How To Proceed Buy A Secondhand Car In Bkk And Drive To Phuket ?

[Bagsida]

Hello,

I think about buy a second hand car (Ford Ranger 2.5, 4 WD, High-Rider, Open-Cab, 2006-2007) from a dealer in Bangkok and drive with it to Phuket.

Can anybody tell me how to proceed with the insurance and the plate ?

Thx

Bagsida

[fiddlehead]

1st of all, I'd be very surprised if the dealer cannot help you with the plate.

Insurance is a competitive business and there are tons of agents.

But before you buy a plate there and drive the vehicle to Phuket, are you going to live in Phuket? If so, it may be wiser to have a plate that says "Phuket" rather than Bangkok. (police tend to mess with you less if your car is local)

In Phuket, i know there is a govt. place not unlike our DOT or DMV back home in the states, where everyone goes to transfer the book (title). This is also where you get the plate. I imagine they have a similar place in Bangkok. i'd be really surprised that your dealer doesn't know where. I also had to get my truck inspected at an "official" place to check the brakes, headlights, etc. beforehand. (didn't take long and cost was minimal)

good luck.

[LivinLOS]

Get the dealer to do the name change.. When its in your name and you hold the book, drive it here then move the plate to a phuket plate.

It is possible to do it in reverse (buy it drive it here then do the ownership transfer and changwat change) but then your in a position of paying for a vehicle that you dont have in your name 100%.. Possibly OK with a dealer but not ideal if private sale.

Get the dealer to do it, its easy for them, harder for you..

[Tywais]

Get the dealer to do it, its easy for them, harder for you..

I agree. I bought mine (2nd hand) in BKK and drove back to Chiangmai. The dealer handled all the paperwork for name transfer. The plates go with the car, so the plates are still valid even in Phuket. However, still would be best to get new provincial plates or else if you decide to sell you would need to take it back to Bangkok. I drove with Bangkok plates in Chiangmai for nearly a year before deciding to switch them over.

[LadyinRed]

1. Car ownership book transferred to your name before you drive off for Phuket (no insurance yet!)

2. When back in Phuket transfer the BKK plates to Phuket ones at the transport office (quite straightforward but Thai language is a must).

3. You can see the insurance guys at this point - ours sorted it out before we receive the new Phuket plates.

[Bagsida]

Hello & thx for the replies,

yes I have a adress on Phuket already and I would prefer a Phuket-plate. Also I never will drive without registration and insurance and also want to be shure get no problems with the owership and with the police if the stop me on my way to Phuket.

So there are 3 ways (?):

1.) Buy the car from a dealer in BKK, the dealer do the paperworks incl. name-change, insurance, tax and (BKK-)plates. Result: I own a car on my name + everything for can drive with it to Phuket incl. insurance but with BKK-registration. If I want to have a Phuket-registration, I would have to change the plate on Phuket and bring the BKK-plate back to BKK - correct ?

2.) "Buy" a plate on Phuket and go with this for buy the car in BKK, where the dealer do all paperworks - but is this possible if I don´t know what car I will buy ?

3.) Buy the car from a dealer in BKK, the dealer do the name-change etc., drive with the BKK-registration (not on my name) to Phuket and change the plates here. Is this really a risk if the car still is registrated on the dealer if the name-change in the book is done ?

The best for my case I think would be case 2.) if it would be possible to "buy" a universal-platte incl. insurance (short-term until registrate exactly the car if bought) on Phuket.

Shure every dealer will help me, but also shure his first aim will be his profit and not have much work with it, so I try to get Farang-informations from the forum before.

I am not shure I understood the different ways for buy a second-hand car in your postings correctly, so please correct me if I´m wrong.

Bagsida

[Tywais]

So there are 3 ways (?):

2.) "Buy" a plate on Phuket and go with this for buy the car in BKK, where the dealer do all paperworks - but is this possible if I don´t know what car I will buy ?

Not possible because you will need the blue (registration) book with your name change in it before they will issue new plates.

3.) Buy the car from a dealer in BKK, the dealer do the name-change etc., drive with the BKK-registration (not on my name) to Phuket and change the plates here. Is this really a risk if the car still is registrated on the dealer if the name-change in the book is done ?

Once you have your name in the blue book (Tambian Lort) the plates are now effectively registered to you and not the dealer or previous owner. As for insurance, if the insurance from the previous owner has not expired then you should be able to use that until it's expiration date. The insurance goes with the car and not the owner (IFAIK).

[LivinLOS]

Option 2 is not possible.. You cant buy a registration plate for an unknown car.

Your over thinking it.. You get your name put in the book either in BKK or here. If done in BKK its yours (but BKK regged) and you simply drive here and change regions easily.. Ideal.

Or you get it from the dealer in the dealers name.. Drive it from BKK to here and then have it registered and region changed at the same time on Phuket.. Risks being you pay for a car and drive away without technically owning it.

There is a motoring forum for exactly these kind of questions.

[Tywais]

There is a motoring forum for exactly these kind of questions.

Good point since it is a general motoring question rather then a regional topic. Moving to Motor forum.

[Bagsida]

Thx for the aditional answers & sorry for post in the "wrong" forum - now I think I understand the different ways quite good and if further questions about this, will post it in the "motoring forum".

I think I will buy the car, let the dealer do the paperworks incl. name-change, insurance (if not from former owner), drive to Phuket and there change the plates - seems to be easy.

Bagsida

Ups....I am in the motorforum already - thx for move it !

Edited October 18, 2007 by Bagsida

[g00dgirl]

Does it really take a car dealership in Bangkok up to 2 weeks to get the name in the registration book changed into the name of the new owner?