Alfa in Scotland - alternatives to Arnold Clark?
Discussion
Requested a test drive of a quadrifoglio via the AR site and was contacted by Arnold Clark Paisley (about 50 miles from Edinburgh, where I am). I explained I wanted test the car for a couple of hours (garage fit, wife to drive etc) and was told that wasn't possible. Unaccompanied test drives were "against policy".
I pointed out I was not about to make a decision on a £60K car on the back of a half hour spin round Paisley and that I had bought Porsches (my last car), Mercs and BMWs on the back of such a test drive but he was adamant. And this gives me 2 thoughts:
(1) Is there an alternative for a proper test drive? (nearest non Arnold Clark seems to be Newcastle)
(2) Is Arnold Clark the right dealer to be handling the marque?
It's the 2nd point that has me thinking. I could get the car serviced at their branch in Edinburgh but I'm not getting a confidence-inspiring feeling about them...
Anyone had any experiences?
I pointed out I was not about to make a decision on a £60K car on the back of a half hour spin round Paisley and that I had bought Porsches (my last car), Mercs and BMWs on the back of such a test drive but he was adamant. And this gives me 2 thoughts:
(1) Is there an alternative for a proper test drive? (nearest non Arnold Clark seems to be Newcastle)
(2) Is Arnold Clark the right dealer to be handling the marque?
It's the 2nd point that has me thinking. I could get the car serviced at their branch in Edinburgh but I'm not getting a confidence-inspiring feeling about them...
Anyone had any experiences?
I think the only alternative to AC in Scotland is in Inverness. I've heard differing reports of them, so I'd not think it'd be worth the trip.
I'm just outside Stirling, but bought my 4C from an English dealer and have used Western Lexus Glasgow for the two services so far. They are full Alfa authorised service agents so it's an Alfa tech and proper stamp in the book. They are not Alfa sales however, so that just leaves AC in the Central belt for someone actually wanting to purchase a car. I thought about using them for service but going by the utterly underwhelming phone calls I made to the dealership, I decided to hope that Lexus were providing Lexus levels of service and it worked out ok.
It's tragic as Scotland is crying out for a good Alfa dealer - the model range is going from strength to strength, but the range and geographical spread of dealers is appalling in comparison.
I'm just outside Stirling, but bought my 4C from an English dealer and have used Western Lexus Glasgow for the two services so far. They are full Alfa authorised service agents so it's an Alfa tech and proper stamp in the book. They are not Alfa sales however, so that just leaves AC in the Central belt for someone actually wanting to purchase a car. I thought about using them for service but going by the utterly underwhelming phone calls I made to the dealership, I decided to hope that Lexus were providing Lexus levels of service and it worked out ok.
It's tragic as Scotland is crying out for a good Alfa dealer - the model range is going from strength to strength, but the range and geographical spread of dealers is appalling in comparison.
The dealership in Inverness may well be perfectly good but they don’t seem to want to compete on price with dealers down south. Good to know tho that I can get my Veloce serviced in Scotland by a dealer other than AC so thanks for that info. A call to Russell or Adrian at Beechdale would be a good starting point for your quest.... can’t imagine what the Q.V. is like to drive as I find the Veloce awesome !
I used AC in Aberdeen between 2006 and 2009 for servicing and warranty work on a 159 and found them to be very poor. Fixing simple faults took numerous visits. Part of the problem was that they had sold only a handful of 159s so their mechanics had very little experience working on the cars.
I wasn't surprised when they subsequently lost the Alfa franchise to Western. They may have improved their standards in the last few years and perhaps their dealerships in central Scotland are better. Personally though I wouldn't trust them with a £60k car.
Sorry I can't be more positive.
I wasn't surprised when they subsequently lost the Alfa franchise to Western. They may have improved their standards in the last few years and perhaps their dealerships in central Scotland are better. Personally though I wouldn't trust them with a £60k car.
Sorry I can't be more positive.
An old(ish) thread I know but was wondering if someone here could recommend a Scottish Alfa dealer?
Have a friend who is looking to get into a new or nearly new Giulia Veloce and would prefer to deal with someone who offers a decent service even if it means paying a little more for the car (as opposed to going down the carwow/broadspeed/car broker route).
They’re based near Dunfermline so happy enough to travel to Edinburgh/Glasgow/Paisley or even Aberdeen if it’s worth travelling that far.
Have a friend who is looking to get into a new or nearly new Giulia Veloce and would prefer to deal with someone who offers a decent service even if it means paying a little more for the car (as opposed to going down the carwow/broadspeed/car broker route).
They’re based near Dunfermline so happy enough to travel to Edinburgh/Glasgow/Paisley or even Aberdeen if it’s worth travelling that far.
Uppity said:
I managed to get Alfa Romeo Customer Services in Italy to contact Arnold Clark to request a proper test drive instead of a 30 minute accompanied spin round Linwood Industrial Estate. Still no joy. Gave up on the Quadrifoglio in the end and bought an AMG C43
It's a shame a brilliant product isn't being backed up by a decent dealership experience. From what I've read on here and on alfaowner.com it appears prospective Scottish Alfa owners have to buy from England if they want a decent dealership experience/non Arnold Clark experience.I have same problem, living in Edinburgh.
I bought an ex-demo Qv from Ancaster a few months back, and now just hoping no issues before I sell it, I’m planning to swap for an Alpine for the summer, and Arnold Clark is dealer for that too!
Going to order a car to my spec for next autumn/winter, but dealer is an issue. Alfa seems to be on the up and up, but can’t keep using Ryanair dealerships.
I bought an ex-demo Qv from Ancaster a few months back, and now just hoping no issues before I sell it, I’m planning to swap for an Alpine for the summer, and Arnold Clark is dealer for that too!
Going to order a car to my spec for next autumn/winter, but dealer is an issue. Alfa seems to be on the up and up, but can’t keep using Ryanair dealerships.
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff