M3 buying problems. Advice please.
Discussion
Final update. I have just received an email from the Dealer Principal saying that my deposit is to be refunded. The last method I used was to complain through the customer website which prompted a reply from the Dealer Principal inviting me in for a chat. I then replied stating that the mileage was misrepresented and that I would be prepared to take the matter through the small claims court which prompted the refund email.
Thank you all for your replies, advice and encouragement. I may well have given up without the help from the PHers. Have a
on me.
Thank you all for your replies, advice and encouragement. I may well have given up without the help from the PHers. Have a
on me. bennno said:
sun is out, they clearly realise that they can sell it easily without any issue
out of interest what colour, spec, price, mileage....can you find a better one now?
Bennno
'53 plate Mystic Blue Coupe
20k miles advertised - 23k actual
SMG
satnav
HK
19s
6CD
It wasn't so much the mileage that put me off, it was the sudden increase in mileage. 3k in 2 weeks is a hell of a lot and suspiciously sounds like a trip to the 'Ring and back. It may well be OK and will probably sell quickly but my confidence in the car had gone. It'll be interesting to see whether the dealer puts it up at the same price.
I've lost the will to replace my 330ci now and have just put some new tyres on it. I might just run it for another few thousand miles before looking again. There's life in the old girl yet.
toastboy said:
bennno said:
sun is out, they clearly realise that they can sell it easily without any issue
out of interest what colour, spec, price, mileage....can you find a better one now?
Bennno
'53 plate Mystic Blue Coupe
20k miles advertised - 23k actual
SMG
satnav
HK
19s
6CD
It wasn't so much the mileage that put me off, it was the sudden increase in mileage. 3k in 2 weeks is a hell of a lot and suspiciously sounds like a trip to the 'Ring and back. It may well be OK and will probably sell quickly but my confidence in the car had gone. It'll be interesting to see whether the dealer puts it up at the same price.
I've lost the will to replace my 330ci now and have just put some new tyres on it. I might just run it for another few thousand miles before looking again. There's life in the old girl yet.
3k in two weeks won't be the case.
The mileage will of been taken from the appraisal which could of been taken months ago, or whoever took it in part exchange has been lazy and asked the customer how many miles has it got and just wrote the figure of 20,000 down without checking the car, which could show 21,654 a couple of weeks later it has done 22,465 when it comes into stock. The car will of been offered for sale from the info on the appraisal which will of been wrong or taken a few months ago.
personally 2 or 3K is not worth worring about if the car is nice as it will have no effect on the cars value.
Donut that is precisely my expectation too.
Happens all the time, just imagine you did trade in your 330i - would it still have the same mileage on it as it did a few weeks ago when they appraised it??
The guy with the M3 potentially part ex'd it for a new shape coupe or cab and the milage was a best estimate.
IMHO if the condition is good then that is a very good price and superb spec - whether its got 20k or 23k is immaterial. Perhaps they will chip you £500 off or throw in the next service for goodwill.
Bennno
toastboy said:
Final update. I have just received an email from the Dealer Principal saying that my deposit is to be refunded. The last method I used was to complain through the customer website which prompted a reply from the Dealer Principal inviting me in for a chat. I then replied stating that the mileage was misrepresented and that I would be prepared to take the matter through the small claims court which prompted the refund email.
Thank you all for your replies, advice and encouragement. I may well have given up without the help from the PHers. Have a on me.
Thank you all for your replies, advice and encouragement. I may well have given up without the help from the PHers. Have a
on me. You did right, why let some car dealer rip you off? A car just doesn't grow 2,500 miles in a few weeks, they also told you a load of BS about the tyres.
sjn2004 said:
You did right, why let some car dealer rip you off? A car just doesn't grow 2,500 miles in a few weeks, they also told you a load of BS about the tyres.
In case you didnt notice thats exactly what cars do, just check your odo and then go for a drive and then check it again.
As below the price being asked for the spec and mileage seems very reasonable. There would be no difference in value between a car with 20k miles and one with 23k miles.
Bennno
bennno said:
Happens all the time, just imagine you did trade in your 330i - would it still have the same mileage on it as it did a few weeks ago when they appraised it??
