Car Giant West London
Discussion
Bought from there with a friend - he was looking for a focus estate.
As has been said, go in with your wits about you and remember that cars are a mere commodity and you are one of millions of purchasers.
Biggest downside for me would be the tiny test-drive they allow you to do. If it was as much as 400 yards I'd be surprised.
Oli.
As has been said, go in with your wits about you and remember that cars are a mere commodity and you are one of millions of purchasers.
Biggest downside for me would be the tiny test-drive they allow you to do. If it was as much as 400 yards I'd be surprised.
Oli.
As a former employee I have to disagree with much of what has been said here...
CarGiant offer a large selection of cars at very low prices if you want absolutely mint condition
go pay 3 grand more at a main dealer! Also CG own all of the cars outright not lease companies and as for checking
its not an import from Cyprus...No idea where youve got that from..as people tend to export cars to Cyprus
as they are hugely more expensive over there..In fact one of my best customers whilst there was a dealer based in Paphos.
CarGiant offer a large selection of cars at very low prices if you want absolutely mint condition
go pay 3 grand more at a main dealer! Also CG own all of the cars outright not lease companies and as for checking
its not an import from Cyprus...No idea where youve got that from..as people tend to export cars to Cyprus
as they are hugely more expensive over there..In fact one of my best customers whilst there was a dealer based in Paphos.
We recently bought a 58 XC90 from them.
Can honestly I was expecting the hard sell and limited test drive etc... but it was a very pleasant experience (considering!)
Went on a Friday lunchtime so was quite quiet, said I was interested in one particular car. They gave me the keys and said take as long as you want! I spent about 45 mins going over the car, it was really cleaned so it was honest more or less as the previous owner left it.
Went for a test drive (few times on their test route)... went through their sales patter... said no... put down a deposit and picked the car up when it suited me the following Monday.
Went over it one more time before I paid the balance (they were happy to let me do that) they even gave it a good clean!
All in all a good experience and would definately go again. Only tips I'd say is..
go with you eyes wide open,
go when its quiet (avoid weekends!)
don't get sucked into their sales patter
I can say it was a much better experience than what I had with the main dealer a week before hand! But that's a different story and I wont breach the name and shame rules!
Cheers
Can honestly I was expecting the hard sell and limited test drive etc... but it was a very pleasant experience (considering!)
Went on a Friday lunchtime so was quite quiet, said I was interested in one particular car. They gave me the keys and said take as long as you want! I spent about 45 mins going over the car, it was really cleaned so it was honest more or less as the previous owner left it.
Went for a test drive (few times on their test route)... went through their sales patter... said no... put down a deposit and picked the car up when it suited me the following Monday.
Went over it one more time before I paid the balance (they were happy to let me do that) they even gave it a good clean!
All in all a good experience and would definately go again. Only tips I'd say is..
go with you eyes wide open,
go when its quiet (avoid weekends!)
don't get sucked into their sales patter
I can say it was a much better experience than what I had with the main dealer a week before hand! But that's a different story and I wont breach the name and shame rules!
Cheers
I bought a 3 year old Audi A4 from them about 8 years ago.
I did all my normal checks, HPI etc etc, all was fine.
They were so so slow at getting you away but in the end the car was ok.
14 days later the ECU light came on. They paid over 900 to my local Audi garage and it was sorted straight away.
I think if you find the car you want you should go for it.
I did all my normal checks, HPI etc etc, all was fine.
They were so so slow at getting you away but in the end the car was ok.
14 days later the ECU light came on. They paid over 900 to my local Audi garage and it was sorted straight away.
I think if you find the car you want you should go for it.
We bought our 75,000 miler Passat from them about 5 years ago. Has been the best car we've ever had and has now clocked up 150,000+ miles!
I had a mate who put a 300 deposit on an Astra estate a while ago but ended up not buying it. Imagine his surprise when he got a call saying the car was waiting for collection and was all paid up!!! He went and collected it and got a 7,500 Astra estate for 300 with no come back!
I had a mate who put a 300 deposit on an Astra estate a while ago but ended up not buying it. Imagine his surprise when he got a call saying the car was waiting for collection and was all paid up!!! He went and collected it and got a 7,500 Astra estate for 300 with no come back!
I went with a friend to buy a car for him. Car was mobility and they were not prepared to sort the change in taxation class, but wanted you to take the car untaxed. No flexibility or help offered. A lot of people must be breaking the law taking cars from there with no tax as they are not prepared to sort the issue out before you drive away....
Lordbenny said:
We bought our 75,000 miler Passat from them about 5 years ago. Has been the best car we've ever had and has now clocked up 150,000+ miles!
I had a mate who put a 300 deposit on an Astra estate a while ago but ended up not buying it. Imagine his surprise when he got a call saying the car was waiting for collection and was all paid up!!! He went and collected it and got a 7,500 Astra estate for 300 with no come back!
