bellers
Active Member
I went to 4 dealers today and couldn't get one solitary sales person interested. I wanted a c63 before April first and no one was bothered. Pushy? No! Complete opposite.
Dealers, test Drives and general pushiness.
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2016
- Messages
- 978
- Location
- Fleet, Hampshire
- Car
- 2008 CLK 350 Sport Cab and 2021 BMW 520i M Sport Saloon
I think the attitude of "some" main dealers is atrocious. I've never bought new, and tend to buy my cars from independents. My CLK came from a multi-marque dealer in Bristol who had taken it in Part Ex. I chatted on the phone before viewing and he sent me through some info I asked for (engine # to check for balance shaft) plus the build sheet which he got from MB Dorchester.
I live in Hampshire so it was 100 miles to view the car. I turned up on Saturday morning as the showroom was opening. There was the CLK, detailed to within an inch of its life, sat on the rotating platform you sometimes find by reception in dealerships.
It looked stunning. The Sales Manager let me crawl over it panel by panel. After 15 minutes he came over, asked me if I wanted to take it for a drive. He got it out of the showroom and tossed me the keys. Gave me a suggested route, advised where the cameras are and left me to it. Upon return, I bought it and paid pretty much sticker price. Which to be fair was a pretty competitive price.
Absolutely pleasure to deal with and just shows how being nice can make the sale and get a good price.
When I came to pick the car up next weekend I took my son. The Salesman posed for a picture with my 8 year old, handing him the keys.
A genuinely nice experience. Cost him nothing, but left a lot of goodwill with me.
That's the way to do it.
Here's the pic:
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlhC55Ip2YPAhThoIq0IG9b0dKam
I live in Hampshire so it was 100 miles to view the car. I turned up on Saturday morning as the showroom was opening. There was the CLK, detailed to within an inch of its life, sat on the rotating platform you sometimes find by reception in dealerships.
It looked stunning. The Sales Manager let me crawl over it panel by panel. After 15 minutes he came over, asked me if I wanted to take it for a drive. He got it out of the showroom and tossed me the keys. Gave me a suggested route, advised where the cameras are and left me to it. Upon return, I bought it and paid pretty much sticker price. Which to be fair was a pretty competitive price.
Absolutely pleasure to deal with and just shows how being nice can make the sale and get a good price.
When I came to pick the car up next weekend I took my son. The Salesman posed for a picture with my 8 year old, handing him the keys.
A genuinely nice experience. Cost him nothing, but left a lot of goodwill with me.
That's the way to do it.
Here's the pic:
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AlhC55Ip2YPAhThoIq0IG9b0dKam
Last edited:
Teflonso
Active Member
How on earth do you replace a dual clutch gearbox with a standard clutch? Are you talking about fitting a manual?
..
Teflonso
Active Member
Make sure it got the oil change at 40k and that it was done by main dealer or a VW capaable specialist. It's a special procedure, not a case of darining the old stuf and refilling with oil that smells like cat pee.
.
BoristheBounce
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2017
- Messages
- 601
- Location
- Yorkshire Dales-Wensleydale-Gromit
- Car
- EQC 400 4Matic AMG in Brilliant Blue SL400 AMG Sport in Polar White
Speak to Lewis Heely at Huddersfield MB, tell him Neville from Sterling Safety in Durham suggested you speak to him.
JohnDavies
Active Member
Do you know what, i enjoy a bit of banter and i have enjoyed this thread with you for two reasons 1/ I actually agree with you regarding the s/steel wheel arches that i reluctantly purchased AT MY WIFE'S request. I hate them, but she LOVES 'em but as it is HER CAR who am i to argue with one who must be obeyed.As with all the chrome trims she purchased from Fleabay that i HAD to fit.The fact is mate,she is bloody obsessed with the friggin' thing and it has cost me a small fortune. I have only recently said to her " Don't you think the wheel arch trims look crap" Well, i won't tell you what she said or i'd be kicked out of the club.
2/ I enjoyed the spirit and the banter when i responded with ( no offense was ever intended ie; You've got a Dacia........so what?) my bite back.
To conclude. I hope our paths may cross at some point again on this site and i hope you enjoy a great Summer at the villa and i hope it stays dry for your Dacia.
Take care mate and very best wishes to you.
JohnDavies
Active Member
PS: A PINK respray has been mentioned but that would mean an expensive divorce so watch this space.
The flip side is that you have no come back if he has lied. Even of you have a legal case it not straight forward.
