My Visit To A Car Dealership

[phetaroi]

I did a little research online first, then we headed to a Toyota dealership up around Phayathai...we were going to be in that area anyway...just for a preliminary look...not to buy today.

We looked at a Toyota Camry 2.0 G. Just about what I wanted. Sticker price 1,269,000 baht.

So, a few questions, based on a mixed conversation of English and Thai with the salesperson (Thai) and my SO (also Thai), and me (American):

1. I asked about taxes and other fees and they said that the sticker price is the price delivered. Includes all taxes, etc. Does that sound right?

2. As a farang on a retirement extension the only paperwork I need other than what I Thai would need is -- visa, passport, and residence letter from the American embassy (they said the American embassy, rather than the Immigration Office, which though more expensive is also much more convenient). Sound right?

3. There's little if any bargaining...could ask for some spruce-ups for the interior. ?

4. A Thai friend of mine (actually a former student in America) suggests I let his friend do the dealing for me, for -- I assume -- a fee. We haven't talked in detail about that, but I'm trying to figure out the angle/benefits here. I do trust this Thai friend, but I'm not clear why this would be a good approach.

5. Anything else I need to know before I get in any deeper?

Thanks so much.

[RadekGCZ]

Dont expat much if 2yrs old camry costs same $ as new

Tell them other dealer offered you 30K discount, maybe you will get it also.

I got 65K discount for FORD Ranger - 930list price, but must pay for everything 1st class insurance, delivery, licence plate...

Minimum you should get 1st class insurance, delivery, licence plate... maybe 10k,20k?

[metisdead]

When we bought our Camry 2.0G 2 years ago, the salesgal gave us the reverse sensors, window tinting, and them plastic things outside on the doors above the windows. See the attachment for final payment.

scan0001.pdf

[phetaroi]

Dont expat much if 2yrs old camry costs same $ as new

Tell them other dealer offered you 30K discount, maybe you will get it also.

I got 65K discount for FORD Ranger - 930list price, but must pay for everything 1st class insurance, delivery, licence plate...

Minimum you should get 1st class insurance, delivery, licence plate... maybe 10k,20k?

I must apologize...my post wasn't clear. We were looking at a new Camry.

[RadekGCZ]

Dont expat much if 2yrs old camry costs same $ as new

Tell them other dealer offered you 30K discount, maybe you will get it also.

I got 65K discount for FORD Ranger - 930list price, but must pay for everything 1st class insurance, delivery, licence plate...

Minimum you should get 1st class insurance, delivery, licence plate... maybe 10k,20k?

I must apologize...my post wasn't clear. We were looking at a new Camry.

It was clear, maybe my English not clear, wanted to say, that Toyota has better name in Thailand than Ford, so my result will be probably better than yours at Toyota dealership... I was looking at basic Camry also, but have only 2.0 with 4ps auto and no ventilated seats and after having at home 6.3l with 7sp automatic with ventilated massage seats Camry will always loose, (cambry Hybrid at 1.6M THB has ventilated seat but trunk only 300+l)... So for me pick up is solution, Im in the middle of nowhere... Not BKK

[Gippy]

You should ask for some free extras for the interior for sure.

We got free insurance, tinting, muffler cover, trim around the lights, license plate trim, extra fender mirror, spare wheel lock etc. etc. on our new Toyota. Basically anything we wanted that didn't look expensive they gave us for free.

[Totster]

Be careful to check the level of insurance, when we got our free insurance, we were well underinsured. Probably best to get more of a discount and source the insurance yourself.

totster

[katabeachbum]

You should ask for some free extras for the interior for sure.

We got free insurance, tinting, muffler cover, trim around the lights, license plate trim, extra fender mirror, spare wheel lock etc. etc. on our new Toyota. Basically anything we wanted that didn't look expensive they gave us for free.

Toyotas end of year promotion ended 31/12/2552. Was very good, with cash discounts, insurance and freebies like 60-70k on my 950k Vigo. Next hot promotion is during BKK Motor Expo in March. Camry is getting old, so there should be some discount/insurance/freebies available.

My first Camry 2,4 in Pearl White end of 2006 when the 2007 just came out, all I got was film and reg/tax. take it or leave it, the que for takers was long, and when we took delivery (in BKK) a couple was waiting with cash in hand to see in case we canselled.

[katabeachbum]

Be careful to check the level of insurance, when we got our free insurance, we were well underinsured. Probably best to get more of a discount and source the insurance yourself.

totster

agree, ask what coverage and which companies you can choose from, and if you are not happy with is, ask how much discount to skip it. better to pay 10k extra for a proper insurance

[Spoonman]

It was clear, maybe my English not clear, wanted to say, that Toyota has better name in Thailand than Ford, so my result will be probably better than yours at Toyota dealership... I was looking at basic Camry also, but have only 2.0 with 4ps auto and no ventilated seats and after having at home 6.3l with 7sp automatic with ventilated massage seats Camry will always loose, (cambry Hybrid at 1.6M THB has ventilated seat but trunk only 300+l)... So for me pick up is solution, Im in the middle of nowhere... Not BKK

[eTiMaGo]

yep, they may not be able to give much of a cash discount, but you can push for accessories (they usually have a separate accessories catalog for each car).

I got stuff like fog lights, leather interior, alloys, front/side/rear skirts and spoiler, upgraded alarm system, window visors... Also it helped that the sales girl was my friend's wife's friend

[Gippy]

yep, they may not be able to give much of a cash discount, but you can push for accessories (they usually have a separate accessories catalog for each car).

If they don't want to give you any free stuff just go to a different dealer. The first one we tried said 'this is an expensive car for exclusive people who don't need to ask for free things'. What a bunch of phooey. The next dealer said 'what do you want for free', good attitude and she got the sale!

[eTiMaGo]

yep, they may not be able to give much of a cash discount, but you can push for accessories (they usually have a separate accessories catalog for each car).

If they don't want to give you any free stuff just go to a different dealer. The first one we tried said 'this is an expensive car for exclusive people who don't need to ask for free things'. What a bunch of phooey. The next dealer said 'what do you want for free', good attitude and she got the sale!

hahaha <deleted>??? Did you walk in there wearing shorts and sandals and a wifebeater? I have Thai friends who are pretty well-off yet don't like to dress like it, they use this as a good way of finding good salesmen... One day they asked one guy at a Sony shop how much a large screen rear-projection TV was, to be replied essentially "more than you can afford"... that went down well

[torrenova]

For starters, your insurance will most likely be at 80%. So you drive it off the forecourt, smash it up and you have lost 250k !!!! You can get this increased to 90% easily and perhaps 95% which will cost only an extra thousand or so.

Full main dealer repair to your Camry will come in around Bt30,000 I'd guess but you can get an accurate price from Thai Visa Insurance here and others. When I bought mine, they would only discount 16k for the insurance and I could not buy it in the market for that price so I took the "free" insurance.

All the usual things such as accessories, options and maintenance things such as under sealing are where you can bargain. How hard is actually not really down to you in many cases but rather down to what the manufacturer and main dealer are offering. Discounts on a personal level are not on par with western countries.

As for getting a Thai involved, there is no need. What you have to remember is that the Thai way of purchasing and their logic is totally different to us and the salespeople don't understand our ways.

When most Thai (and many other Asian nationalities) people go into a shop, they have already decided to buy and all they are going to do is a little face saving negotiation. That is what Thai sales people understand. We westerners are, usually, prepared to walk away and call their bluff. They have no response to this and can find it insulting. They don't see it as part of the negotiating process. You can make progress if they can speak English but involving another Thai is not going to get you a better deal and would probably end up with some carved up deal and commissions which should be available to you.

A letter from Immigration is all I understand you need. No need for anything from your Embassy.

The sticker price will not include road tax or number plate deposit or some other small costs. I think it was about 7k+2k+1k or about 10k on ours.

When you sit down with the salesman, he will go through and write down on a document which lists what he is going to give you and the cost of everything etc. Get an after sales accessory list and work out what you want him to "offer" you as part of the deal. I've found most will volunteer a whole raft of things when they know that you know a little about the system. You are then just pushing the boundaries. You'll have the car price, any extras, the inclusive servicing, any insurance uplift (this is critical and you will need this % to get the same next year). You will also see the guaranteed value for insurance purposes. Do the maths yourself (there is no 100% insurance that I have found). It will also list the holding deposit, usually around Bt10,000.

You have no contract at this point. Take this away and think about it. Compare it to another garage or manufacturer. Discuss other models, if that interest you. I found more leeway on higher spec models than bottom of the range.

Another point I noticed was that deals varied quite significantly according to the popularity of the vehicle in the location you were considering buying it. For instance, Toyota trucks are much more popular than Isuzu in Pattaya and thus, you get good deals on Isuzu and less deals on Toyota. Up country, where Isuzu rules, Toyota were offering much more in the way of incentives, Isuzu less so. That might make you think about where you buy the vehicle.

[lioness]

All I required was a letter from immigration, together with my passport. no requirement to go to one's embassy.