Given my knowledge of the company this smells an awful lot like complete and utter bull sI had a mate who put a 300 deposit on an Astra estate a while ago but ended up not buying it. Imagine his surprise when he got a call saying the car was waiting for collection and was all paid up!!! He went and collected it and got a 7,500 Astra estate for 300 with no come back!
t!And if it isn't I would strongly advise against advertising this tale on the internet.
I went to look at a CLK there some years ago. I rang to ask about the car first before travelling as it was a 200 mile round trip. Was assured the car was in excellent condition, full MB history etc, but when we got there, the car had evidence of body repair (really visible sanding marks etc through the paint), and wouldn't start. Bits of interior trim were broken, and the cherry on the turd was the display declaring 'B Service 6500 miles overdue'. This was a 14k car at the time too.
Pints said:
wildcat45 said:
Someone takes card as IS and won't give it back. Call police.
I'm tempted to pop own there just to test this. See how many toys I can throw before they give my card back and ask me to leave.Cheeky feckers.
Oli.
I actually went there a couple of weeks ago, ended up not buying but was happy with the place.
It was a Wednesday evening, so they were quiet - and this might have had a bearing on the overall experience; I wouldn't fancy it so much on a Saturday afternoon when it's a bit of a theme park.
Part ex price was fair with no real negotiation but they offered over book on a petrol Megane, against a car that was not overpriced and in great condition (a 20k mile, 59 plate Merc C180 for 12.5k). In the end I decided against it because of my existing finance, rather than the offer they put together. Their finance was expensive but they didn't put any spin on that - they accepted that I could do better elsewhere, and that attitude was a lot better than a lot of main dealers where I have had my time wasted even when it was clear there was nothing they could do to persuade me.
I think they'd be happy to do a quick, professional deal - but would string it out if you looked like a good target for the hard sell. The condition of their cars is also extremely variable; basically they go out for sale in pretty much the condition they came in in, so while a minority will be very clean and well looked after, if something's had a hard life, it will show when it's on their showroom floor.
As others have said, if you think of it as a private sale, it's probably not a bad place to go.
It was a Wednesday evening, so they were quiet - and this might have had a bearing on the overall experience; I wouldn't fancy it so much on a Saturday afternoon when it's a bit of a theme park.
Part ex price was fair with no real negotiation but they offered over book on a petrol Megane, against a car that was not overpriced and in great condition (a 20k mile, 59 plate Merc C180 for 12.5k). In the end I decided against it because of my existing finance, rather than the offer they put together. Their finance was expensive but they didn't put any spin on that - they accepted that I could do better elsewhere, and that attitude was a lot better than a lot of main dealers where I have had my time wasted even when it was clear there was nothing they could do to persuade me.
I think they'd be happy to do a quick, professional deal - but would string it out if you looked like a good target for the hard sell. The condition of their cars is also extremely variable; basically they go out for sale in pretty much the condition they came in in, so while a minority will be very clean and well looked after, if something's had a hard life, it will show when it's on their showroom floor.
As others have said, if you think of it as a private sale, it's probably not a bad place to go.
Bought from them 6 months ago and a painless experience TBH.
Went down to look at the car, exchanged keys with the sales guy and given as long as I wanted to look the car over, local test drive to check OK, arranged AA inspection of vehicle which they handled, paid deposit and picked up a couple of days later after it had been cleaned and prep'd.
My advice would be
1) Try not to go at the weekend as very busy.
2) They dont take credit cards for deposit.
3) Cars are not prepared in advance of viewing so will be dirty etc. (I thought this was a good thing as could see how well it had been looked after by previous keeper)
4) If they have numerous cars of the same model check them all out. They don't seem to pay much attention to options etc.
5) Just say no to finance/warranty/gap insurance offers.
6) They don't haggle on price (fair enough really as thier prices are already low)
7) They dont tax the cars (to be expected) but there are 3 PO's within 5 mins of the place.
They had 2 very similar 5 series tourings I was interested in at the same price. One had cheap tyres, no options and a service due in <3000 miles. The other had brand new RFT's all round, upgraded CC, iPod/USB connectivity and wasn't due a service for 10,000>.
No prizes for guessing which I bought.
Not sure where the horror stories on here regarding taking your card of you, expecting an admin fee in advance of showing you the car or removing spare wheels come from TBH. certainly not my experience.
Went down to look at the car, exchanged keys with the sales guy and given as long as I wanted to look the car over, local test drive to check OK, arranged AA inspection of vehicle which they handled, paid deposit and picked up a couple of days later after it had been cleaned and prep'd.
My advice would be
1) Try not to go at the weekend as very busy.
2) They dont take credit cards for deposit.