The best option IMHO is a main agent dealer. It going to cost you, but it worth more than any peace of paper others might give you. Failing that another dealership which as been recommend. Ive paid as little as £500 over private sale price for a good car.
You can get a feel for private buyers though.
You can ask questions to catch them out (for example checking the MOT history of the car prior to a visit).
Yes, there is a risk and no comeback without hassle but you can save significant dosh...
I hate main dealers.
I am a car dealer but dealing with other dealers gets me aggravated.
We wanted to buy smart forfour cars a couple years back. Could I get the salesman to ring me back to make an appointment? No!
They knew i was serious, it would be an easy sale of two cars. Im not joe public, I spend 6-7K a month with the branch on parts.
Eventually I get an appointment. Can I test drive one? No sorry got none. Great!
It was as if he really did not want to sell us the cars.
Only once we had actually placed the order did the guy warm up.
We bought another two last year and much the same service.
I would have gone to another dealership but they are all the same.
Dont get me started on the service department.
I am a car dealer but dealing with other dealers gets me aggravated.
We wanted to buy smart forfour cars a couple years back. Could I get the salesman to ring me back to make an appointment? No!
They knew i was serious, it would be an easy sale of two cars. Im not joe public, I spend 6-7K a month with the branch on parts.
Eventually I get an appointment. Can I test drive one? No sorry got none. Great!
It was as if he really did not want to sell us the cars.
Only once we had actually placed the order did the guy warm up.
We bought another two last year and much the same service.
I would have gone to another dealership but they are all the same.
Dont get me started on the service department.
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,616
- Location
- Cheshire, UK
- Car
- C270CDi Estate (late 2004 facelift model) - Bought 2005, Sold 2022.
I've been going to the same dealer for 12 years. The only time a salesman there has ever spoken to me was to tell me off for parking in the wrong place!
It's a tricky old business.
On another thread someone said that people usually only sell their cars privately when they know something is wrong them. I would have thought that a reasonably low mileage car (40,000) of the VW variety would be fairly safe bet for a few years? I'm no expert.
Last year we bought a low-mileage (59,000) VW Polo for our son to learn to drive on. We paid the full sticker price as the dealer wouldn't budge - even after we walked away and gave in two days later -but he insisted that if anything went wrong within 3 months, it would be covered by the cast iron Platinum/Diamond/5-star/Jingle Bells and Whistles AA Warranty.
Within a week the engine light had come on and there was problem with the water valve/fan (or something). Car kept cutting out when it got hot, which is not ideal for a Learner.
Dealer refused to fix it and said take it up with the warranty company, who I have to say were absolutely First Class Useless, totally unhelpful and said that the car wasn't covered.
After copious amounts of emails and phone calls to the AA which took up nearly half of every working day, I gave up and shelled out the £300 myself to have it fixed. Not massive in the scheme of car bills, but I had paid full price for the car because of the warranty. The dealer was a real knob about it. Very short-sighted because he had a Merc I was thinking of buying, too.
My experience with Main Dealers is that they don't ring you back. I don't get that at all.
I might be Prince KDH who wants every one of their new cars, all in different colours for all of his wives. (Nice thought).
Or better still, a Footballer.
On another thread someone said that people usually only sell their cars privately when they know something is wrong them. I would have thought that a reasonably low mileage car (40,000) of the VW variety would be fairly safe bet for a few years? I'm no expert.
Last year we bought a low-mileage (59,000) VW Polo for our son to learn to drive on. We paid the full sticker price as the dealer wouldn't budge - even after we walked away and gave in two days later -but he insisted that if anything went wrong within 3 months, it would be covered by the cast iron Platinum/Diamond/5-star/Jingle Bells and Whistles AA Warranty.
Within a week the engine light had come on and there was problem with the water valve/fan (or something). Car kept cutting out when it got hot, which is not ideal for a Learner.
Dealer refused to fix it and said take it up with the warranty company, who I have to say were absolutely First Class Useless, totally unhelpful and said that the car wasn't covered.
After copious amounts of emails and phone calls to the AA which took up nearly half of every working day, I gave up and shelled out the £300 myself to have it fixed. Not massive in the scheme of car bills, but I had paid full price for the car because of the warranty. The dealer was a real knob about it. Very short-sighted because he had a Merc I was thinking of buying, too.
My experience with Main Dealers is that they don't ring you back. I don't get that at all.
I might be Prince KDH who wants every one of their new cars, all in different colours for all of his wives. (Nice thought).
Or better still, a Footballer.
Last edited:
