Ask a car salesman anything...anything at all.
Discussion
Sheepshanks said:
andymc said:
the problem is the car is as popular as the really bad Aids and will be way "off book" when it goes through the auction
So why doesn't the book reflect the correct value?The other posters are right, not a ‘book’ car, I’d want one about as much as I’d want herpes
Butter Face said:
Sheepshanks said:
andymc said:
the problem is the car is as popular as the really bad Aids and will be way "off book" when it goes through the auction
So why doesn't the book reflect the correct value?The other posters are right, not a ‘book’ car, I’d want one about as much as I’d want herpes
mylesmcd said:
Butter Face said:
Sheepshanks said:
andymc said:
the problem is the car is as popular as the really bad Aids and will be way "off book" when it goes through the auction
So why doesn't the book reflect the correct value?The other posters are right, not a ‘book’ car, I’d want one about as much as I’d want herpes
Sheepshanks said:
So why doesn't the book reflect the correct value?
It's a guide, nothing in there is gospel. You'll find certain dealers to really well with cars that other dealers can't sell for live nor money so will give more for them.I'd rather have a museum of STD than a 300C, let alone a leggy one
Sheepshanks said:
So why doesn't the book reflect the correct value?
Excellent question - anyone on here work for CAP / Glass' / Parkers who can answer that?The pat answer is that they are Guides and not Bibles. The only way to correctly value anything ( not just cars ) is to consider what you can sell it for and deduct desired profit and expenses to arrive at your preferred buying price.
Certainly 2 or 3 years ago Mercedes CAP values were so wildly inaccurate that you would retail the car for less than the CAP Clean trade value.
Butter Face said:
‘Book’ guides are normally based on auction prices, if hardly any are going through auctions (as will likely be the case for 300c’s) then there isn’t enough data to update the ‘book’.
Years ago the missus had a Clio 1.6RXE and trying to p/x that at 5yrs old several dealers told us it was "over booked". That wasn't a rare model and I could see their point that the problem was the book price was about the same as a brand new basic Clio.Seems odd that the guide regarded as a bible can be so wrong - it wasn't a great deal of money but like the poster who started this off, a big percentage error.
Sheepshanks said:
Butter Face said:
‘Book’ guides are normally based on auction prices, if hardly any are going through auctions (as will likely be the case for 300c’s) then there isn’t enough data to update the ‘book’.
Years ago the missus had a Clio 1.6RXE and trying to p/x that at 5yrs old several dealers told us it was "over booked". That wasn't a rare model and I could see their point that the problem was the book price was about the same as a brand new basic Clio.Seems odd that the guide regarded as a bible can be so wrong - it wasn't a great deal of money but like the poster who started this off, a big percentage error.
Normally someone knows if a car is behind/over book and what we should really be paying for it etc.
Wooda80 said:
This isn't a loaded question at all, is it?
I guess borderline was ambiguous, they were below the dealer's standards but legal.
Things they could have done in my rough preference order:
Replaced them with matching tyres.
Told me they needed replacing and asking if I wanted to pay the difference to keep matching tyres.
Told me they needed replacing and asking me I if wanted to pay the full price of matching tyres.
Given me the option of taking the car with the current tyres.
Thing they chose to do:
Replace them with Landsail budgets and only mention it after delivery.
The rest of the purchase process and handover was excellent, this just leaves a bit of a sour taste but I'm not sure if I'm overreacting. It's only a 118d shopping trolley so never going to required P Zeros, but on the other hand I'm a bit miffed.
QuartzDad said:
Thing they chose to do:
Replace them with Landsail budgets and only mention it after delivery.
The rest of the purchase process and handover was excellent, this just leaves a bit of a sour taste but I'm not sure if I'm overreacting. It's only a 118d shopping trolley so never going to required P Zeros, but on the other hand I'm a bit miffed.
That's what I would have guessed had happened :-) Replace them with Landsail budgets and only mention it after delivery.
The rest of the purchase process and handover was excellent, this just leaves a bit of a sour taste but I'm not sure if I'm overreacting. It's only a 118d shopping trolley so never going to required P Zeros, but on the other hand I'm a bit miffed.
Truth is, it's only a relatively small proportion of buyers who have a tyre fetish and would be at all concerned. It's a bit like Tesco Own Brand v Tesco Finest. If you like Finest, you can really tell the difference and it's worth the extra money, if you like Own Brand then Finest is a marketing con for fools with money to burn.
In terms of offering you a choice, if it's a busy place then putting on a set of pre-authorised budget tyres while the car is on the ramp versus pricing a premium set, asking the salesman to phone you and ask the question without invoking suspicion of the less expensive option, potentially havng to wait for you to "ask your wife" before making a decision, querying the surcharge, then ordering in the other tyres is a no brainer, imagine having to do that with 20 cars a week in a workshop already busy with retail work.
Imagine you have been out for breakfast this morning, and after ordering the server comes back to you and says "We can give you our standard sausages or we can order in some more expensive ones for an extra £2 that will be here in an hour or two" It doesn't inspire confidence, does it!
By way if transparency, if i was buying my own tyres then I'd probably choose the least expensive premium
option, rather like ordering the second cheapest bottle of wine on the menu. But my own used 2.0TDi hatchback came with 4 budget tyres, fronts a different brand to rears, and it's been absolutely fine for the last 15000 miles or so.
skeeterm5 said:
re the "book", at a certain BMW dealership recently I asked about a deal on a new M2 and what they thought my M5 would be worth against it.
The salesman put my car details into WBAC and gave me an offer of their price, so that feels more like the bible that any books anymore.
I was pissed at a Honda dealer for doing that. Dealers need to be careful - what value are they adding? It's easy enough to take the car to WBAC yourself, and buy the new one via the internet.The salesman put my car details into WBAC and gave me an offer of their price, so that feels more like the bible that any books anymore.
QuartzDad said:
Replace them with Landsail budgets and only mention it after delivery.
Happened to me just recently, but nothing you can do about it, they are fit for purpose.I said to the garage "would you fit those to your wifes car?"
And "I expected a premium tyre on a premium car"
I got nowhere as I expected.
Just do what I did, go and get them changed and try to forget it, move on, and enjoy the car.
QuartzDad said:
I guess borderline was ambiguous, they were below the dealer's standards but legal.
Things they could have done in my rough preference order:
Replaced them with matching tyres.
Told me they needed replacing and asking if I wanted to pay the difference to keep matching tyres.
Told me they needed replacing and asking me I if wanted to pay the full price of matching tyres.
Given me the option of taking the car with the current tyres.
Thing they chose to do:
Replace them with Landsail budgets and only mention it after delivery.
The rest of the purchase process and handover was excellent, this just leaves a bit of a sour taste but I'm not sure if I'm overreacting. It's only a 118d shopping trolley so never going to required P Zeros, but on the other hand I'm a bit miffed.
Butter Face said:
There’s a guy locally who loves them, got 3 of em! Can’t see what he needs 3 of them for, just likes to have them sitting around I suppose.
Have you got his number? (;I do feel I should stand up for the 300c a bit though, I can understand why a dealer wouldn’t want one even the American car dealer as it’s not really ‘american’ enough.
But for me it’s been an excellent car, comfortably, putts along all day at 100mph and feels solid, pulls like a train and mechanically it’s been faultless in the 7 years I’ve had it. Had to replace a alternator cable and coil packs(I think) and that’s it. I can’t fault it at all and it feels at the moment like it would eat up another 100k miles no bother. 11 years old and still turns heads and has good road presence.
Sheepshanks said:
I was pissed at a Honda dealer for doing that. Dealers need to be careful - what value are they adding? It's easy enough to take the car to WBAC yourself, and buy the new one via the internet.
I suspect it’s done to be ‘transparent’. “Look mate, these guys will give £2,800 for your car. I’ll do the same and not take a penny out of it”.It’s like the old “I’m sorry, my manager says I can’t help you with that”. Allows the salesman to be friendly with you while still paying WBAC price which considering their cars then go through auctions is likely to be under book value.
Theguy5 said:
Have you got his number? (;
I do feel I should stand up for the 300c a bit though, I can understand why a dealer wouldn’t want one even the American car dealer as it’s not really ‘american’ enough.
But for me it’s been an excellent car, comfortably, putts along all day at 100mph and feels solid, pulls like a train and mechanically it’s been faultless in the 7 years I’ve had it. Had to replace a alternator cable and coil packs(I think) and that’s it. I can’t fault it at all and it feels at the moment like it would eat up another 100k miles no bother. 11 years old and still turns heads and has good road presence.
Just keep it then.I do feel I should stand up for the 300c a bit though, I can understand why a dealer wouldn’t want one even the American car dealer as it’s not really ‘american’ enough.
But for me it’s been an excellent car, comfortably, putts along all day at 100mph and feels solid, pulls like a train and mechanically it’s been faultless in the 7 years I’ve had it. Had to replace a alternator cable and coil packs(I think) and that’s it. I can’t fault it at all and it feels at the moment like it would eat up another 100k miles no bother. 11 years old and still turns heads and has good road presence.
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