Cridfords Porsche
Discussion
I'm interested in a Porsche from Cridfords in Surrey and wondered whether anyone had any recent experience of them? I've found a few reviews online but they all seem quite old now. It seems from their website that most of their engineers are trained in-house rather than being ex-Porsche.
Anyone bought a car from them and could offer their experience?
Anyone bought a car from them and could offer their experience?
old-school said:
I'm interested in a Porsche from Cridfords in Surrey and wondered whether anyone had any recent experience of them? I've found a few reviews online but they all seem quite old now. It seems from their website that most of their engineers are trained in-house rather than being ex-Porsche.
Anyone bought a car from them and could offer their experience?
I bought a car from them and could share my experience. But the no naming and shaming rule would get my post pulled.Anyone bought a car from them and could offer their experience?
I'm looking at a car from them also, they're just down the road for me, it never actually occurred to me to check out how reputable the dealership is (always bought new/approved). From looking through previous threads it seems that treating it like a private sale with a bit of caution will be the best way to go, especially for someone like me with not much buying/selling experience at all.
Question on inspections, is it common for the car to be taken somewhere else by the selling dealer, or for a technician to visit the car at the dealer? Not sure how the logistics of that work?
Question on inspections, is it common for the car to be taken somewhere else by the selling dealer, or for a technician to visit the car at the dealer? Not sure how the logistics of that work?
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.
Nope, still there :https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
In the US the seller takes the car to the inspector. The seller benefits because he gets a copy of the inspection report and can use it in selling to another potential buyer if the report shows issues. A price is negotiated before hand and may be adjusted down if major problems are found but not minor ones. The seller can have major issues fixed and keep the same price. The buyer can back out.
The Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) by a neutral party provides a symmetry of information to both the buyer and seller. It prevents a seller from hiding serious issues from the buyer and can actually contribute to the buyer paying a higher price for the car than he would have for a car without the inspection.
The PPI can be complex. Mine included a leakdown test. But mine was also done before there was much knowledge of the IMS issues. The quality of the PPI depends on the mechanic. The buyer should ask the mechanic to see a sample PPI form the mechanic will use so the buyer knows just what he is getting for his money.
The PPI is paid for by the buyer even if he doesn't buy.
The Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) by a neutral party provides a symmetry of information to both the buyer and seller. It prevents a seller from hiding serious issues from the buyer and can actually contribute to the buyer paying a higher price for the car than he would have for a car without the inspection.
The PPI can be complex. Mine included a leakdown test. But mine was also done before there was much knowledge of the IMS issues. The quality of the PPI depends on the mechanic. The buyer should ask the mechanic to see a sample PPI form the mechanic will use so the buyer knows just what he is getting for his money.
The PPI is paid for by the buyer even if he doesn't buy.
mikefocke said:
In the US the seller takes the car to the inspector. The seller benefits because he gets a copy of the inspection report and can use it in selling to another potential buyer if the report shows issues. A price is negotiated before hand and may be adjusted down if major problems are found but not minor ones. The seller can have major issues fixed and keep the same price. The buyer can back out.
The Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) by a neutral party provides a symmetry of information to both the buyer and seller. It prevents a seller from hiding serious issues from the buyer and can actually contribute to the buyer paying a higher price for the car than he would have for a car without the inspection.
The PPI can be complex. Mine included a leakdown test. But mine was also done before there was much knowledge of the IMS issues. The quality of the PPI depends on the mechanic. The buyer should ask the mechanic to see a sample PPI form the mechanic will use so the buyer knows just what he is getting for his money.
The PPI is paid for by the buyer even if he doesn't buy.
The US once more at the vanguard.The Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) by a neutral party provides a symmetry of information to both the buyer and seller. It prevents a seller from hiding serious issues from the buyer and can actually contribute to the buyer paying a higher price for the car than he would have for a car without the inspection.
The PPI can be complex. Mine included a leakdown test. But mine was also done before there was much knowledge of the IMS issues. The quality of the PPI depends on the mechanic. The buyer should ask the mechanic to see a sample PPI form the mechanic will use so the buyer knows just what he is getting for his money.
The PPI is paid for by the buyer even if he doesn't buy.
BertBert said:
advice was to treat it as a purchase from a private sale and employ all the safeguards you'd use privately!
