Advice On Green Book Please.

[wana]

Well I would know because I have been to their houses. Why don't we let this point go.

why does it even matter ? many thai guys spend their lives watching the classifieds for cheap bikes

buy them and polish them up a bit and sell it the next week for 20k more

yes ,many of them do this from their homes as well ,its not illegal and it would de-value the bike

to change it from original owner to middleman to end user inside a week ........

also theres sales tax to be paid every time the name changes in the green book so if youre just buying it

to sell on quickly ,it doesnt make sense to transfer the names and pay all

this not not necessarily mean the bikes are "stolen "

[Jimbob1]

Don't trust his own insurance company. Just a word of caution. I have also in the past used my insurance company to transfer books into my name. They are the ones with connections that can make things happen by paying small bribes, but this is HIS insurance company, not yours. They will not be doing the transfer for you, and they may say anything he asks them to say. He seems to not want to transfer into his name. This is pure laziness on his part. This is your first sale, you want to be cautious (understandably), so I would recommend you insist he transfers it into his name first if he wants to make the sale. If he won't then there must be a reason, other than laziness. He could do it simply by taking all his papers and the bike to his insurance company and they would take care of all of it for him and have it back in a few days as long as the bike is registered in his province. It only takes a week or 2 if it is registered out of the province, since they would ship the green book to the province where it is registered for verification before sending it back.

If he doesn't do the transfer, then it is up to you to decide if you want to proceed with the deal. There is a small chance that all the fears of the previous posters are true, that it is stolen or fake or a junk bike. Transferring green books into a new owner's name clears all this up and puts the responsibility of certifying that it isn't stolen or fake on the DLT. They are good at what they do, and are thorough enough to spot a fake or stolen bike.

Hope this helps.

BTW, there are plenty of 750cc bikes up your way if you pass on this deal. Korat has a huge biker community and one of the bigger bike weeks in Thailand. I see many for sale in your province and also in Bangkok, which would only be a 5 or 6 hour drive from Korat.

Thanks floridaguy ....

I have emailed him last night and had a reply saying ... He is going to register the green book in his name .....

In that case I will go there with him to the DLT with my wife with her ID / Passport / t-Baan book ..... and transfer the book to my wife ... That is when I pay ...

We will send the bike by transport to Korat and take it then to the Korat DLT and change plates from Phuket to Korat ...

That plan sounds 'bullet-proof' does it? anyone see any problems there ?

The reason I want this bike is its price matches my budget ( $3K ) and looking at the classifieds I have not seen one that ticks all the boxes for my needs.

Sikhiu Korat ( 50 klms BKK side from Nakhon Ratchasima ) is where we have a small block and that is only 2 1/2 hours bus from BKK ..... so as you say if all turns to excrement I will keep looking ...

Thanks guys...

[floridaguy]

Hey Jimbob, looks like all is working out well, at least until you see the bike first hand, haha. I hope it is in top shape for you. And I hope all else goes well, I would hate to see your first transaction in Thailand put a bad taste in your mouth, as you can see it has for some of our members. The interpretation and enforcement of laws and rules in Thailand is so varied, that what has always been a very smooth process for me, may always be a source of pain for others.

If you need more help, post or PM me.

And get as much riding in as soon as you can, the floods are coming..........or wait, the government guarantees no flooding this year, so there can't be any flooding this year, right?

[phl]

The seller has sent an email saying this ....

the bike is in a thailadies name and i have all the necessary papers.around a month ago i went to my insurance [ which also for a fee changes the book in your name.i used this service already ]and showed them all to confirm that i have it.yes,i do.they deal with that every day,so they know.the same goes for you.you take the papers and in korat you change the book in your or your wifes name.when you come here we can go there together to assure you.100% no problem

Would it be unreasonable to say I would like to ...

1. Have Green Book in sellers name before anything ...( still in Thai lady's name for now now )

2. Go to Phuket DLT with the seller and wife and get the book in her name... and leave with book...

3. Take the bike to Korat and register for plates there ...

Am I being too simplistic here ??