Cash discounts on new cars are minimal, but you should be able to negotiate a range of accessories.

shop around for Insurance, Terranova has got it spelt out for you with percentages.

[Gippy]

If they don't want to give you any free stuff just go to a different dealer. The first one we tried said 'this is an expensive car for exclusive people who don't need to ask for free things'. What a bunch of phooey. The next dealer said 'what do you want for free', good attitude and she got the sale!

hahaha <deleted>??? Did you walk in there wearing shorts and sandals and a wifebeater? I have Thai friends who are pretty well-off yet don't like to dress like it, they use this as a good way of finding good salesmen... One day they asked one guy at a Sony shop how much a large screen rear-projection TV was, to be replied essentially "more than you can afford"... that went down well

I keep the wifebeaters for home! I was nicely dressed in long trousers, shoes and a shirt. Maybe dressing down would have made it look like I needed some free stuff?!

The next problem we had was with the first finance company. They visited us a couple of times and everything seemed fine, the guy said we would be approved soon. Then they wanted a guarantor, which we gave them, then an increased deposit, which we agreed to. Then he said he had to come and see us again to ask for something else (first born son perhaps?). He came out to our modern, busy business in Bangkok and we asked him straight away what the problem was. He said there is no problem with our financial standing at all but 'this is a million baht luxury car and not some farmer's pickup truck'. Excuse me, here is the door, don't let it hit you on the way out!

We canceled that order explaining to the dealer what a jerk the finance guy was, went to yet another dealer and got everything sorted in 2 days with a standard 25% deposit.

[eTiMaGo]

If they don't want to give you any free stuff just go to a different dealer. The first one we tried said 'this is an expensive car for exclusive people who don't need to ask for free things'. What a bunch of phooey. The next dealer said 'what do you want for free', good attitude and she got the sale!

hahaha <deleted>??? Did you walk in there wearing shorts and sandals and a wifebeater? I have Thai friends who are pretty well-off yet don't like to dress like it, they use this as a good way of finding good salesmen... One day they asked one guy at a Sony shop how much a large screen rear-projection TV was, to be replied essentially "more than you can afford"... that went down well

I keep the wifebeaters for home! I was nicely dressed in long trousers, shoes and a shirt. Maybe dressing down would have made it look like I needed some free stuff?!

The next problem we had was with the first finance company. They visited us a couple of times and everything seemed fine, the guy said we would be approved soon. Then they wanted a guarantor, which we gave them, then an increased deposit, which we agreed to. Then he said he had to come and see us again to ask for something else (first born son perhaps?). He came out to our modern, busy business in Bangkok and we asked him straight away what the problem was. He said there is no problem with our financial standing at all but 'this is a million baht luxury car and not some farmer's pickup truck'. Excuse me, here is the door, don't let it hit you on the way out!

We canceled that order explaining to the dealer what a jerk the finance guy was, went to yet another dealer and got everything sorted in 2 days with a standard 25% deposit.

"Million Baht Luxury Car"? I wonder if he's ever handled the sale of a BMW or Mercedes Benz... "Sorry sir, I just can't let you have this car, it's a 5 million baht luxury car, that's just too much for anyone to handle"

[snowflake]

I remember a few years ago I wanted to take the plunge to buy the brand new C-class Benz... They had one on show at Carrefour, I sat in it, just finished work so was still nicely dressed. the gold chain was hanging out too see (was posing back then) and started to play with it. Here is how the conversation went down with the sales guy...

Me: how much is this car?

Him: it is 3.9 Million B.

Me: Ok, I want one, when can I get one?

Him: You can not buy this car?

Me: Why?

Him: This car is for show?

Me: Do you sell this model benz?

Him: Yes.

Me: Why can I not buy this car?

Him: qeprpafapoij fapofij a; (ranting on in Thai about not selling this car)....

Me: Never mind, I will not buy a car from you!

So end of this story is, Thai sales people can be quite stupid...

For the camry man, let your thai guy negotiate for you, he should do it for free (buy him lunch)... He can get a better deal if you sit down with him and let him know what options you want!

You will still buy the car, but after buying a few cars here in Thailand, I have found out that Thais can get more than foreigners can- Unless you know the people that sell the car to you!

Good luck!!!

[junkofdavid2]

the sales girl was my friend's wife's friend

Aren't sales people everybody's "friend?"

[Ahnsahn]

For starters, your insurance will most likely be at 80%. So you drive it off the forecourt, smash it up and you have lost 250k !!!! You can get this increased to 90% easily and perhaps 95% which will cost only an extra thousand or so.

