Why do dealerships take cars home
Discussion
SmoothCriminal said:
If the car is advertised for sale and is then not onsite when it should be or is out for the weekend then don't advertise the f
king thing for sale.
In London dealerships are small. They can only fit x cars on site. Any car they think may take longer is kept off site, on cheaper land.king thing for sale.Sales is about selling, your opinion to not sell cars not on site is idealistic. In sales you stick up a "pics coming soon" advert asap, as someone may be looking for fhe car and they may not be a week later.
If you want to be sure a car is there, you have to ring ahead.
To do what you ask would mean them needing to make more money on each car, and that is what it comes down to at the end of the day- buyer wanting the cheapest price.
Used to drive demos as company car years ago, it was a royal PITA.
All my cars that I payed massive tax on were always kept clean and tidy as if it was my own car, and I hate driving a dirty car anyway.
Cue day off, incoming phone call, customer wants to see your car, need to lend it out to a screamer, or someone wants 24hr demo.
So, on my day off, drive back to work, drop car off, jump into something else, which invariably is low on fuel and go on my merry way.
Next day, day after, swop back into my demo, which is now filthy inside and out, 200 miles put on it, crisps and chocolate, MaccyD fries trodden everywhere, and the fuel light glowing brightly, half a tank of my fuel, paid for by myself gone, with next to no chance of it being replaced.
Got totally pissed off with it costing me 100 quid a month in lost fuel, car getting wrecked, a car that I am personally responsible for keeping clean and undamaged, or I pay for any damage.
In the end, I got out of the scheme, and purchased my own shed for commuting, best thing I ever did.
All my cars that I payed massive tax on were always kept clean and tidy as if it was my own car, and I hate driving a dirty car anyway.
Cue day off, incoming phone call, customer wants to see your car, need to lend it out to a screamer, or someone wants 24hr demo.
So, on my day off, drive back to work, drop car off, jump into something else, which invariably is low on fuel and go on my merry way.
Next day, day after, swop back into my demo, which is now filthy inside and out, 200 miles put on it, crisps and chocolate, MaccyD fries trodden everywhere, and the fuel light glowing brightly, half a tank of my fuel, paid for by myself gone, with next to no chance of it being replaced.
Got totally pissed off with it costing me 100 quid a month in lost fuel, car getting wrecked, a car that I am personally responsible for keeping clean and undamaged, or I pay for any damage.
In the end, I got out of the scheme, and purchased my own shed for commuting, best thing I ever did.
ruggedscotty said:
had a guy buy a car out a deposit on it and was going to clear the funds on monday and come in and buy it. salesman took it home on the friday night skidded on ice and hit a wall.... trailered back in and through saturday and sunday it was worked on, damage repaired and as good as new. guy came in on the monday paid for it and drove off, not an issue. its just a lump of metal afterall....
That's okay though because you declared to the buyer what had happened and gave him the option to back out of the deal if he wanted to so that was all decent and above board.....EDIT I assume "not an issue" meant he was happy with what happened and not that he didn't notice.
No my brother did not buy a car this weekend - but that’s not a surprise.
The BMW - we were told it would be there during the week. Rang this morning to check, no the manger had taken it home
I was just rather surprised that dealers did this and took the M cars home. Perhaps with the 1/2 series but the M series I would have expected them to be held at the dealer due to their M status. Apparently I was wrong! I guess a bit naive of me! Lol Will keep this in mind in the future when I buy my next car lol given the chance would I do the same - oh yes!
Genuine question how is the tax worked out now as I assumed the vehicles had no taxes when passed form owner to owner?
Anyway, we did look at the rivals and brother has returned home with some thinking to do!
The BMW - we were told it would be there during the week. Rang this morning to check, no the manger had taken it home
I was just rather surprised that dealers did this and took the M cars home. Perhaps with the 1/2 series but the M series I would have expected them to be held at the dealer due to their M status. Apparently I was wrong! I guess a bit naive of me! Lol Will keep this in mind in the future when I buy my next car lol given the chance would I do the same - oh yes!
Genuine question how is the tax worked out now as I assumed the vehicles had no taxes when passed form owner to owner?
Anyway, we did look at the rivals and brother has returned home with some thinking to do!
hyphen said:
SmoothCriminal said:
If the car is advertised for sale and is then not onsite when it should be or is out for the weekend then don't advertise the fking thing for sale.
In London dealerships are small. They can only fit x cars on site. Any car they think may take longer is kept off site, on cheaper land.king thing for sale.Sales is about selling, your opinion to not sell cars not on site is idealistic. In sales you stick up a "pics coming soon" advert asap, as someone may be looking for fhe car and they may not be a week later.
If you want to be sure a car is there, you have to ring ahead.
To do what you ask would mean them needing to make more money on each car, and that is what it comes down to at the end of the day- buyer wanting the cheapest price.
