Nice 650s just listed
Discussion
ollyh1988 said:
Appointment.
Turned up on time, the salesman was with a customer and looked confused that I was there. I was pointed towards the car and left to it. Had to ask for them to unlock it so I could try to check it, but didn’t dare get inside as it was way too tight and parked next to other high end cars. Salesman walked off and left me, never came back.
All worked out well as I’ve just bought a perfect 570s spider instead!
Hi all, Turned up on time, the salesman was with a customer and looked confused that I was there. I was pointed towards the car and left to it. Had to ask for them to unlock it so I could try to check it, but didn’t dare get inside as it was way too tight and parked next to other high end cars. Salesman walked off and left me, never came back.
All worked out well as I’ve just bought a perfect 570s spider instead!
Chris here — I’m one of the directors at Magari Automotive. I don’t usually get involved in forum discussions, but I felt it was important to respond here as the comments made aren’t a fair reflection of what actually happened.
This viewing was arranged on extremely short notice. We work strictly on an appointment-only basis because of the way our business is structured; vehicles are kept in a secure indoor showroom or at our secure storage site, and space is tight. Despite already having customers on site, we did our best to accommodate and booked the appointment with roughly an hour’s notice.
At the time of booking, it was made crystal clear that:
- The vehicle was tucked into the showroom and couldn’t be moved due to other bookings and space constraints,
- Our time would be limited, as we were already with other customers,
- The viewing would be informal, essentially a quick chance to have a look around the car as it sat.
The customer fully accepted this and chose to go ahead with the appointment under those terms. So it’s genuinely frustrating to now see the situation spun publicly in a way that suggests poor service or indifference on our part, especially when we went out of our way to squeeze in the viewing in the first place.
We take pride in doing things properly, and we’re always happy to hold our hands up when something goes wrong, but that’s not the case here. This wasn’t a mishandled appointment; it was a favour we tried to offer in good faith, and it’s not fair to be criticised for that after the fact.
We’re not perfect, but we take pride in how we operate and always aim to deliver a professional and enjoyable experience.
Chris
Director, Magari Automotive
Hi I’m the one who went to see the 650.
Apologies if you think I’m trying to spin the situation, that wasn’t my intention at all - just saying what happened as I saw it.
It was a short notice appointment, and I didn’t mention that in the post, but only because I already had appointments that day to try other cars. I was hoping to buy a McLaren that weekend, and I’d have kicked myself for not trying to see yours, in case it turned out to be the perfect car.
I do think it’s fair to point out I turned up at the time arranged and the salesman id agreed the time with was busy with other customers. I thought by making the appointment to view there would be someone available to talk to about the car. I accepted it would be a quick viewing (not expecting it to be out of the showroom or have a test drive) - as I said on the phone, I’d not seen a 650 yet so wanted to have a look incase I decided that was the one.
If I’d known it wasn’t convenient for you, then I’d rather have been told it wasn’t going to work out as you were too busy.
Apologies if you think I’m trying to spin the situation, that wasn’t my intention at all - just saying what happened as I saw it.
It was a short notice appointment, and I didn’t mention that in the post, but only because I already had appointments that day to try other cars. I was hoping to buy a McLaren that weekend, and I’d have kicked myself for not trying to see yours, in case it turned out to be the perfect car.
I do think it’s fair to point out I turned up at the time arranged and the salesman id agreed the time with was busy with other customers. I thought by making the appointment to view there would be someone available to talk to about the car. I accepted it would be a quick viewing (not expecting it to be out of the showroom or have a test drive) - as I said on the phone, I’d not seen a 650 yet so wanted to have a look incase I decided that was the one.
If I’d known it wasn’t convenient for you, then I’d rather have been told it wasn’t going to work out as you were too busy.
chrissy1502002 said:
Hi all,
Chris here — I’m one of the directors at Magari Automotive. I don’t usually get involved in forum discussions, but I felt it was important to respond here as the comments made aren’t a fair reflection of what actually happened.