To be perfectly honest, you should probably treat every purchase like that, main dealers are just as bad as everyone else imho.We bought our Boxster S from Cridford's as they were quite simply, a billion times cheaper than Guildford Porsche (& the other specialists) and had a car that was exactly what we wanted. The pre-purchase & after-sales service probably wasn't as good as the OPC, in fact my fiance initially said "i dont want to buy from them" (the sales people were all a bit blunt/rude), but once i explained to her that we were saving about 5 grand, she came round.
The car was sold by Guildford Porsche 5 months previously anyway, with no over revs recorded, so we went for it. As part of the preparation Cridfords sprayed the front bumper, fitted cruise control, stuck on 4 brand new N rated Pirellis & gave us 12 months warranty.
Would i buy from them again? Yeah probably, just dont expect OPC levels of service.
so seems to be varying opinion - my experience 2.5 years ago was both positive and negative, but more positive. i found them to be very knowledgable, but also like some initial impressions count and I did nearly come away not totally sure. that said they had a young lad working in sales whom was very helpful and it was partly down to him that i did purchase a 996 c4s from them (one they had previously sold and then purchased back). i guess a lot depends of personalities and how comfortable you feel and that can differ on a day to day basis.. aftercare wise they sorted out everything they said they would no quibbles, but seeing as it is in the middle nowhere and the roads aren't great i get my car looked after now by Peter and the team at Precision Porsche.
overall rating
customer experience - 7 out of 10
workshop facilities - 10 out of 10
workshop team members - 10 out of 10
sale team (2.5 years ago) - variable
overall experience - 8 out of 10
overall porsche knowledge - 10 out of 10
overall rating
customer experience - 7 out of 10
workshop facilities - 10 out of 10
workshop team members - 10 out of 10
sale team (2.5 years ago) - variable
overall experience - 8 out of 10
overall porsche knowledge - 10 out of 10
I have used pistonheads forums for advice for many years, including in buying my latest car. So i thought I would provide a perspective on my recent buying experience from it.
I have found Cridfords very helpful and easy to work with thus far. I am not linked to them in any way. I bought from them as I live nearby and want the aftersales service as a first time Porsche owner. They were very helpful on my first visit and were reasonable about part exchanging. Later they were also very flexible, enabling me to take the car away ‘that day’, getting it back again 2 weeks later to prep it for sale while I was on holiday. They sorted the car tax, transferred the private plate and had new plates made up and fitted free. The sales boys were also happy for me to talk to the service team with the car up on a ramp in the back, without sales keeping an eye on things.
I agree with the view stated elsewhere that it’s worth picking up visually any points you specifically want rectified - I sense that they will do the major things (they did a service and replaced front discs and pads on mine without me saying anything) but any paintwork etc things are worth specifying - after which they are happy to list & fix them. In fact they even fixed a ding on the car which I only spotted 24 hours after taking it away. No arguments, no issues. They respond well to emails before and after visits. The warranty is ‘in house’ which is reassuring. It doesn’t cover wear and tear but they say they would do any such issues at cost price should they occur - seems fair to me. I had the Gtechniq treatment too - first impressions are fantastic although for some reason it didn’t cover the exhaust pipes, which seemed weird so I mentioned it to Sam who personally went out & polished them up!
Cridfords seem genuinely (quietly) enthusiastic. I mainly dealt with Sam who is very personable and helpful. Michael seems very knowledgeable and Johnathon the owner is routinely there for any reassurance you feel you need. He even came running out (literally) as I drove off having bought the car in order to say goodbye. Darren the service manager is very easy to deal with and Al their chief service expert is exactly the honest, straight talking, out-of-the-limelight expert you would want having hands on your new car. So, still early days but thus far I would thoroughly recommend them.
I have found Cridfords very helpful and easy to work with thus far. I am not linked to them in any way. I bought from them as I live nearby and want the aftersales service as a first time Porsche owner. They were very helpful on my first visit and were reasonable about part exchanging. Later they were also very flexible, enabling me to take the car away ‘that day’, getting it back again 2 weeks later to prep it for sale while I was on holiday. They sorted the car tax, transferred the private plate and had new plates made up and fitted free. The sales boys were also happy for me to talk to the service team with the car up on a ramp in the back, without sales keeping an eye on things.
I agree with the view stated elsewhere that it’s worth picking up visually any points you specifically want rectified - I sense that they will do the major things (they did a service and replaced front discs and pads on mine without me saying anything) but any paintwork etc things are worth specifying - after which they are happy to list & fix them. In fact they even fixed a ding on the car which I only spotted 24 hours after taking it away. No arguments, no issues. They respond well to emails before and after visits. The warranty is ‘in house’ which is reassuring. It doesn’t cover wear and tear but they say they would do any such issues at cost price should they occur - seems fair to me. I had the Gtechniq treatment too - first impressions are fantastic although for some reason it didn’t cover the exhaust pipes, which seemed weird so I mentioned it to Sam who personally went out & polished them up!
