Realistic expectations for a 12 month old £65,000 car?
Discussion
Spending 65k on a car that's 12 months old I expect..
1) everything works
2) it's immaculate , as new, you'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't new other than perhaps a stone chip and the odometer
3) they fix the chips before I come and get it
Am I being unrealistic? I don't think so, I looked at a 14 year old f360 which was as new (other than 20k on the clock)
So far at main dealer I've seen two cars which on paper are perfect.
In reality...
1) very poor paintwork / repair work
2) wonky panels
3) dirt sprayed into paint
4) adjoining panels "sprayed / painted together"
5) knackered seat bolsters
6) scuffs and marks all over the interior
7) masking tape left on after paintwork
8) over spray all over the place
9) interior and exterior trim not fitted back properly after paintwork
10) engine warnings / alarms / etc
What I cant work out is how "hq" sees these cars as acceptable.
Can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealer as to whether I'm being too demanding! I think they are worried about offending me!
1) everything works
2) it's immaculate , as new, you'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't new other than perhaps a stone chip and the odometer
3) they fix the chips before I come and get it
Am I being unrealistic? I don't think so, I looked at a 14 year old f360 which was as new (other than 20k on the clock)
So far at main dealer I've seen two cars which on paper are perfect.
In reality...
1) very poor paintwork / repair work
2) wonky panels
3) dirt sprayed into paint
4) adjoining panels "sprayed / painted together"
5) knackered seat bolsters
6) scuffs and marks all over the interior
7) masking tape left on after paintwork
8) over spray all over the place
9) interior and exterior trim not fitted back properly after paintwork
10) engine warnings / alarms / etc
What I cant work out is how "hq" sees these cars as acceptable.
Can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealer as to whether I'm being too demanding! I think they are worried about offending me!
Unfortuataley a seemingly majority of car drivers whether it is a £500 banger or a £80k new car treat their cars very badly and they get in a terrible state within a year.
The standard of 6-12 month old cars at manufacturer sales which end up with franchised dealers is often terrible. On average, I'd say BMW and Mercedes are the tattiest followed followed by Audi & VW.
This obviously is reflected in the standard of stock for sale at dealers who, to make things worse, prep them cheaply.
The standard of 6-12 month old cars at manufacturer sales which end up with franchised dealers is often terrible. On average, I'd say BMW and Mercedes are the tattiest followed followed by Audi & VW.
This obviously is reflected in the standard of stock for sale at dealers who, to make things worse, prep them cheaply.
There are dealers about who perform better than the rubbish you have viewed. Find a decent dealer. Not easy but all the cars will not be this poor just a question of trawling the market and seeing what is about. In time you will get a feel for what is actually a genuine ar and there will be a car wrth looking at seriously.
ajb85 said:
Performance cars, driven hard, prone to a bit more abuse perhaps? Miss. Daisy won't have been the previous owner.
By far and away the most abused are "rep" special 2.0 litre diesels but others are also pretty bad. A 6 months old M5 may have been driven hard but many have seemingly also spent their lives taking garden waste to the tip with it just dumped in the car and McDonalds Latte regularly disposed of by tipping down the side of the seats.I suspect because so few people now actually own their car and have saved up any money to buy it the pride in "ownership" is effectively zero.
It's not realistic to expect _all_ one year old cars to be like new. It's probably a bit naive to think that a more expensive car will have necessarily been treated better.
I prefer cars that haven't received paint after the factory and seek those out where possible. Sounds like you've just encountered a couple of cars that are not up to snuff. Some dealers will understand, but others just see you as a fussy customer.
I prefer cars that haven't received paint after the factory and seek those out where possible. Sounds like you've just encountered a couple of cars that are not up to snuff. Some dealers will understand, but others just see you as a fussy customer.
I don't think they're unrealistic expectations.
To be honest, on something 12 months old from a main dealer, I'd be expecting none of the above issues to be apparent on a car costing £6,500, let alone one ten times that amount.
Unless the car has literally just arrived and been put on the forecourt, not clearing engine warning lights is just plain lazy.
To be honest, on something 12 months old from a main dealer, I'd be expecting none of the above issues to be apparent on a car costing £6,500, let alone one ten times that amount.
Unless the car has literally just arrived and been put on the forecourt, not clearing engine warning lights is just plain lazy.
ILoveMondeo said:
Obviously, but the question is, am I living in fantasy land trying to find an "as new" car?
Buy new if you want new. Used will always be used, all HP/PCP/LSD/MDMA deals allow people with small budgets drive cars which they could have only dreamed of 10-15 years ago. Pearls before swine etc.confused_buyer said:
Unfortuataley a seemingly majority of car drivers whether it is a £500 banger or a £80k new car treat their cars very badly and they get in a terrible state within a year.
The standard of 6-12 month old cars at manufacturer sales which end up with franchised dealers is often terrible. On average, I'd say BMW and Mercedes are the tattiest followed followed by Audi & VW.
This obviously is reflected in the standard of stock for sale at dealers who, to make things worse, prep them cheaply.
Company cars. Sold at auction after 2 or 3 years or taken back by the manufacturer, and put on the forecourt. Very little incentive for anyone to go out their way to look after something which isnt theirs and will be replaced in 6 months time free of cost regardless of condition. The standard of 6-12 month old cars at manufacturer sales which end up with franchised dealers is often terrible. On average, I'd say BMW and Mercedes are the tattiest followed followed by Audi & VW.
This obviously is reflected in the standard of stock for sale at dealers who, to make things worse, prep them cheaply.
I expect no dents, scrapes, scuffs or marks beyond the odd stonechip on the front on any used car I buy. This might sound ridiculous and it might sound unreasonable, but I've managed to achieve it on numerous occasions now.
Especially on anything from a main dealer. They are top money - there is no more expensive way to buy used than from a main dealer, in my migsuided opinion I believe a main dealer could should represent the very best available. I often find the same as you - and I don't buy them as a result. I always eventually find one that, condition wise, is wonderful. They are out there.
It amazes me quite how tatty some of the stuff is though - some covered in the sort of scrapes you'd be penalised for when returning a 100k mile lease car let alone expecting on a premium 2012/13 car from a main dealer with 20k miles!
Especially on anything from a main dealer. They are top money - there is no more expensive way to buy used than from a main dealer, in my migsuided opinion I believe a main dealer could should represent the very best available. I often find the same as you - and I don't buy them as a result. I always eventually find one that, condition wise, is wonderful. They are out there.
It amazes me quite how tatty some of the stuff is though - some covered in the sort of scrapes you'd be penalised for when returning a 100k mile lease car let alone expecting on a premium 2012/13 car from a main dealer with 20k miles!
ILoveMondeo said:
Spending 65k on a car that's 12 months old I expect..
1) everything works
2) it's immaculate , as new, you'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't new other than perhaps a stone chip and the odometer
3) they fix the chips before I come and get it
Am I being unrealistic? I don't think so, I looked at a 14 year old f360 which was as new (other than 20k on the clock)
So far at main dealer I've seen two cars which on paper are perfect.
In reality...
1) very poor paintwork / repair work
2) wonky panels
3) dirt sprayed into paint
4) adjoining panels "sprayed / painted together"
5) knackered seat bolsters
6) scuffs and marks all over the interior
7) masking tape left on after paintwork
8) over spray all over the place
9) interior and exterior trim not fitted back properly after paintwork
10) engine warnings / alarms / etc
What I cant work out is how "hq" sees these cars as acceptable.
Can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealer as to whether I'm being too demanding! I think they are worried about offending me!
Masking tape left on paintwork? Ouch, doesn't fit a 65k at all. For that price bracket I'd expect a professional viewing experience where the car has been prepped beforehand.1) everything works
2) it's immaculate , as new, you'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't new other than perhaps a stone chip and the odometer
3) they fix the chips before I come and get it
Am I being unrealistic? I don't think so, I looked at a 14 year old f360 which was as new (other than 20k on the clock)
So far at main dealer I've seen two cars which on paper are perfect.
In reality...
1) very poor paintwork / repair work
2) wonky panels
3) dirt sprayed into paint
4) adjoining panels "sprayed / painted together"
5) knackered seat bolsters
6) scuffs and marks all over the interior
7) masking tape left on after paintwork
8) over spray all over the place
9) interior and exterior trim not fitted back properly after paintwork
10) engine warnings / alarms / etc
What I cant work out is how "hq" sees these cars as acceptable.
Can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealer as to whether I'm being too demanding! I think they are worried about offending me!
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