This viewing was arranged on extremely short notice. We work strictly on an appointment-only basis because of the way our business is structured; vehicles are kept in a secure indoor showroom or at our secure storage site, and space is tight. Despite already having customers on site, we did our best to accommodate and booked the appointment with roughly an hour’s notice.
At the time of booking, it was made crystal clear that:
- The vehicle was tucked into the showroom and couldn’t be moved due to other bookings and space constraints,
- Our time would be limited, as we were already with other customers,
- The viewing would be informal, essentially a quick chance to have a look around the car as it sat.
The customer fully accepted this and chose to go ahead with the appointment under those terms. So it’s genuinely frustrating to now see the situation spun publicly in a way that suggests poor service or indifference on our part, especially when we went out of our way to squeeze in the viewing in the first place.
We take pride in doing things properly, and we’re always happy to hold our hands up when something goes wrong, but that’s not the case here. This wasn’t a mishandled appointment; it was a favour we tried to offer in good faith, and it’s not fair to be criticised for that after the fact.
We’re not perfect, but we take pride in how we operate and always aim to deliver a professional and enjoyable experience.
Chris
Director, Magari Automotive
The lesson to take away from this is, if you're too busy, turn down the appointment. Better to miss on a sale than have a potential customer that has a bad experience and will tell others. The reality is, the guy was interested in the car and he deserved to be treated as per the other customers and see the car properly. So whilst you say there were circumstances, you shouldn't have allowed for the viewing. Chris here — I’m one of the directors at Magari Automotive. I don’t usually get involved in forum discussions, but I felt it was important to respond here as the comments made aren’t a fair reflection of what actually happened.
This viewing was arranged on extremely short notice. We work strictly on an appointment-only basis because of the way our business is structured; vehicles are kept in a secure indoor showroom or at our secure storage site, and space is tight. Despite already having customers on site, we did our best to accommodate and booked the appointment with roughly an hour’s notice.
At the time of booking, it was made crystal clear that:
- The vehicle was tucked into the showroom and couldn’t be moved due to other bookings and space constraints,
- Our time would be limited, as we were already with other customers,
- The viewing would be informal, essentially a quick chance to have a look around the car as it sat.
The customer fully accepted this and chose to go ahead with the appointment under those terms. So it’s genuinely frustrating to now see the situation spun publicly in a way that suggests poor service or indifference on our part, especially when we went out of our way to squeeze in the viewing in the first place.
We take pride in doing things properly, and we’re always happy to hold our hands up when something goes wrong, but that’s not the case here. This wasn’t a mishandled appointment; it was a favour we tried to offer in good faith, and it’s not fair to be criticised for that after the fact.
We’re not perfect, but we take pride in how we operate and always aim to deliver a professional and enjoyable experience.
Chris
Director, Magari Automotive
Hope this feedback helps you guys for the future.
Stryke said:
The lesson to take away from this is, if you're too busy, turn down the appointment. Better to miss on a sale than have a potential customer that has a bad experience and will tell others. The reality is, the guy was interested in the car and he deserved to be treated as per the other customers and see the car properly. So whilst you say there were circumstances, you shouldn't have allowed for the viewing.
Hope this feedback helps you guys for the future.
I disagree, if someone told me exactly what to expect and it happened as expected then I wouldn't be annoyedHope this feedback helps you guys for the future.
I'd treat it just as seeing the car in the flesh and nothing more
Maybe I misunderstood, but the way I read the posts was that the visit was poorly arranged and it was annoying that the car was boxed in - but ultimately, he walked because the car simply wasn't good enough for the advertised price?
If the car had plenty of space and the salesman had offered him free coffee it might have been a nicer experience - but that doesn't make the car better.
If the car had plenty of space and the salesman had offered him free coffee it might have been a nicer experience - but that doesn't make the car better.
I wonder how many are changing hands offline. I know Thorney posted last week about selling cars they hadn't listed yet, presumably going direct to waiting customers. I hear Alistair Bols also source a lot of cars directly for buyers, so I guess there is a fair size hidden market.
