Ask a car salesman anything...anything at all.

Ask a car salesman anything...anything at all.

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Sheepshanks

32,517 posts

118 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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?

Butter Face

30,191 posts

159 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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?
‘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’.

The other posters are right, not a ‘book’ car, I’d want one about as much as I’d want herpes hehe

mylesmcd

2,520 posts

218 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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?
‘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’.

The other posters are right, not a ‘book’ car, I’d want one about as much as I’d want herpes hehe
I am an American car trader and I refuse the 300's out right.

Butter Face

30,191 posts

159 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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?
‘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’.

The other posters are right, not a ‘book’ car, I’d want one about as much as I’d want herpes hehe
I am an American car trader and I refuse the 300's out right.
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.

Fast Bug

11,595 posts

160 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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

Wooda80

1,743 posts

74 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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.

Sheepshanks

32,517 posts

118 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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.

Butter Face

30,191 posts

159 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
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.
In most cases it’s pretty decent, as a ‘bible’ I don’t think you’re quite right, it’s a ‘guide’ and gets used as such in most dealerships I know.

Normally someone knows if a car is behind/over book and what we should really be paying for it etc.

silentbrown

8,790 posts

115 months

Saturday 1st June 2019
quotequote all
Rewe said:
Theguy5 said:
due to me looking pretty young salesmen never take me seriously!
It’s a curse, isn’t it? I’ve had the same problem all my life.
I'm not pretty, but young salesmen don't take me seriously either. wink

QuartzDad

2,229 posts

121 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
Wooda80 said:
This isn't a loaded question at all, is it? smile
smile

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.

Mexman

Original Poster:

2,442 posts

83 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
Failing to see the problem here.
Dealer replaced two tyres prior to delivery to meet there standards and you are miffed?

skeeterm5

3,328 posts

187 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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.

S

Wooda80

1,743 posts

74 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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 :-)

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.

Sheepshanks

32,517 posts

118 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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.

HTP99

22,441 posts

139 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
Mexman said:
Failing to see the problem here.
Dealer replaced two tyres prior to delivery to meet there standards and you are miffed?
Yes but they aren't super duper Michelins, they are some cheaper ones so he'll probably end up skidding off the road in a big ball of fire.

Trevor555

4,404 posts

83 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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.

Pommy

14,229 posts

215 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
QuartzDad said:
smile

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.
Did you not see they were borderline before you bought it?

Theguy5

201 posts

58 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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.

The Moose

22,820 posts

208 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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.

loskie

5,143 posts

119 months

Sunday 2nd June 2019
quotequote all
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.

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