New car on red plates for 7 months?

[stranger-in-paradise]

Hi folks.

 

I am buying a new car direct from a dealer with cash (for my wife). He has offered an additional discount if I accept that the car will be on red plates for about 7 months. The car will be registered in my wife's name, although the insurance will be in the name of the dealer until the white plates arrive.

 

Does this send any warning messages or is this just normal practice in LOS? Advice and comments gratefully received.

 

Many thanks.

[Crossy]

IIRC the law changed a couple of years back, more than something like 6 weeks on reds and it's illegal, guess who'll be paying the fines.

[stevenl]

Yes, is illegal but happens quite often, it simply means that the dealer does not have to register the car yet, so can save that money.

 

What is a red flag to me though is that the insurance will in the dealer's name, that is not standard practice.

[Gsxrnz]

And you have to either abide by the following rules or be dishing out teamoney every 500klm.  This info may have been amended recently so i don't guarantee the total accuracy.

 

Red Plates:

 

• Can only be used from 06:00 to 18:00, though there is a police directive to extend this to 20:00 in situations of heavy traffic - max fine: 1,000 Baht.
• Cannot be driven outside of the province indicated without special approval of the Land Transport Department (permission must be noted in the log book) - max fine: 1,000 Baht.
• Logs of each journey must be kept - max fine: 1,000 Baht
• Cannot be used on the one car for more than 30 days or 3,000KM - max fine: 10,000 Baht

In addition, the use of fake red plates will result in a 6 month to 5 year jail term, and a 1,000 to 10,000 Baht fine.

 

Edited August 11, 2014 by Gsxrnz

[stranger-in-paradise]

Thanks guys. Very useful information. We will try another dealer tomorrow and see if we can get the original discount but have the car on white plates within a couple of months instead of 7 months. We can forego the extra discount for 7 months wait.

[nedkellylives]

Thanks guys. Very useful information. We will try another dealer tomorrow and see if we can get the original discount but have the car on white plates within a couple of months instead of 7 months. We can forego the extra discount for 7 months wait.

A lot of the red plates that car dealers use are copies and that's what you will  get for 7 months

No third party insurance cover on fake plates they are not registered and insured

The real red plates have a emblem on them and have a book that has to be filled out daily if you leave

your home province, when we bought our last new vehicle I insisted on genuine red plates but drove 

on fake ones for the first 2 weeks until a set of genuine plates were available from the car dealer

We got our black and white plates in 6 weeks they wanted the genuine red plates back

Edited August 11, 2014 by nedkellylives

[KittenKong]

My new vehicle was on red plates for what seemed like forever but was in fact about 5 months, though that was at time of the "great Thai number plate shortage" a couple of years ago.

I never filled in the log book and I was never asked to pay any fines even though my documents were checked a couple of times.

To leave a car on red plates now just to suit the dealer is unlikely to be treated so leniently.

[transam]

30 days on reds........

[Deacon Bell]

Illegal.

 

7 months Thai time quickly becomes over 1 year.... and he's already been paid.

 

He will be keeping your money and not registering the vehicle for that time period.

 

 

Refuse and go to another dealer.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Deacon Bell

[vtjforyou]

And you have to either abide by the following rules or be dishing out teamoney every 500klm.  This info may have been amended recently so i don't guarantee the total accuracy.

 

Red Plates:

 

• Can only be used from 06:00 to 18:00, though there is a police directive to extend this to 20:00 in situations of heavy traffic - max fine: 1,000 Baht.
• Cannot be driven outside of the province indicated without special approval of the Land Transport Department (permission must be noted in the log book) - max fine: 1,000 Baht.
• Logs of each journey must be kept - max fine: 1,000 Baht
• Cannot be used on the one car for more than 30 days or 3,000KM - max fine: 10,000 Baht

In addition, the use of fake red plates will result in a 6 month to 5 year jail term, and a 1,000 to 10,000 Baht fine.

 

 

The real fine is 100 baht and nobody cares the law !

[ksamuiguy]

regular plates issued when the dealer you paid, pays the tax on the vehicle.

[hansgruber]

I actually kept my car on red plate over 4 years. Didn't seem a problem and only had to pay the back dated tax.
Nobody made a big deal about it at either end.

[ignis]

on the plus side = in 7 months time your car will be registered as a 2015 car...

 

would worry if paid in cash = The dealer went out of business/vanished

[nedkellylives]

On our way back from Isaan to Phuket we were stopped and
a police officer checked the book for the red plates which
my wife had not filled out that day and asked for a 400 baht
fine, wife walked over to the senior officer at the desk and
paid the correct fine of 200 baht and was told the fine for
driving on fake red plates was 2000 baht
They all make up their own rules as far as fines go and love
stopping vehicles with Phuket license plates

[nedkellylives]

on the plus side = in 7 months time your car will be registered as a 2015 car...
 
would worry if paid in cash = The dealer went out of business/vanished

Bikes are register as of date of manufacture on their ID plate
cars etc would be the same
Same in other countries for first registration of new vehicles
Anything manufactured in 1995 is registered as a 1995 model
I think you would have to be joking but some people may believe you Edited August 12, 2014 by nedkellylives

[Johnniey]

Driving with no plates might be better.