Thanks.

No you been smart.

The Thai ladies name could be genuine, however from past experience i had, it usually is not.

If it is indeed in Thai ladies name, she should be present with her ID.

The only problem is you do not know because can not read what the name is in the book and the girl present. The problems i encountered a few times, those taking the paperwork sometimes do not even check themselves, just make the copies and pass it on.

If i were you, i would insist on making a small deposit, no more than 2000-3000 baht and paying the rest once bike is in your name.

You can even agree to let him keep it until then or store it somewhere.

I think better be safe and may be loose 2000 baht, then sorry and loose 200 000

The Thai lady does NOT need to be present. As long as her Thai ID card has not expired, which you can see on the photo copy of her ID card, and you have a copy of the ID card and house registry and the POA, then the transfer will be fine.

Don't trust his own insurance company. Just a word of caution. I have also in the past used my insurance company to transfer books into my name. They are the ones with connections that can make things happen by paying small bribes, but this is HIS insurance company, not yours. They will not be doing the transfer for you, and they may say anything he asks them to say. He seems to not want to transfer into his name. This is pure laziness on his part. This is your first sale, you want to be cautious (understandably), so I would recommend you insist he transfers it into his name first if he wants to make the sale. If he won't then there must be a reason, other than laziness. He could do it simply by taking all his papers and the bike to his insurance company and they would take care of all of it for him and have it back in a few days as long as the bike is registered in his province. It only takes a week or 2 if it is registered out of the province, since they would ship the green book to the province where it is registered for verification before sending it back.

If he doesn't do the transfer, then it is up to you to decide if you want to proceed with the deal. There is a small chance that all the fears of the previous posters are true, that it is stolen or fake or a junk bike. Transferring green books into a new owner's name clears all this up and puts the responsibility of certifying that it isn't stolen or fake on the DLT. They are good at what they do, and are thorough enough to spot a fake or stolen bike.

Hope this helps.

BTW, there are plenty of 750cc bikes up your way if you pass on this deal. Korat has a huge biker community and one of the bigger bike weeks in Thailand. I see many for sale in your province and also in Bangkok, which would only be a 5 or 6 hour drive from Korat.

Well if she is not present, how would she sign the green book and the transfer paper?

Sure it could all be done before and what assurances do you have it was indeed that person who signed?

[Jimbob1]

Hey Jimbob, looks like all is working out well, at least until you see the bike first hand, haha. I hope it is in top shape for you. And I hope all else goes well, I would hate to see your first transaction in Thailand put a bad taste in your mouth, as you can see it has for some of our members. The interpretation and enforcement of laws and rules in Thailand is so varied, that what has always been a very smooth process for me, may always be a source of pain for others.

If you need more help, post or PM me.

And get as much riding in as soon as you can, the floods are coming..........or wait, the government guarantees no flooding this year, so there can't be any flooding this year, right?

Thanks floridaguy,

I appreciate your help and I can understand their are some here that have had deals go wrong and was expecting some of the replys.

I do like to get a full cross section of comments and pick my way through and make my own decisions at the end of the day.

I have spoken with the seller and I am confident he is legit and I am sure we will be able to get this transaction complete and both be happy.

I have had experience with the Thai system nearly 5 years ago I took on getting Married and getting a visa for my wife to come live in Oz ...

I did the whole thing myself and know how frustrating it can be working with the Thai way of doing things ...

Don't regret it at all ... I got a real gem ... unlike possibly a few ex-pats here that haven't been as lucky as me

I am sure the Government have it right and their will be no floods .... I mean when have they ever been wrong before ... and I think the amount of time the PM spends up country surveying flood prone areas instead of staying voting or explaining really who will be the main beneficiary of 'reconciliation' .... I digress ....

Thanks guys.....

