Unbelievable!

[Beanster1]

This just defies belief!!!!

I'm in the market for a 2nd hand car, so I've been looking around in the classifieds, car lots etc. I see this nice Bimmer sitting on a lot which I just happen to be driving past. My wife and I go in ask about the price spend 10-15 minutes checking for body damage and the engine etc. (Keep in mind that I am a serious buyer).

So I ask the guy for a test drive and he says " You can't test drive it unless you have decided you want to buy it", So I thought he was joking so I asked " Why?"

He says " It takes us an hour to clean it and I don't want to get it dirty."

At that point I actually didn't know what to say!!!

So we just walked away. What pisses me off is that it was actually a nice car, but no way am buying from someone that dumb!!

I thought I was used to Thai logic!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!!

Anyone else have any experiences like this?

Beanster1

[dr_Pat_Pong]

T i T

[MikeRay]

Why didn´t you tell him or promise to buy it,test-drive it and then perhaps change your decision.If you don´t have to hand-over the money or sign a contract.

[Ajarn]

Sounds like he didn't believe you....

[Neeranam]

Seems fair enough to me. He obviously thought you were not going to buy it. He probably couldn't give a toss if it sells or not. He probably just cleans them.

[chuchok]

Had a similar thing happen to a friend of mine who was buying furniture. One salesman at a furniture shop said that he could only have a CD showing all their furniture etc if he bought THB35,000 worth first, yet he was quite welcome to go around the store and take pictures of what they had..<deleted>.so my mate went down the road an bought THB100,000 of the same type of furniture off somebody else

[Thetyim]

Falangs are harder to fool than Thais when it comes to buying a car.

I have two local dealers who walk away when I walk in.

They know the engines are shagged and that I will not buy.

Maybe the BMW was the same.

Have you tried getting a test drive when buying a new car from a main dealer. Up until a couple of years back it was impossible .

Thais buy a car just on the looks of it.

[Beanster1]

Seems fair enough to me. He obviously thought you were not going to buy it. He probably couldn't give a toss if it sells or not. He probably just cleans them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The fact is I was serious about buying. And he was the the main guy. If he doesn't want to sell the cars he shouldn't leave them in a lot by the side of the road with a sign saying "ขาย" on the windscreen!!!

[Nordlys]

The fact is I was serious about buying. And he was the the main guy. If he doesn't want to sell the cars he shouldn't leave them in a lot by the side of the road with a sign saying "???" on the windscreen!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well just because the guy is selling that car doesn't mean he should have every prospective buyer test drive it. But I understand your point that it is a funny logic (or no logic I should say) to say you can't test drive it unless you decided you want to buy it, after that's the whole purpose of the test drive I suppose.

I had a similar experience when I was in market for 2nd hand condominium. I tried to buy a unit in a condo my parents live. The owner, a Chinese Thai man in his 50's or 60's everybody called "Dr." (simply because he has Ph.D), demanded I pay B1.5 million deposit up front for B6.5 million unit (aside from sinking fund, transfer fee, etc), so naturally I asked him to produce the title deed to check if there's any mortgage attached to the property, etc. And the guy blasted over the phone and started complaining to my wife that I am arrogant to ask him of that, perhaps thinking his credibility is being challenged (I wasn't impolite or anything, just maintained business-like attitude).

Well no title deed, no deal. Business is business, I can't sign a contract and pay him B1.5 million deposit without even seeing a title deed. It took him a while to understand that I was no longer interested in dealing with him, he called my parents, called my wife and literally begged us to come back to negotiation.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The singlet and flip flops might have put him off

[The_Moog]

There's a Thai Real Estate company run by a farang called David and the two times i've expressed interest in a property

1) The price was jacked up by the owner when I said I was interested.

2) I was told that I had to confirm my offer before I saw it, because the price would be put up if I didn't.

Actually I think even the guy running the agency felt a bit sheepish having to tell me this, and wasn't pleased with the conduct of the sellers.

[chuchok]

The singlet and flip flops might have put him off

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the same mistake was almost made by a very wealthy NZ BMW dealer.He saw a guy in gumboots and shity clothes looking at his new 7 series range.So he told one of his sales guys to "get that ###### off his show room floor."

lucky for him, the salesman recognised this 'bum' who happened to be a very rich dairy farmer.

