..... with my sister-in-law. We went to see this
She'd already had a drive of it the other day & just wanted me to hold her hand in the sales office. List price was actually £8995, the sales man had already prepared a sales sheet with added Scotchguard for the interior upholstery at about £300 same with exterior paint for a similar price, he'd also included the trade in value for her 51 plate Fiat Bravo/Brava of £100  :-? (she'd get that scrap). On top of the screen price there was £30 for road tax and £100 for their 'admin charge!  :-? :-? :-? When questioned about this addition, he reckoned that 'every one' did this these days! Has any one here ever come across this when buying a car from a large/main dealer?
We/I fcuked him off for the the upholstery & paint guard and told him that she'd sell her car herself & when asked how much we/she were/was prepared to pay I suggested £8750 all in. So we then went through the charade of him going upstairs to check with his boss and eventually coming back to say that all he could go down to was £8925 which sister-in-law decided was what she'd be prepared to go to and 'shook on it'. He disappeared upstairs again to sort out the paperwork but quickly came back down again ......... he'd fcuked up & £8925 included the £100 trade in value. Your mistake I said ...... either she gets the car at £8925 or we walk, so off upstairs he goes - you've 5 mins I said - comes back down & says 'sorry, but he won't accept that', so we walked.
We got half an hour away, almost home, an her mobile rang. Guess who!  ::) She could have the car at £8925 after all!
Why can't we buy a car at nearly screen price without all the pantomime of the sales rep going back & forth upstairs to gain approval for negligible discount?  :-?

All dealers are like that these days, Caffyns in Ashford tried it on with my dad (He's just got an 11 plate Corsa SE Ecoflex), anyway they tried giving him some stuff called superguard (don't know if that's right?), for an extra £475 for inside and outside, I told them polietly to shove that. That dealer sounds as bad as Caffyns of Ashford  :o

Just as well you were there Andy.... :y
Funnily enough I have just been talking with Master Vamps, he has been looking around the Internet for insurance and is wanting to buy a new car, possibly on finance, I am trying to talk him out of that, the main point I was trying to get across was NOT to agree or sign to anything without taking me with him... :y

Insurance for him, at 19 with 2 years ncb has tumbled to sub £1k for sensible cars, according to him.... :y :y

Del Boy wrote on 04. Aug 2011 at 23:49:

All dealers are like that these days, Caffyns in Ashford tried it on with my dad (He's just got an 11 plate Corsa SE Ecoflex), anyway they tried giving him some stuff called superguard (don't know if that's right?), for an extra £475 for inside and outside, I told them polietly to shove that. That dealer sounds as bad as Caffyns of Ashford  :o

£100 'admin charge' just for buying one of their cars just pi$$ed me off. It'd be like Tesco/Asda adding another couple of quid to your trolly load at the check-out when you've finished your weekly shop!  :-?
I don't know if all this to-ing & fro-ing and mistakes were to confuse us, but he managed to confuse himself! :-?  ;D ;D ;D

Vamps wrote on 04. Aug 2011 at 23:51:

Just as well you were there Andy.... :y .... Insurance for him, at 19 with 2 years ncb has tumbled to sub £1k for sensible cars, according to him.... :y :y

It's probably a good idea for all of us to take someone 'neutral' when we buy a car to help us look passed the bull$hit from the sales staff.

We were talking to a young lad a work the other day about car insurance. He's about 18 and had paid £3800  :o :o :o :o on his Corsa ........ he crashed it within 6 weeks of buying the car!  ::) ::)

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:01:

Del Boy wrote on 04. Aug 2011 at 23:49: All dealers are like that these days, Caffyns in Ashford tried it on with my dad (He's just got an 11 plate Corsa SE Ecoflex), anyway they tried giving him some stuff called superguard (don't know if that's right?), for an extra £475 for inside and outside, I told them polietly to shove that. That dealer sounds as bad as Caffyns of Ashford  :o £100 'admin charge' just for buying one of their cars just pi$$ed me off. It'd be like Tesco/Asda adding another couple of quid to your trolly load at the check-out when you've finished your weekly shop!  :-? I don't know if all this to-ing & fro-ing and mistakes were to confuse us, but he managed to confuse himself! :-?  ;D ;D ;D

Unless desperate for the car, I would have walked at that point, sadly that is the voice of experience, most of us have been caught out at some time..... :(

Funnily enough I've been playing with dealers today too, although buying commercial you don't get as much of a run around ::)

I do have to carry on shopping around though ;)

Vamps wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:06:

..... Unless desperate for the car, I would have walked at that point, sadly that is the voice of experience, most of us have been caught out at some time..... :(

The benefit of being 'older'  ;)
I bought a Senator years ago & am sure  I was conned somewhere in the screen price & trade in price of my Carlton .............. but I was younger and naive.  :-/

Lazydocker wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:12:

Funnily enough I've been playing with dealers today too, although buying commercial you don't get as much of a run around ::) ......

