Buying from a garage with a bad review?
Discussion
Might be going to see something on Saturday that will be the Mrs' car and our winter 4x4. The car looks a real bargain, but I have had a Google and found a video glancing into the trader's yard at some poor looking cars, albeit only a glimpse.
Same person has also uploaded a video of a crashed car and a caption about don't buy from so and so, accident dealer etc.
Normally this would put me off, but there's nothing else coming up on Google, just this one person. Who has posted the same thing everywhere he could think of by the looks of it.
SOOOOOO.... what to do? Car is a bargain, provided it's as described. It's only a grand, so wouldn't expect perfection, obviously, but the ad gives the usual "taken in PX, clean bodywork, very good drive, first to see will buy etc." I'm torn between avoiding and missing a potential bargain, and thinking "perhaps it's just a disgruntled person trying to cause trouble."
What would you folks do? I'm tempted to ask him how he feels about the car having an AA inspection and seeing how he reacts.
Same person has also uploaded a video of a crashed car and a caption about don't buy from so and so, accident dealer etc.
Normally this would put me off, but there's nothing else coming up on Google, just this one person. Who has posted the same thing everywhere he could think of by the looks of it.
SOOOOOO.... what to do? Car is a bargain, provided it's as described. It's only a grand, so wouldn't expect perfection, obviously, but the ad gives the usual "taken in PX, clean bodywork, very good drive, first to see will buy etc." I'm torn between avoiding and missing a potential bargain, and thinking "perhaps it's just a disgruntled person trying to cause trouble."
What would you folks do? I'm tempted to ask him how he feels about the car having an AA inspection and seeing how he reacts.
Ved said:
There are always other cars. Your reviewer doesn't paint much of a picture so I'd avoid it if you get a bad feeling.
Out of interest what car are you looking for?
Didn't have a bad feeling until I saw that!Out of interest what car are you looking for?
This is an X-Type but it has a few things in its favour that make me want this one, including 16" wheels which means cheaper winter tyres! Also in a config that isn't so common i.e. engine, gearbox, price etc.
Edited by TroubledSoul on Wednesday 27th November 23:59
TroubledSoul said:
Ah forget it. Just seen that the EML is on. That wasn't on the ad for the last 3 days and has just been added. I know this for sure as I still have a tab open with the original ad on it!
NEXT!
Your initial suspicions were correct, dodgy garage. Always follow your gut! They'll be another car. NEXT!
I recently purchased a car from a dealer where the reviews on-line were generally awful (1.5 out of 5 stars)...........plus I travelled over 200 miles to view/collect.
It wasn't their normal type of car and I'm not sure they knew entirely what they were selling (forgot to list some of the extras).
My experience (apart from a little sitting around in the showroom to be passed from manager to manager to take my money) was fine. Car as described, good value, and easy to deal with.......some of those online reviews were from people expecting a new car for old car money so I took a balanced view and went ahead. 2 months on and no problems so far.
It wasn't their normal type of car and I'm not sure they knew entirely what they were selling (forgot to list some of the extras).
My experience (apart from a little sitting around in the showroom to be passed from manager to manager to take my money) was fine. Car as described, good value, and easy to deal with.......some of those online reviews were from people expecting a new car for old car money so I took a balanced view and went ahead. 2 months on and no problems so far.
OP - just out of interest, without naming and shaming, what town is this garage in? Hipperholme/Brighouse? I see you're in West Yorks.
There is a trader in West Yorks - specialises in 4x4s (and sometimes motorbikes); they've moved location a few times, Stump Cross(?), Mytholmroyd, Hipperholme etc. Been on Rogue Traders.
Me, my parents and several other people were witnesses for West Yorks Trading Standards in a case against them back in 2000 or so. My parents nearly lost 16K on a tarted up wreck of a Landcruiser with 100K "missing".
There is a trader in West Yorks - specialises in 4x4s (and sometimes motorbikes); they've moved location a few times, Stump Cross(?), Mytholmroyd, Hipperholme etc. Been on Rogue Traders.
Me, my parents and several other people were witnesses for West Yorks Trading Standards in a case against them back in 2000 or so. My parents nearly lost 16K on a tarted up wreck of a Landcruiser with 100K "missing".
mnkiboy said:
If it's the company I think you mean, their website is down at the moment so I can't see if they've got any X-Types for sale.
I doubt it's them though, as there's far more than just 1 bad review on the web for them!
I'm not saying it is, and I'm not saying it isn't, but it might or it might not be them that allegedly threatened to shoot me for getting a bit too probing asking for documents.I doubt it's them though, as there's far more than just 1 bad review on the web for them!
Website down, you say? I have no idea why I am posting this link...
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/crime/dodgy-c...
...or this one...
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews252966.html
I bought a car from a dealer last week without doing my homework properly. I usually buy new or nearly new and I'm very thorough then but on this occasion, being a winter car, I merely asked the questions without checking the dealer reviews.
Well, the 2008 Suzuki GV that I bought unseen - never had a problem buying unseen previously - was supposed to be clean with no scratches or dents (the stone chips identified were to be touched up) a full service history and generally immaculate inside and out.
The car arrived last Friday with no service history, a release note from a garage accident repair centre and scratches and dents to every panel. It also had two new tyres - cheap Chinese Runways! I was told they were OEM or equivalent. Now I appreciate not everyone takes care of their cars like I do and while my cars are genuinely immaculate, I accept some wear and tear but in this case was wrongly led to believe it was showroom condition and I thought, result, a car from someone who takes extra care.
I rejected it and it is being collected today.
I've since looked the company up - a national network - and this particular branch doesn't appear to be in high regard, far from it!
Happily, I found a 2006 Nissan X-Trail Aventura from a small garage near to me and done a deal on that after a good test drive. It also has scratches all over but I know about these - no deception - and the service history is all accounted for and main dealer completed.
Well, the 2008 Suzuki GV that I bought unseen - never had a problem buying unseen previously - was supposed to be clean with no scratches or dents (the stone chips identified were to be touched up) a full service history and generally immaculate inside and out.
The car arrived last Friday with no service history, a release note from a garage accident repair centre and scratches and dents to every panel. It also had two new tyres - cheap Chinese Runways! I was told they were OEM or equivalent. Now I appreciate not everyone takes care of their cars like I do and while my cars are genuinely immaculate, I accept some wear and tear but in this case was wrongly led to believe it was showroom condition and I thought, result, a car from someone who takes extra care.
I rejected it and it is being collected today.
I've since looked the company up - a national network - and this particular branch doesn't appear to be in high regard, far from it!
Happily, I found a 2006 Nissan X-Trail Aventura from a small garage near to me and done a deal on that after a good test drive. It also has scratches all over but I know about these - no deception - and the service history is all accounted for and main dealer completed.
Not the guys in Hipperholme! This place is actually in the RG postcode area, so near Reading. They share their name with a UK motorway.
This is the car. Surely not breaking any rules as I don't have an opinion on the place either way personally, I've just been put off by something I read online and the fact that this ad has been altered to reveal an EML present:
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
You can't expect a perfect car for this sort of money, but there does seem to be much better available for just a few hundred quid more.
This is the car. Surely not breaking any rules as I don't have an opinion on the place either way personally, I've just been put off by something I read online and the fact that this ad has been altered to reveal an EML present:
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
You can't expect a perfect car for this sort of money, but there does seem to be much better available for just a few hundred quid more.
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