Car Buying Time! Where Are The Dealers Located?

[craigt3365]

Looks like I have to bite the bullet and buy a car. I prefer a late model car, so....due to their high prices, I am leaning towards a new car. Plus, the dealers have pretty good payment terms...or so I have been told.

So....I know the two Toyota dealers are on Sukhumvit just north of the turn off to Bangkok coming from Pattaya. But I would also like to look at Honda, Nissan and probably Mitsubishi. Just to see what is on offer at each place.

Can anybody help me with the location of the better dealers around here? I sure appreciate the help!

Craig

[LennyW]

Car or Pick up?

Car - Honda

Pick up - Isuzu

Dont be fooled by the popularity of Toyota, yet another recall today i hear!!

And you are right about anything "nearly new" waay expensive, best go with new and get full dealer warranty etc.

All the dealers are up and down the length of Sukhumvit from the far north to far south end of Pattaya, headache coming on for you Craig, enjoy !!!!!

[prefabs]

I bought a Toyota over 2 years ago. Both dealerships in Pattaya wanted to charge extras(35,000bt) for leather seats etc. They also wanted to charge me 15,000 bt for insurance, which Toyota were paying anyway. The seats, draft ecluders, bull bars etc. were actually part of the all in price as I was advised at the place I bought. I would advise you to travel 20 minutes to Au Udom, next to Laem Chabang, (just before Sri Racha) if you want a Toyota. Theirs was a pretty fair dealTheir workshop facilities are some of the best I have ever see.

[ignis]

I prefer a late model car, so....due to their high prices, I am leaning towards a new car

There are some very goods deals and prices on second hand cars/pickups, almost half the new price and less then 2 yrs old.... just don't look at Toyota, Honda, Isuzu

On here just a couple of weeks ago a member had bought a Ford Ranger less then 1 yr old for 315,000.. there are other posts of what people bought cheap and near new..

[sorensen]

Have a look here: http://www.one2car.com/CarInfor/carbytype.aspx?type=allcar

[craigt3365]

LennyW: I am leaning towards a car, but sure like the idea of a pickup. We have a house, so having a truck to haul things around is a pretty good idea. But I do like the ride of a car. I have been up and down Suk from the North road to Ambassador Hotel. I am mostly looking out for buzzing scooters, so I must have missed car dealers. I have seen some used ones, but the only new one I saw is that one with the BMWs and other high end stuff for sale on the East side, I think it is near Central.

prefabs: Thanks for the info on that Toyota dealer. I will visit them for sure. It is not that much farther. I have even considered a day trip or to to BKK as they have a bunch of dealers there.

ignis: I have done some searching here and on bahtsold.com for used cars. Mostly I have been looking at Honda and Toyota. 2 year old cars are about 10% less than a brand new one! That is not enough incentive for me to buy used. And I don't really want one older than 4 or 5 years old. I read on here about a guy upcountry that went to a body shop. They were putting two crashed cars together. Welding them. So that they could sell one car. Even back in the US, used cars are really hit and miss. My last used car purchase was a Honda CRV. Piece of S***. I did a quick test drive, but come to find out it had really been abused. As you can tell, I am no car expert!

Sorensen: Thanks for the link. I will check it for sure!

oops...another question. How much can you negotiate over here. At the Honda dealers in the US, there is almost NO room for discounts. At the US dealers, you could do sometimes up to 25% or so. Same is pretty much true at every used car dealer. Just curious as to what the game is here. dam_n, that visit to the dentist is sounding better all the time!

Craig

Edited January 23, 2010 by craigt3365

[LennyW]

Go beyond north road on Sukhumvit, main dealers on both sides of the road.

Dont expect any discounts from the main dealers if you opt for new, but do harass them for as much of the freebie add on's that you can think of!!

If you go to Bangkok, head around the west side of BKK on the outer ring road (9) and you will come to an area where there are literally hundereds of dealers all close together at either side of the ring road.

[ignis]

Yes form the Makro all the way up this map and to the Pinklao Highway Intersection.. better map below

If you go you cannot see all in one day.... many places have tents going back 4 - 8 roads, The main road is 7km long, then you would need to do a U-turn and do the other side.