The 'bum' paid cash for his new BMW!

[edd]

A sign in Robinson’s department store in Udornthani in the furniture section says

‘Do not sit on the furniture until after you have bought it’

This sign is in English so is intended for falangs.

Who is going to buy a suite or chair without first sitting on it?

Also I saw a sign in a shop in BKK that said

‘Our lifts only go up ’

I think the sign must have worked because I went back to the shop several times just to see if the sign was still there and always bought something, when it was eventually removed I stopped going back.

[gburns57au]

This just defies belief!!!!

I'm in the market for a 2nd hand car, so I've been looking around in the classifieds, car lots etc. I see this nice Bimmer sitting on a lot which I just happen to be driving past. My wife and I go in ask about the price spend 10-15 minutes checking for body damage and the engine etc. (Keep in mind that I am a serious buyer).

So I ask the guy for a test drive and he says " You can't test drive it unless you have decided you want to buy it", So I thought he was joking so I asked " Why?"

He says " It takes us an hour to clean it and I don't want to get it dirty." 

At that point I actually didn't know what to say!!!

So we just walked away. What pisses me off is that it was actually a nice car, but no way am buying from someone that dumb!!

I thought I was used to Thai logic!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!!

Anyone else have any experiences like this?

Beanster1 

As an ex car salesman I can tell you that this is indeed logical......I had an American car in the lot once....and everybody wanted to test drive it....just to drive a big yank tank.....We put a condition on it that anyone who wanted to test drive it must first present a signed offer to purchase and a cash deposit which would be 50% refundable on cancellation of the OTP.....I sold it to a young bloke who handed over the full purchase price as a deposit.

I would suggest that caryards in Thailand would spend all day test driving and not selling unless they had some limitations in place.

And dont say it is different because you a farang, unless of course you are prepared to support double pricing....you cant expect to be treated different in one respect and then expect to be treated the same in another.

Edited May 4, 2005 by gburns57au

[terdsak_12]

The guy's got a point, some people can have a very jolly time test driving fancy cars all over the place.

[IsaanAlex]

I'm inclined to think it's just crap Thai logic.

I went to a market once and asked to try a shirt on and was asked first if I was going to buy it.

The same has happened in department stores!

I once asked my wife to see how much to get her brother to build our carport and she asked me, "Well, are you going to build it or not?"

Me: Why the &lt;deleted&gt; would I agree to let him build it before I know the cost?

Many examples of buy now/test later; I think alot of it also has to do with laziness.

Many Thais just can't be bothered...

IA

[RDN]

..." You can't test drive it unless you have decided you want to buy it", So I thought he was joking ...Anyone else have any experiences like this?

Beanster1 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had the same problem buying a motorcycle in Chaiyaphum:

Me: "I want to test drive it".

Salesman: "You can't start it - it doesn't have any oil or petrol in it."

Me: "Don't you have one for test driving?".

Salesman: "No".

Me: "So put some in this one so I can start it, listen to it, and take it for a test drive"

Salesman: "But then it will be second hand. We never do that."

I'm not sure what my girl friend said next - all I know is they did put oil in it and petrol and we took it for a drive. Maybe I should ask her - she probably promised that I would buy it.

I can't recall ever seeing "Ex-demonstration model for sale" signs in Thailand.

Edited May 4, 2005 by RDN

[bino]

The guy's got a point, some people can have a very jolly time test driving fancy cars all over the place.

Must admit that I have had a lot of fun jacking up car salesmen at home when I was in my twenties just to try out many different cars. Most of the time the cars lots were used cars though!

[jackr]

This just defies belief!!!!

I'm in the market for a 2nd hand car, so I've been looking around in the classifieds, car lots etc. I see this nice Bimmer sitting on a lot which I just happen to be driving past. My wife and I go in ask about the price spend 10-15 minutes checking for body damage and the engine etc. (Keep in mind that I am a serious buyer).

So I ask the guy for a test drive and he says " You can't test drive it unless you have decided you want to buy it", So I thought he was joking so I asked " Why?"

He says " It takes us an hour to clean it and I don't want to get it dirty." 

At that point I actually didn't know what to say!!!

So we just walked away. What pisses me off is that it was actually a nice car, but no way am buying from someone that dumb!!

I thought I was used to Thai logic!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!!

Anyone else have any experiences like this?

Beanster1 

As an ex car salesman I can tell you that this is indeed logical......I had an American car in the lot once....and everybody wanted to test drive it....just to drive a big yank tank.....We put a condition on it that anyone who wanted to test drive it must first present a signed offer to purchase and a cash deposit which would be 50% refundable on cancellation of the OTP.....I sold it to a young bloke who handed over the full purchase price as a deposit.

I would suggest that caryards in Thailand would spend all day test driving and not selling unless they had some limitations in place.

And dont say it is different because you a farang, unless of course you are prepared to support double pricing....you cant expect to be treated different in one respect and then expect to be treated the same in another.

Very strange thinking, unless maybe for serious cars:huh: What if it handles like a bag of &lt;deleted&gt;? You have no clue until you've actually driven it. That's the whole point in testing the thing. I understand the pitfalls from the salesman's point of view of people messing you about but that's tough titties and the nature of the game, surely? Make people pay for a test drive, i.e. fuel, tires, etc. but not on condition to buy.

[penzman]

I recently bought a new electric guitar. When I made up my mind on which model I wanted to buy, the salesman started packing up the demonstrator model for me. I tried to get a better deal on it as it was covered with fingerprints and a few tiny scratches. His answer was " No, it's a new guitar" . I asked to try the same model fresh out of the box and got that one instead.

[RDN]

... What if it handles like a bag of &lt;deleted&gt;? You have no clue until you've actually driven it. ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is exactly what happened to me. I had an H reg (can't remember the year) Renault 19 16valve - one of the hottest small hatchbacks of it's time. Open the bonnet and it was full of engine. Not only was it quick, but it handled incredibly well - it literally went around corners like it was on rails. It was very low, had very hard suspension and hurt my neck when I accelerated.

Anyway, then the boss says I can have a company car, so I go for the new, "phase 2" Renault 19 16v Executive. Couldn't test drive it because they didn't have any in stock - had to order one. So I thought it was just a newer version of the same car... big mistake! It was higher and with softer suspension so all that superb road holding became "just above average" road holding. Should've gone for the Subaru 2 litre turbo

[toddy]

The Toyota dealerships in Buriram and Satuk are actually going through computer records and calling customers to go test drive the new Vigo. There are 4 test vehicles in Buriram and 2 in Satuk - they even drove to my vilage one morning (20km from the dealership) and let me drive my wife to work even though I assured them that at 18 months old, my Tiger is not being sold. I have done 97,000 kms since I bought the truck - bloody 'ell.

[gburns57au]

This just defies belief!!!!

I'm in the market for a 2nd hand car, so I've been looking around in the classifieds, car lots etc. I see this nice Bimmer sitting on a lot which I just happen to be driving past. My wife and I go in ask about the price spend 10-15 minutes checking for body damage and the engine etc. (Keep in mind that I am a serious buyer).

So I ask the guy for a test drive and he says " You can't test drive it unless you have decided you want to buy it", So I thought he was joking so I asked " Why?"

He says " It takes us an hour to clean it and I don't want to get it dirty." 

At that point I actually didn't know what to say!!!

So we just walked away. What pisses me off is that it was actually a nice car, but no way am buying from someone that dumb!!

I thought I was used to Thai logic!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!!

Anyone else have any experiences like this?

Beanster1 

As an ex car salesman I can tell you that this is indeed logical......I had an American car in the lot once....and everybody wanted to test drive it....just to drive a big yank tank.....We put a condition on it that anyone who wanted to test drive it must first present a signed offer to purchase and a cash deposit which would be 50% refundable on cancellation of the OTP.....I sold it to a young bloke who handed over the full purchase price as a deposit.

I would suggest that caryards in Thailand would spend all day test driving and not selling unless they had some limitations in place.

And dont say it is different because you a farang, unless of course you are prepared to support double pricing....you cant expect to be treated different in one respect and then expect to be treated the same in another.

