Car dealers

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merc85

MB Enthusiast
SUPPORTER
Joined
Apr 23, 2013
Messages
9,559
Location
Harwich
Car
CLK 500
Review after review bad bad bad, then People i know via a Fb group tell of there experiences of certain Car dealers im thinking of seeing cars at, and its nowt but a flipp'n nightmare.

If a Car dealer sells at top wack fair play but all in my experiance have never stood by there "warranties" which is what you pay over the odd's for in the 1st place.

What is it with selling a honest car at a honest price. I've sold all my cars in tip top shape never had any come back because everyone has been 100%.

All the dealers atm want 100% top money for Possibly "shoddy" service and poor cars. It's not even the price range, i've googled plenty of Expensive vehicles for want of better wording from said dealers and it doesn't seem to matter.... Perhaps peeps only leave reviews if the vehicle is bad....... Hummm

I'm not after any pity here just venting, frustration lol. :dk:

Que possible back lash..... lol
 
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People are quick to damn slow to praise.

Dealers are businesses, not charities. So buyer beware.
 
My good friend (a car dealer) sums it up like this..

"You get emotionally attached to cars, I do not"

I start with the premise that a car (especially second hand) will probably break/be broken/damaged. Think about it, somebody sold it to the dealer? What I really want is confidence that the dealer is going to help me to rectify this without the need for letters, solicitors, legal arguments etc. That is summed in this sentence: "Bring it back we will sort it"

Having bought many cars over the years from dealers, my sense for the dealer (as well as the car) has kept me in good stead. I bought one car through a dealer, on recommendation from here. Worst purchase I ever made!! The dealer did, however try and fix some of the problems but always with an argument first and then grudgingly done. Eventually both he and the car wore me down. It just kept breaking (it's in the garage now as I type having a new steering rack fitted).

There are honest dealers out there. Look for personal experience but be wary of "I bought a car, it worked". That is what should happen, so is not (in my mind) a searching recommendation.

I tell my team. It is how we respond that will define us. It does and we are highly thought of and recommended.
 
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I bought a few used cars from car 'supermarkets'.

They tell you up front that they will only cover the minimum you are entitled by law and that for everything else you need to purchase a warranty (from them, or elsewhere).

They also seem to check the cars reasonably well. Touch wood, never had a problem with a car purchased there and never needed to come back.

The salespeople are more of a sales-technicians really, they will answer any questions and process the sale but will not try and push a sale though as such.

I think that the aura of 'Oh you are so special Sir' and 'this car is fantastic Sir' and 'Suits you Sir' that some car salesmen use, creates very high expectations, only to be met with frustration when being 'dropped' once the sale is complete.
 
Already been commented in other threads but stealers are like milkmen, how many did you see 10-20 years ago? How many do you see now? They are facing extinction in the coming years, the next generation of buyers will do it all online, the only OEM interaction will be test drive / service, home pick up / drop off, basic outlet centres with minimal staff in remote locations to reduce overheads...excluding high-end supercar brands, the days of expensive buildings and coffee I think are numbered:rolleyes:
 
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Already been commented in other threads but stealers are like milkmen, how many did you see 10-20 years ago? How many do you see now? They are facing extinction in the coming years, the next generation of buyers will do it all online, the only OEM interaction will be test drive / service, basic outlet centres, home pick up / drop off with minimal staff in remote locations to reduce overheads...excluding high-end supercar brands, the days of expensive buildings and coffee I think are numbered:rolleyes:

You mean they will go the way of Insurance Brokers, Travel Agents, and the Dodo...? :D
 
There's good and bad dealers, cops, insurance brokers, travel agents etc. If you don't get the one you think is any good, find another one.
 
There's good and bad dealers, cops, insurance brokers, travel agents etc. If you don't get the one you think is any good, find another one.

Are you married? :D
 
I've sold all my cars in tip top shape never had any come back because everyone has been 100% /QUOTE]

Unfortunately most dealers dont. Theres a reason used car salesmen have the reputation they do.

I'm always on Autotrader having a look. The number of cars advertised saying the exterior is in 'excellent condition' when the pictures they've put up clearly show its not true!

All used car buying is a risk but I expect full honesty.

As a business owner I understand the other side though. People have put negative reviews about us because they 'haven't got their own way ' . The problem is once as accusation of any kind is made it cant be rectified no matter how much explaining is done.

So I fully understand the frustrations of the OP
 
As in anything, trust is hard-earned and easily lost.
 
I bought my current car from a small [non-MB] dealer in Scarborough, and as it's a fairly rare model I didn't mind traveling there.
The car was sold with dealer's own and RAC Gold warranties.

Took it to Olly at PCS right away, for a thorough check-up - turns out the OSR tyre and the a/c condenser needed replacement. The dealer paid for a new tyre and RAC - for the condenser (and re-gas, etc).

No arguments, no lengthy conversations - one phone call to the dealer and an email to the warranty company is all it took. Couldn't be simpler.

Sixteen months on - not a single thing is wrong with the car, and even MB quarterly check-ups are all "green" :thumb:
 
I seriously doubt that any used car is 100%. OK, you have to a realistic approach, its no good going along & trying to knock off £500 here & £120 there & expect a happy deal, the dealer has to make a profit & the more comebacks on the car the less LT profit, so its in their interest to sell a good car...

If you look at the lowest priced dealers you know why they are lower & cannot expect anything more.

