Admin charges on buying a secondhand car.
Discussion
Just started looking for a car for the wife.
I'm absolutely amazed how some dealers manage to sell them.
We go for a test drive after we sit down to discuss a deal. Most are just not interested in any discounts and what makes it worst some want £100 on top for admin costs and to prep the car.
Never heard of any thing so ridiculous in my life. Surely that should be in with the screen asking price.
Me being me I just walk away. Just for the principle.
I'm absolutely amazed how some dealers manage to sell them.
We go for a test drive after we sit down to discuss a deal. Most are just not interested in any discounts and what makes it worst some want £100 on top for admin costs and to prep the car.
Never heard of any thing so ridiculous in my life. Surely that should be in with the screen asking price.
Me being me I just walk away. Just for the principle.
vikingaero said:
Cars are the mechanism by which finance/G(cr)AP/Warranties are sold. If they could drop the cars and sell the guff then most dealers would do so! 
^ Unfortunately increasingly true. I hate the admin fee trend that seems wide spread now. We never did it, screen price was ready to go minus insurance.
It's a clever idea. Add an admin charge, watch punter get all puffed up and indignant, agree to drop admin charge, sell car at full screen price with no discount to a punter that thinks he's 'won'!
Very cunning.
Personally I couldn't care less. The price I pay and the car I get is what matters, they can work the maths out how they like.
Very cunning.
Personally I couldn't care less. The price I pay and the car I get is what matters, they can work the maths out how they like.
papa3 said:
vikingaero said:
Cars are the mechanism by which finance/G(cr)AP/Warranties are sold. If they could drop the cars and sell the guff then most dealers would do so!
^ Unfortunately increasingly true. I hate the admin fee trend that seems wide spread now. We never did it, screen price was ready to go minus insurance.
Does my head in, grubby little middle men nickle n dimeing you for nothing. I should have become a professional obstructor. Just sit in the middle of a process, holding it up unless someone pays me money for my inconvenience.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Friday 19th September 16:48
hollydog said:
I just walk away.
I'm afraid I can't give you the full ten points. The correct answer was not to go there in the first place.When I see admin fees in adverts it has the same effect as people not putting important information, or writing "PRICE IS £7900 NOT £790 SORRY NO TIMWASTERS", i.e. I write it off as not worth the hassle of even ringing up.
It obviously depends what we're talking about though. A car that's commonly come by, then don't bother. If it's a rare engine, unusual colour with the bi-lateral buttscratcher option ticked (and that's the spec you've been craving) then it might be worth your while.
Edited by Prawo Jazdy on Friday 19th September 17:17
From the local shed near me:
HPI will cost them peanuts given the volume they process.
The fee is (almost) pure profit, just like all the other crap they try to sell you. It would be OK if you could opt out as per the Ryanair model but you cant for many of them so why not include it in the cost of the car in the first place.
Whats that you say, you want the day drive home insurance as well?
Their FAQ said:
What is the £125 +VAT admin fee for?
The administration fee covers the RAC vehicle inspection and HPI inspection. The minimum you would pay for the lowest level Essential RAC Inspection, if you booked this direct with the RAC as an RAC member, would be £135 – the maximum you would pay as a non-member for a 4 x 4 over 2500cc would be £346.00. The price for an HPI check, which checks if a car has finance owing, is stolen, cloned, written off or clocked, is £19.99. Our administration fee is not only great value but also provides you with peace of mind.
Not that I would pay for an inspection in the first place, but when you read the RAC inspections that are available on their site, they arent worth whatever made up cost they are anyway.The administration fee covers the RAC vehicle inspection and HPI inspection. The minimum you would pay for the lowest level Essential RAC Inspection, if you booked this direct with the RAC as an RAC member, would be £135 – the maximum you would pay as a non-member for a 4 x 4 over 2500cc would be £346.00. The price for an HPI check, which checks if a car has finance owing, is stolen, cloned, written off or clocked, is £19.99. Our administration fee is not only great value but also provides you with peace of mind.
HPI will cost them peanuts given the volume they process.
The fee is (almost) pure profit, just like all the other crap they try to sell you. It would be OK if you could opt out as per the Ryanair model but you cant for many of them so why not include it in the cost of the car in the first place.
Whats that you say, you want the day drive home insurance as well?
Their FAQ said:
We can provide you with drive away insurance valid for 5 days (this incurs a £12.50 + VAT administration fee) ensuring you are covered for the journey home.
Dont forget the VAT because as we all know, Joe Public never pays VAT normally... FFS!Edited by KTF on Friday 19th September 17:22
It seems to be the way things are done these days. I went to view a car that was up for about 6k which was a competetive price. When we went through the numbers there was the admin fee and then all the extras they tried to sell me, such as a warranty. Without the extra the car came with a 30 day warranty that covered up to £500. Anything more and it's tough s
t, or relying on the SOGA so bks really. I guess it means they keep the sticker price low which attracts customers and then once you've set your heart on the car they hit you with it.
Interestingly enough on a £6k car they tried to flog me £1.5k worth of extras; 2 years warranty, paint work and interior protection, MOT insurance and a servicing pack. The look on the guys face when I said I didn't want any was a picture, like i'd just taken a st on his desk. As it was the car wasn't right so we didn't do the deal anyway.
t, or relying on the SOGA so bks really. I guess it means they keep the sticker price low which attracts customers and then once you've set your heart on the car they hit you with it. Interestingly enough on a £6k car they tried to flog me £1.5k worth of extras; 2 years warranty, paint work and interior protection, MOT insurance and a servicing pack. The look on the guys face when I said I didn't want any was a picture, like i'd just taken a s
t on his desk. As it was the car wasn't right so we didn't do the deal anyway.KTF said:
From the local shed near me:
The dealer RAC inspections are just a branding thing - the inspection is carried out by dealers' own staff.Their FAQ said:
What is the £125 +VAT admin fee for?
The administration fee covers the RAC vehicle inspection and HPI inspection. The minimum you would pay for the lowest level Essential RAC Inspection, if you booked this direct with the RAC as an RAC member, would be £135 – the maximum you would pay as a non-member for a 4 x 4 over 2500cc would be £346.00. The price for an HPI check, which checks if a car has finance owing, is stolen, cloned, written off or clocked, is £19.99. Our administration fee is not only great value but also provides you with peace of mind.
Not that I would pay for an inspection in the first place, but when you read the RAC inspections that are available on their site, they arent worth whatever made up cost they are anyway.The administration fee covers the RAC vehicle inspection and HPI inspection. The minimum you would pay for the lowest level Essential RAC Inspection, if you booked this direct with the RAC as an RAC member, would be £135 – the maximum you would pay as a non-member for a 4 x 4 over 2500cc would be £346.00. The price for an HPI check, which checks if a car has finance owing, is stolen, cloned, written off or clocked, is £19.99. Our administration fee is not only great value but also provides you with peace of mind.
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