[stevenl]

 

Thanks guys. Very useful information. We will try another dealer tomorrow and see if we can get the original discount but have the car on white plates within a couple of months instead of 7 months. We can forego the extra discount for 7 months wait.

A lot of the red plates that car dealers use are copies and that's what you will  get for 7 months

No third party insurance cover on fake plates they are not registered and insured

The real red plates have a emblem on them and have a book that has to be filled out daily if you leave

your home province, when we bought our last new vehicle I insisted on genuine red plates but drove 

on fake ones for the first 2 weeks until a set of genuine plates were available from the car dealer

We got our black and white plates in 6 weeks they wanted the genuine red plates back

 

Simply not true.

[nedkellylives]

Thanks guys. Very useful information. We will try another dealer tomorrow and see if we can get the original discount but have the car on white plates within a couple of months instead of 7 months. We can forego the extra discount for 7 months wait.

A lot of the red plates that car dealers use are copies and that's what you will  get for 7 months
No third party insurance cover on fake plates they are not registered and insured
The real red plates have a emblem on them and have a book that has to be filled out daily if you leave
your home province, when we bought our last new vehicle I insisted on genuine red plates but drove 
on fake ones for the first 2 weeks until a set of genuine plates were available from the car dealer
We got our black and white plates in 6 weeks they wanted the genuine red plates back

Simply not true.

Trolling again, please explain if you can how plates not issue by the govt can be registered and have third party insurance, waiting on your reply

[nedkellylives]

Driving with no plates might be better.

Quite a few people did that when there was a shortage of plates
even the fake ones were in short supply

[ignis]

 

on the plus side = in 7 months time your car will be registered as a 2015 car...
 
would worry if paid in cash = The dealer went out of business/vanished

Bikes are register as of date of manufacture on their ID plate
cars etc would be the same
Same in other countries for first registration of new vehicles
Anything manufactured in 1995 is registered as a 1995 model
I think you would have to be joking but some people may believe you

 

 

Sorry cannot work that one out....

 

So you buy a brand new car/Truck today, the Blue Book will show date of manufacture ?

 

So if the date of manufacture was 2011 the blue book would registered it as 2011 ? not as brand new [as it is] 2014 ?  How could you drive it on red plates even one day if it is 2 or 3 years old ?

 

There as still some Brand New cars and Trucks in showrooms now, and new models have been out a year or 2, a friend bought a Brand New D-Max at the beginning of the year and the Blue book 100% shows it as a 2014 D-Max, yet manufactured early 2012 and old model !!

 

As for 'Same in other countries for first registration of new vehicles'  sorry also not so, you can and I have done so bought a new car where the showroom has kept the car for weeks/months and registered it 2 Jan, the Log book showed it as Jan that new year.

 

Likewise have seen myself here car 2010 + Blue book shows as 2010, yet I know the model changed or had a face-lift in 2007, only way is looking at the manufacture date to find it is a 2002 and imported. but still the Blue book says it is a 2010 car.

[nedkellylives]

on the plus side = in 7 months time your car will be registered as a 2015 car...
 
would worry if paid in cash = The dealer went out of business/vanished

Bikes are register as of date of manufacture on their ID plate
cars etc would be the same
Same in other countries for first registration of new vehicles
Anything manufactured in 1995 is registered as a 1995 model
I think you would have to be joking but some people may believe you

 
Sorry cannot work that one out....
 
So you buy a brand new car/Truck today, the Blue Book will show [background=#f7fbfc]date of manufacture ?[/background]

 
[background=#f7fbfc]So if the [/background][background=#f7fbfc]date of manufacture was 2011 the blue book would registered it as 2011 ? not as brand new [as it is] 2014 ?  How could you drive it on red plates even one day if it is 2 or 3 years old ?[/background]
 
[background=#f7fbfc]There as still some Brand New cars and Trucks in showrooms now, and new models have been out a year or 2, a friend bought a Brand New D-Max at the beginning of the year and the Blue book 100% shows it as a 2014 D-Max, yet [/background][background=#f7fbfc]manufactured early 2012 and old model !![/background]
 
[background=#f7fbfc]As for '[/background][background=#f7fbfc]Same in other countries for first registration of new vehicles'  sorry also not so, you can and I have done so bought a new car where the showroom has kept the car for weeks/months and [/background][background=#f7fbfc]registered[/background][background=#f7fbfc] it 2 Jan, the Log book showed it as Jan that new year.[/background]
 
[background=#f7fbfc]Likewise have seen myself here car 2010 + Blue book shows as 2010, yet I know the model changed or had a face-lift in 2007, only way is looking at the [/background][background=#f7fbfc]manufacture date to find it is a 2002 and imported. but still the Blue book says it is a 2010 car.[/background]
Bought 2 wave motorbikes here at different times, both were manufactured the year before they were purchased and licensed as that year model
In western Australia vehicle manufacturing date stamped on the vehicle ID plate is the year of manufacture the same as the motorbikes purchased here
Would some official register it as a later model here if given a incentive, quite possible

[stevenl]

 

 

 

Thanks guys. Very useful information. We will try another dealer tomorrow and see if we can get the original discount but have the car on white plates within a couple of months instead of 7 months. We can forego the extra discount for 7 months wait.