On the other hand if you want Value then its the private seller...but you can't then expect any help once you've bought it ...IMO you would have to have a Professional inspection , at your cost & hope to recoup that & some...ofcourse the P/seller could just F/trot ...
Good luck with your hunt for a 55/63 though.
 
My experience is that buying from a dealer at a distance can cause a major headache if something goes wrongs. We all know the person you need to speak to is never in, calls will not be returned and e-mails disappear in to the ether. You need to be able to do it face to face to get a response.

I bought mine from one of the biggest retail groups in the UK and to be fair they never refused to fix anything but communications were appalling and they eventually wore me down. I'll be buying local next time.

To re-apportion some of the blame the dealer can only be as good as the product and most car manufacturers these days produce a product with more built in faults than they used to. On top of that the electronic systems are so complex that even their own dealers can't fix them. Car dealers are up against it if we expect perfection.
 
Unfortunately most dealers dont. Theres a reason used car salesmen have the reputation they do.

I'm always on Autotrader having a look. The number of cars advertised saying the exterior is in 'excellent condition' when the pictures they've put up clearly show its not true!

All used car buying is a risk but I expect full honesty.

But this is not just true of the trade - private sellers can be just as bad (although admittedly many of them aren't as "private" as they would have you believe).
 
I'm not after any pity here just venting, frustration lol. :dk:

Que possible back lash..... lol[/QUOTE]


No comment :D
 
Already been commented in other threads but stealers are like milkmen, how many did you see 10-20 years ago? How many do you see now? They are facing extinction in the coming years, the next generation of buyers will do it all online, the only OEM interaction will be test drive / service, home pick up / drop off, basic outlet centres with minimal staff in remote locations to reduce overheads...excluding high-end supercar brands, the days of expensive buildings and coffee I think are numbered:rolleyes:

You mean like Daewoo tried all those years ago?
Unfortunately, the internet causes a lot of problems as well as solves them.
Let me ask you this........you buy your car over the internet, something is cosmetically wrong with it on delivery to you at your house. What are you going to do?
Take it to the local dealer to rectify? Wrong. The supplying dealer has an obligation to rectify faults, not your local dealer. So, you get on the phone. You complain over the phone. You send the car back with the delivery man. It comes back, still not sorted.......repeat till fade.

You buy a car from the local dealer, something is wrong at handover, you refuse the car, complain there and then face to face, it gets sorted. And you get a free coffee whilst you wait.!!

Some customers of the marque I work for would rather save £360 on a 3 year deal (£10 per month!!!)by buying over the phone from a dealer in Norfolk, and then pay £300 delivery to take the risk the car is damaged when it arrives. :dk:

A little perspective is required from the buying public with regards to dealers. Speak to friends, (not acquaintances on a web forum) ask them who they deal with and go and see them. No one is holding a gun to your head when you walk into a showroom and sometimes a little bit of friendliness can make the deal a whole lot better, as the salesman has to be able to get on with you as much as you with him/ her.
This whole "Stealership" thing just builds barriers.
If the dealership is crap, tell everyone. (always happens)
On the flip side, if the dealership is superb tell everyone. (almost never happens)

With regards to your opinion that everything will be done online, I would say you are mistaken as most manufacturers are now beginning to see the personal side of selling cars as the way to increase profits by way of higher spec orders through personal service.

Would you order a Savile Row suit online? Of course not. Why not?

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
 
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I'm afraid we will agree to disagree on this...as commented the next generation of buyers simply will want to buy from home, children today are born with an ipad in there hand...no one will stop it and I believe it will evolve naturally...as to the technicalities of car rejection etc I am sure a process will be sought and executed as software advances to meet the needs of the new buyers...I certainly do not compare this to Daewoo.

If I worked as a new car salemen, probably safe for now but best to think on a plan b maybe:dk:


You mean like Daewoo tried all those years ago?
Unfortunately, the internet causes a lot of problems as well as solves them.
Let me ask you this........you buy your car over the internet, something is cosmetically wrong with it on delivery to you at your house. What are you going to do?
Take it to the local dealer to rectify? Wrong. The supplying dealer has an obligation to rectify faults, not your local dealer. So, you get on the phone. You complain over the phone. You send the car back with the delivery man. It comes back, still not sorted.......repeat till fade.

You buy a car from the local dealer, something is wrong at handover, you refuse the car, complain there and then face to face, it gets sorted. And you get a free coffee whilst you wait.!!

Some customers of the marque I work for would rather save £360 on a 3 year deal (£10 per month!!!)by buying over the phone from a dealer in Norfolk, and then pay £300 delivery to take the risk the car is damaged when it arrives. :dk:

A little perspective is required from the buying public with regards to dealers. Speak to friends, (not acquaintances on a web forum) ask them who they deal with and go and see them. No one is holding a gun to your head when you walk into a showroom and sometimes a little bit of friendliness can make the deal a whole lot better, as the salesman has to be able to get on with you as much as you with him/ her.
This whole "Stealership" thing just builds barriers.
If the dealership is crap, tell everyone. (always happens)
On the flip side, if the dealership is superb tell everyone. (almost never happens)

With regards to your opinion that everything will be done online, I would say you are mistaken as most manufacturers are now beginning to see the personal side of selling cars as the way to increase profits by way of higher spec orders through personal service.

Would you order a Savile Row suit online? Of course not. Why not?

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
 
Tiim533 said:
Yes, but got married at the age of 38. I did extensive research before committing. ;)

I managed to hold off till 40!
 

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