3) Cars are not prepared in advance of viewing so will be dirty etc. (I thought this was a good thing as could see how well it had been looked after by previous keeper)
4) If they have numerous cars of the same model check them all out. They don't seem to pay much attention to options etc.
5) Just say no to finance/warranty/gap insurance offers.
6) They don't haggle on price (fair enough really as thier prices are already low)
7) They dont tax the cars (to be expected) but there are 3 PO's within 5 mins of the place.
They had 2 very similar 5 series tourings I was interested in at the same price. One had cheap tyres, no options and a service due in <3000 miles. The other had brand new RFT's all round, upgraded CC, iPod/USB connectivity and wasn't due a service for 10,000>.
No prizes for guessing which I bought.
Not sure where the horror stories on here regarding taking your card of you, expecting an admin fee in advance of showing you the car or removing spare wheels come from TBH. certainly not my experience.
jackdebray said:
Given my knowledge of the company this smells an awful lot like complete and utter bull st!
And if it isn't I would strongly advise against advertising this tale on the internet.
It certainly aint bull st!And if it isn't I would strongly advise against advertising this tale on the internet.
t and I really couldnt give a rats ass if you think I shouldnt advertise it on the internet! SWoll said:
Bought from them 6 months ago and a painless experience TBH.
Went down to look at the car, exchanged keys with the sales guy and given as long as I wanted to look the car over, local test drive to check OK, arranged AA inspection of vehicle which they handled, paid deposit and picked up a couple of days later after it had been cleaned and prep'd.
My advice would be
1) Try not to go at the weekend as very busy.
2) They dont take credit cards for deposit.
3) Cars are not prepared in advance of viewing so will be dirty etc. (I thought this was a good thing as could see how well it had been looked after by previous keeper)
4) If they have numerous cars of the same model check them all out. They don't seem to pay much attention to options etc.
5) Just say no to finance/warranty/gap insurance offers.
6) They don't haggle on price (fair enough really as thier prices are already low)
7) They dont tax the cars (to be expected) but there are 3 PO's within 5 mins of the place.
They had 2 very similar 5 series tourings I was interested in at the same price. One had cheap tyres, no options and a service due in <3000 miles. The other had brand new RFT's all round, upgraded CC, iPod/USB connectivity and wasn't due a service for 10,000>.
No prizes for guessing which I bought.
Not sure where the horror stories on here regarding taking your card of you, expecting an admin fee in advance of showing you the car or removing spare wheels come from TBH. certainly not my experience.
My story of removing the spare wheel came directly from a personal friend who used to do it. He left a good 8 years ago, though, so they may have improved.Went down to look at the car, exchanged keys with the sales guy and given as long as I wanted to look the car over, local test drive to check OK, arranged AA inspection of vehicle which they handled, paid deposit and picked up a couple of days later after it had been cleaned and prep'd.
My advice would be
1) Try not to go at the weekend as very busy.
2) They dont take credit cards for deposit.
3) Cars are not prepared in advance of viewing so will be dirty etc. (I thought this was a good thing as could see how well it had been looked after by previous keeper)
4) If they have numerous cars of the same model check them all out. They don't seem to pay much attention to options etc.
5) Just say no to finance/warranty/gap insurance offers.
6) They don't haggle on price (fair enough really as thier prices are already low)
7) They dont tax the cars (to be expected) but there are 3 PO's within 5 mins of the place.
They had 2 very similar 5 series tourings I was interested in at the same price. One had cheap tyres, no options and a service due in <3000 miles. The other had brand new RFT's all round, upgraded CC, iPod/USB connectivity and wasn't due a service for 10,000>.
No prizes for guessing which I bought.
Not sure where the horror stories on here regarding taking your card of you, expecting an admin fee in advance of showing you the car or removing spare wheels come from TBH. certainly not my experience.
Well LordBenny whilst that is touching to know! Its is quite clearly bullst:
As a 200 quid deposit secures a car for 3 days, 400 for 7 days and then in mutiples of 200 there after up to a maximum of 7 days. There is no scenario where you would pay 300.
Also I'm pretty sure they didn't grow to be the largest car dealer in the uk and the owner one of the richest men in britain by giving away astra vans. It simply isn't possible. Of course if I'm mistaken, please feel free to provide "your mates" details and ill verify the details of his transaction with one of my former colleagues? You Total fking idiot.
t:As a 200 quid deposit secures a car for 3 days, 400 for 7 days and then in mutiples of 200 there after up to a maximum of 7 days. There is no scenario where you would pay 300.
Also I'm pretty sure they didn't grow to be the largest car dealer in the uk and the owner one of the richest men in britain by giving away astra vans. It simply isn't possible. Of course if I'm mistaken, please feel free to provide "your mates" details and ill verify the details of his transaction with one of my former colleagues? You Total f
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