How hard is it to buy a car !!

[Alex C]

Evening All,

 

I am looking to replace my wifes S Max with a Mitsubishi Shogun. I ve had a look round and checked on prices of both the S max to trade in and a shogun to buy.

 

Now i am not looking for a bargain i will pay good money for the right car, all i want is a 3 year old Shogun for 20k or under. I want around 9k for my S Max. Both seem reasonable to all the dealers i have had conversations with so far. Leave it with us we'll get back to you they said. Fast forward 2 weeks and i have heard nothing ! Not even a ''we are still looking'' call

 

Sick of waiting I went onto the Mitsubishi website and found one myself 40 miles away. Rang them today and asked if i could view tonight. No problem they said. I asked if they could pull it into the showroom so i could see it in the light and it would be dry, no problem they said. Trawled down there after work tonight and they had it sat outside , Filthy dirty, soaking wet and they couldnt find the key. When they eventually did they took me round the back into the car wash bay to have a look at it. They knew i was coming and at what time. They had all day to get this sorted !!

 

Have dealers got so much cash that they can afford to pass up the chance of a 20k sale at the moment ? Are there that many people with cash burning holes in their pockets that they can afford to be picky ?

 

Any tips on how i spend all my hard earned ? Anyone know of a decent Mitsi dealership?

 

Cheers for the chance to vent !!

 

Alex

[ME]

I used to love the chase of buying and selling cars. I used to buy from auction, drive them round for 6 months or so and sell them on. At one point I had 8 cars, so you could say that I have done my fair share of buying and selling.

 

Over the last few years I have become bored of hanging around at auctions for hours, driving all over to see dog rough privately sold cars and looking at accident damaged cars polished up by local car dealers.

 

On the last few occasions I used this guy - http://www.andrewjacksonuk.com he sourced me two Audis, both great condition and at good prices. His website shows some flashy cars but he deals in the day to day stuff too. Give him a call, discuss your budget and see what he can find for you. He doesn't charge until he finds something, so there is no downside.

[HDAV]

Buy a disco and make friends with the service manager....

Edited November 28, 2012 by HDAV

[tweedledee]

stick with mitsi,great vehicles

[BerettaSV10]

Its pot luck, went around a lot of dealers looking for a new car to meet certain requirements. A couple were totally not interested, some said they would get a car in from another branch if I really was interested, but part ex was rubbish. In one garage (main dealer) they promised to ring back but never did, even after I visited on several ocasions. In the end I put a complaint into the manager and the service manager and low and behold started getting help.

.

Went to a Honda garage and the sales man bent over backwards trying to source a car even when I took a measuring stick (fishing umberella) not letting on what I was actually measuring up for. Car needed to be low on tax, good on fuel etc, large boot to take a wheel chair laid flat with shoping & a hoist fitted. They even said how I did not need to pay vat if buying new or a demo car, In the end they could not find a car that was suitable on this ocasion.

 

The garage that I put the complaint into, found a best fit for my needs, so ended up with a new car, a manufactures £2500 off deal and no VAT to pay, above book price on my old thisty old car. In the end it worked out cheaper buying new than trading in against the same car second hand.

 

Next time I go looking for a car the Honda dealer will be the first port of call, for their time and patience.

Edited November 28, 2012 by BerettaSV10

[Pheasant Feeder]

Each to their own but as i've been driving a top of the range 11 plate mitsu****y today, I wouldn't even consider buying one, Disco everytime.

[Alex C]

Thats the funny thing with cars. I love my current Shogun but having driven my mates 60 plate Disco, i wouldnt have one for free. Horribly unreliable car.

 

I dont really get any enjoyment from driving, all i want is something that doesnt go wrong. I have had enough of expensive nightmares over the last few years, the last being a Jag.I will stick with the Mitsi as i know they are good fro mega mileage.

 

Each to their own i suppose !

 

Cheers for the tip on the car finder chap, will give him a try .

[Diceman]

There is a Ford dealer in Milton Keynes who could have sold my previous employer 5 cars in one hit a few years ago. 30 seconds of bad attitude and my boss walked out... and thats why I drove a Toyota Avensis for 2 years

[PhilR]

The Volvo dealership in Milton Keynes can't understand why I bought our XC70 new in Leicester instead of from them. Quite simple really - their can't be bothered attitude, lousy pricing and not prepared to deal. The dealer in Leicester couldn't have been more different, when it was being serviced they always made sure a loan car was ready for me. The dealer in Leicester was Sturgess.

Edited November 29, 2012 by PhilR

[Diceman]

Perhaps it is a Milton Keynes thing. The Land Rover Dealer there was going to call Mrs D back about an Evoque in July...not heard from them yet, other than a letter reminding us that the Disco they sold us 5 years ago is probably due an MOT. She bought one in Cheshire from a dealer who responded to a voicemail message on a sunday afternoon whilst he was watching his lad play football. (She told him to go back to the game and call her monday, even car dealers deserve a day off )

[Chr15j]

I run a car leasing business and can also source cars on a cash sale basis with fleet discount. Drop me a line if your interested. Chris

[PhilR]

Sure is Diceman. The BMW dealership is pants too I bought a new 320 cd from them everything was too much trouble and aftersales servicing pretty dreadful. I bought my next and final BMW from the dealership around the corner from my office in Birmingham - a totally different experience made to feel welcome from the moment I stepped into the showroom or service department. It's all down to the staff.

[pimpkiller]

Theres a massive difference in car deals depending on what part of the country you are in, When i lived in S-O-T all the cars you ever viewed were crash damaged rough as heck dealers dont want to know, in fact I know several people who have had punch ups with managers in showrooms having been ripped off, whereas in the leicestershire/lincolnshire area ive never seen so many mint condition cars and friendly dealers.

[keg]

Same with us when we bought the Landcruiser. Toyota Leeds were worse than useless and could not give me a staright answer on anything. West riding Toyota in Bradford were ( and still are) superb.

[KPV4]

It appears as though the majority of car dealers think alike! I have been speaking to my local dealer who I have had a few vehicles off in my time new ones and second hand. I've been looking for a new (second hand) 4x4 a bit larger than my Jimny possibly a Grand Vitara. As its a second vehicle I'm not looking to spend a fortune but around £1500 on top of my Jimny which is worth around £3000-£3300.

 

All I get is 4x4.s are hard to come by and are making good money (so mine should be as we'll) and he's not managed to find anything in my price bracket!! Well I've seen plenty of examples on ebay/autotrader etc that would fit the bill just right and at car dealers as well. He says he can deal with another car dealer but even after showing him what's available, nothing!

 

I think the problem is they are all still too greedy, the vehicles are out there but there is not enough profit init for them to bother doing a deal!, what really muffs me is he is supposed to be a mate as well!!

[jackinbox99]

I think all dealers seem to be the same. Three times now ive phoned a dealer in advance and booked to see a particular car. I turn up and the car either wont start, is at the back of the lot or in one case it wouldnt start, was at the back of the lot & had flat tyres. Needless to say I walked and they missed out on a potential sale.

 

When ive actually found a car I want at a dealer, ive noticed that the dealer has litterally point blank refused to budge on the price. One garage had a car up for 15grand, and wouldnt even drop 500quid. I walked then a few months later noticed the dealer still hadnt shifted the car and had to drop the price to £13999. So, he missed out on a sale. Even when I bought my last car back in June. It was a 25grand BMW and after much haggling the BMW main dealer offered to knock £250 off the price and even then he thought he was being generous. I walked. Then had the dealer on the phone to me every hour for the rest of the day begging me back. "how about if we throw in a set of carpets?" lol!!!!