Full main dealer repair to your Camry will come in around Bt30,000 I'd guess but you can get an accurate price from Thai Visa Insurance here and others. When I bought mine, they would only discount 16k for the insurance and I could not buy it in the market for that price so I took the "free" insurance.

All the usual things such as accessories, options and maintenance things such as under sealing are where you can bargain. How hard is actually not really down to you in many cases but rather down to what the manufacturer and main dealer are offering. Discounts on a personal level are not on par with western countries.

As for getting a Thai involved, there is no need. What you have to remember is that the Thai way of purchasing and their logic is totally different to us and the salespeople don't understand our ways.

When most Thai (and many other Asian nationalities) people go into a shop, they have already decided to buy and all they are going to do is a little face saving negotiation. That is what Thai sales people understand. We westerners are, usually, prepared to walk away and call their bluff. They have no response to this and can find it insulting. They don't see it as part of the negotiating process. You can make progress if they can speak English but involving another Thai is not going to get you a better deal and would probably end up with some carved up deal and commissions which should be available to you.

A letter from Immigration is all I understand you need. No need for anything from your Embassy.

The sticker price will not include road tax or number plate deposit or some other small costs. I think it was about 7k+2k+1k or about 10k on ours.

When you sit down with the salesman, he will go through and write down on a document which lists what he is going to give you and the cost of everything etc. Get an after sales accessory list and work out what you want him to "offer" you as part of the deal. I've found most will volunteer a whole raft of things when they know that you know a little about the system. You are then just pushing the boundaries. You'll have the car price, any extras, the inclusive servicing, any insurance uplift (this is critical and you will need this % to get the same next year). You will also see the guaranteed value for insurance purposes. Do the maths yourself (there is no 100% insurance that I have found). It will also list the holding deposit, usually around Bt10,000.

You have no contract at this point. Take this away and think about it. Compare it to another garage or manufacturer. Discuss other models, if that interest you. I found more leeway on higher spec models than bottom of the range.

Another point I noticed was that deals varied quite significantly according to the popularity of the vehicle in the location you were considering buying it. For instance, Toyota trucks are much more popular than Isuzu in Pattaya and thus, you get good deals on Isuzu and less deals on Toyota. Up country, where Isuzu rules, Toyota were offering much more in the way of incentives, Isuzu less so. That might make you think about where you buy the vehicle.

Torrenova, 'Thank You' for the valuable insight into the Thai psyche (and culture)!

IMHO, it's rare pearls of wisdoms like this that will help equalize the 'playing field' of the daily lives of us farangs living here in LOS! (I'm also so grateful because I'm learning this lesson just as I am about to purchase my first car here!).

[stingray]

I remember a few years ago I wanted to take the plunge to buy the brand new C-class Benz... They had one on show at Carrefour, I sat in it, just finished work so was still nicely dressed. the gold chain was hanging out too see (was posing back then) and started to play with it. Here is how the conversation went down with the sales guy...

Me: how much is this car?

Him: it is 3.9 Million B.

Me: Ok, I want one, when can I get one?

Him: You can not buy this car?

Me: Why?

Him: This car is for show?

Me: Do you sell this model benz?

Him: Yes.

Me: Why can I not buy this car?

Him: qeprpafapoij fapofij a; (ranting on in Thai about not selling this car)....

Me: Never mind, I will not buy a car from you!

So end of this story is, Thai sales people can be quite stupid...

For the camry man, let your thai guy negotiate for you, he should do it for free (buy him lunch)... He can get a better deal if you sit down with him and let him know what options you want!

You will still buy the car, but after buying a few cars here in Thailand, I have found out that Thais can get more than foreigners can- Unless you know the people that sell the car to you!

Good luck!!!

2 years ago i saw in big C a promotion of Hybrid cars. At least a big sign 'Hybrid cars" hang over all the cars. Different models. So one look like a squerry boxed Import Honda (like a Cube), don't know the exactly model. Asket the saleslady to pop up the hood and i dedected a normal 4 banger petrol engine inside and nothing hybryd at all. So i asked the Lady, where is the Hybrid (as there was nothing Hybryd on all the cars there). The Lady didn know what i asking about. After the Manager arrived i asked him the same question. He laughing at me and said there are Petrol cars, no hybrid. I asked him what the big Hybrid Car sign doing on the top of this car. He said: "Oh thats our companies name".

[onnut]

yep, they may not be able to give much of a cash discount, but you can push for accessories (they usually have a separate accessories catalog for each car).