Cridfords seem genuinely (quietly) enthusiastic. I mainly dealt with Sam who is very personable and helpful. Michael seems very knowledgeable and Johnathon the owner is routinely there for any reassurance you feel you need. He even came running out (literally) as I drove off having bought the car in order to say goodbye. Darren the service manager is very easy to deal with and Al their chief service expert is exactly the honest, straight talking, out-of-the-limelight expert you would want having hands on your new car. So, still early days but thus far I would thoroughly recommend them.
Bramley7 said:
I have used pistonheads forums for advice for many years, including in buying my latest car. So i thought I would provide a perspective on my recent buying experience from it.
I have found Cridfords very helpful and easy to work with thus far. I am not linked to them in any way. I bought from them as I live nearby and want the aftersales service as a first time Porsche owner. They were very helpful on my first visit and were reasonable about part exchanging. Later they were also very flexible, enabling me to take the car away ‘that day’, getting it back again 2 weeks later to prep it for sale while I was on holiday. They sorted the car tax, transferred the private plate and had new plates made up and fitted free. The sales boys were also happy for me to talk to the service team with the car up on a ramp in the back, without sales keeping an eye on things.
I agree with the view stated elsewhere that it’s worth picking up visually any points you specifically want rectified - I sense that they will do the major things (they did a service and replaced front discs and pads on mine without me saying anything) but any paintwork etc things are worth specifying - after which they are happy to list & fix them. In fact they even fixed a ding on the car which I only spotted 24 hours after taking it away. No arguments, no issues. They respond well to emails before and after visits. The warranty is ‘in house’ which is reassuring. It doesn’t cover wear and tear but they say they would do any such issues at cost price should they occur - seems fair to me. I had the Gtechniq treatment too - first impressions are fantastic although for some reason it didn’t cover the exhaust pipes, which seemed weird so I mentioned it to Sam who personally went out & polished them up!
Cridfords seem genuinely (quietly) enthusiastic. I mainly dealt with Sam who is very personable and helpful. Michael seems very knowledgeable and Johnathon the owner is routinely there for any reassurance you feel you need. He even came running out (literally) as I drove off having bought the car in order to say goodbye. Darren the service manager is very easy to deal with and Al their chief service expert is exactly the honest, straight talking, out-of-the-limelight expert you would want having hands on your new car. So, still early days but thus far I would thoroughly recommend them.
Interesting and detailed for your very first list. I have found Cridfords very helpful and easy to work with thus far. I am not linked to them in any way. I bought from them as I live nearby and want the aftersales service as a first time Porsche owner. They were very helpful on my first visit and were reasonable about part exchanging. Later they were also very flexible, enabling me to take the car away ‘that day’, getting it back again 2 weeks later to prep it for sale while I was on holiday. They sorted the car tax, transferred the private plate and had new plates made up and fitted free. The sales boys were also happy for me to talk to the service team with the car up on a ramp in the back, without sales keeping an eye on things.
I agree with the view stated elsewhere that it’s worth picking up visually any points you specifically want rectified - I sense that they will do the major things (they did a service and replaced front discs and pads on mine without me saying anything) but any paintwork etc things are worth specifying - after which they are happy to list & fix them. In fact they even fixed a ding on the car which I only spotted 24 hours after taking it away. No arguments, no issues. They respond well to emails before and after visits. The warranty is ‘in house’ which is reassuring. It doesn’t cover wear and tear but they say they would do any such issues at cost price should they occur - seems fair to me. I had the Gtechniq treatment too - first impressions are fantastic although for some reason it didn’t cover the exhaust pipes, which seemed weird so I mentioned it to Sam who personally went out & polished them up!
Cridfords seem genuinely (quietly) enthusiastic. I mainly dealt with Sam who is very personable and helpful. Michael seems very knowledgeable and Johnathon the owner is routinely there for any reassurance you feel you need. He even came running out (literally) as I drove off having bought the car in order to say goodbye. Darren the service manager is very easy to deal with and Al their chief service expert is exactly the honest, straight talking, out-of-the-limelight expert you would want having hands on your new car. So, still early days but thus far I would thoroughly recommend them.