Very strange thinking, unless maybe for serious cars:huh: What if it handles like a bag of &lt;deleted&gt;? You have no clue until you've actually driven it. That's the whole point in testing the thing. I understand the pitfalls from the salesman's point of view of people messing you about but that's tough titties and the nature of the game, surely? Make people pay for a test drive, i.e. fuel, tires, etc. but not on condition to buy.

As a car salesman you dont know if you have a genuine buyer until you qualify them....after all they are not mind readers....just looking over a car, eg checking out the paint, underbody, engine etc does not tell you the the person is a genuine buyer. Therefore there are scenarios and questions that are used to determine the seriousness of the buyer.

So imagine, a guy walks in and looks over a vehicle....Ok you think maybe a buyer... lets see how much of a buyer he is....he asks for a test drive, but is he a real buyer...mmmm no real clues yet.....lets see if he is or not. "sorry sir but we have just cleaned it and test driving will make it dirty again" the guy walks off....Well I knew he was not a real buyer.

Usually if the person asks for a test drive straightaway he is not a real buyer...Real buyers usually ask about the cars history, accessories, negotiable price, etc first. Part of my qualifying was to steer away from the test drive and then ask questions on the persons needs, whether he was trading in or not, etc...Then I would walk them around the car pointing out features specific to that car or model. Only when I felt that he was a real potential buyer did I consider a test drive. The reason for this was to gain a rapport with the person, give me time to sort out how to sell to them, and give me time to work out how to negate their objections and how to close the deal.

And Yes sometimes I did a professional burn.....a guy walks in looking at the cars and refuses to answer my questions, answering only that he was "Just looking" I told him there was a thousand car carpark across the road, he could go there and look at cars all he wanted.....he walked out in a huff....But I felt great !!!

BTW just to qualify my earlier point about test drivers.....I never sold a car to a guy who asked for a test drive as soon as I approached him. If the OP had of persisted and asked a few more questions...he may have got his test drive.

Edited May 5, 2005 by gburns57au

[midas]

Yes a similar thing happened to me a cuple of weeks ago in a mobile phone shop. There was one of those very slim new Nokia phones in the cabinet and i asked if I could see it and feel how heavy it was. The girl didnt want to take it out of the cabinet unless I was definately going to buy it !!??????

[simcity]

If i was really interested for the car , i will have said to the guy in the case of a no sell , i will give him 500 bahts for his cleaning time and petrol

[Beanster1]

This just defies belief!!!!

I'm in the market for a 2nd hand car, so I've been looking around in the classifieds, car lots etc. I see this nice Bimmer sitting on a lot which I just happen to be driving past. My wife and I go in ask about the price spend 10-15 minutes checking for body damage and the engine etc. (Keep in mind that I am a serious buyer).

So I ask the guy for a test drive and he says " You can't test drive it unless you have decided you want to buy it", So I thought he was joking so I asked " Why?"

He says " It takes us an hour to clean it and I don't want to get it dirty." 

At that point I actually didn't know what to say!!!

So we just walked away. What pisses me off is that it was actually a nice car, but no way am buying from someone that dumb!!

I thought I was used to Thai logic!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!!

Anyone else have any experiences like this?

Beanster1 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As an ex car salesman I can tell you that this is indeed logical......I had an American car in the lot once....and everybody wanted to test drive it....just to drive a big yank tank.....We put a condition on it that anyone who wanted to test drive it must first present a signed offer to purchase and a cash deposit which would be 50% refundable on cancellation of the OTP.....I sold it to a young bloke who handed over the full purchase price as a deposit.

I would suggest that caryards in Thailand would spend all day test driving and not selling unless they had some limitations in place.

And dont say it is different because you a farang, unless of course you are prepared to support double pricing....you cant expect to be treated different in one respect and then expect to be treated the same in another.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very strange thinking, unless maybe for serious cars:huh: What if it handles like a bag of &lt;deleted&gt;? You have no clue until you've actually driven it. That's the whole point in testing the thing. I understand the pitfalls from the salesman's point of view of people messing you about but that's tough titties and the nature of the game, surely? Make people pay for a test drive, i.e. fuel, tires, etc. but not on condition to buy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As a car salesman you dont know if you have a genuine buyer until you qualify them....after all they are not mind readers....just looking over a car, eg checking out the paint, underbody, engine etc does not tell you the the person is a genuine buyer. Therefore there are scenarios and questions that are used to determine the seriousness of the buyer.

So imagine, a guy walks in and looks over a vehicle....Ok you think maybe a buyer... lets see how much of a buyer he is....he asks for a test drive, but is he a real buyer...mmmm no real clues yet.....lets see if he is or not. "sorry sir but we have just cleaned it and test driving will make it dirty again" the guy walks off....Well I knew he was not a real buyer.

Usually if the person asks for a test drive straightaway he is not a real buyer...Real buyers usually ask about the cars history, accessories, negotiable price, etc first. Part of my qualifying was to steer away from the test drive and then ask questions on the persons needs, whether he was trading in or not, etc...Then I would walk them around the car pointing out features specific to that car or model. Only when I felt that he was a real potential buyer did I consider a test drive. The reason for this was to gain a rapport with the person, give me time to sort out how to sell to them, and give me time to work out how to negate their objections and how to close the deal.

And Yes sometimes I did a professional burn.....a guy walks in looking at the cars and refuses to answer my questions, answering only that he was "Just looking" I told him there was a thousand car carpark across the road, he could go there and look at cars all he wanted.....he walked out in a huff....But I felt great !!!

BTW just to qualify my earlier point about test drivers.....I never sold a car to a guy who asked for a test drive as soon as I approached him. If the OP had of persisted and asked a few more questions...he may have got his test drive.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I understand where you are coming from gburns57au, but it's not like it was a Porshe or Ferrari dealership. This was your typical second hand car lot. I had talked to the guy already for about 5 mins and spent another 5 or so inspecting for damage, I definetly wasn't going to ask him about the history as I wouldn't have got a straight answer out of him. It's not like the States where they have to disclose everything. I also knew all the features and accessories of that particular model as I'd done my research. For the salesman to say " Sorry you can't test drive the car as I've just washed it" is very unprofessional and made me decided that I don't want to spend my money with him.

If he had said something along the lines of "Sorry sir we keep getting many people wanting to drive this car that aren't potential buyers, so we don't let anyone test drive it as we have to continously wash it." I probably would have offered him some money for some fuel and a carwash.

[gburns57au]

I understand where you are coming from gburns57au, but it's not like it was a Porshe or Ferrari dealership. This was your typical second hand car lot.  I had talked to the guy already for about 5 mins and spent another 5 or so inspecting for damage, I definetly wasn't going to ask him about the history as I wouldn't have got a straight answer out of him. It's not like the States where they have to disclose everything. I also knew all the features and accessories of that particular model as I'd done my research. For the salesman to say " Sorry you can't test drive the car as I've just washed it" is very unprofessional and made me decided that I don't want to spend my money with him.

If he had said something along the lines of "Sorry sir we keep getting many people wanting to drive this car that aren't potential buyers, so we don't let anyone test drive it as we have to continously wash it." I probably would have offered him some money for some fuel and a carwash.

I worked in both new and used cars yards....nothing as exotic as a Porsche or a Ferrari...although I did drive one Porsche once... maybe he couldnt be bothered or maybe he was just burning you off.....it is interesting that if you are not selling and getting a bit down...you burn someone off to make yourself feel better, Usually a sale happens just after....

[bino]

it is interesting that if you are not selling and getting a bit down...you burn someone off to make yourself feel better, Usually a sale happens just after....  

It is possible that this was the salesman's tactic, sometimes known as the "take-away". Taking it away from the customer by telling him he can't have it or can't afford it will usually make the customer want it even more just to prove the salesman wrong. Reverse psychology in selling.

[jomama]

I was once very interested in buying a high-quality 35 mm SLR camera. The girl in the shop said I would have to buy batteries to put in it to see if it worked properly.

[expatinasia]

I was looking for a condo, using a reputable real estate agent. We looked at "Sky Villas", part of the Ascot Hotel development. According to the sales person, they had one unit left and, although the official sales price was B6.5m, they would give me a special deal.

Me: How much is it?

They: Can't tell you.

Me: Huh?

They: You have to put down a deposit of B500,000 for us to tell you.

Me: Huh?

They: If you don't buy, we'll give it back.

Me: Huh?

They: If, on the other hand, we match the price you want, and you don't buy the condo, we'll keep the money.

I decided to buy elsewhere...