If your looking on the websites look for Area Code 10170 + 10160

[stingray]

Car or Pick up?

Car - Honda

Pick up - Isuzu

Dont be fooled by the popularity of Toyota, yet another recall today i hear!!

And you are right about anything "nearly new" waay expensive, best go with new and get full dealer warranty etc.

All the dealers are up and down the length of Sukhumvit from the far north to far south end of Pattaya, headache coming on for you Craig, enjoy !!!!!

Dealer Warranty? Do you really know what is a delaerwarranty. I have several new Toyotas, (rental business). There is no warrantie on suspension, wheel agliment, brakes, tires, electric acessories, like power windows or power mirrors, batteries, etc. Just only engine, engine parts and tranny. And even there it takes many days to clear out warrantie issues with the maindelarship in Bangkok. Who pays for the time, during "clear out" warrantie issues? And then you pay for a 50''k service 2200 Baht, only "checking" and oilchange, a 45 minutes job cost me 1'100 Baht for labour only (very expensive for thailand), wich every local mecanic would do the whole service for about 800 Baht including oil and filter change. No wonder why peaple not using maindealerhips for doing their seivnce, because expensive and warranty is very limited overhere.

[LennyW]

Car or Pick up?

Car - Honda

Pick up - Isuzu

Dont be fooled by the popularity of Toyota, yet another recall today i hear!!

And you are right about anything "nearly new" waay expensive, best go with new and get full dealer warranty etc.

All the dealers are up and down the length of Sukhumvit from the far north to far south end of Pattaya, headache coming on for you Craig, enjoy !!!!!

Dealer Warranty? Do you really know what is a delaerwarranty. I have several new Toyotas, (rental business). There is no warrantie on suspension, wheel agliment, brakes, tires, electric acessories, like power windows or power mirrors, batteries, etc. Just only engine, engine parts and tranny. And even there it takes many days to clear out warrantie issues with the maindelarship in Bangkok. Who pays for the time, during "clear out" warrantie issues? And then you pay for a 50''k service 2200 Baht, only "checking" and oilchange, a 45 minutes job cost me 1'100 Baht for labour only (very expensive for thailand), wich every local mecanic would do the whole service for about 800 Baht including oil and filter change. No wonder why peaple not using maindealerhips for doing their seivnce, because expensive and warranty is very limited overhere.

Yet another reason to avoid Toyota!!

[craigt3365]

Note to self...don't go shopping for cars on Sunday!

[RabC]

Car or Pick up?

Car - Honda

Pick up - Isuzu

Dont be fooled by the popularity of Toyota, yet another recall today i hear!!

And you are right about anything "nearly new" waay expensive, best go with new and get full dealer warranty etc.

All the dealers are up and down the length of Sukhumvit from the far north to far south end of Pattaya, headache coming on for you Craig, enjoy !!!!!

Dealer Warranty? Do you really know what is a delaerwarranty. I have several new Toyotas, (rental business). There is no warrantie on suspension, wheel agliment, brakes, tires, electric acessories, like power windows or power mirrors, batteries, etc. Just only engine, engine parts and tranny. And even there it takes many days to clear out warrantie issues with the maindelarship in Bangkok. Who pays for the time, during "clear out" warrantie issues? And then you pay for a 50''k service 2200 Baht, only "checking" and oilchange, a 45 minutes job cost me 1'100 Baht for labour only (very expensive for thailand), wich every local mecanic would do the whole service for about 800 Baht including oil and filter change. No wonder why peaple not using maindealerhips for doing their seivnce, because expensive and warranty is very limited overhere.

I am sorry I find this hard to believe I have returned my two year old Toyota twice for warranty work now, one ABS fault and one reversing sensor and both were done promptly under warranty by the local Garage even thought I bought the car in Bangkok. The other real plus for toyota is the resale values.

I really do think that in this country the level of service you receive is equal to your handling of the situation.

[JUDAS]

Off topic but, you look like me

[anothertorres]

you're a fatter version. and to the OPs topic... everyone seems to be buying up those Chevy Aveos.

[craigt3365]

We hit about 4 dealers yesterday. What a great time! I mean, in the US, you are dealing with the scum of the earth at dealerships. Especially the American brands. I still have bad dreams about some of the guys I met at these dealers.