If I was looking now I wouldn't just rely on autotrader, I'd be letting the big dealers know that I am in the market, as well as trying to get in on owners groups to hear about any cars going up for sale.
If I was looking now I wouldn't just rely on autotrader, I'd be letting the big dealers know that I am in the market, as well as trying to get in on owners groups to hear about any cars going up for sale.
Edited by murphyaj on Thursday 12th June 13:09
Smooth Smith said:
Yes I noticed that. There seemed to be a lot more for sale 12 month ago. Is everyone following in Harry Metcalfe s footsteps and snapping them up?
I bought mine from AB and he did tell me a few months ago that the market was very good for them as a result of Harry. He would happily have taken mine backWCZ said:
I disagree, if someone told me exactly what to expect and it happened as expected then I wouldn't be annoyed
I'd treat it just as seeing the car in the flesh and nothing more
Out of curiosity what else do people (who are not mechanically inclined) do when they go look at a car? I don't even go look at cars in person before buying them, to me there is no benefit / I can't really tell anything about the mechanical condition etc of the car anyway and as I don't like driving cars I don't own, I think the last test drive I did was 20 years ago.I'd treat it just as seeing the car in the flesh and nothing more
MDL111 said:
Out of curiosity what else do people (who are not mechanically inclined) do when they go look at a car? I don't even go look at cars in person before buying them, to me there is no benefit / I can't really tell anything about the mechanical condition etc of the car anyway and as I don't like driving cars I don't own, I think the last test drive I did was 20 years ago.
To make sure we can both get comfy, that the wife and I like the control interface, that the luggage space is adequate, that it has the options described, that we like the colour, and if all those boxes are ticked then we take a test drive.No point in spending £££ and time on an inspection and buying it to find you don't like it or there's a trim rattle that the warranty doesn't cover.
ex-devonpaul said:
MDL111 said:
Out of curiosity what else do people (who are not mechanically inclined) do when they go look at a car? I don't even go look at cars in person before buying them, to me there is no benefit / I can't really tell anything about the mechanical condition etc of the car anyway and as I don't like driving cars I don't own, I think the last test drive I did was 20 years ago.
To make sure we can both get comfy, that the wife and I like the control interface, that the luggage space is adequate, that it has the options described, that we like the colour, and if all those boxes are ticked then we take a test drive.No point in spending £££ and time on an inspection and buying it to find you don't like it or there's a trim rattle that the warranty doesn't cover.
I think the last car I saw prior to delivery was a car in 2014 and that was only because the dealer basically forced me to come see it prior to selling it to me. One night in a hotel and many hours of driving to get there and back to look at a car and think "yes, it is a red GT2" put me off going to look at cars in person.
Even without having mechanical knowledge you can tell a lot from seeing a car in person, particularly if a private sale or SOR where car not cosmetically prep’d by dealer. Get an impression of how well it’s been maintained. Does the the condition, particularly the interior reflect the mileage. Any obvious signs of heavy track use e.g. disc condition, stone chips
MDL111 said:
fair, especially if you have a second person to consider.
I think the last car I saw prior to delivery was a car in 2014 and that was only because the dealer basically forced me to come see it prior to selling it to me. One night in a hotel and many hours of driving to get there and back to look at a car and think "yes, it is a red GT2" put me off going to look at cars in person.
Definitely need spousal approval - it's bad enough trying to persuade her into something with 2 pedals, if the controls are on a touchscreen I'd never hear the last of it.I think the last car I saw prior to delivery was a car in 2014 and that was only because the dealer basically forced me to come see it prior to selling it to me. One night in a hotel and many hours of driving to get there and back to look at a car and think "yes, it is a red GT2" put me off going to look at cars in person.
I guess if you trust the dealer and now exactly what that type of car is like and aren't worried about a financial bath if you want to move it on in 3 months then it isn't a problem.
But 650s are getting on for 10 years old now, so I'd definitely want to get a proper look at the finish if nothing else.
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