[thunder30101]

If you are buying a 750 cc bike in thailand for 90,000 baht somethings wrong somewhere

[roban]

I think, with more than 90% of the "Big-Bikes", (except those, which were officially sold here), is something wrong somewhere

Especially in the "low budget range"

Edited July 5, 2012 by roban

[floridaguy]

Well if she is not present, how would she sign the green book and the transfer paper?

Sure it could all be done before and what assurances do you have it was indeed that person who signed?

That is what the POA/bill of sale is for.

As for assurance, the amount of assurance you want in any transaction is up to the individual. Honestly, the only people that I ever speak to that insist on these things, name in book is the actual seller you are dealing with and they accompany you to the DLT, it is only the foreigners. I have spoken to plenty of Thais who buy, some on a regular basis, and they just don't do it. But, I understand the wish to be careful, because if any problems arise, it is usually easier for a Thai to deal with it than a foreigner, as the system often seems stacked against you.

[marstons]

If you are buying a 750 cc bike in thailand for 90,000 baht somethings wrong somewhere

sssshhhh its a great deal, if you shout about it some expats who have lived here for years might jump in and buy it, suprised nobody has, letting a newbie nick it out from under their nose.

[floridaguy]

Just a quick 10 minute search and I found 4 different 750's for 100,000 baht or less, one under 70k. Last year I looked at a Yamaha chopper 750 for 40k. Good deals abound if your are patient and good at searching the Thai web boards.

[IDL]

I don't know why I'm constantly surprised by all the 'experts' who know
EXACTLY what IS!

Time spent here, shows us all there are sooooo many variables. I for one
wouldn't jump to the conclusion the bike is definitely stolen. It could be
a case of some avoidance of duty/fees [somewhere down the line]. Then it could
be that the [seller] guy simply couldn't be bothered. One of the possible worst
cases is that the numbers have been cloned on the bike, to match a book.

Any-which-way, don't always assume the worst, just make sure you do all
you can to have it's authenticity confirmed before paying anything; no better
way than what was suggested in having the chap get it registered before you
buy!

A further note though, some places around the Kingdom, not least Phuket,
have what seems to be their own set of rules/law. Even if taxing, registering,
etc is successful there, it still doesn't guarantee another province will be so
accepting.

Have a look at my post: Still Buy An Old Big Bike, But Do Be Ultra Careful, this highlights one very long and
drawn-out lesson I learned.

Keep your wits about you,

[BlackArtemis]

I bought a Honda Nice to scavange for the engine, brakes, and a few other pieces to build one of my Chalys. I bought it off a guy but the bike was registered to a lady, however I have the paperwork with her info, signatures, and copies of her ID's included. Is it something like my situation?

(I stripped the bike before transferring my name and now only have a pile of parts in the corner to show the tax people, so no transferring haha)

[brfsa2]

If you are buying a 750 cc bike in thailand for 90,000 baht somethings wrong somewhere

Yes, too cheap for 750cc bike, I assume it's the Honda CB750 nighthawk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CB750)

A CB400 (Super Four, 4 cylinder, 400cc) cost 120,000-130,000 Baht with all legal documents and real plate, just transfer to your name and boom it's yours...

I wouldn't buy it if I was you... you might have real big headaches later, spare parts, maintenance, etc.., you dont even know how the bike runs. it can even have a bad cylinder.. you never know...

It's really TOO cheap. no way...

if I was you there are many choices to buy Bike made in Thailand that have real plate and no import tax.

- Kawasaki Z250, 151,000 Baht

- Kawasaki Ninja 250, 160,000 baht (used for 90-150K baht)

- Honda CB150, 76,000 baht (used for 50-60K)

- Honda CB250, 110,000 baht (used for 80-95K)

- Honda CB400, 120-140,000 baht

save your headaches...

edit: not saying that the bike you plan to buy is bad, have a ride on it, test it well, it might be a good one, who knows. but consider the advices... good luck.