I had an instance before Christmas where I decided I wanted to take a 24 hr test on an I3. BMW were advertising extended test drives so I phoned my local dealer - it took some organising as the demo car was the most popular with staff as they could drive back/forth with no cost as they just charged it at work. Although demo cars are just that, as has been said they’re normally cars used by staff, with one or two exceptions.
I did go on to buy a new I3 & I felt it important to support a trainee who’d sold my BIL a new M4 6 weeks before as she seemed genuinely keen to help.
I did go on to buy a new I3 & I felt it important to support a trainee who’d sold my BIL a new M4 6 weeks before as she seemed genuinely keen to help.
L3090 said:
It’s not a “free” car either.
The staff pay for these cars via BIK allowance.
Dependant on what they earn, it can be £250 - £500 per month.
Just because it’s for sale doesn’t mean it’s going to be on site if it’s in use.
But to answer your question, they take them home because they pay for it.
You should have rung before hand...
The staff pay for these cars via BIK allowance.
Dependant on what they earn, it can be £250 - £500 per month.
Just because it’s for sale doesn’t mean it’s going to be on site if it’s in use.
But to answer your question, they take them home because they pay for it.
You should have rung before hand...
Mexman said:
Used to drive demos as company car years ago, it was a royal PITA.
All my cars that I payed massive tax on were always kept clean and tidy as if it was my own car, and I hate driving a dirty car anyway.
Cue day off, incoming phone call, customer wants to see your car, need to lend it out to a screamer, or someone wants 24hr demo.
So, on my day off, drive back to work, drop car off, jump into something else, which invariably is low on fuel and go on my merry way.
Next day, day after, swop back into my demo, which is now filthy inside and out, 200 miles put on it, crisps and chocolate, MaccyD fries trodden everywhere, and the fuel light glowing brightly, half a tank of my fuel, paid for by myself gone, with next to no chance of it being replaced.
Got totally pissed off with it costing me 100 quid a month in lost fuel, car getting wrecked, a car that I am personally responsible for keeping clean and undamaged, or I pay for any damage.
In the end, I got out of the scheme, and purchased my own shed for commuting, best thing I ever did.
I'd reiterate these posts, having friends and family who are/were in the business.All my cars that I payed massive tax on were always kept clean and tidy as if it was my own car, and I hate driving a dirty car anyway.
Cue day off, incoming phone call, customer wants to see your car, need to lend it out to a screamer, or someone wants 24hr demo.
So, on my day off, drive back to work, drop car off, jump into something else, which invariably is low on fuel and go on my merry way.
Next day, day after, swop back into my demo, which is now filthy inside and out, 200 miles put on it, crisps and chocolate, MaccyD fries trodden everywhere, and the fuel light glowing brightly, half a tank of my fuel, paid for by myself gone, with next to no chance of it being replaced.
Got totally pissed off with it costing me 100 quid a month in lost fuel, car getting wrecked, a car that I am personally responsible for keeping clean and undamaged, or I pay for any damage.
In the end, I got out of the scheme, and purchased my own shed for commuting, best thing I ever did.
The sales guys and most managers will have company cars, which is no different to having a company car in any other type of business in terms of BIK, etc, but these dealer staff have to give up their cars at the drop of a hat for demos, or even in some cases for a service customer to borrow if they're short of loaners.
Someone having taken a car home for the weekend is likely to mean that it's either 'their car' or that someone else has theirs and so they've had to use another one, I'd have thought.
Jimny33 said:
So was going to look at an X3M with my brother today only to be told that ‘one of the managers was using it and it would be back tomorrow’ why do they do this?
I thought the days of them using cars like they were they’re own like this were over as they weren’t taxed? Also means BMW just lost out in a sale today! Little pee’d off!
Cant you just go down to see it another time after perhaps calling and making an appointment?I thought the days of them using cars like they were they’re own like this were over as they weren’t taxed? Also means BMW just lost out in a sale today! Little pee’d off!
Seems a bit of a case of cutting ones nose off to spite ones face type of thing surely?
Salespeople run the demonstrators (or ‘demos’) as company cars. It’s worked this way for donkey’s years.
Although it’s considered a perk, you end up with a car that is driven, thrashed and loaned out to all and sundry, often at a moment’s notice, and is supposed to be kept immaculate at all times.
The dealer principal at the Ford dealer I worked at famously had a habit of selectively ignoring the rule around keeping his car clean and tidy. Although we all got on well with him, he was famously a bit of a nutter. He ran the Escort Cosworth demonstrator, and I used to dread asking him for the key as it was inevitably a complete tip inside. On one occasion when a colleague was showing a customer around it, said colleague opened the boot to find a deer carcass wrapped in a blanket. Apparently, he’d decided to stop off on the way into work that morning for a spot of shooting. True story.