Here, many were quite cute gals. Easy on the eyes. Prices were given on sheets they hand out. Honda even gave me a handwritten piece of paper filled with all the free stuff they were including (mostly small stuff though, but a lot!). One dealer said I will give you every option I have for free. Even the skirting. But getting a discount was tough. I didn't push as I was just shopping and not ready to buy.

In the US, to get the "real" price, they take you to a back room and start the process. And if not going well, they bring in the manager. Lots of pressure just to get the bottom line price. No fun. Here, it wasn't bad at all.

I didn't like the fact the inventory was low. Not many cars on the lot, but maybe that was just the ones I visited. A friend suggested I head to Sri Racha. I might do that tomorrow.

Also, if you want a specific model, it can take a month or so to get it. Anyway, thought you might like to hear my progress...I will do an update after I hit the used car lots on Suk in the next few days...I am sure that will be more interesting...or should I say frustrating?

[raro]

check again with the dealers outside of Pattaya ad you may get better deals indeed!

Honda, Toyota: get a new one and enjoy the high value when you sell it

Mazda, Mitsu, etc: Buy a 2 year old at good discount and enjoy the little devaluation it takes from there on.

Good 2nd hand dealer: Zunn on the West side of Sukhumvit between Klang and North.

[craigt3365]

Thanks, raro! Great place, Zunn. Really nice lady I met, perfect English. Fairly decent selection also. And they have a nice 2006 Mazda 3 for about 520k. Not sure if that is a good deal or not, but it was a nice car.

Craig

P.S. Again, what a difference from used car buying in the US. A much better experience here, IMHO.

[LennyW]

Thanks, raro! Great place, Zunn. Really nice lady I met, perfect English. Fairly decent selection also. And they have a nice 2006 Mazda 3 for about 520k. Not sure if that is a good deal or not, but it was a nice car.

I once looked at a second hand Isuzu Trooper in a place on Sukhumvit, very nice lady too, i said that the Km's were a bit high for the price they were asking, "no proplem, i can make Km's whatever you want" she said!!!!! Exit rapidly big Len!!

Be very careful Craig!

[craigt3365]

I hear ya. I am an ex salesman, and several of my best friends are car salesmen...one just does used cars! He tells me all the time how they crank back the KMs. He says it is so easy to do. And how to cover up engine problems, leaks, etc. Crazy....that is why I am leaning towards a new car. Same dirty stuff here as there is back in the US. I bought a used CRV 3 years ago in Las Vegas. From a very good dealer. Piece of sh*t. I was in a hurry and later found out it had been in a pretty good wreck. Sold it 9 months later and lost a few dollars on that deal....

[Thaifan2]

>> I bought a used CRV 3 years ago in Las Vegas. From a very good dealer. Piece of sh*t. I was in a hurry and later found out it had been in a pretty good wreck. Sold it 9 months later and lost a few dollars on that deal....

This is totally irreverent to Pattaya .Please keep your ramblings ( you must be 70 plus ) Pattaya related .

[craigt3365]

Agreed! But read Lennyw's quote about buying a used car. I was referring to that post. Trying to indicate I had experience dealing with lousy used car salesmen...so I thought it was relevant.

And I am 52. Thanks for the compliment...

[in2fridge]

Check out Nissan Navara..best (2.5) diesel engine (so say the motoring press).

Available auto/manual

Double Cab versions circa 740 - 800,000 Bhart

Nissan finance 2.5% APR - Over 4 years works out at 12.6 % real money.

Usual freebies (when asked), I have just ordered one and got :-..

Free Delivery,No Plate etc

1 yr Road Tax

1 yr insurance

Free Car mats

Free Luggage/Load area protective shell

Free Truck area "tonneau cover"

Free Dark Tinted Glass Film

I have a 2.5 year old Mitsu' as PX ..offered 300,000 .. HONDA

350,000 .. TOYOTA

400,000 .. MAZDA

420,000 .. NISSAN

Haggled up to 440,000.

OK I am nowhere BK .. Did the deal @ Chum Pae Dealer. .KK Province but info' might be helpfull .

