i wasted 2hrs of my life viewing a main dealer shed today
Discussion
Saw loads like this when I was looking for my 996.
Me: has it got full history
Dodgy dealer : yes very good full history realy good condition
60 miles later ....
Hmmmm rot in an inner door sill on a car with a galv shell
"Sunny" brand rear tyres
Patchy history stops at 2008 and 101k then begins again at 127k late 2011 with a hand written recipt from a back alley garage for " oil change "
I did however persuade some poor chap from buying a very ropey motorbike whilst I was there. ( met him down the road from the garage where he was having a smoke and let him know the bike was in a shocking state as I'd looked it over whilst I was waiting for them to find the key for the porsche )
Me: has it got full history
Dodgy dealer : yes very good full history realy good condition
60 miles later ....
Hmmmm rot in an inner door sill on a car with a galv shell
"Sunny" brand rear tyres
Patchy history stops at 2008 and 101k then begins again at 127k late 2011 with a hand written recipt from a back alley garage for " oil change "
I did however persuade some poor chap from buying a very ropey motorbike whilst I was there. ( met him down the road from the garage where he was having a smoke and let him know the bike was in a shocking state as I'd looked it over whilst I was waiting for them to find the key for the porsche )
mobile chicane22 said:
Saw loads like this when I was looking for my 996.
Me: has it got full history
Dodgy dealer : yes very good full history realy good condition
60 miles later ....
Hmmmm rot in an inner door sill on a car with a galv shell
"Sunny" brand rear tyres
Patchy history stops at 2008 and 101k then begins again at 127k late 2011 with a hand written recipt from a back alley garage for " oil change "
I did however persuade some poor chap from buying a very ropey motorbike whilst I was there. ( met him down the road from the garage where he was having a smoke and let him know the bike was in a shocking state as I'd looked it over whilst I was waiting for them to find the key for the porsche )
"Sunny" tyres you say?Me: has it got full history
Dodgy dealer : yes very good full history realy good condition
60 miles later ....
Hmmmm rot in an inner door sill on a car with a galv shell
"Sunny" brand rear tyres
Patchy history stops at 2008 and 101k then begins again at 127k late 2011 with a hand written recipt from a back alley garage for " oil change "
I did however persuade some poor chap from buying a very ropey motorbike whilst I was there. ( met him down the road from the garage where he was having a smoke and let him know the bike was in a shocking state as I'd looked it over whilst I was waiting for them to find the key for the porsche )
That's brightened up my day.
hora said:
Main franchise dealer. Priced at dealer book (well on good condition 'Parkers' pricing...yes yes I know).
Got there and at 50m's distance it looks quite nice. Out on foot and closing I immediately thought shed.
- Rust spots on rear quarter/next to rear door)
- Numerous deep bodywork scratches
- Rear nearside tyre kerbed repeatedly to the point that all logo/marking had been removed
- deep skirt damage to the drivers side
- The steering wheel screamed it wasn't a 39k mile/5yr old car- unless that marque has weak level in its cars.
- The discs need changing.
A couple of the above points point to repeated traffic around the rear door(s).
Pissed off as its the same marque at a Main dealer. All they have done is wash the car when it should have had at least abit of chipsaway attention at the least.
I was told it was a great example. An Indie wouldn't market such a car in that condition.
2hours of driving wasted. Do Mitsubishi GB have dealer inspectors or is the marque in this country disapearing/wouldnt be interested? In their favour they don't class the car as '100 point checks etc'.
/\/\/\Got there and at 50m's distance it looks quite nice. Out on foot and closing I immediately thought shed.
- Rust spots on rear quarter/next to rear door)
- Numerous deep bodywork scratches
- Rear nearside tyre kerbed repeatedly to the point that all logo/marking had been removed
- deep skirt damage to the drivers side
- The steering wheel screamed it wasn't a 39k mile/5yr old car- unless that marque has weak level in its cars.
- The discs need changing.
A couple of the above points point to repeated traffic around the rear door(s).
Pissed off as its the same marque at a Main dealer. All they have done is wash the car when it should have had at least abit of chipsaway attention at the least.
I was told it was a great example. An Indie wouldn't market such a car in that condition.
2hours of driving wasted. Do Mitsubishi GB have dealer inspectors or is the marque in this country disapearing/wouldnt be interested? In their favour they don't class the car as '100 point checks etc'.
Edited by hora on Sunday 19th February 19:35
There's your problem right there. Two of the four worst cars I have driven in my life have had that badge on the back.
I got so annoyed with sellers doing this that I got them to agree to repay my fuel if I found a resprayed panel on the car (they said OEM paint). I could see the respray from 10' and to be fair the indie dealer gave me a cheque that did not bounce. Mind you I did a 700 miles round trip and lost a weekend. Always takes 3-4 months to buy a car and sometimes a year but happy once I get there.
It works the other way too.
I looked at loads of cars before buying my wife's A6.
