Bez the uninterested car dealer...A rant

[TimmD]

What an uncomfortably odd experience I just had with a private car trader.

I am looking for a car for my wife and spotted an A3 5 door in a nice spec not a million miles from us. So I phoned the guy and arranged to come and see it. I shuffle a few things around in my week so we can go when we don’t have kids with us. I check finances are in place and then take a 45 minute drive to this dealers property. It is a fairly large house very near Manchester airport and he has about 10 to 15 cars all nice and clean and arranged neatly. My wife thinks it’s a bit strange and I reassure her it is not unusual and even slightly reassuring as, are you going to be scammed when you know exactly where they live?

So we arrive and a bloke that can only be described as looking and sounding exactly like Bez from the Happy Mondays appeared. No problem with the look or sound, but the patter was like something Harry Enfield would write (with out Paul Whitehouse to steady him!)

So we start to have a look round this A3 that is described as “IMMACULATE INSIDE AND OUT” and “YOU WILL NOT FIND A MORE WELL LOVED OR CARED FOR VEHICLE THAN THIS” Well this was not quite true. It was in good condition for an 05 car with only 30k on it but no more than good. The alloys were scuffed, the boot lip was bad and there were a few stone chips. None of this would have bothered me except he was banging on the most clichéd load of bks about it being the best car ever.
Then he starts on about the history being overly comprehensive because the previous owner had the cam belts done at 6 years, not that special. But then there was tipex in the service book and the first service was not done until nearly 3 years had passed. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker, just a negotiation point.

We then ask for a test drive, he then turns on the highest pressure sales clichés possible. By this stage I am not enjoying it, but the wife likes the car and needs to drive it. He says only if we are going to buy it, and wants to discuss price and objections right there and then. I bring up the spec in the advert, which is incorrect and the 'not quite perfect' history to open the negotiations, but am uncomfortable doing this until my wife has given it the ok and we have had a chat. He gives us five minutes and then come back and says that he is not going to sell it to us as he doesn’t like me! Supposedly I was smirking when he was giving it his best bks and he’s got the hump!

I bit of further discussion about how I did not respond to high pressure sales then tells us to jog on…

Now I’m sure occasionally I might come across as obnoxious as I’m sure most people can at times, so I check with the dumbfounded wife sitting next to me, and no I was not.

I thought sales were hard to win at the moment…

If anyone has the misfortune of dealing with this chippy git near the Manchester airport tunnels I would walk away!

If anyone wants to look on Autotrader, search for a 5 door A3 diesel auto less than 40k for less than £10k… Rhymes with

ETA

No guesswork please.

Edited by Big Al. on Tuesday 1st November 19:59

[trickywoo]

Sounds like he knows there is some shady history to the car and you would make trouble later if you did buy the car.

Lucky escape.

[boobles]

He sounds like a complete & utter ahole!

The car was probably clocked & any dealer who refuses a test drive before commiting to buy, has something to hide in my opinion!

Thanks for the heads up, people like that deserve to go bankrupt!

[Marf]

His loss, laugh at him and chalk it up to experience.

[zcacogp]

Marf said:

His loss, laugh at him and chalk it up to experience.

'Zactly.

With respect, a 4-door Audi A3 can't be terribly hard to find secondhand - is it? You must have a fairly good choice.


Oli.

[franko14]

i would've walked when i saw the paperwork wasn't right. Say's a lot about a newish car. older cars can understandably have missing paperwork and other oddities, so i judge them on the condition of the car as i see it but when you're spending a fair chunk of dosh on a new (ish) car then anything that rings alarm bells would have me walking.

the dealer guy sounds like a plonker, if you're description is correct.

edit: just read the advert. Sound like he was stretching the truth with the advert. What are the service intervals on an A3? i'm pretty sure the 1st one would be before 17K. he was asking top dollar for it too. My brain would be thinking "clocked.. dodgy..back away now", but i might be wrong**

oh well.. plenty more fish in the sea

• disclaimer, just incase he's reading and sues me

Edited by franko14 on Tuesday 1st November 15:48

[BriC175]

Lol, what an idiot. Care to name the business? I live in Manchester.. might go and laugh at his sales technique..

[BriC175]

doogz said:

With the info in the OP, you can very easily find him on Autotrader.

My bad... I didn't read the bit at the bottom of his post, which explains it's on AutoTrader.

Just looked and found it!

[TimmD]

Thanks all, I also should have seen it coming as the bit he wrote on the ad WAS IN CAPITAL LETTERS! Never a good sign.

Boobles, PM me the details of yours can you? Or link the ad?

Timm

[boobles]

TimmD said:

Thanks you are correct we do need a 5 door..

Hope you sell it ok and don't have to many time wasters

Already had a few of them wishing to offer me 3.5k & 4k without even looking at the car.


Many thanks & goodluck with your search.

[Mr Senna]

I'd love to see if someone on here could do an Audi check on the service history....

[monthefish]

"where do you want to be with the car?"

[RoseyG21]

Dodgy prik! Would love to hear some of his cliches mind! eminds me of the Badger (Youtube badger salesman if you are not aware!)

[IrrElephant]

Bloke sounds like a first class arse TBH

P.S - If you get me the reg, I could check if it actually had full Audi history

[S8QUATTRO]

I've had a similar experience with a car trader near Manchester aiport in the past (not this one), when i didnt want to buy the car he lost his rag and shouted for his dogs! then our bloody car got stuck in the mud outside his house! he was not impressed

[Zwoelf]

TimmD said:

He is not going to sell it to us as he doesn’t like me!

Evidently he's doing so well with his "technique", he doesn't need your business. Or spotted that you were a more canny and attentive buyer than most and would probably present problems later on if/when a problem developed. Especially as a "private trader"...

[bobda]

I had a similar experience when accompanying a friend when he was buying a car - also an A3 - a couple of years ago at a seller who also operated from his house and had to bring the car to us when we arrived. It was badly described as in good condition, the interior was worn, it stunk of smoke/febreze, it rattled and when I looked through the 'full service history' it was patchy and unclear at best.
I questioned the cambelt and last service etc and the bloke selling it then decided that it clearly 'isn't the car for you' and 'if you want a perfect one then go to a dealer'.
Trying to contain my laughter which had been triggered earlier in the conversation as he declared 'it's just like a Golf' I told him that if we wanted a perfect one then we wouldn't have bothered to come and see this if he'd have bothered to list the real condition.

My friend went on to buy an A3 from a different home operator who gave him £400 for his knackered 106 in PX against a better car at only a fraction more money, and that one hadn't been clocked and not serviced in 2 years...

[OllieC]

is a nice bloke in real life apparently, well unless you ask his ex mrs I suppose...

ETA

No names, no pack drill......

Edited by Big Al. on Tuesday 1st November 20:06

[Matt UK]

Link to the ad?

[Special K]

The way you describe the seller I would have sworn it was the same one as I have dealt with in the past, except he was nearer to Handforth Dean than the Tunnels.......