Dealer adding on costs to sticker price of used car

[RayPike]

I wasn't there, my wife was just talking to a dealer in Nottingham. Car was on "Motors" website at £6,695 (a good £500 cheaper than typical prices for this model/age/mileage) so I suggested my wife went and had a look. Test drove it, liked it, got told price on site was wrong and it's actually £7,395. She called me, I told her that it was still a good deal at £7K which the dealer eventually agreed to and then added on £190 in "extras" to cover servicing, admin charges and road tax. Road tax, I suppose, is fair enough (£20 for this model) but the other charges? I told her to walk away and I haven't heard since so I'm assuming she has!

[anonymous-user]

Can a dealer tax a car? Do the new rules not mean the new owner has the obligation?

[Butter Face]

OpulentBob said:

Can a dealer tax a car? Do the new rules not mean the new owner has the obligation?

Dealers can tax and don't need insurance either.

It's down to the customer to insure the car.

Admin fees etc are petty par for the course these days, sneaky putting them on after a price is agreed though!

[Ozzie Osmond]

If anyone tried to load on hidden extras when I was buying a used car I'd be straight out the door.

[Hitch]

Ozzie Osmond said:

If anyone tried to load on hidden extras when I was buying a used car I'd be straight out the door.

Wouldn't you just say "No, we've agreed the price" first? Seems a bit much to flounce out.

[mikey k]

Ozzie Osmond said:

If anyone tried to load on hidden extras when I was buying a used car I'd be straight out the door.

tax fair enough but admin fees etc!

[RayPike]

To be honest it's still a fair price at £7190 but it's the principle involved here that I object to! I'd expect the dealer to have factored in a service/spruce up/admin charges into the asking price. Certainly when negotiating and agreeing a price verbally to then hike it up with the "extras" was taking the piss.

[datum77]

I have complained to the "Advertising Standards Authority" on 3 or 4 occasions about this rip-off practise by dealers of adding on some sort of spurious fee(s). If you remember the airlines were lambasted for doing exactly this and the ASA put a stop to it. Sadly the ASA don't think it is worth getting involved in this as they have failed to answer any of my letters.
Adding these "fees" on top of a price agreed, (and on top of the advertised price as well), is, frankly, immoral and wrong. This is mostly done by the car supermarkets, but can be found in lesser dealers.
Walk away if you're asked to pay more money on an agreed price, is the best advice I can give.

[simonr100]

I would also walk away but would tell them why, you never know - they may reduce the price.

[swisstoni]

They know that picking out a car to buy is time consuming and difficult. By the time someone is ready to sign the dotted line, they may have had enough and will put up with a few 'extras' just to get it over with.
Not a nice practice - you'd have to be prepared to walk away to counter it.

[andymc]

evans halshaw do it still I think

[Ozzie Osmond]

simonr100 said:

I would also walk away but would tell them why, you never know - they may reduce the price.

Precisely.

[anonymous-user]

Part of the "Motorparks" group?

If so then in my experience it's absolutely standard practice for them. Wouldn't touch them with someone else's bargepole, they tried every dirty trick in the book on us, couldn't walk out fast enough.

[BrownBottle]

Weird practice.

I'm surprised they're allowed to do that, if something is advertised at a certain price that's what the price should be end of story.

[Hoofy]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I couldn't care less how standard the practice is, they can practice it on someone else unless the car was, say, 50% of market rate.

[sandman77]

I wouldn't pay a penny more than £6699 + tax. Are you trading anything in? If not can you buy privately?

[Jasandjules]

I'd tell them the price agreed is the price agreed. Either sell at the price agreed or go elsewhere... Though in all honesty I tend to bite off my nose to spite my face, so I'd have likely as not told them to get stuffed and walked away....

[Troubleatmill]

If they started that malarky...

I would be countering with... well this is the price we agreed to pay...
However..... I have admin fees for my time, my secretaries time etc etc - and start lowering the offer.

ATEOTD they need to sell to survive.. You do not need to buy..

And ... if they are that stty with you now... just imagine if there is something needed to be put right.

[Hoofy]

Troubleatmill said:

If they started that malarky...

I would be countering with... well this is the price we agreed to pay...
However..... I have admin fees for my time, my secretaries time etc etc - and start lowering the offer.

I like it. Can I implement it even if they don't do this BS?

[WaferThinHam]

I'd laugh at them. If they wanted an extra couple of hundred quid, they can either do it for the price agreed or I'd happily walk. That said I can't remember the last time I bought from a dealer.