Presumably you know the 'tricks of the trade'  ;) ;)

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:18:

Lazydocker wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:12: Funnily enough I've been playing with dealers today too, although buying commercial you don't get as much of a run around ::) ...... Presumably you know the 'tricks of the trade'  ;) ;)

Having a fair bit of experience I don't get messed about too much ::)

Unfortunately my hands are a little tied if I have to buy because it has to be a specific vehicle and I need it yesterday ;D

That said, he has said that he wants an opportunity to try and match any genuine quote I get even though he's already given me about 17% discount... That's where he'll have to start going higher to get the business ;) I like to use local companies where possible (and it's not so essential to get it as cheap as possible as it will be a business expense) but still want a good deal ;D

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:17:

Vamps wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:06: ..... Unless desperate for the car, I would have walked at that point, sadly that is the voice of experience, most of us have been caught out at some time..... :( The benefit of being 'older'  ;) I bought a Senator years ago & am sure  I was conned somewhere in the screen price & trade in price of my Carlton .............. but I was younger and naive.  :-/

Indeed, but similar mistakes can still be made, My Mig, and I looked around, was perfect on paper and in practice, but in real life was a different story.....still, we live and learn.....  ::) ::)

Lazydocker wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 00:22:

.... I have to buy because it has to be a specific vehicle and I need it yesterday ;D ....

This is what I said to the sales rep. The car is a diseasal Astra, there's loads of them around, it's not as though you were trying to buy a specific low volume car.  :y :y

Thats what happens when you have these larger groups who employ children as sales staff.

I have to say, I would have been looking for more cash off that price to as its a close to base spec astra of the old type.

I love showroom salesmen, made one cry last year and got asked politely never to buy from them again by the sales manager ;D

The story is a cracker but I don't have time to type it up

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 08:13:

Thats what happens when you have these larger groups who employ children as sales staff.

He wasn't very old.  ;)


Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 08:13:

I have to say, I would have been looking for more cash off that price to as its a close to base spec astra of the old type.

It was her money, and as it was sprung on me to have a look at this specific car I didn't really have the chance to compare other cars & prices. She was happy so that's all that matters.  :y :y

omegod wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 08:32:

.... The story is a cracker but I don't have time to type it up

Go on ........... you know you want to.  :y  :y  :y  :y ;D

the whole industry pretty much works on a 50% mark-up. So when they say they've not got much room for manoeuvre, they're being er, "economical with the truth".

But they are car salesmen after all.

as with anything else - decide how much it's worth in your own mind and pay that - not a penny more.

2woody wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:18:

... So when they say they've not got much room for manoeuvre, they're being er, "economical with the truth"......

You mean lying!  ::) ;D ;D ;D

standard dealer bull, but i can think of nicer cars to spend 9k on!

Good job you went along by sounds of things, if she went on her own before. they must have thought they had this one in the bag and slap everything on.

tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:24:

standard dealer bull, but i can think of nicer cars to spend 9k on! ......

So could I, but it'll be her only car for going to & from work and to ferry two kids around.  ;) ;)

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:25:

tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:24: standard dealer bull, but i can think of nicer cars to spend 9k on! ...... So could I, but it'll be her only car for going to & from work and to ferry two kids around.  ;) ;)

True, she needs something cheap and reliable.

Is she going to go back and get it? I'd tell them to sod off myself!

If I was in the market for a mum-bus which was for taking kids about, I'd look at something like this:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201129403522191/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_40000_miles/price-to/8000/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/7000/model/s-max/make/ford/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/w39ej?logcode=p

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:13:

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 08:13: Thats what happens when you have these larger groups who employ children as sales staff. He wasn't very old.  ;) Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 08:13: I have to say, I would have been looking for more cash off that price to as its a close to base spec astra of the old type. It was her money, and as it was sprung on me to have a look at this specific car I didn't really have the chance to compare other cars & prices. She was happy so that's all that matters.  :y :y

It has to be said that the 1.7 is one of the most reliable modern diesels out there and teh H has very few isuses.

