Went to look at a HRV this morning. Not to far away and the right spec at a fair price in a small dealers with stuff up to £10k.
Vehicle was supposedly immaculate with full service history.. first to see will buy type of thing.
Looked OK from a few yards but sadly quite a few wheelarch dings close up... fair enough at 10yrs old I guess. Salesman comes over and plips it unlocked from halfway across yard commenting they only have one plip/key... not a good sign.
Interior heavily valeted ... smells and looks OK.
Soon notice a few rusty seams in the door shuts and corroded bolt heads in the loadspace at odds with the otherwise rust free body... then see the drivers airbag has been removed or replaced. Lift the bonnet to find an engine looking like a WW2 Merlin recovered from the sea.... covered with alloy corrosion. Pull dipstick and find about 2mm of black oil (petrol car remember) right at the bottom and way below Min.
Look at folder in car to find there is no service book, only two handwritten receipts from an indy for service/MOT in past 2yrs, nothing before that... oh and a few old MOTs... that's a full service history then?
Quick enquiry about condition prompts an admission it's a Cat 3. Guy says anyway shall I start it up? I say no it's not the car for me and there's not any oil in the engine... it's almost off the dipstick.
He shrugs his shoulders and wanders back to hang the keys back in the office. Not bothered to check the oil then.
Hopeless.
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Thats perhaps why for me finding a good dealer or two that I like serves me best these days, usually small family run main dealers with non-mainstream franchises.
They are usually attentive and give very personal service, perhaps because customer retention keeps the cash flowing in, especially if they have a service department that can benefit from a positive ongoing relationship.
I get that from the Daihatsu dealer we use. They remember my name, they are polite, helpful and I am yet to hear them say 'cant' or 'wont'. They dont shrug shoulders either!
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...I get that from the Daihatsu dealer we use. They remember my name...
That may be because you routinely buy stuff that nobody else would touch. In fact, are you sure you're not their only customer?
};---)
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It is the first car I have bought from them, I already knew them because I was already taking the misses Sirion there for servicing. Ive had the Charade a full 6 months now :-) must be due a change, it is due a service nearly.
Deffo not their only customer, the place is always busy when Im there, lot of older customers who I guess like the old fashioned service. I watched one of the service staff transfer someones boot load of shopping from their car to loan car - maybe its just me, but I like that kind of thing.
Last edited by: FoR on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 16:15
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Only teasing, Stu. I know exactly what you mean because I like that sort of thing too. Butchers are great at it - well, the good ones are.
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Our last three cars have come from a local indy - the two Astras we have now and my previous Mondeo. He charges top book price but the cars come fully serviced and valeted, both the Astras he told us to take them for a week on his insurance and come back in seven days and pay for the car or return it. Any problems get sorted ASAP at reasonable rates and he is first class at diagnosing problems, no return visits because he got it wrong first time.
A good dealer is like gold dust and worth paying more for, it's cheaper in the long run and a lot less hassle.
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>>take them for a week on his insurance and come back in seven days and pay for the car or return it.
That sounds like a bit of plan.
Week 1 - Trial Astra, on return, suck teeth and mutter something about not being sure if one wouldn't have been better off with that Mondeo over there?
Week 2 - return Mondeo and state that while it's very nice, very nice indeed old chap, but on reflection, could you see your way clear to a bit of a run out in that 5 series by any chance?
Week 3 - Well, it's a jolly good car, no doubt about it my old friend but, y'know, I've long since thought I'd love, just once you understand before I'm too old, to own a 911. I see you have a rather smart looking one over there? Don't suppose I could prevail just once more?
Week 4 - Gosh what fine bit of kit that Porsche is ! Bit on the cramped side though maybe, eh what? Is that really an Arnage you've had in there? My goodness they don't come up very often do they? Gosh, that does shed a different light on things, I wonder if they're as cosseting as they say?....Oh, alright then, no need to be snippy ! I'll um perhaps, on reflection, go back to thinking of the Astra then. Would you um, consider an offer old chap? Wallet a tiny bit on the thin side right at the present mo' you see...
