Autotrader prices

[Stratman]

I've once again been playing the Autotrader game and have noticed something fishy going on.

A car is listed for say £5995, I look at the pictures of it and there, hanging in the front window is a price tag of £6750. There are many more examples where the advertised price is anything up to £1000 or so less than the dealer's window price.

It happens far too often for it to be a genuine mistake, so is it sharp practice or what?

 

[wemorgan]

Yep, sharp practice I imagine.

Others include: Car advertised for £999 to get lower fees, advertisment wording then gives the real higher price.

Mileage listed as 25,000 - advertisement wording clarifies mileage is 125,000

And so on and so on

 

[Aletank]

I think dealers have realised that the price they put on Autotrader has to be competitive because if someone thinks it's expensive they just move on to the next car.
With the internet now and the ease to search for cars, dealers are pricing them pretty much at their bottom no haggle price otherwise they are just wasting the Autotrader fees.
So if you've seen the car on Autotrader for £6000, that how much you will pay, If you seen the car on the forecourt at £6750, the dealer will haggle down to the £6000, the old fashioned pre internet way!

 

[Rayny]

I'm guessing that in some cases the pictures were taken when the car was first offered for sale, after a while the price may have been reduced but the original pictures are still used in the advertisement.

 

[MarkJunedd]

Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor 1.8 auto 2002 Elegance SE (52) | eBay

Heres another example .Its on ebay for £1995 but on the forecourt its £2495. When i asked the dealer why the difference he said it was to cover the cost of valeting and the warranty. The AA warranty which is not worth the paper its written on. (the last sentance are the dealers words by the way and not mine !).

 

[bigmacplease]

This is a common thing. I recently looked at an SLK and decided it was too expensive for the age. The very same weekend I saw a classifieds add on eBay for the garage with the same car listed for £2k less than I had looked at it!

 

[Paul/]

I think dealers have realised that the price they put on Autotrader has to be competitive because if someone thinks it's expensive they just move on to the next car.
With the internet now and the ease to search for cars, dealers are pricing them pretty much at their bottom no haggle price otherwise they are just wasting the Autotrader fees.
So if you've seen the car on Autotrader for £6000, that how much you will pay, If you seen the car on the forecourt at £6750, the dealer will haggle down to the £6000, the old fashioned pre internet way!

I remember back in 80's seeing similar variances between ticket prices and those advertised in local papers.

 

[Paul/]

...for similar reasons.

 

[John]

Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor 1.8 auto 2002 Elegance SE (52) | eBay

Heres another example .Its on ebay for £1995 but on the forecourt its £2495. When i asked the dealer why the difference he said it was to cover the cost of valeting and the warranty. The AA warranty which is not worth the paper its written on. (the last sentance are the dealers words by the way and not mine !).

If he had incurred the costs - still doesn't explain why one price is cheaper to the other - unless he will do the valet and put the warranty on it if someone turns up but it is 'sold as seen' via eBay?

Weird.

 

[MarkJunedd]

After talking to the dealer it sounds very much like you would be buying effectively as sold as seen even with the warranty because in his own words its pointless. Its one of those 'you pay for the repair then claim the money back ones' so in other words you'll get nothing but grief and aggro with everything termed as wear and tear . Been caught once like this many years ago and will never get caught again.

 

[John]

I think most if not all aftermarket warranties are a crock in all honesty.

 

[DCStubbs]

Generally found that the pictures are older, some of the CLK's for instance on Autotrader have been around a while and the prices have been revised.

I've seen the same vehicle on e-bay, gumtree etc advertised at different prices as time has gone by.

 

[jaymanek]

I'm guessing that in some cases the pictures were taken when the car was first offered for sale, after a while the price may have been reduced but the original pictures are still used in the advertisement.

Yes thats the reason..

Pretty thick to leave the price board in the window when taking pics though..