[craigt3365]

Thanks for the info. I have been looking around and will probably have something purchased in the next 2-3 weeks. I have visited 4 dealers and 2 used car lots. Still debating between a car and a truck. Not sure what I will do yet, but have to make a decision soon!

The dealers I visited all offered a complete page full of free options. No cash discounts, but plenty of other goodies.

I too like the low interest rates. Did you finance yours? I have gotten mixed responses from the dealers about my ability to finance as I don't have a work permit...and don't work!!

[LennyW]

OK I am nowhere BK .. Did the deal @ Chum Pae Dealer. .KK Province but info' might be helpfull .

Lucky you have plenty space around you, you will need that to turn a Nissan!! Good engine though!

[craigt3365]

>> I bought a used CRV 3 years ago in Las Vegas. From a very good dealer. Piece of sh*t. I was in a hurry and later found out it had been in a pretty good wreck. Sold it 9 months later and lost a few dollars on that deal....

This is totally irreverent to Pattaya .Please keep your ramblings ( you must be 70 plus ) Pattaya related .

What's irreverent mean, sounds like a priest or something religious. ? Looking at your avatar (photo), you must be in your 70's yourself, so keep on rambling bud.

Dang, I missed that! And I guess he could have figured out I was NOT 70 from my avatar...at least I hope I don't look 70...

[in2fridge]

Thanks for the info. I have been looking around and will probably have something purchased in the next 2-3 weeks. I have visited 4 dealers and 2 used car lots. Still debating between a car and a truck. Not sure what I will do yet, but have to make a decision soon!

The dealers I visited all offered a complete page full of free options. No cash discounts, but plenty of other goodies.

I too like the low interest rates. Did you finance yours? I have gotten mixed responses from the dealers about my ability to finance as I don't have a work permit...and don't work!!

I cleared the mitsu' finance which gave me 450,000 deposit in a 789000 truck (57 %)..The finance is in my wife's name tho' the application was joint to prove ability to pay,so we provided copies of marriage licence,land ownership,id/passport & my thai bank account..

..The finance guy @ the dealership will try very hard to sell you payment protection,in any country this is a rip off,ok not expensive over here circa 50 bhart a month extra.

[in2fridge]

OK I am nowhere BK .. Did the deal @ Chum Pae Dealer. .KK Province but info' might be helpfull .

Lucky you have plenty space around you, you will need that to turn a Nissan!! Good engine though!

Hmm...maybe the garden wall will have to go !!

[tukmoon]

Hi,

I'm running the same experience of Craig !

Hit for car dealers but....but.... can we trust them on car status?

My budget is just 600k.... is it worth while buying a 2003/2004 Suv or a brand new city-car like Yaris or Tida?

Has someone got good/bad experience buying a 5-6 years old car from such dealers?

Please tell.... it worths money!

Ko-kun-cap

Roberto

[ignis]

Has someone got good/bad experience buying a 5-6 years old car from such dealers?

I have found that most dealers are very helpful, they let you check the car over, test drive it and willing to show you all the paperwork..

check for any repaired damage check the paintwork most times you can see if a car has had parts resprayed, check all the gaps all should be in line with the same gap. the km [milage] reading has very little bearing on the price here. but you should be able to tell if your looking for a 5 or 6 year old car... if the car has low km on clock look at the pedels, seat condition...

When I sold my car which I bought new, I took about a month + many dealers looking and checking 2nd hand cars, there were as many good cars as there were clapped out dogs, in the end it came down to just 2 cars a Volvo S70 and a Audi A6, both one owner from new, I went with the Audi as there was more room inside, that dealer had 2 both the same year a 1 owner and a 3 owner.. Since I have owned the A6 [sept 2008] I have spent 1,400 baht on repairs to the controller on the Climate control, last week needed a new battery the old battery had a date sticker on it 11/04.

1. ...... on my new car I had to have a new battery every 13 - 14 months!!

At the end of the day it comes down to what do you need + money... If you need a SUV or bigger car will you be happy with a basic tiny Yaris ?

Not far from me, if you like Toyota a week or so ago they had a 2005 Rave 4 Auto @ 605k along side was a top spec Limited Auto 2006 Yaris @ 599k.......... If I liked or wanted a Toyota there would be no contest, I cannot fit in the Yaris + the Rav 4 looks so much better.