, if you've driven the car around a bit what kind of mileage are you getting? That car is a consideration for me with our next car, but I can't seem to get any accurate information as to how much money I would save from the hybrid design. Do you have any idea how many kilometers per liter you're getting City and Highway? Thanks in advance. 

[bokningar]

On 1/23/2025 at 7:23 AM, JBChiangRai said:

Get with it and buy an EV.

No one can buy an EV out of interesst in eviromental inprovmen in Thailand, thats for sure.

[JBChiangRai]

25 minutes ago, bokningar said:

No one can buy an EV out of interesst in eviromental inprovmen in Thailand, thats for sure.

 

Would you include those who already have enough solar power to fuel it?

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, bokningar said:

No one can buy an EV out of interesst in eviromental inprovmen in Thailand, thats for sure.

Certainly a better choice than non BEV options, environmentally, if one even cares about, and I personally don't know anyone that does.  

 

Or they wouldn't be in Th if not born here, or walk and or cycle to get around, if they did come here.

[bokningar]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Certainly a better choice than non BEV options, environmentally, if one even cares about, and I personally don't know anyone that does.  

 

Or they wouldn't be in Th if not born here, or walk and or cycle to get around, if they did come here.

My point is that most electricity in Thailand is produced by burning oil, gas, cool.

Only 0,59 % comes from vind or sun. The so called " renewable" souses.

So why go to the trouble to use that.

It produces a lot of co2 just to get all charging stations in place. And to increase capacity everywhere.

If all people in the world would use EV/BVE all known copper in the world wouldn't be enough. The same with a whole bunch of other metals. Not enough.