i think i know why people buy new cars
Discussion
because buying used cars is such a pain in the f
king arse!
Unless you are hotly pursuing a gash-o-matic eurobox, then it can be ridiculously hard to find the one you want with decent condition/spec/location/price. Then there is dealing with private sellers. Between 2 different cars I have been trying for weeks to get a drive in either of them, to no avail. I might hate both of them, and I am starting to think I might go for an easy life and get a nice but not as interesting new car just so I can spec it myself, and get a test drive at a reasonably local dealer, and stop ringing up idiots and tossers and wasting my time.
king arse!Unless you are hotly pursuing a gash-o-matic eurobox, then it can be ridiculously hard to find the one you want with decent condition/spec/location/price. Then there is dealing with private sellers. Between 2 different cars I have been trying for weeks to get a drive in either of them, to no avail. I might hate both of them, and I am starting to think I might go for an easy life and get a nice but not as interesting new car just so I can spec it myself, and get a test drive at a reasonably local dealer, and stop ringing up idiots and tossers and wasting my time.
I'm currently going through the less than enjoyable process of finding a used car.
Almost all of the cars I've found ended up either being dogs, having dodgy serivce historys or the seller appears to have an overinflated opinion of what their car is worth.
Buying and selling a used car always seems to be a nightmare in Somerset / Devon where I am at the moment, there is so much more choice when I up in Gloucestershire where I'm at uni.
Almost all of the cars I've found ended up either being dogs, having dodgy serivce historys or the seller appears to have an overinflated opinion of what their car is worth.
Buying and selling a used car always seems to be a nightmare in Somerset / Devon where I am at the moment, there is so much more choice when I up in Gloucestershire where I'm at uni.
Depends on how much you're willing to travel as well doesn't it - for example I wouldn't really be bothered about travelling from Somerset to Gloucestershire to view a car I was serious about buying - just another excuse for a drive isn't it!
I can't really understand the fascination with the right 'spec' either - aslong as it's not bright pink with yellow seats, a tape player and keep fit windows i'm pretty happy!
Cheers,
Rob
I can't really understand the fascination with the right 'spec' either - aslong as it's not bright pink with yellow seats, a tape player and keep fit windows i'm pretty happy!
Cheers,
Rob
Somnophore said:
Buy a second hand car from a dealer?
Oh can you do that? I hadn't thought to consider going to a dealer 
It depends who has the car you want doesn't it? You can't just trot along to your local car lot for most cars worth having. I am searching for a decent Vauxhall VXR8 or a Jag XJR. There are no VXR8s within 70 miles of me at the moment, and I don't have the time to be traipsing all over the country (although it seems like the only way), and no sensibly priced XJRs outside the south east that I can find. I have been to two Jag dealers recently and been unable to get a test drive (much feet shuffling and excuses - why i have no idea).
The whole experience is pissing me right off, and leaving me wondering whether I am really that bothered, and perhaps I should just go get a new merc or something.
pilchardthecat said:
It's quite possible to buy a brand new car from a shiny smiley dealer and still have loads of niggles and problems and bad service
That's a given, but at least if you want a car you can just go and order it. Besides you don't have to order from a dealer, you can use a broker online if you know the car you want, and just wait till it arrives.Buying and selling cars in general is hassle with the amount of timewasting some people cause and with all the scammers out there these days. However the buying of cars isn't really too difficult - these days you can see plenty about the cars on the webs, select the best few and then ring around asking the questions you want to ask to see if it is worth going to see them...you can pretty much pinpoint the perfect car without going to see one. You do need to be prepared to travel pretty far to get the one you want, but you don't appear to be.
Selling a used car is worse than buying one.
You get loads of stuoid calls and offers from people before they have even seen it.
Then the ones who do turn up want to take it for a half a day test drive and use half a tank of fuel and then not buy it.
For some people, it is something interesting to do on a weekend and they have no intention of buying. I had this a few times when I sold my TVR.
One even gave the excuse that the TVR was not as refined as his mothers Z4 (that he turned up in), so he'd "give it a miss" after wasting 3 hours of my time and loads of fuel
You get loads of stuoid calls and offers from people before they have even seen it.
Then the ones who do turn up want to take it for a half a day test drive and use half a tank of fuel and then not buy it.
For some people, it is something interesting to do on a weekend and they have no intention of buying. I had this a few times when I sold my TVR.
One even gave the excuse that the TVR was not as refined as his mothers Z4 (that he turned up in), so he'd "give it a miss" after wasting 3 hours of my time and loads of fuel
Something else is the prospect of 'battling' with other owners when you finally find a decent one. I was on the way to see a VXR8 last night when the vendor rang me up and told me it had sold. It had literally been on the net for one day. Fortunately I wasn't too far along the journey, and I guess some places wouldn't even have been as organised to actually call me up and tell me. I also got scuppered on a Jag the other day when I phoned up and left a deposit before I had even seen it (was going at weekend) and they said ok cool... then called me back 30 mins later to tell me it had already sold and the guy on the phone didn't know. Very frustrating.
I find even when you are looking for something that is quite common then there is so much garbage out there that you feel like that cartoon character, you know the one that has to kiss a lot of frogs before finding the true prince.
And then when you've had a look, found the problems, and evaluated as another heap and a waste of half a morning and not even worth a test drive you get the crap bovine effluent " Oh it's a single owner, a district nurse b;a bla bla."
Which gives rise to another problem that the first time you find one that isn't a heap it can be difficult to be objective.
And then when you've had a look, found the problems, and evaluated as another heap and a waste of half a morning and not even worth a test drive you get the crap bovine effluent " Oh it's a single owner, a district nurse b;a bla bla."
Which gives rise to another problem that the first time you find one that isn't a heap it can be difficult to be objective.
Blown2CV said:
Something else is the prospect of 'battling' with other owners when you finally find a decent one. I was on the way to see a VXR8 last night when the vendor rang me up and told me it had sold. It had literally been on the net for one day. Fortunately I wasn't too far along the journey, and I guess some places wouldn't even have been as organised to actually call me up and tell me. I also got scuppered on a Jag the other day when I phoned up and left a deposit before I had even seen it (was going at weekend) and they said ok cool... then called me back 30 mins later to tell me it had already sold and the guy on the phone didn't know. Very frustrating.
Problem is you sell a car and get countless people who are "on their way" or will "definitely buy it" only to never turn up. As far as I'm concerned it's for sale until the point where someone hands over the money and drives offBuying a used car usually takes me at least a few months to find the right one, although one took me over a year of searching. Treat it as an adventure.
If you have other things, such as a life, a need for transport etc then it’s a pain
If it’s any consolation, the horror of selling a cheap car is eleventy billion times worse. The condition they expect of a £500 snotter are far above what a £3000 car should be. When I’m ready to give up on life and become a car dealer, I’ll be selling expensive cars to toffs. It’s the only way.
Excuse my rambles, but it’s cheaper than the therapy most people who’ve bought and sold cars would need
If you have other things, such as a life, a need for transport etc then it’s a pain
If it’s any consolation, the horror of selling a cheap car is eleventy billion times worse. The condition they expect of a £500 snotter are far above what a £3000 car should be. When I’m ready to give up on life and become a car dealer, I’ll be selling expensive cars to toffs. It’s the only way.
Excuse my rambles, but it’s cheaper than the therapy most people who’ve bought and sold cars would need
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