If this is normal then they should know what sort of mileage is likely to be added to a car between the appraisal and the customer seeing it. They should tell the customer the car's current mileage but also to expect to see roughly x miles more on it my the time it arrives for viewing. Also the sloppy handling of the tyres situation and the fact that the car wasn't ready to view when it was supposed to be was inexcusable. Have we really got nothing better to do than go to car dealerships to view cars that we were told would be ready, but aren't? It would certainly have put me off the dealer and the toothlessness of BMW CS would have left me questioning whether I want a BMW at all - Let's face it, if BMW CS's answer to everything is 'we can't tell a dealer what to do 'cause they're a francise' then what's the point of BMW CS at all?
I'm glad the OP won. If everyone who's treated like this stands up to them they might pull their socks up and start offering something like a premium service for the premium prices thet they charge.
bennno said:
sjn2004 said:
You did right, why let some car dealer rip you off? A car just doesn't grow 2,500 miles in a few weeks, they also told you a load of BS about the tyres.
In case you didnt notice thats exactly what cars do, just check your odo and then go for a drive and then check it again.
As below the price being asked for the spec and mileage seems very reasonable. There would be no difference in value between a car with 20k miles and one with 23k miles.
Bennno
Some people place a lot of value on honesty. Some people as a point of principle don't do business with people who tell them lies.
As for the original poster, I think his motive was that the car had been ragged by some sales executive on a long weekend away (together with all the silly stories they told him about tyres etc).
I think you are pretty naive if you think bmw Sales Exec's have the ability to commandeer M3's for weekend trips and run them ragged round the nurburgring.
The sales person involved is potentially at fault for not making clear that the mileage is in the region of X and exactly when the car would be with them - little more.
To be fair most people wouldnt decide to not buy a well specc'd, good condition car because of a few days delay and the car having 2k more miles than expected. The original poster seems to suggest that as a result of this he now isnt going to bother with an M3 and will just hang on to his 330i coupe which suggests he wasnt entirely serious to start with.
Bennno
bennno said:
The sales person involved is potentially at fault for not making clear that the mileage is in the region of X and exactly when the car would be with them - little more.
The point is - why would you give your business to a dealership that acts in this way? It is a buyers market and frankly if I were in this situation I would not have bought the car, never returned to the dealership and warned everyone I knew about them. F*ck them.bennno said:
To be fair most people wouldnt decide to not buy a well specc'd, good condition car because of a few days delay and the car having 2k more miles than expected. The original poster seems to suggest that as a result of this he now isnt going to bother with an M3 and will just hang on to his 330i coupe which suggests he wasnt entirely serious to start with.
Bennno
A few days delay is fine, the extra miles would warrent a discount discussion if I was doing the deal, but I buy from people I like and trust and would have walked if the dealer had made me come in twice without the car being ready. It's their job, very basic customer service skills.
Just because he's decided to hold onto the 330i coupe for a while doesn't mean he wasn't serious more the fact he's fed up being mucked about and hasn't necessarily got the time to buy an alternative at present (it happens with holidays/commitments).
I'd have done exactly the same in his shoes. At least he had a positive result on the refund
Guys - The mileage issue is not the only problem here:
1. Made arrangements for a test drive and when he turned up at the dealers the car was not there! Dealer didn't bother to call him.
2. Arranged a second appointment and the car was not ready as agreed! Also the tyres (reason for missing first appointment) were not changed. Not even a courtesy call to notify A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER that the car was not ready.
3. Mileage reading wrong.
Now I don't know how you guys like to be treated by a BMW dealer as a potential customer but I would have walked away from the first missed appointment.
1. Made arrangements for a test drive and when he turned up at the dealers the car was not there! Dealer didn't bother to call him.
2. Arranged a second appointment and the car was not ready as agreed! Also the tyres (reason for missing first appointment) were not changed. Not even a courtesy call to notify A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER that the car was not ready.
3. Mileage reading wrong.
Now I don't know how you guys like to be treated by a BMW dealer as a potential customer but I would have walked away from the first missed appointment.
To clarify, £26k is a massive investment for me and as such I expected to get treated very well by the dealer. This was obviously not the case at the time and so I rejected the car, my main point of contention being the sudden increase in mileage but the poor service also contributed to my decision.
My 330ci needed new tyres and tax and not wanting to leap blindly into a deal on another car, I decided to get these things done and take my time in choosing the right replacement. I still feel an M3 would be the most suitable replacement but am unsure whether I will be treated properly by the local dealer in future and so am also considering other makes and models. I'm in no great hurry, the right car will make itself known at some point in the future and hopefully then I'll be able to make the deal without any problems.
