New Pickup Smokescreen

[Spitfire]

Dear all,
I would like to share my experience of buying a new pickup(the previous thread seems to be dealing with second hand cars).

I went into a Mitsubishi showroom to buy one of those Tritons and they started off by treating my wife and me as a bit of a joke. On our second visit to the garage the told us the following:

1. Cannot put it in my name as I don't have a work permit and if I did have one then there were about 100 other sheets of info that I needed aswell, along with a wopping monthly income(so, in effect, good luck).

2. If you can meet these requirements then a minimun of a 30% deposit was needed.

3. However, can put in my wife's name, so long as I provide my bank statement from the UK for the last year and meet the 30% deposit, then countersign(be the guarantor) the agreement.

So, they tell me that the pickup is in my wife's name, but technically it belongs to me in the eyes of the financing company because I have guaranteed the payments as my wife doesn't earn enough to be considered, but legally it's hers until the payments are done, however it also belongs to the financing company until it's paid for.
So, if there are any problems, they will come to me to sort it out as I am the guarantor.

In the end I put down a larger deposit and paid over two years to get rid of it as quick as possible as this seem to be a very vague arrangement.

I have also heard that buying a motorbike in your name is also not as easy as you may think.
I came away from the showroom thinking that they didn't really want me to spend my money with them as they did their best to confuse me and make it as difficult as possible.

They were quick to say it's OK to sell to my wife, but I wanted to ask them the question "Where do you think this money comes from?".

Seemed to me a bit discriminating.

Any comments, stories or thoughts about this are welcome with thanks.

[alleykat]

they started off by treating my wife and me as a bit of a joke

Any idea why?

Are you talking about Mitsubishi in Hua Hin?
I took my wagon (Mitsi) there on a late Friday afternoon, asked if they could clean the fuel-injection unit, and refill the refrigerant for the air-con. They were all helpful and full of smiles, "Yes" they said, "sure, no problem, where u come from?"
Too late to do it then, so I said I'd come back.

Went back the following Monday, they all but ignored me, and the mechanics were away at lunch, so waited till they came back.
Then I was told that I would have to take it to Pranburi to get the fuel-injection done, and they coudn't do the air-con either because they didn't have the right equipment!

[Spitfire]

I think they treated us like that because they know how much of a problem it would be for us to buy and maybe just dismissed us because of that(what I mentioned above), and no it was not in Hua Hin, in Isaan.

[nevets]

HONDA CIVIC , HONDA PHANTOM MOTOR CYCLE both in my name and the insurance no problem. Thai wife and blue house book.

[HHTel]

Have bought a Sonic Nova and a Phantom from the Honda garage in Hua Hin. Only documentation needed was my passport!

With the car, produced my work permit (I had one at the time) and then no problem. I was paying cash which may make a difference.

[Francois]

Have bought a Sonic Nova and a Phantom from the Honda garage in Hua Hin. Only documentation needed was my passport!

With the car, produced my work permit (I had one at the time) and then no problem. I was paying cash which may make a difference.

Paying cash is the real difference : no hassle, money coming in...

But it's of interest for me. I'll be in HH by mid-May and I intend to buy a motorbike that I will pay cash. I'm looking for the Honda Airblade which seems to be a good deal.

Where is the Honda garage in HH ?

[fft100]

With Toyota, if i paid the full price in cash then i could put it in my name. If i went for 50% finance then it would have to be in the girlfriends name unless i had a work permit. But no guarantee etc required even though she doesnt have a job.

I guess the rule changes depending on the company / garage and how keen they are on closing that sale...

[crazy88]

Toyota Hua Hin were very helpful .

My mother is on a non-o visa .Car in her name without stress .Paid in full in cash .

I looked in Nissan Hua Hin .I may as well have turned up at Mecca wearing pork chops as earrings and and a George Bush T-shirt .






Crazy 88

[Francois]

My mother is on a non-o visa .Car in her name without stress .Paid in full in cash .

I have a non-o visa available 1 year.

To summerize :
- a longstay visa (non-o or work permit)
- pay cash

and that solves the main problems

[Cowtown Comedy]

the only reason they ask for WP's is because they are lazy and less paperwork is required if you are legally working in LOS. I have had no problem buyng cars and m-bikes as long as I have proof of residence, a one pager that Soi 102 signs quite easily. Hats off to the folks in Suzuki, they make it very simple buying new or used m-bikes. I have even bought used m-bikes with out of province tags, and Suzuki transfered title and tags for minimal charge.

[buksida]

I had similar problems with the financing at Mitsubishi, they wouldn't let me have it without a Thai guarantor so I had to pay outright in cash. Putting it in my name was no problem as I had the work permit, they also wanted letters from the police which I couldn't be arsed to do so the mrs has it in hers now.

It seems, as said above, they're just too lazy to mess about with all the paperwork involved for foreigners to do anything here so they try to push you down the "Thai name" route or the easiest possible path. Of course this leaves you with f-all at the end of the day but hey, we're farangs, we should be lucky they allow us to stay in this wonderful utopia.

[Norseman]

To be honest, I don't understand anything of your Mitsu problems.
Last month I bought a brand new Nissan Navara from Nissan in Pranburi.
Payment, farang name --- NO problem.
Maybe it's because of my yellow house book, but I never have had any sorts of problems with cars or mc's registered in my own name.
A Thai guarantor is only needed if you don't have enough money to either pay cash or about 30% of the final price.
If you can pay about 40% of the value of the car you will not need any Thai guarantor.
Save a bit more money and you will be able to get the car without the need of a guarantor.

[Randy Cornhole]

I walked into the Honda shop in Hua Hin with a wad of cash and said I wanted a bike in my name or I would take my money and walk away. No problem they said give us a copy of your passport. 10 mins later I had one new honda motorbike with all the correct paperwork. No work permit, no Thai wife, no green,yellow, magenta or tartan book. No problem...

[nevets]

I have always said money transcends all problems.

[sandman67]

like my Grandad used to say....theres only one thing money wont buy....thats poverty.