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Author Topic: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!  (Read 7596 times)

Offline Greeners

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One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« on: December 29, 2012, 04:36:51 pm »
*Rant Alert*

Just had a very interesting experience looking at a car at Junction 26 Cars Notts.............

Thought I'd share it with you guys as they have a few MK5's for sale. Now I had already done my homework on this place and lets just say some of the feedback/comments on the net are not overly satisfactory!  :laugh:

But as the car was exactly what I was looking for give or take a few minor options, I thought I would take a look as they were only an hour away.

Arrived and found the car which was inside (just as well today!). I'd taken my paint depth gauge so asked the first salesman if I was ok to use it on the car, to which he was happy. Then the salesman I had spoken to on the phone (Rash) bowls up and introduces himself. All ok so far. He then tells me to have a look round the car (already been there 10 mins so had done so already) and he'd be back.

The car is far from advertised. Both front and rear bumpers would require paintwork of some description, most if not all panels were either scratched or had parking dings (not a major problem for me). The windscreen was cracked, the front grill was broken with a piece missing, the interior trim was a little worn, as was the leather bolster, the off side rear carpet was damp and the car had an horrific damp smell inside. The rear boot carpet was mouldy and the spare wheel well was full of moisture (and did I mention the smell?)  :sick: Various pieces of trim were snapped an broken. The wheels had been given a fresh coat of Halfords Silver paint (inc the calipers!  :rolleye:). Now none of the above would scare me off as it's mostly rectifiable. He then eventually comes back with the paperwork (to then disappear again) and the service book is far from the ad either. Advertised as 'Full service history' but there is a huge three year gap when nothing was done between 2008 and 2011, let alone any mention of the DSG service!

At this point I go and find the 'salesman' only to be told by him that there is nothing they can do about the gaps in the service book as the admin guy is off until weds! I try to show him the issues I have found with the car but to say he is disinterested is putting it mildly! He then wonders off again! At this point the wife and kids have had enough so I go to give him the key to the car back, only for him to tell me he's 'nipping out' with another customer and will be back in ten minutes!  :laugh:

We exchange pleasantries and I leave! (well something like that!  :laugh: ).

As some of you know I happen to sell cars for a living and was totally flabbergasted at the lack of any care and attention, let alone customer service! Maybe I prep my cars to, to high a standard and give my customers too much time!!  :confused: :fighting:

So avoid at all costs!! For those interested, this is the car............. looks nice doesn't it!  :rolleye:
http://autotrader.mobi/used-cars/advert/201212174643759/viewing-3/0?PHPSESSID=78u931kctpasbfgi08kg26pr93


*Rant over*
« Last Edit: December 29, 2012, 05:30:01 pm by Greeners »

Offline marko

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2012, 04:45:51 pm »
wow...looks mint in the photos..

2007 TR gt170...heated leather,underseat drawers,auto-levelling bi-xenons,puddle leds,chrome switches,footwell lights f+r,cruise control and ed30 rear lamps,LED interior....carbon highline clocks,ed30 front spoiler,RNS 510 P+MDI,mk6 gti gearknob,TPMS done,complete r32 trim kit+ MFSW,r32 f+r brakes,RLS fitted.headlamp washers,folding mirrors and boot pop,mk6 RVC,19"Helios,AP coilies,valeo LEDs  ...dpf delete and remap to finish off

Offline Deako

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2012, 04:48:00 pm »
Doh!!! Bloody car dealers.

Didn't realise you were in the market for another 6-pot!! Yummy!!!
#1493

Offline b16vrg

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2012, 04:49:14 pm »
Sounds like a nice place to buy a car from,NOT. God knows what there after sales service is like. Trouble is places like this always seem to shift cars and its the small firms with good service who get left behind :happy2:

Offline Hedge

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2012, 04:57:57 pm »
Pre-March? Looks lovely in the pictures but as you say a complete lack of indifference and the car not as advertised would have me on my toes as well.

Offline welikeaps

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2012, 05:01:39 pm »
These sort of places give the good reputable 2nd hand car dealers a bad name. This type of behavior puts so many people off, hence why so many people would prefer to buy private or go to a main dealer.

You may want to edit the link from Auto-trader as your post code is in it.

Offline SL03 JOE

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2012, 05:07:25 pm »
Makes mine sound amazing by the sounds of things!
2006, silver, 5 door, top spec, low miles MKV GTI for sale - looking for offers above 9k!

Joe.

Offline marko

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2012, 05:08:23 pm »
 :jumping: :jumping:
2007 TR gt170...heated leather,underseat drawers,auto-levelling bi-xenons,puddle leds,chrome switches,footwell lights f+r,cruise control and ed30 rear lamps,LED interior....carbon highline clocks,ed30 front spoiler,RNS 510 P+MDI,mk6 gti gearknob,TPMS done,complete r32 trim kit+ MFSW,r32 f+r brakes,RLS fitted.headlamp washers,folding mirrors and boot pop,mk6 RVC,19"Helios,AP coilies,valeo LEDs  ...dpf delete and remap to finish off

Offline Horatio

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2012, 05:08:38 pm »
Had a very similar experience at CarZone in Surrey about 6 months ago. Went to look at a mk5 R32 in midnight blue metalic. Was told over the phone it was immaculate, it was a car I could drive away today. Drove 60 miles and it was an absolute sh*tter! Every panel had a ding and scratch, even the roof. Every window was scratched and the interior was badly worn and dirty. Every grill had a crack and the main front grill was badly broken.   :rolleye:
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Offline rdfcpete

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2012, 05:09:02 pm »
That's bizarre Nath to find all those discrepancies as the pics present it as a solid car?  :confused:
Sorry to hear it was a wasted trip.

I've only bought four cars in my life so far but with the hundreds or so of cars I've called about viewing, I always ask regarding the condition of the paintwork and no-one ever really gives specifics away on the phone as to it's dents, dings or scratches - that includes my first £1,000 shed of a 1997 Punto in baby vomit green :laugh:
Pete


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Offline Greeners

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2012, 05:24:28 pm »
Pre-March? Looks lovely in the pictures but as you say a complete lack of indifference and the car not as advertised would have me on my toes as well.

It was bud yeh, ticked all the boxes going by the ad!

I can see now why my job is so hard if this is the typical experience people get from independent dealers!

Offline Baz300

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2012, 05:38:49 pm »
Last time I looked at a car at Belmont I noticed a few problems and the salesman told me that they don't prep the car until has been sold. And that's a big car dealer franchise.

The car I was looking at was 3 years old with 8000 miles  but didn't have a single stamp in the service history, when I questioned that they told me that they can easily put 3 stamps in the book to keep me happy  :rolleye:

I prefer to buy private nowadays. At least you can speak to the owner of the car and get a good idea of how it would of been looked after

Offline rich83

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2012, 05:47:27 pm »
Pre-March? Looks lovely in the pictures but as you say a complete lack of indifference and the car not as advertised would have me on my toes as well.

It was bud yeh, ticked all the boxes going by the ad!

I can see now why my job is so hard if this is the typical experience people get from independent dealers!

Your job of selling cars is easy, because you make them look so good. Take that 3 series that got dropped off with i was there... scabby as anything. Once youd done your thing it looked like a minter!  :notworthy:

Offline MC71

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #13 on: December 29, 2012, 06:06:48 pm »
That is pain in the arse for you (and your family) to travel all that way for the nothing more than the "brush off"! No wonder all Indy dealers have such a hard time, the few ruin the reputation of the industry for the rest! Some poor mug with less knowledge and will buy that car and be none the wiser (until something goes wrong with the gearbox or the car completely fills up with water)

The service that you give to your customers is a huge of the business and not only gives confidence to the buyer but also helps sales. I bang on all day long about service to the team at work.

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Offline RedRobin

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Re: One to avoid if your looking to buy a car!
« Reply #14 on: December 29, 2012, 06:11:40 pm »
.
If you don't buy a car from new you are always taking one helluva risk.... Unless you go to a dealer whom you know you can trust (like our boy Nathan Greeners). The car dealers who usually build up a local reputation of great trust are invariably the smaller ones because their business relies on word-of-mouth and they are usually far more caring.

That car you went to see, Nath, stinks (literally!) of being a flood damaged one.


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