:-)
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 20:22
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>> Wallet a tiny bit on the thin side right at the present mo' you see...
Primark don't pay the going rate?
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Nov 2012 comment... Primark has continued to resist Europe's economic woes after an "exceptional" year in which it racked up £3.5bn in sales and created 10,000 new jobs.
The budget chain, which has 158 of its 244 stores in the UK, grew operating profits by 15 per cent to £356m in the year to September 15, parent company Associated British Foods said today.
Primark's like-for-like sales were 3 per cent higher, with UK trading "particularly strong" in the summer and Europe still buoyant despite tough economic conditions in three of its markets in Ireland, Spain and Portugal.
Nineteen new stores were opened in the year and a further 12 stores will have opened in time for Christmas, including a second store in Austria, while Primark plans to complete the expansion of its city centre stores in Manchester and Newcastle by the spring.
The business, which has doubled annual sales in the past five years, currently employs more than 43,000 people.
Humph should be proud really.
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We get a number of calls at the CAB on second hand cars - people of limited means with lengthy HP and expensive agreements buying 6+yr old cars with horrendous problems which must have been obvious even to the ill-educated chimp selling them, crap after sales. People victims of thieves who promise the world. One firm in South Wales features strongly....
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>>>people of limited means with lengthy HP and expensive agreements buying 6+yr old cars with horrendous problems which must have been obvious even to the ill-educated chimp selling them,
Yep fully agree. It's a game to me as far as it goes and makes an amusing forum post... but I said to Mrs F when she asked what the HRV was like I could imagine hard up 30 somethings with young kids buying that car with minimal deposit and the rest over a few years at 30% APR.
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Spot on - If I had been motivated these last few months to go out and give anyone a good kicking some of these sharks would be the first on the list. One of them a full sized franchise conned an ex-miner of his VWF compo.
Last edited by: R.P. on Sat 1 Dec 12 at 09:29
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>> One firm in South Wales features strongly....
Does the one in Stoke, with branches in Brum and Yorkshire?
I only ask because a lad in our office is planning a trip to buy a "perfect" 06 diesel Astra from them on Tuesday. Horrendous interest rate means he'll end up paying about £7k for it.
He cadged a lift with me to Bolton last week to visit a similar outfit - I swear I saw every single dodgy car sales stereotype in existence while we were there. In fact I was going to post about it last week but I've been too busy.
I sincerely hope he doesn't lumber himself with punitive finance payments on a clapped-out shed...
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Not sure Dave - I only take calls from Wales. Fords of Winsford is a very good site (in the traditional sense) BTW.
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Well that was an interesting morning.
Dealer with £1500 2001 Golf 1.8SE. Given keys to look on my own down the yard. Battery so flat even the plip wouldn't unlock so used key. Tyres soft and discs red rust (not just a bit). Not a jot of paperwork, not even a handbook. If I was interested they would jump start and I could take it out "on my own insurance"... no need for trade plates apparently despite being untaxed. I declined. Felt comfortable to sit in a basic sort of way. I was impressed with the concept of slightly better one.
Next dealer with £1200 Alfa 156 1.8 4dr Lusso. Looked really nice in met silver with a smart (but cloth) interior. Again battery was so flat it wouldn't even bring up ign lights. Rust just starting on the front wheelarch lips and on many underbonnet brackets and bolt heads. Not sure we can manage with the smallish boot and no folding seats/hatch. Even after fiddling with the seat I couldn't get fully comfortable with the leg/arm/back posture I like.
Then another dealer with a met blue 2004 Peugeot 407 2.0 SE petrol. This was just over £2000 and was in a different class re condition. It was cleaner in and out than my C5 and only had 58k recorded. Felt a far more modern car to sit in than the Golf/156. Helped a cousin buy a mint 407 a few months back and that's been a great success.
