Each new car needs a license plate number to be registered in JPJ.

Your car sales man will arrange this for you.  He will submit your name to JPJ to enter into JPJ's computer system together with a new license plate number.

License plate number

Selecting a number for your new car.

There are 3 categories of numbers  :

Plus some Rm 199??? for middle men for "keeping" the number for you.

IMPORTED CARS IN MALAYSIA
(with some models assembled in Malaysia)

There are 9 Nine vehicle assembly companies that assemble imported brand. Assembling 18 passenger cars and 14 commercial vehicles

1) Assembled in Malaysia (engine and parts manufactured oversea)

2) Imported Car.

Each car contain a unique chassis number and an engine number,

Before you see your new car,  the car has to go thought 3 commercial stages :

1) Manufacturers (in Kuala Lumpur or in Japan for imported cars). There are 4 Malaysian car manufacturers : Proton, Perodua, Inokom & Naza

2) Distributors (in Kota Kinabalu)

3) Dealers (the car showroom in Tawau where you buy the car)

The manufacturers deliver the vehicles by ship to the distributors in Tawau,
 

Upon arrival of the vehicles in Tawau port, the distributors do some clearance with Customs Department,
then register the vehicle in Tawau JPJ Department.

The Dealers then take the cars they ordered and display in their show rooms for you to choose.

You may take your car now after :

1) Pay cash

2) Approved by your bank for the car loan

Some of the banks in Tawau that provide Car Loans are :

1) May Bank

2) AM Bank

After submitted  your  loan application forms (with all the necessary documents), the bank will be approved within 3 days. A bank officer will interview you either in the bank office or just give you a call and ask a few question about your financial situation.

Here are a few sample question a loan officer will ask you. Though some of the information are already given in your form to the bank, the bank will ask again just for a conformation.

1) What is your birthday, employer name, office telephone number, house telephone number.

2) Where do you stay, do you own or rent the house you are staying now.

3) Are you still paying, if any, instalment for house, another car.

4) What is you job, monthly salary, age of children.

The bank normally takes 3 days to give you an answer.

But for a financially sound customer, the bank can approve within the same day (and you drive away your new car the next day)

1) Immediately available for those cars readily available in stock in show room.

2) Wait for 1 month to 2 months for a new car to arrive from KK or KL