Edited May 27, 2013 by brfsa2

[brfsa2]

Here are some searches I made for CB750

http://www.mocyc.com/market_all.html?query=CB750

http://search.thaisecondhand.com/?keyword=CB750

this one has plate: http://www.mocyc.com/market856833/ 140,000 baht.

[BlackArtemis]

I just looked at the time post of the OP after seeing a few banned names....

As for prices, prices are wonky. A LEGAL SR400 will cost more than a legal virago 750 or CB750. I see the later two for 80-130,000k quite often. Your CB400 prices are right on though.

[Jimbob1]

IDL #41 replied to a 12 month old post so anything after that is not relevant to the thread ....

Just to enlighten you on what happened in the past year was ....

All those that claimed it must be stolen / cloned number / etc. you couldn't be any further wrong ...

The seller transferred the Greenbook to his name as promised as he owned a condo in Phuket .. and the paperwork he had from the woman that owned it previously all proved to be OK .... . but then, unfortunately, he had a friend pass away and was called away to Hau Hin and by the time he returned to Phuket I was building my Baan and unable to leave my block to fly down so agreed to let it go.

I still had contact and he left back to Germany and has only returned last week and tidied up some loose ands which one was to sell the bike which he had no problem doing.

For all those that suspect everyone has an angle and are lying and cheating should take a step back and think twice about accusing others of such actions.

It must be a lonely miserable life to live that way.

PS Interesting that the two members here in the thread that had all the claims about being stolen are both banned members now ...

[IDL]

Many apols to 'Jimbob 1' and all others. I didn't actually pay any attention to the date posted, my bad, thus should probably have let it fizzle out.

Anyways, there's some good info within the pages.

[SDM0712]

I had a very similar situation last year. I live in Phuket and went to buy a Ninja 650 in BKK, a lovely bike with only 1600 km on it. The green book was still in the previous owners name and my chap had only had it for six months, also the bike didn't have a plate on.

Are alarm bells ringing yet ? As with here, so many people said its stolen, it's a grey I import that hasn't been taxed....yada, yada, yada. This is what I did, follow this and you will be fine.

1. The first thing you need is a letter from the registered owner in the book giving the chap you are dealing with authority to sell and re register that bike to you. It must be accompanied by his house document and his id, copies are fine.

2. You must go with the bike, the seller (chap you are dealing with), to the local Land and Vehicle Department. Make sure they check the serial number in the book against that on the bike. They must match. This department will check that the green book is genuine and then they can do the transfer to your name and issue a new number plate. This is unless the bike is registered in another province and in that case they need to get permission from the Vehicle Dept in that province to do the transfer. About a two day delay max.

3. I would use an agent to do all the monkey work, we used a guy and it was about 3,000 all in (including transfer costs, new plate and porabor) and no fuss.

4. One thing to check for you though, I needed an original proof of address, in my case a letter from my embassy. As a visitor I am not sure what you would use. Ignore the government website and check with an agent.

5. Plates, I live in Phuket and have a car with Songkla plates in and a bike with BKK plates. Never been stopped for either. Don't worry about it.

S

PS As a chap I know said to me once, " drive fast, be reckless"! I don't agree, but it made me smirk. Perhaps that's why we have so many bike related road deaths in Phuket.

[SDM0712]

Just noticed the dates......what happened ??? How did the story end.

[Jimbob1]

Just noticed the dates......what happened ??? How did the story end.

Refer my post #46

[SDM0712]

Understood.

If I had followed the "advice"'I would have lost out on a stunning bike that I have had many enjoyable hours on. The 1600 km is now 8500 and I still get a buzz when're I'm out on it. Was in Kawasaki a few weeks ago getting an oil change and saw my new dream.........a Ninja ZX1400. Too big for Phuket, what do you think ??? 555555555

Regards

S

PS People on forums love to talk with no knowledge !! It should be in the rules, if you don't know, don't speculate. It serves no purpose other than to cause confusion.