My 330ci needed new tyres and tax and not wanting to leap blindly into a deal on another car, I decided to get these things done and take my time in choosing the right replacement. I still feel an M3 would be the most suitable replacement but am unsure whether I will be treated properly by the local dealer in future and so am also considering other makes and models. I'm in no great hurry, the right car will make itself known at some point in the future and hopefully then I'll be able to make the deal without any problems.
In 6 months the 330ci will probably depreciate less that an M3 so no hurry (I'll add it might not just so I don't open another can of worms).
You would expect people to make you feel good over spending £26k if they don't then they're loosing touch with the most important point, the customer.
You would expect people to make you feel good over spending £26k if they don't then they're loosing touch with the most important point, the customer.
toastboy said:
To clarify, £26k is a massive investment for me and as such I expected to get treated very well by the dealer. This was obviously not the case at the time and so I rejected the car, my main point of contention being the sudden increase in mileage but the poor service also contributed to my decision.
My 330ci needed new tyres and tax and not wanting to leap blindly into a deal on another car, I decided to get these things done and take my time in choosing the right replacement. I still feel an M3 would be the most suitable replacement but am unsure whether I will be treated properly by the local dealer in future and so am also considering other makes and models. I'm in no great hurry, the right car will make itself known at some point in the future and hopefully then I'll be able to make the deal without any problems.
My 330ci needed new tyres and tax and not wanting to leap blindly into a deal on another car, I decided to get these things done and take my time in choosing the right replacement. I still feel an M3 would be the most suitable replacement but am unsure whether I will be treated properly by the local dealer in future and so am also considering other makes and models. I'm in no great hurry, the right car will make itself known at some point in the future and hopefully then I'll be able to make the deal without any problems.
I think I saw the car on the BMW site (cars coming soon section). It did look nice but once the new M3 starts coming through you should have an excellent selection of cars available.
As already mentioned, there were three issues where the dealer was pushing the OP around. In my experience, if you let someone know they can push you a little, they will push a bit more, then a bit more, etc. So you need to draw a line and say enough is enough.
I would have done the same thing, regardless of how good the car was. If the dealer knows they can push you around, then what's to say they'll be good with fixing any minor niggles you find after buying the car?
Which dealer out of interest?
I would have done the same thing, regardless of how good the car was. If the dealer knows they can push you around, then what's to say they'll be good with fixing any minor niggles you find after buying the car?
Which dealer out of interest?
bennno said:
I think you are pretty naive if you think bmw Sales Exec's have the ability to commandeer M3's for weekend trips and run them ragged round the nurburgring.
The sales person involved is potentially at fault for not making clear that the mileage is in the region of X and exactly when the car would be with them - little more.
To be fair most people wouldnt decide to not buy a well specc'd, good condition car because of a few days delay and the car having 2k more miles than expected. The original poster seems to suggest that as a result of this he now isnt going to bother with an M3 and will just hang on to his 330i coupe which suggests he wasnt entirely serious to start with.
Bennno
OK im not one to stick my oar in, but when you say the sales guys dont take the cars out is not true. I lived behind a BMW garage (Westerlys in Yeovil) for a year. I seen every M car being abused on a daily bases! I complained 4 times and nothing was ever done about this. When you take into account these guys where pushing 500bhp M5/M6 to the limit past the local Asda (with no experience of a car with that power) I find that totaly wrong. I will never put my car into this garage for this reason only. Its bad when you get a sales guy try and race you in a mini cooper S which was probrably in for a services.The sales person involved is potentially at fault for not making clear that the mileage is in the region of X and exactly when the car would be with them - little more.
To be fair most people wouldnt decide to not buy a well specc'd, good condition car because of a few days delay and the car having 2k more miles than expected. The original poster seems to suggest that as a result of this he now isnt going to bother with an M3 and will just hang on to his 330i coupe which suggests he wasnt entirely serious to start with.
Bennno
Sorry guys, the dealers are terrible and its a well know fact!
no matter what way you look at it, the car has move miles on and the customer was lied too... if that was you, would you put up with that? 2500 miles on a car with only 20,000 on is a lot!!!
Well done for getting your money back mate.
Good luck with the car search
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