I note also that the diesel Vx's are quite hard to find to.

tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:35:

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:25: tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:24: standard dealer bull, but i can think of nicer cars to spend 9k on! ...... So could I, but it'll be her only car for going to & from work and to ferry two kids around.  ;) ;) True, she needs something cheap and reliable. Is she going to go back and get it? I'd tell them to sod off myself! If I was in the market for a mum-bus which was for taking kids about, I'd look at something like this: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201129403522191/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_40000_miles/price-to/8000/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/7000/model/s-max/make/ford/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/w39ej?logcode=p

Not bad. I think the £30 a year road tax of the Astra was also a sweetener for her.  :y

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:47:

.... I note also that the diesel Vx's are quite hard to find to.

There were 2 of them in the area according to Auto Trader.  :-?

tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:35:

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:25: tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:24: standard dealer bull, but i can think of nicer cars to spend 9k on! ...... So could I, but it'll be her only car for going to & from work and to ferry two kids around.  ;) ;) True, she needs something cheap and reliable. Is she going to go back and get it? I'd tell them to sod off myself! If I was in the market for a mum-bus which was for taking kids about, I'd look at something like this: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201129403522191/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_40000_miles/price-to/8000/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/7000/model/s-max/make/ford/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/w39ej?logcode=p

You dont need a mum bus for two kids, I only have one as its the closest she would let me get to a van!  ;D

I did try an S-Max and the diesel engine is pretty nasty to drive, the petrols were better (plus it will have a DPF so means that its totaly useless for short journeys)

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:49:

.... I only have one as its the closest she would let me get to a van!  ;D

Who wears the trousers in your house?  ::)  ::)  ::)


Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:49:

I did try an S-Max and the diesel engine is pretty nasty to drive, the petrols were better (plus it will have a DPF so means that its totaly useless for short journeys)

Don't the Astra diseals have a DPV?  :-/ :-/

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:49:

tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:35: Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:25: tunnie wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:24: standard dealer bull, but i can think of nicer cars to spend 9k on! ...... So could I, but it'll be her only car for going to & from work and to ferry two kids around.  ;) ;) True, she needs something cheap and reliable. Is she going to go back and get it? I'd tell them to sod off myself! If I was in the market for a mum-bus which was for taking kids about, I'd look at something like this: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201129403522191/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_40000_miles/price-to/8000/fuel-type/diesel/price-from/7000/model/s-max/make/ford/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/w39ej?logcode=p You dont need a mum bus for two kids, I only have one as its the closest she would let me get to a van!  ;D I did try an S-Max and the diesel engine is pretty nasty to drive, the petrols were better (plus it will have a DPF so means that its totaly useless for short journeys)

I quite like the look of them compared to other similar types, interior also appeals. But never driven one, in fact i've never driven a modern diesel  :-[

My version of a mum-bus would be an oil burning Audi A8, Merc S-Class or Jag XJ.

Maybe XF too, but they are bit expensive.

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:49:

I did try an S-Max and the diesel engine is pretty nasty to drive, the petrols were better (plus it will have a DPF so means that its totaly useless for short journeys)

Don't the Astra diseals have a DPV?  :-/ :-/
[/quote]

Don't think so, guess it does make diesels less smokey but such a waste of fuel!

Andy B wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:52:

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:49: .... I only have one as its the closest she would let me get to a van!  ;D Who wears the trousers in your house?  ::)  ::)  ::) Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 09:49: I did try an S-Max and the diesel engine is pretty nasty to drive, the petrols were better (plus it will have a DPF so means that its totaly useless for short journeys) Don't the Astra diseals have a DPV?  :-/ :-/

Only the twin top 1.9's got a DPF (due to the extra weight I suspect).

Vectras and mum buses also got the DPF on the 1.9's (again down to the weight).

And all to meet euro particulate emission needs

Marks DTM Calib wrote on 05. Aug 2011 at 10:55:

.... ..... And all to meet euro particulate emission needs

Thanks

I suppose this car meets something or other re emmisions due to its £30 a year road tax.  :)

why oh why do car dealers do this what happened to the salesman giving you a price and you haggle with him,
I hate this when he goes away and comes back saying his boss says !!!! Sounds like a double glazing salesman in your home ringing his boss, From what i have seen they are all trying this £100 admin fee on top of screen prices i think the carshop were the pioneers of that.

  >:( >:( >:( >:(