Bl**dy car dealers?

J

john_morris_uk

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Some of you may have seen a post of mine recently where I moaned about the quality of service we had received from a main VW agent. It lead me to think about changing the car and as we have been very happy with the Passat, I had a quick look for another one. Its a private purchase, so a low milage one, a year or two old seemed to be sensible.

The Passat has recently changed shape - a new model came out last year.
A little research shows that the last of the old models were heavily discounted. Some were called 'pack' cars and were fully loaded with all the options. Leather seats, the lot. VW did a deal with the dealers to sell them for £19k and then some were sold for £15995.

One year on some of these are available 10k miles later and secondhand.

The price: £15995.

I said to the dealer: you're asking me to pay second hand what these cars cost new. Sheepishly he agreed. I walk away...

I have few illusions about the car trade and its a free market, but even I was taken aback...
 
John

Some years back now when Honda discontinued the Accord Aerodeck so we couldn't replace it with another, we went to look at a Passat Estate. VW kept delaying giving us a PX price until about a month before delivery was due on the Passat, then the 'approx' PX had mysteriously dropped by £2000! We walked away after a brief discussion as to where monkeys store nuts and bought a Honda CR-V, Honda beat VW PX by £3000, the old car BTW was mint with 20,000mls in 3 years. When we PXed the CR-V for another 3yrs on it had retained over 60% of the original value. We are about to replace yet again this September and fully expect a similar result.

I don't know if this is 'normal' Honda, or just an excellent local dealer. We switched to Honda originally after a ludicrous exchange with our local BMW dealer when we tried hard to buy a car from him. BMW as a result lost 5 new cars to date since that is how many Hondas we have now had since then. Our CR-V is superb, we have the up market so called executive one in automatic mode and that is what we will get again. We have had to replace nothing except 2 wiper blades and a key fob battery, servicing is now 12,000mls/once per year and the car is BRITISH built in Swindon! The boot space is superb and the variety of rear seat options unlimited it seems to extend this, great boating vehicle IMO.

No relationship with Honda BTW, just happy customer.

Robin
 
You don't know what you are missing by sticking to Honda.

Just replaced my ageing Merc estate with another newer one. Came with a 12 month warranty and after a couple of weeks the Parktronic device started misbehaving.

Took it back for a broken air vent to be replaced and for the Parktronic to be investigated.

Car returned same day with the comment" air vent replaced and Parktronic found to have a fault, we shall have to order a replacement part but first we(the Service Dept)must speak to the salesman who sold me the car before they can call upon the warranty process" ??????? .

That was 17 May

Last week having heard not a word I phoned the Merc dealership, wondering what was happening, and was told
" Yes, I have the details on my desk still but (salesman's name) has been away on a course and I haven't been able to speak to him yet but I haven't forgotten and I will call you to book it in".

Still nothing.

Now be fair, you don't get that level of entertainment from Honda do you- can't you see what you are missing?
 
Re: Wasting money on cars

Cars are for getting from A to B.

Electric anything is a pain, as if it can go wrong it will. On boats some of this wizardry might be necessary, as we live aboard for days, weeks or months at a time - but a car is just for getting from one place to another as painlessly as possible.

Buy a bottom of the range (no electric anything) Japanese car of the size you need (for your family / transport, not for your ego) that has maybe 50 - 60,000 miles on the clock. This is about the middle of its life, and you will get it for as little as a fifth of its new price. Honda, Nissan, Toyota - all likely to go on for at least 120,000 miles of trouble-free motoring.

Then go and spend your money on something sensible, like stuff for the boat or an extended cruise.

- Nick
 
Re: Wasting money on cars

[ QUOTE ]
Cars are for getting from A to B.

Electric anything is a pain, as if it can go wrong it will. On boats some of this wizardry might be necessary, as we live aboard for days, weeks or months at a time - but a car is just for getting from one place to another as painlessly as possible.

Buy a bottom of the range (no electric anything) Japanese car of the size you need (for your family / transport, not for your ego) that has maybe 50 - 60,000 miles on the clock. This is about the middle of its life, and you will get it for as little as a fifth of its new price. Honda, Nissan, Toyota - all likely to go on for at least 120,000 miles of trouble-free motoring.

Then go and spend your money on something sensible, like stuff for the boat or an extended cruise.

- Nick

[/ QUOTE ]

My sentiments exactly - though I have to confess to a liking for electric windows and a CD player.

I have a suspiciion that all the electronic gizmos that mean Jo Mechanic on Back Street can't service cars these days are at least as much about driving you to the main dealer as they are about pollution reduction and fuel economy
 
The most irritating thing about Honda is that they keep sending out customer satisfaction surveys, or ring up several times per year asking if the car is OK, is the local dealer OK when he services it, was I given a free loan car or a ride home, was the car cleaned when returned etc! I've tried hard to say at least some part of the deal was crap but never found a reason. They even send a bunch of flowers to SWMBO after each one is delivered.

