Are used car dealerships doing so well that...
Discussion
...they don't need to chase sales at all?
I phoned up in advance, asked all sorts of questions about the service history, booked an appointment and travelled a loooong way to see a car yesterday.
Their sticker price was about right IMO, if the car had been in the condition I'd expect from a 40,000 mile car. I spent a long time looking at the car, but it had a number of issues including:
The salesman said he "doesn't have that kind of movement and wouldn't even need to ask a manager as they couldn't go that low"...so I responded "well tell me your number"..
..he didn't, just muttered about speaking to a manager (who wasn't on-site)....so I left it with a firm statement of "speak to your boss, get your best number and call me and we'll see if we can work it out".
That was at 2pm yesterday......no call.
Was I wrong? Is it not the done thing to haggle when a car has been so lazily presented? Surely my number which was less than 10% off the asking wasn't too low considering it needs a £500+ service....
Its not that popular a model as well, it needs a buyer with a fairly special set of circumstances and they are slow to shift, and I have been watching a few including this one for a couple of weeks now.
I phoned up in advance, asked all sorts of questions about the service history, booked an appointment and travelled a loooong way to see a car yesterday.
Their sticker price was about right IMO, if the car had been in the condition I'd expect from a 40,000 mile car. I spent a long time looking at the car, but it had a number of issues including:
- The seats were showing waaay more wear than they should for the mileage.
- The sat nav was frozen solid, nothing worked.
- The interior boot cover/blind was missing.
- It was due a major service fairly shortly (regardless of mileage, which was their argument - based on time since the last one).
- The service book had been "sent away to get a missing stamp" added.
- It still had finance which they would "send a cheque away for" sometime soon...meaning a delay if I want to buy.
- The inside was a bit overly-worn and just grubby, including the steering wheel buttons which were sticky.
The salesman said he "doesn't have that kind of movement and wouldn't even need to ask a manager as they couldn't go that low"...so I responded "well tell me your number"..
..he didn't, just muttered about speaking to a manager (who wasn't on-site)....so I left it with a firm statement of "speak to your boss, get your best number and call me and we'll see if we can work it out".
That was at 2pm yesterday......no call.
Was I wrong? Is it not the done thing to haggle when a car has been so lazily presented? Surely my number which was less than 10% off the asking wasn't too low considering it needs a £500+ service....
Its not that popular a model as well, it needs a buyer with a fairly special set of circumstances and they are slow to shift, and I have been watching a few including this one for a couple of weeks now.
I'd take this as your cue to tell him to GTF even in the unlikely event that he does ring back. Can you imagine the level of service you'll receive if you have to return for any warranty work if they can't even be @r5ed to do the retail foreplay bit properly?
BTW, I'd have pitched in with "£11k, service it and fix the sat nav".
Someone else deserves your hard-earned more.
EDIT: Are we getting the name of this professional outfit? I'm guessing two words, rhymes with Arnold Shark....
BTW, I'd have pitched in with "£11k, service it and fix the sat nav".
Someone else deserves your hard-earned more.
EDIT: Are we getting the name of this professional outfit? I'm guessing two words, rhymes with Arnold Shark....
Edited by fat freddie on Saturday 15th December 15:47
fat freddie said:
EDIT: Are we getting the name of this professional outfit? I'm guessing two words, rhymes with Arnold Shark....
I don't want to breach name and shame rules, so no. It wasn't AC, it was a supposedly well respected "Family Run Business" who are "Driving for Excellence" in south london.The Crack Fox said:
Would you want the car described, at any price, really ? I wouldn't.
The car drove well, has the spec I want and most of the above can be addressed with a bit of time/elbow grease....so wasn't writing it off straight away.The low mileage attracted me, I can get another identical with 66,000 miles for slightly less cash, but the mileage put me off....but I'm reconsidering it as the interior was like brand new.
They must be.
I went to look at a MK4 Mondeo in Feb, up for £9k.
I travelled 80+ miles to see it to find the engine cover missing, bottom of the tailgate showing a lot of wear and a 13mm bolt through a rear tyre. During the conversation with the site owner he told me/let slip it was an ex-hire/pool car. I seem to remember offering about £8.5k. Best they would do? 6 months tax FFS! On a NINE THOUSAND POUND car the most they would give me was a 1% discount even after I had told them I had the money and was ready to do the deal there and then if we could work it out.
I ended up buying one privately a few days later for £8400 with half the miles on it & far better condition.
I went to look at a MK4 Mondeo in Feb, up for £9k.
I travelled 80+ miles to see it to find the engine cover missing, bottom of the tailgate showing a lot of wear and a 13mm bolt through a rear tyre. During the conversation with the site owner he told me/let slip it was an ex-hire/pool car. I seem to remember offering about £8.5k. Best they would do? 6 months tax FFS! On a NINE THOUSAND POUND car the most they would give me was a 1% discount even after I had told them I had the money and was ready to do the deal there and then if we could work it out.
I ended up buying one privately a few days later for £8400 with half the miles on it & far better condition.
Megaflow said:
Overly worn seats and interior, missing service book and by the sounds of it a slightly shady dealer, I've got a pint on the mileage having had a haircut...
yes, the more I think about it the more I suspect this....although the MoTs did seem to support the mileage but that doesn't mean it wasn't trimmed for each MoT.Centurion07 said:
They must be.
I went to look at a MK4 Mondeo in Feb, up for £9k.
I travelled 80+ miles to see it to find the engine cover missing, bottom of the tailgate showing a lot of wear and a 13mm bolt through a rear tyre. During the conversation with the site owner he told me/let slip it was an ex-hire/pool car. I seem to remember offering about £8.5k. Best they would do? 6 months tax FFS! On a NINE THOUSAND POUND car the most they would give me was a 1% discount even after I had told them I had the money and was ready to do the deal there and then if we could work it out.
I ended up buying one privately a few days later for £8400 with half the miles on it & far better condition.
Man on other side of desk refuses to do what he's told. Shocker.I went to look at a MK4 Mondeo in Feb, up for £9k.
I travelled 80+ miles to see it to find the engine cover missing, bottom of the tailgate showing a lot of wear and a 13mm bolt through a rear tyre. During the conversation with the site owner he told me/let slip it was an ex-hire/pool car. I seem to remember offering about £8.5k. Best they would do? 6 months tax FFS! On a NINE THOUSAND POUND car the most they would give me was a 1% discount even after I had told them I had the money and was ready to do the deal there and then if we could work it out.
I ended up buying one privately a few days later for £8400 with half the miles on it & far better condition.
Centurion07 said:
SpeckledJim said:
Man on other side of desk refuses to do what he's told. Shocker.
Hardly. The clue is in the name; "car DEALER". They are there to sell cars by doing deals. Offering a 1% discount is not a deal, it's taking the piss as much as if I'd offered £6K.Better drop him an email. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Take the opportunity to tell him he should be filling the tank and buying you chocolates.
Centurion07 said:
SpeckledJim said:
Man on other side of desk refuses to do what he's told. Shocker.
Hardly. The clue is in the name; "car DEALER". They are there to sell cars by doing deals. Offering a 1% discount is not a deal, it's taking the piss as much as if I'd offered £6K.The first thing I ask when someone asks how much discount they can have is how many they're buying...
SpeckledJim said:
Given you ended up buying a better car cheaper (which is how these complaints often end - complainant wins in the end - triumph!) you seem to be very cross with him.
Better drop him an email. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Take the opportunity to tell him he should be filling the tank and buying you chocolates.
I was pissed off with him because, as per the OP, I'd travelled a fair old way expecting to find a car worth £9K. What I found was car worth a few hundred less and the dealer unwilling to budge save for 6 months tax. fBetter drop him an email. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Take the opportunity to tell him he should be filling the tank and buying you chocolates.
k him. 
Centurion07 said:
SpeckledJim said:
Given you ended up buying a better car cheaper (which is how these complaints often end - complainant wins in the end - triumph!) you seem to be very cross with him.
Better drop him an email. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Take the opportunity to tell him he should be filling the tank and buying you chocolates.
I was pissed off with him because, as per the OP, I'd travelled a fair old way expecting to find a car worth £9K. What I found was car worth a few hundred less and the dealer unwilling to budge save for 6 months tax. fBetter drop him an email. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing. Take the opportunity to tell him he should be filling the tank and buying you chocolates.
k him. (and unbeknownst to you, chappy had already had 3 calls on that car that week, and sold it the following day at full price with a killer part-ex, finance and all the trimmings.)
Nicer car for you. More wages for him.
MK4 Slowride said:
Not representative of all used car dealers though is it.
Isnt it ?After traveling 60 miles to view a 645, to find it was a pile of garbage.
Various dints and deep scratches everywhere, interactive system didn't work, engine didn't want to start then ran on 6 (ish).
Interior in poor condition, with every seat having some form of damage, this thing was 12k.
2 mins i was heading back home.
Next day one came up 10 miles away, that was just as good as he said, great car, nice bloke to buy it off.
Previous to that volvo s60 t5, being sold as top of the range best available etc.
2 damaged headlights, they are £700 each, leaky rad found because it had no coolant in the bottle, oil leak from the turbo area.
I stopped looking at that point.
Its the same story i read again and again on here.
We can find a good car dealer, but they are getting harder to find, as they swim with wave after wave of the s
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