I have been reading some of the treads in this sub forum and thought I would add this one to let you know how buying a car in Thailand differs from the States. First thing to know is that if a car is not assembled in Thailand than there is a 300% import tax so we are limited on the models one can afford as I am not a rich person. The Mazda 3 is assembled in Thailand but we still pay a little more than stateside as there is a little import tax on parts to be assembled. Next, the advertised price is the price you pay, no discounts, BUT you can haggle for free accessories. My freebies were, tinted windows, side window noise suppressors (still on order), car cover, wet weather floor mats, one year free insurance, 3 years of free oil changes (but will have to pay for labor charges) and one year of free roadside service. The top spec hatchback retails for 1,074,000 baht and right now the exchange rate is 32 baht for a dollar which works out at $33,562 if my math is correct. Oh yea, only the 2 liter engine is available in Thailand. The problem is that the only interior available on this model is the white leather which does not work for me so I took the next level down which is available with the black seats with the red stitching and then I added on the Nav system which was an added $470. I was told that it is a module that plugs into the computer but I haven't seen it as it is still on order. I have only had the car 3 weeks. The model I got does not have the blind spot monitor or the front collision sensors and is automatic. I paid 989,000 out the door which is $30,900. Let me know how this compares to stateside prices.
Some pics.
Some pics.