3 years warranty and free AA membership is standard, but costs them nothing as far as I can see because in 4 different Hondas now have never had to use either. Boring really!
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

I'm a green person, just bought another Volvo 940 estate, £300, should get 2/3 years good use, roomy, comfortable, heavy bumpers for Cornish lanes plus parking, who needs sensors, and we have a nice man down the spares department (srap yard ). Be most unhappy if I spend more than £200 on it for 30 / 40,000 miles use.

Brian
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

Another vote for Volvos. My S60 has clocked up 87k with only oil,tyres, and minor bits going on. The dealer plus the fact that my 87kmiler still drives like a newish car is the main reason I'd buy another.

dv.
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

Forgot to add that I finish with it, the local auction should raise £200 for it. thats 30% depreciation, this is starting to get dear.

Brian
 
Sounds good to me I wouldn't mind a bit of the "boring" treatment from Mercedes.

May just be a one-off, I hope, for I am hoping that the car will prove as reliable as the old one which I had for 9 1/2 years and sold it only as it had done 218k miles, and I thought I was pushing my luck, gambling against a costly engine or gearbox repair. In fairness it didn't use any oil between services and there was nothing wrong with the car when I sold it.
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

heavy bumpers for Cornish lanes plus parking, who needs sensors
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It wasn't you who did £950 damage to the back of my parked 911 and then buggered off without leaving a note. I would bet money it was someone driving a clapped out Volvo; these cars should be scrapped as the people who drive them are a bloody menace on the roads.
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

Cheapest motoring I had was a Lada estate I bought for £120 with a years MOT and 6 months tax. It was full of dents so no one would park near it, no door locks though no one would nick it, fitted all the family in, had a great heater and was a great winter car.

All I ever did was keep an eye on the fluid levels and tyres and put fuel in it, then sold it for £75 before the MOT was due as spares or repair. I wish I could find another like it but I guess that now you have to pay to get a car scrapped it's not worth the risk.

BTW, SWMBO had a 911 years ago. She wouldn't leave it anywhere for fear of it being scratched, dented or stolen. She felt so much better when she got rid of it!
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

SWMBO's first car was a Fiat 500 with a year's tax and MOT from the Car Auctions at Rothwell near Leeds.
Paid £90.
Ran it for about 9 months and bought a newer one and got £125 trade-in. The newer one was only 18 months old, had done under 4000 miles and was still only £400 (window sticker price).
Great little cars. Can't get one under about £3K now.
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

Would not know, you have no location shown.
I do not drive a clapped out Volvo, it has no dents, rust, all items work including head lamp wash wipe, it has load leveller for towing, and 10 cd auto changer sound system. Price does not eqaute to quality, if VW cannot build a 911 that does not have a bumpers that are up to the job, you cannot blame us Volvo owners.

Brian
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

Funny you say that about the 911, I've got a Audi A6 Avent sitting on the drive, wife will not let it out for the same reason, for fear of it being scratched, dented or stolen. about to sell it as well.

Brian
 
Re: Born-again car

My Passat diesel was belching out smoke and I took it to various garages and knowledgable acquaintances : -

the turbo gasket is gone.
It's the top of the motor
It's the bottom of the motor
It's the piston rings
It's the turbo (a Bosch diesel specialist...)
etc etc

The general agreement was that the car is dead and that it's worth scrap value - it does have 254000 km on the clock. Now this seemed odd to me for a V6 diesel that regularly returns over 40mpg at motorway speeds, doesn't use oil and is whisper quiet - as well as being the leather and wood version.

As I was pulling away from one of these disaster tales, a young mechanic waved me down and said he had an idea - and he was right. A vent was blocked forcing the fumes back down through the exhaust. A new membrane and I have a born-again car.

When I was in Germany a little old lady taxi driver was tootling along the Autobahn at 125mph and her car had over 200k km on the clock. Conversationally I suggested she might be changing it soon. She replied "Oh no, I changed the last one at 900 000 km..."

John
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

The problem with a Volvo is that I do over 20k miles per annum and I don't fancy the fuel bill! Our Passat does nearly 50mpg however I drive it, and its on 169k miles. The intention was/is to keep it until its done 250/300k miles.

We are having it repaired on Wednesday; the repair is a lot cheaper than another car!
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a green person, just bought another Volvo 940 estate, £300, should get 2/3 years good use, roomy, comfortable, heavy bumpers for Cornish lanes plus parking, who needs sensors, and we have a nice man down the spares department (srap yard ). Be most unhappy if I spend more than £200 on it for 30 / 40,000 miles use.

Brian

[/ QUOTE ]

I bought a 940 estate over 13 years ago. 138k miles and still going strong. I managed to "bend" the bonnet last year (long story), so it looks a bit sorry now, but at that age, who cares anyway.
 
Re: Wasting money on cars? recycle

Fuel Bill ? An S60 D5 does 0-60 in 8.2s and will do 43mpg+. Not quite 50mpg, but I've never hit 50mpg in swmbo's diesel Golf, either, so it could be the way I drive...

dv.
 
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