OK, the latest from the better-half, the salesman says he has some red plates in Nong Khai (is there a Honda dealer there?) and will deliver them to the house on Monday.

I get home on Monday so should be interesting.

Confirm Honda Dealer in NK, on the main road from Udon.

He lied!

The wife waited most of Monday then called him to see where the plates are and he said, 'No hab now, maybe next week.'

Sharpening my farang vitriol as I type.

Red / white Plates all has to do with a dealer optimizing his cash flow,
If they need to a dealer can get white plates within a few days but they prefer to run this scam whereby the bugger around for a month or two because when the get the car registered, only then do they have to pay the supplier.
Why register it immediately? after all they have your cash in the bank and have not yet paid for the car.
If they can string you along for a while with some BS story, its all money for them , if they can feed you some BS that the red plates have run, out even more cash, its called laughing all the way to the bank,

Aha! I know there's always a financial string involved in doing pretty much anything 'normal' in Thailand and this explains their tardiness.

Anyhow, they finally stuck on the red plates and gave the wife the log book that goes with it. The girl at the dealership said a bung of haloy baht will be adequate to take care of the vehicle "inspection" by the Udon LTO that's apparently also part of the formal vehicle registration process.

Quite honestly I cannot recall such a rigmarole when I last bought a car in Chonburi almost 20 years ago and buddies who have bought more recently in Cholburi also say that red plates are always available and the white plates are usually ready in 30-40 days after that.

Ahhhh.... Isaan life.

bought a truck from mitsubishi two and a half years ago , never had red plates . got the vehicle registered and white plates within 7 days . bought the wife a proton neo 6 months ago never got the red plates , again vehicle registered and white plates within 14 days , and that was asking them to get a nice number . i have noticed a guy in our village in a honda accord that hes had for about 9 months now still on red plates . whether thats him wanting to show off , or the dealers inefficiency i cant say , but i dont think i will be buying a honda in udon , even though when my trucks past its sell by date i fancy an accord .

Here is one reason why new car buyers can't get Red Plates. Some people just don't return em.



Sorry about the resolution. This was hastely taken with my phone. Believe me that's an old battered red plate.

Still can't figure why the correct plates can't be delivered with the car like in the rest of the 'civilised' world. Can't be that hard to mass produce OR are they still being hand made in prisons?