AutoQuake 2nd hand car sale - any one brought from?

alictait

I read a lot of negative forum comments on them prior to going to see the car. I basically classed it as though I was going to buy from a private seller and not from a garage (they aren't a garage anyway). A company who sells 15,000 cars a year and expecting to increase that to 25,000 cars next year (between their leeds and birmingham sites) are going to get some negative comments. As you will know most people are quick to complain on a forum when something goes wrong and not so quick to praise.

You don't get a warranty but do get a 7 day grace period where you can return the car (minus your transaction fee of £149) no questions asked. They also can provide you with 7 day driveaway insurance from Aviva making it easier for you to collect the car. I was going to get a full rac inspection done after I bought the car but opted to get a major service done by the dealer. The major service highlighted the fact that the oil filter housing cap was seized on and would have to be forcefully removed and replaced at a cost of £110.83. I called autoquake to say that I wasn't happy with this issue as supposedly an oil and filter change had been carried out by them days earlier and that this was a clear fault with the car. Without any real hesitation the girl that I spoke to instructed me to get the dealer to phone Car Care Plan, who provide a warranty service to them for your first 7 days. As I had highlighted the issue at the earliest possible opportunity (next day) and as it was serviced by the main then I would have no problems with the item being replaced by the dealer and paid for by Car Care Plan. Now this is something you don't get with a private seller.

To actually deal with on the day I found them excellent. No hard sale, no haggling !!(i did try as the car hadn't had a cam belt by 90,000 miles) and basically no bulls**t. We arrived for our appointment an hour and a half early and I spoke to the manager asking if we would have to wait. The manager emphasised with the fact we had driven 211 miles to the place and told us he would deal with us himself as soon as he could. 20 mins later the car was brought to us. It looked brilliant, the defects in the bodywork they had highlighted (pictured in the initial posts link under vehicle condition) were not anything I would have expected to highlight at a dealership (apart from maybe the chrome). I had a quick drive of the car around their rather huge car park (said that as we were early they didn't have trade plates available, TBH I have read that test drives aren't that great with Autoquake anyway - don't get to go anywhere where you can open it up). This I would say is the major negative, however the way I threw it about their car park I wasn't overly worried. We were then asked if we wanted it or not and given a few minutes to talk about it. I decided to go for it and let my wife pay for it as I called Audi to book it in for the next morning. Got no hard sell on the warranty or gap insurance and never even needed to sign anything.

So basically my recommendation would be. Treat it as a private sale and then get a major service done on the car by the main dealer as soon as humanly possible to highlight any defects. If there are any defects, then see if Autoquake will cover them and if not decide whether you want to keep the car or not. I feel that the car I have bought has been justifiably cheap enough to warrant this process - others may not.

lestamunda

IF I COULD GIVE A ZERO STAR, I WOULD! Probably the worst company you can deal with. I spent over £14,000 and was robbed! I should have read these review sites before buying from such a shoddy company. Car came with a different colour and more damage compared to pictures.

There were faults with the vehicle which gradually got worse and have now cost me over £870 within 4 months of purchase. I have emailed their CEO who refused to budge.

Remember your rights - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/buying_second_hand_vehicles.htm

They have to prove the fault was not there at purchase point in the first 6 months of purchase. Save yourself the money and hassle and buy from a reputable company, not these monkies. Oh well, off to see my solicitors now!

KingElvis

Sorry to bump but some of the AQ stooges / plants in this thread are hilarious....fantastic stuff.

Fallen_Angel_2

Hmm, have reserved a Citroen C3 for viewing at their Southall site on Sunday afternoon. Mixed reviews here are a concern so am thinking about arranging an RAC inspection on site as wouldn't want to buy and have hassle of returning if it turns out to be a wreck. Thanks morg_monster - long, but decent and fair review. I found it helpful. Does anyone have any useful info re. the Southall site staff? Obliged.

jase1

Actually you *do* get a warranty.

If you point out to them that you know your rights, they will admit to providing a 3-month warranty with all cars as per the laws regarding buying from a dealer.

I bought a car, which had a faulty clutch master cylinder which was not picked up on the test drive. They advised to take the car to Nationwide Autocentre, which I did and they replaced the part that morning.

I bought from the Leeds site, and they were quite happy for me to give the car a test drive.

Apart from that one issue, the car was as described. As I saved around £1500 on the cost of an equivalent car from even a private seller, I would do so again.

I know I can still sell the car for what I paid for it, which is a plus.

The car was about as good as you would have expected from an independent dealer, the after-sales service was at least as good (in that they fixed a fault with no quibble), and the car was cheaper. I fail to see the problem.

alcan

In reply to the previous post from jase1: You may fail to see the problem, Jase, but there several MASSIVE problems with what Autoquake are doing!

Basically, their website makes various misleading and false claims.

1.They claim to offer a '7 day money back guarantee' which in fact they do not (they keep the £150 admin charge plus all delivery and finance costs).
They have been able to get away with this so far because the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) guidelines do not currently apply to websites. However, this changes on 31st March, when Internet advertising comes under the ASA remit. Autoquake will get one f***k of a shock when this happens, as people are waiting in line to report them.