When we came to sell it at 170k and £3k it was in great condition for the mileage but did have two small dinks (less than 2" that could only be seen in certain light) and a buyer said he couldn't believe we'd sell it in that condition - WTF !!!
I looked at loads of cars before buying my wife's A6.
When we came to sell it at 170k and £3k it was in great condition for the mileage but did have two small dinks (less than 2" that could only be seen in certain light) and a buyer said he couldn't believe we'd sell it in that condition - WTF !!!
Had this while looking for my Clio.
Saw a black one a few miles from home, private sale, good price, low miles, in the morning.
Toddled off for a 2 hour round trip to see a blue one, few more miles, but I preferred the colour and was willing to pay the premium for it, since it was described as "immaculate condition" and "alloys totally as new" IIRC.
I'm sure you can guess the rest: f
king heap it was, scratches all over the thing and the 4 wheels had all been kerbed to buggery.
Bought the black one from the guy in the next town
Saw a black one a few miles from home, private sale, good price, low miles, in the morning.
Toddled off for a 2 hour round trip to see a blue one, few more miles, but I preferred the colour and was willing to pay the premium for it, since it was described as "immaculate condition" and "alloys totally as new" IIRC.
I'm sure you can guess the rest: f
king heap it was, scratches all over the thing and the 4 wheels had all been kerbed to buggery.Bought the black one from the guy in the next town
In my naivety I bought a 325d last year from a main dealer in Rochdale. I put a deposit on it without driving it thinking that the 100 point + check and BMW brand would mean I wouldn't need to bother.
Picked the car up, signed the paperwork and drove home to Gloucester only to have a major shaking at 70+ mph. Had a massive argument with the extremely rude salesman repeatedly over the subsequent 5 days after taking it in and out of Gloucester BMW I decided I wasnt getting anywhere so took it to my local tyre place who diagnosed two buckled wheels. I then had to wait 5 days for two second hand wheels to be sent down to my local BMW dealer.
It was after the numerous arguments with the salesman that I realised dealers and independents are the same. the only thing worth the premium is the warranty but then you do pay handsomely for it! I also had a hire car for 4 weeks.
Picked the car up, signed the paperwork and drove home to Gloucester only to have a major shaking at 70+ mph. Had a massive argument with the extremely rude salesman repeatedly over the subsequent 5 days after taking it in and out of Gloucester BMW I decided I wasnt getting anywhere so took it to my local tyre place who diagnosed two buckled wheels. I then had to wait 5 days for two second hand wheels to be sent down to my local BMW dealer.
It was after the numerous arguments with the salesman that I realised dealers and independents are the same. the only thing worth the premium is the warranty but then you do pay handsomely for it! I also had a hire car for 4 weeks.
)If anyone says "Its mint mate", that means its a st heap, years ago we went to see and XR4i that was so bad I told the seller I wasnt interested as he met me at the gate, the interior was like a dung heap and it had stickers like WW2 pilot "kill" stickers but they were cats with a cross through, so potentially this chimp had killed four peoples family pets with it, nice !
t heap, years ago we went to see and XR4i that was so bad I told the seller I wasnt interested as he met me at the gate, the interior was like a dung heap and it had stickers like WW2 pilot "kill" stickers but they were cats with a cross through, so potentially this chimp had killed four peoples family pets with it, nice !
mgrays said:
... Always takes 3-4 months to buy a car and sometimes a year but happy once I get there.
I saw a car as a "Buy It Now" on eBay at 5pm on a Friday, and had inspected and paid for it by 3PM the next day - from a Dealer. Took a week to sort the paperwork (change of taxation class) so drove it away a week laterMind you, it was a Peugeot 309, with minor bodywork damage but all the original paint - plus low mileage and 90% sevice history
. It's still driven daily after 3 years - and is very enjoyable to drive. It also gets positive attention on the road and at Car Shows along the lines of "when did I last see one of them??"
Happy Days...3-4 months - or a year - to buy a car? I saw the 309 on a Friday and needed it ASAP - the other "classic"
took up the slack for a week but I would have been struggling to get to work on the following Monday if the MG1600 hadn't been available...I saw a car that is suitable for us then asked about a worst case figure for my px.
Described it & said I realised he'd have to see it to be accurate but he said he had no idea of price.
I said "what, no idea at all"
Dealer "no, no idea"
Me "so you have no clue what a car is worth, no guide or anything"?
Dealer "that's right"
Me "could be a grand, could be 5 grand, you wouldn't be able to say which is more likely"?
Dealer "that's right"
Me "no point in me driving 4 hrs is there if we are on a completely different page"
Px is a good car btw, only 36k miles & FSH & 4 yrs old
Described it & said I realised he'd have to see it to be accurate but he said he had no idea of price.
I said "what, no idea at all"
Dealer "no, no idea"
Me "so you have no clue what a car is worth, no guide or anything"?
Dealer "that's right"
Me "could be a grand, could be 5 grand, you wouldn't be able to say which is more likely"?