A lot of the red plates that car dealers use are copies and that's what you will  get for 7 months
No third party insurance cover on fake plates they are not registered and insured
The real red plates have a emblem on them and have a book that has to be filled out daily if you leave
your home province, when we bought our last new vehicle I insisted on genuine red plates but drove 
on fake ones for the first 2 weeks until a set of genuine plates were available from the car dealer
We got our black and white plates in 6 weeks they wanted the genuine red plates back

 

Simply not true.

 

Trolling again, please explain if you can how plates not issue by the govt can be registered and have third party insurance, waiting on your reply

 

The car will be insured, no matter the plates, the chassisnumber is all that is required for that. I checked this with the insurance company because I had fake red plates and was going to Issaan from Phuket. And they confirmed in writing that all insurance, 1st class Plus 3rd party, is valid.

 

No fines for the red plates BTW, for driving out of province and for driving after dark, and I have done this with 3 or 4 different cars now.

 

Unfortunately you're making a habit of presuming things, writing them down as facts and getting upset when corrected.

[a10ams]

We bought a new car in Feb 2013 from a very reputable Toyota dealer. At the time I asked for a certain number which the dealer said we would have to wait for. 

 

It was either late November or early December before they called us to say it was available, so that was 9 1/2 months on red plates.

 

We never filled the log book in once, we used it at night and we made several trips from Hua Hin to Sakhon Nakon with no problems from the police.

 

I was kind of hoping it would drag on into 2014 so the car would be registered as a 2014 instead of 2013.

[cbluck58]

There is a lot of good information on the chain, most of which I will admit , I was unaware of, however I have never experienced any kind of formal fine or set of rules or indeed a log book to fill in on my car which was on red plates for nearly a year.

I bought it from a reputable dealer in Bangkok ( Toyota main agent ) , drove it to Hat Yai , then drove it all the way to Mukdahan , passing through Bangkok and then back to Hat Yai, all on red plates.

I even got stopped for speeding three times on red plates and was only obliged to cough up the usual 100 THB in order to proceed.

At no time, was any reference made to the red plates.

I guess you just have to take it as it comes.

[JacChang]

This is an early indication of the service you will get from this particular dealer.

 

STAY AWAY

 

Most dealers pretend to treat you nice to sell the car, and give you lousy aftersales service is there is a problem.

 

This dealer openly already step on top of your head, to give themselves the benefit at the cost of your inconvenience and legal problems. What do you think happens to aftersales service if the beginning is already so bad?

 

Go to another dealer, they will more than likely give you that same price for that specific same car. Your wording is very important. If it was me, I go in. "I am serious about buying this particular model, and my cash is ready, the other dealer offered me this, if you can beat it, the business is yours."

No sales would walk away from a ready deal like that, he just needs to make a few adjustments.

[bdenner]

No fines for the red plates BTW, for driving out of province and for driving after dark, and I have done this with 3 or 4 different cars now.

 

 

 

There IS a law in place governing the use of red (dealer) plates, location and hours. Fines are applicable, that's FACT. - You may have been lucky.

 

The myth about plates not being available is just that. The dealers want to hang onto their tax obligations for as long as possible (help cash flow?) the plates will not be released until they have paid up even though the buyer has paid it as a part of the purchase price.

 

I recently bought a used car at an auction which was registered in Khon Kaen, we had the re register in Udon Thani, took the old plates off and was given new over the counter. All done in 10 minutes.

 

Before I handed the bank cheque over for my new car (some years ago now) I DEMANDED that dealer have my plates available within 14 days. Had em in 10 days, even gave TW a choice of "lucky numbers".

Edited August 12, 2014 by bdenner

[Nuddy]

Is there no respect at all for the law by the authorities.

More thieves.

Disenchanted.

[Robert24]

No issues driving with red plates for longer. I had to wait 3 months. It's actually in your favour as you don't need to pay road tax as long as you have the red plates.

Acrually I know someone who had red license plate for nearly a year because a) he liked to show off that he had a new car and b) he wanted to avoid paying road tax.

However insurance was in my name since day 1 when I picked up my car.

[recycler]

Thais like to show off their new cars on red plates, my neighbor had them on her new Mercedes for over a year!

[nedkellylives]

Anyone who believes that they are insured while driving on
counterfeit/ fake license plates probably believes they are covered
by in insurance if driving without a license or DUI as well
Up to the insurance company if they pay your claim or not but they
don't have to
personally I would want a letter from the insurance company saying
I am covered and not believe what I am told by a insurance company
salesperson