‘Sales boys’, thats how I talk about some of my staff.
Bramley7 said:
I have used pistonheads forums for advice for many years, including in buying my latest car. So i thought I would provide a perspective on my recent buying experience from it.
I have found Cridfords very helpful and easy to work with thus far. I am not linked to them in any way. I bought from them as I live nearby and want the aftersales service as a first time Porsche owner. They were very helpful on my first visit and were reasonable about part exchanging. Later they were also very flexible, enabling me to take the car away ‘that day’, getting it back again 2 weeks later to prep it for sale while I was on holiday. They sorted the car tax, transferred the private plate and had new plates made up and fitted free. The sales boys were also happy for me to talk to the service team with the car up on a ramp in the back, without sales keeping an eye on things.
I agree with the view stated elsewhere that it’s worth picking up visually any points you specifically want rectified - I sense that they will do the major things (they did a service and replaced front discs and pads on mine without me saying anything) but any paintwork etc things are worth specifying - after which they are happy to list & fix them. In fact they even fixed a ding on the car which I only spotted 24 hours after taking it away. No arguments, no issues. They respond well to emails before and after visits. The warranty is ‘in house’ which is reassuring. It doesn’t cover wear and tear but they say they would do any such issues at cost price should they occur - seems fair to me. I had the Gtechniq treatment too - first impressions are fantastic although for some reason it didn’t cover the exhaust pipes, which seemed weird so I mentioned it to Sam who personally went out & polished them up!
Cridfords seem genuinely (quietly) enthusiastic. I mainly dealt with Sam who is very personable and helpful. Michael seems very knowledgeable and Johnathon the owner is routinely there for any reassurance you feel you need. He even came running out (literally) as I drove off having bought the car in order to say goodbye. Darren the service manager is very easy to deal with and Al their chief service expert is exactly the honest, straight talking, out-of-the-limelight expert you would want having hands on your new car. So, still early days but thus far I would thoroughly recommend them.
Welcome Bramley7, congratulations on the new purchase, let's have some pics.I have found Cridfords very helpful and easy to work with thus far. I am not linked to them in any way. I bought from them as I live nearby and want the aftersales service as a first time Porsche owner. They were very helpful on my first visit and were reasonable about part exchanging. Later they were also very flexible, enabling me to take the car away ‘that day’, getting it back again 2 weeks later to prep it for sale while I was on holiday. They sorted the car tax, transferred the private plate and had new plates made up and fitted free. The sales boys were also happy for me to talk to the service team with the car up on a ramp in the back, without sales keeping an eye on things.
I agree with the view stated elsewhere that it’s worth picking up visually any points you specifically want rectified - I sense that they will do the major things (they did a service and replaced front discs and pads on mine without me saying anything) but any paintwork etc things are worth specifying - after which they are happy to list & fix them. In fact they even fixed a ding on the car which I only spotted 24 hours after taking it away. No arguments, no issues. They respond well to emails before and after visits. The warranty is ‘in house’ which is reassuring. It doesn’t cover wear and tear but they say they would do any such issues at cost price should they occur - seems fair to me. I had the Gtechniq treatment too - first impressions are fantastic although for some reason it didn’t cover the exhaust pipes, which seemed weird so I mentioned it to Sam who personally went out & polished them up!
Cridfords seem genuinely (quietly) enthusiastic. I mainly dealt with Sam who is very personable and helpful. Michael seems very knowledgeable and Johnathon the owner is routinely there for any reassurance you feel you need. He even came running out (literally) as I drove off having bought the car in order to say goodbye. Darren the service manager is very easy to deal with and Al their chief service expert is exactly the honest, straight talking, out-of-the-limelight expert you would want having hands on your new car. So, still early days but thus far I would thoroughly recommend them.
Edited by VPD255M on Monday 27th August 22:39
That sounds quite appalling to me!
I got my GTS from Harbour Cars in Chichester for several reasons:
Great reputation;
First impressions;
Professionalism;
Enthusiasm;
Knowledge;
Willingness to sell a car;
The preparation of the car (noticeably better than others seen at OPCs).
Great to deal with, and I will buy from them again.
I got my GTS from Harbour Cars in Chichester for several reasons:
Great reputation;
First impressions;
Professionalism;
Enthusiasm;
Knowledge;
Willingness to sell a car;
The preparation of the car (noticeably better than others seen at OPCs).
Great to deal with, and I will buy from them again.
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