If they don't want to give you any free stuff just go to a different dealer. The first one we tried said 'this is an expensive car for exclusive people who don't need to ask for free things'. What a bunch of phooey. The next dealer said 'what do you want for free', good attitude and she got the sale!

what an attitude! Expensive car for exclusive people who don't need to ask for free things! You gotta laugh. I find that it's the rich that expect everything for free normaly.

[mca]

If you play the TIT game where things are sometimes "flexible" in some cases you can make life a lot easier for yourself.

When I bought my car the dealer accepted a copy of the tabian bahn signed by my wife stating that I lived there along with a copy of her ID card because (being a lazy bugger) I couldn't be bothered to get a "letter of residence" or whatever.

Of course I'm not saying this will work in every situation but if you shop around then who knows.

[eTiMaGo]

I asked him what the big Hybrid Car sign doing on the top of this car. He said: "Oh thats our companies name".

OK that had me laughing out loud in the office, thanks

[Loz]

just my two peneth, don't use a third party.

If there is any mistake anywhere along the line then things could get uncomfortable and you may lose a friend.

Don't think things can go wrong?

A thai friend of mine had a sister who on getting a better job at a new firm decided to buy a Chevy Optra fully loaded. Did the deal and then got a call from the dealer. Oh there has been a mistake, the sales person told you the wrong price. The payments aren't 6700bht they are 10000bht, ok?

NOT OK.

went back with her mum, both knowing that she could not afford the car now. Dealer claimed they would have to take the money from the sales person if they didn't sign a new contract to the new payment figure. (they had paid the deposit and were driving the car!)

Mum ( out of Grain Jai?) said she'd make up the difference (for the NEXT 4 YEARS!!!) and they settled for that. Now bare in mind this was a Thai on Thai deal. I don't imagine a farang would be so considerate under those circs...

Anyway, just a word to the wise, be careful.

[Sam Drucker]

I'm looking for a new car now . . . . the buying process certainly isn't what I am used to in America. Dealers seem to have little to no inventory, the "Build your own car" optiopn on manufacturer's websites is not present (in fact, there is no such thing as ordering a car with the options you want. They just build them to different trim levels, and you get the options you want by trim level.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is about the Owner's Manuals. On the Mazda's and Chevrolet's I've looked at, they are printed in Thai only. I insisted on an English language manual before signing any papers. They DO exist, and your leverage to get this is before making the deal. I told them I was okay with one in .PDF format . . . I didn't need it to be a printed book. But I was firm about "No English, no Sale." That got their attention and they emailed me a manual a few days later.

There's enough information in these manuals (including maintenance schedules, specifications, operating instructions, and safety warnings) that I'm not going to mess around with an important resource like that being in a language I don't read! I actually read through the manual before placing an order, because I wanted to understand better how some of the options functioned. Then I could better decide what trim level I wanted to order.

I have a farang friend that just bought a new car, didn't think to ask for an English manual, and is griping that he doesn't know how to operate some of the advanced functions of his sound system because the owner's manual is in Thai.

[Gippy]

I'm looking for a new car now . . . . the buying process certainly isn't what I am used to in America. Dealers seem to have little to no inventory, the "Build your own car" optiopn on manufacturer's websites is not present (in fact, there is no such thing as ordering a car with the options you want. They just build them to different trim levels, and you get the options you want by trim level.

This must depend on the dealer or brand. We just ordered a new Toyota and got just the options that we wanted with no problems at all.

[patong]

just bought this toyota viso, and had lots of problems with the car. i will never buy a toyota again.

[Totster]

just bought this toyota viso, and had lots of problems with the car. i will never buy a toyota again.

I have a Toyota and it has been great, no problems. Also the staff at the dealers have been fantastic, fast, inexpensive and efficient services. I WILL buy a Toyota again.

Totster

[Sam Drucker]

I'm looking for a new car now . . . . the buying process certainly isn't what I am used to in America. Dealers seem to have little to no inventory, the "Build your own car" option on manufacturer's websites is not present (in fact, there is no such thing as ordering a car with the options you want. They just build them to different trim levels, and you get the options you want by trim level.

This must depend on the dealer or brand. We just ordered a new Toyota and got just the options that we wanted with no problems at all.

Perhaps I should be more specific and say factory options. I doubt you were able to get any factory options other than by ordering/buying a higher trim level of the vehicle. I'm talking about getting things like different wheels, radio upgrade, cruise control, heater, etc. Things that would/should be factory options.

Are dealer installed options (or add-ons) such as window film, undercoating, etc. what you received and are referring to?