Dealer "that's right"
Me "no point in me driving 4 hrs is there if we are on a completely different page"
Px is a good car btw, only 36k miles & FSH & 4 yrs old
As has been pointed out, there seems to be less of a difference between main dealers and dodgy indies these days.
I used similar words when I was contacted by my local VW dealership last week. In an obvious effort to drum up some business, they told me they'd noticed (when my car was last in there several months ago) that my rear suspension needed work. Of course it does, in much the same way that my ample treaded tyres were "below the legal limit" and they could replace them with LingLong equivalents for the same price as I can get premium rubber.
Foxtrot Oscar.
There was a time when your main dealer was to be trusted. Now it seems a specialist or indie which comes recommended is the preferable option.
I used similar words when I was contacted by my local VW dealership last week. In an obvious effort to drum up some business, they told me they'd noticed (when my car was last in there several months ago) that my rear suspension needed work. Of course it does, in much the same way that my ample treaded tyres were "below the legal limit" and they could replace them with LingLong equivalents for the same price as I can get premium rubber.
Foxtrot Oscar.
There was a time when your main dealer was to be trusted. Now it seems a specialist or indie which comes recommended is the preferable option.
Pints said:
There was a time when your main dealer was to be trusted. Now it seems a specialist or indie which comes recommended is the preferable option.
I disagree I don't believe there was ever a time a Main Dealer could be trusted.They will always get numpties going to them who know nothing so they rip them off - their overheads pretty much mean they have to.
Specialist Indies trade on their name and the forums soon kill off bad ones.
I'll admit that some of the car sellers (ie those who don't do mechanical work) are very dodgy though.
Way back, when MBH was still a lad, those manufacturers had to build a reputation, create an image of integrity and earn the trust of the consumer. Those are the days to which I refer.
That was a very, very long time ago. Now the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota, Mercedes, etc. are still relying on that reputation which I believe they actually earned and believe that the consumer still place them on a pedestal.
Sadly, that image is now too often no longer deserved. You're right, too often they're taking the money of numpties who still rely on their supposed expertise, and expect that reputation to be upheld.
Finding a reputable, honest and reliable independent - that's by no means an easy exercise either.
That was a very, very long time ago. Now the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota, Mercedes, etc. are still relying on that reputation which I believe they actually earned and believe that the consumer still place them on a pedestal.
Sadly, that image is now too often no longer deserved. You're right, too often they're taking the money of numpties who still rely on their supposed expertise, and expect that reputation to be upheld.
Finding a reputable, honest and reliable independent - that's by no means an easy exercise either.
Seems the good dealers are starting to sway too. I had to throw my Omega into the local Vauxhall dealers (usually very good) to get a heater bypass valve changed - it's a right pain in the arse to do and I didn't have time to mess about doing it myself with going to Ireland the next day. I supplied the valve because I already had a spare.
Aside from cracking my windscreen by forcing the bonnet open further than it should go, they also decided it needed to go on the diagnostics for the airbag light being on. This would have cost £96. A new front left wheel bearing because the one on the car was knackered at a cost of £235.68, except it passed its MOT 2 weeks before with no advisories. And finally get this one, a slight oil leak from the sump breather pipe which costs less than 50 quid to buy with a new gasket was £432.96.
Needless to say none of the other work was done apart from the heater bypass valve labour charge (about £150), I know what the airbag problem is already (slightly high resistance on the steering wheel circuit) and I've replaced the gasket on the sump breather for about 50p. They would not admit to cracking the windscreen, nor would they cough up the £75 for Auto Windscreens.
As it turns out, it took Auto Windscreens 3 attempts to fit the glass properly too. New one went in and leaked, refitted it which stressed it and cracked it, fitted another new one which also leaked and sounded like a hurricane and the trims weren't fitted properly, re sealed it and it was fine but got glue on the headlining and on the bodywork.
MOD ETA: No Name and shame.
Aside from cracking my windscreen by forcing the bonnet open further than it should go, they also decided it needed to go on the diagnostics for the airbag light being on. This would have cost £96. A new front left wheel bearing because the one on the car was knackered at a cost of £235.68, except it passed its MOT 2 weeks before with no advisories. And finally get this one, a slight oil leak from the sump breather pipe which costs less than 50 quid to buy with a new gasket was £432.96.
Needless to say none of the other work was done apart from the heater bypass valve labour charge (about £150), I know what the airbag problem is already (slightly high resistance on the steering wheel circuit) and I've replaced the gasket on the sump breather for about 50p. They would not admit to cracking the windscreen, nor would they cough up the £75 for Auto Windscreens.
As it turns out, it took Auto Windscreens 3 attempts to fit the glass properly too. New one went in and leaked, refitted it which stressed it and cracked it, fitted another new one which also leaked and sounded like a hurricane and the trims weren't fitted properly, re sealed it and it was fine but got glue on the headlining and on the bodywork.
MOD ETA: No Name and shame.
Edited by twink on Monday 20th February 12:15
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