The Rover 75 goes on its own thread.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 14:44
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We've a 2002 Golf 1.9TDi SE. We've had it three years. In that time it's needed a new battery, a new exhaust and an electric window regulator. Also rear brake pads and discs once. Other than that, I've serviced it at home for peanuts.
Not at all bad. I expect/hope to keep it for many more years yet. Now on 91k miles, done about 20k since we bought it, mostly used for short urban trips.
More than happy.
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I liked the SE trim. This one had nicely shaped velour seats, elec front and rear windows, elec sunroof, aircon, elec heated mirrors, rear seat headrests and side air bags. Don't know if that is standard SE fare?
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Aye, ours has got all that except heated mirrors and perhaps side airbags (going to check that later now you've mentioned it). It was originally a company fleet car belonging to a booze manufacturer, so I don't expect they ordered any "extras" when it was new.
I really like ours.
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>> I liked the SE trim. This one had nicely shaped velour seats, elec front and
>> rear windows, elec sunroof, aircon, elec heated mirrors, rear seat headrests and side air bags.
>> Don't know if that is standard SE fare?
Did you drive it? I find the chassis a bit soggy with crashy ride quality.
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No it wasn't good enough to bother with a test drive. I've been in a 2007 1.9 diesel and found that fine but soggy and crashy is how a relatives 1993 1.8GL felt.
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So it sounds like the 156 is off the list due to comfort issues.
Seen any 166s round your way lately?
;-)
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Our mk4 Golf has been one of the best cars we've ever had. Had it four and a bit years, taken it from 90k to 130k and it has still to break down, fail to start, or inconvenience us in any way.
Apart from servicing and tyres, it had a battery and clutch/DMF kit in 2011, and a rear brake caliper the year before that.
We have no intention of parting with it.
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>> Our mk4 Golf has been one of the best cars we've ever had. Had it
>> four and a bit years, taken it from 90k to 130k and it has still
>> to break down, fail to start, or inconvenience us in any way.
>>
>> Apart from servicing and tyres, it had a battery and clutch/DMF kit in 2011, and
the cost of a new DMF would inconvenience me really rather a lot.
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>>
>> the cost of a new DMF would inconvenience me really rather a lot.
>>
400 quid fitted. It wasn't that bad.
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And just to put that 400 quid into context, this is a car that has depreciated 1500 quid in 4 years and has cost me all in under a grand in maintenance. Cheap motoring by any standards.
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>> One firm in South Wales features strongly....
>>
A rule that some abide by here in N.Devon is never to cross that bridge (left turn) to buy any vehicle.
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>> >> One firm in South Wales features strongly....
>> >>
>> A rule that some abide by here in N.Devon is never to cross that bridge
>> (left turn) to buy any vehicle.
>>
Same rule applies to those of us that live within sight of the bridge.
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That's right - I'm in South Glos , doing an Autotrader distance search brings up plenty "over there" but always resist!
I go right back to "Empress" Abertillery - remember them?
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>> That's right - I'm in South Glos , doing an Autotrader distance search brings up
>> plenty "over there" but always resist!
>>
>> I go right back to "Empress" Abertillery - remember them?
>>
IIRC that was the branch up in the valleys where everything was sold as seen.
It resembled a scrap yard where cars had gone to die rather than be sold
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>> I go right back to "Empress" Abertillery - remember them?
Yes I do. They moved to Newport didn't they and for a while became Carcraft at Empress. And I think the location is still Carcraft.
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>> >> I go right back to "Empress" Abertillery - remember them?
>>
>> Yes I do. They moved to Newport didn't they and for a while became Carcraft
>> at Empress. And I think the location is still Carcraft.
>>
The big site at Newport was open at the same time as Abertillery.
Abertillery was sort of marketed as their trade to clear section. There was stuff there that didn't even look as though it would get you home
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Used car dealers... oh dear. - Stuu