Although it’s considered a perk, you end up with a car that is driven, thrashed and loaned out to all and sundry, often at a moment’s notice, and is supposed to be kept immaculate at all times.
The dealer principal at the Ford dealer I worked at famously had a habit of selectively ignoring the rule around keeping his car clean and tidy. Although we all got on well with him, he was famously a bit of a nutter. He ran the Escort Cosworth demonstrator, and I used to dread asking him for the key as it was inevitably a complete tip inside. On one occasion when a colleague was showing a customer around it, said colleague opened the boot to find a deer carcass wrapped in a blanket. Apparently, he’d decided to stop off on the way into work that morning for a spot of shooting. True story.
edc said:
M status? What is that?
It's a car the OP believes is "special" and that no one should be allowed to drive it as a perk at work, which they're taxed on.Surely a special / unique car would have plenty of folk queuing up to buy it though?
Wonder if people who moan about staff getting to take these cars home would also mock sales staff for their "lack of knowledge" on the cars they sell? Surely the best way for someone to learn all the features and buttons in a modern car is to get time with it.
Love how a small minority of PHer’s love to give car sales execs and dealers a kicking. Comment on how ridiculous XYZ is without knowing the workings of the workplace/industry etc.
As stated by others, cars advertised that are only a few months old are more than likely demonstrators and service loan cars etc. Various jobs in the dealership will come with a company car which the employee pays tax on. It’s not a case of a young exec thinking ‘oh there’s an X3M in tonight, I’ll take that for the weekend’
If you call up, book an appointment on a specific car or a particular variant of a car then the exec should make sure there is one there. If not, then that’s poor from the exec and cannot be defended.
If you called up, asked a few questions about a particular model, said you may pop down over the weekend without committing to a date or time then you cant feel aggrieved. (Not saying you did that).
Ask yourself, if the car had been there then would you have bought it? Honestly? If not they’ve not lost a sale. He’s gone away now looking at alternatives as he thinks he’s had poor service, is he going to buy a rival without trying another dealer or rebooking for a test drive. Had he not gone to look at the competitors cars before deciding he wanted the X3M to now all of a sudden buying a competitor...
The comment about it now being basically a two owner car is also ridiculous...
Sorry.
As stated by others, cars advertised that are only a few months old are more than likely demonstrators and service loan cars etc. Various jobs in the dealership will come with a company car which the employee pays tax on. It’s not a case of a young exec thinking ‘oh there’s an X3M in tonight, I’ll take that for the weekend’
If you call up, book an appointment on a specific car or a particular variant of a car then the exec should make sure there is one there. If not, then that’s poor from the exec and cannot be defended.
If you called up, asked a few questions about a particular model, said you may pop down over the weekend without committing to a date or time then you cant feel aggrieved. (Not saying you did that).
Ask yourself, if the car had been there then would you have bought it? Honestly? If not they’ve not lost a sale. He’s gone away now looking at alternatives as he thinks he’s had poor service, is he going to buy a rival without trying another dealer or rebooking for a test drive. Had he not gone to look at the competitors cars before deciding he wanted the X3M to now all of a sudden buying a competitor...
The comment about it now being basically a two owner car is also ridiculous...
Sorry.
Dealership I worked at offered a company car. £200 a month and you took whatever average car was sitting on the lot for a month or untill it sold. Generaly would be a 1-2 year old used car but no insurance or tax to pay so not a bad perk if you didnt mind always having to keep the car spotless inside.
This did mean for your 1 day a week off the car wasnt on the lot so customers who wanted to see that exact car would have to wait a day - or if they rang in a day before you could leave the car and take something else home.
This did mean for your 1 day a week off the car wasnt on the lot so customers who wanted to see that exact car would have to wait a day - or if they rang in a day before you could leave the car and take something else home.
Maybe the cynic in me just sees it as a ploy to get you through the doors...
"Yep, sure we have XYZ out on the lot"
"Yep, sure we have XYZ out on the lot"
- looks at lot, XYZ isn't there*
Ilovejapcrap said:
The cars are used by staff to deliberately put some miles on them so they can be sold For less / as used cars
Really? Take expensive new stock, drive it to deliberately drive down the value and cost so you can do that amazing thing that all sales and business people want to do which is sell for less than they could have? Seems like a long winded way to simply offer a discount!A lot of tyre kickers these days who make appointments, but don't turn up, don't like the spec, colour, etc. - which leads dealers not to bend over backward each time someone is "interested" in a car. the vast majority of the time the car will be ready for viewing, but if not - just ask them to commit a time and go see it.
Rensko said:
Maybe the cynic in me just sees it as a ploy to get you through the doors...
"Yep, sure we have XYZ out on the lot"
Even more wrong."Yep, sure we have XYZ out on the lot"
- looks at lot, XYZ isn't there*
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