2. They advertise cars as 'in good condition with fair wear and tear.' This is a highly ambiguous claim, as 'fair wear and tear' could mean anything to different people. In fact, Autoquake specialise in taking ex-lease cars which in many cases are damaged or defective (and so not suitable for dealer sales) and passing them off as 'in good condition' under the 'wear and tear' defence. This is illegal, as they are not admitting that the cars are damaged/defective at point of purchase.

3. Autoquake's website claims that their cars are 'sold as seen.' This is illegal: Autoquake are a dealer, and cars bought from them are covered by the Trades Descriptions Act and the Sale of Goods Act. They cannot sell cars 'sold as seen' - that would be a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.

4. Autoquake claim that they offer a saving compared to the Parker's guide price. This is false, as the Parker's price applies to cars in good condition purchased from a dealer with warranty. If you add in the cost of the admin charge, buying a warranty, repairing damage and missing items such as keys, manuals and tools - Autoquake are in fact more expensive than a dealer. Again, the ASA will sort this out from the 31st March.

5. Autoquake claim to do a '141 point check' on their vehicles before sale. This appears to be false, as if you ask them for a copy of the checklist, they are unable to supply one (note that the website describes about 10 of the 140 points - what happened to the other 131?)

There are other issues, but it's Saturday and I'm busy.
It's sufficient to say that anyone thinking of buying from Autoquake should tread very carefully and be aware of the implications of what will happen if you find problems with the car after purchase. If £150 is small change to you, go ahead and order.

alcan

Here is some advice if buying from the Southall site.

Ask the sales staff for their full name (don't accept nicknames or abbreviations).

Go to Facebook and look them up.

Then decide if you want to buy a car from that type of person.

Try it, you'll be horrified at what you find.

jase1

Alcan: I understand what you are saying, and I sympathise, but at the end of the day buying a second-hand car is a risky business. Caveat Emptor. There is no way I would ever buy a car without looking it over first.

This method of purchasing is not for the faint of heart. I would not recommend it to someone who does not know one end of a car from another. You need to be confident enough to make an evaluation of a car's condition before buying. But this also holds true for a private sale, a purchase from an auction, or from a back-street independent.

If you aren't happy doing the legwork yourself, you shouldn't be buying private, independent, auction or from Autoquake-style sites. Buying on the strength of a 7-day "money back guarantee" is inherently risky.

I looked into the prices of the car I bought last year in detail (a 57-plate, high mileage 1.6 petrol Ford Focus with FSH). At a main dealer -- £5500-6000. Private -- £4500. Independent -- £5000. Ebay -- £4000-4500. Auction -- £3000-3500. Autoquake wanted £3500, just on the high end of what an auction sale would be.

As I have stated already, Autoquake do provide a 3-month warranty package with any car that has not been bought with a warranty. I checked this before purchase, got it in writing, and they honoured it when the car turned out to have a £130 fault.

At the end of the day, I've bought cars from all the above methods. Ebay/private, you have no comeback at all. You're on your own. Same with an auction. With an indie you're effectively on your own also as 75% of them are sharks who will tell you where to sling it if you come back with a fault -- which is why I *always* bid them 20% off and walk away if they do not negotiate. Main dealer is generally safe, but you pay through the nose for that cushion.

In short, you're buying a car, not a salesman.

As long as you pick the car that is cheap next to what is being charged elsewhere, you haul yourself to a centre to look at a car before purchase, you keep your wits about you and accept that this is just a "cheap deal" rather than any kind of rival to a main dealer, you'll be fine.

I also put a deposit down on a second car, went to have a look at it, didn't like what I saw (brake discs were legal but worn, tyres were of the cheap variety, handling was a bit squiffy -- could have been those tyres, or bushes etc) and walked away. I was going to go back and have a look at another car but managed to secure a very cheap 2003 Mitsubishi from a workmate instead. So I told them I wanted my money back. 10 days later it was sat in my bank account. £15 on petrol was wasted looking at the car but it was no worse than the typical car that gets put on an indie forecourt.

It has to be said that with a typical independent, if I'd told them I didn't want a car any more and wanted my deposit back, I'd have been told to b*gger off. So they've scored over a typical indie twice in my view.

Where people go wrong is in believing all the advertising hype rather than using their nouse. If you don't want to think about it, go to a main dealer and pay 30%+ more for the privilege.

alcan

Jase - I can understand your viewpoint.

But the fact remains that not everyone is as savvy as you and knows about cars and car buying.

The Autoquake site specifically targets 'ordinary people' who know little about cars and gives the misleading idea that they are buying a car in good condition which is cheaper than a dealer.

Nowhere do they mention the word 'risk' or the fact that you need to know about cars. In fact, they specifically say there is NO RISK and they claim to offer a money back guarantee, which in reality they do not.

This is highly misleading, and the fact is that if they were making these claims in adverts in the press or on TV, they would be prosecuted for breaking ASA rules. They only get away with it because they make these claims on the Internet. As I said previously, let's wait till after 31st March, when they will have to deal with scrutiny from the ASA.

Personally, I think the whole creaky Autoquake operation will come crashing down at that point.

Errata

I'm an ordinary person, and know nothing about cars. That reason overides any twinges of greed I might feel at the thought of buying a car which appears to be as cheap as chips. If people don't know what they're doing they perhaps need a chaperone.