Car Giant

bikebarbie

I have bought two cars from Car Giant in the past. If you have done your homework and know what to look at when you go there then you can get away with a bargain. I dont think that you are at any more risk from buying at Car Giant than at any other car supermarket.
They have thousands of customers a month and wont care less if a few of them are unhappy once the transaction has been completed.
Dont waste your time on bartering the price as they have a policy that the prices are fixed and they certanly abide to that.
Dont expect a decent test drive, what they do is drive the car out of the compound turn left at the first roundbout come back to the compound again, literally a 5 minutes drive if you are lucky with a little traffic with other test drives, I think the sales man expect you to have already made your decision by being there and wont try to oversell the car (other products on the other hand...)

If you are interested in a car find out on the internet what are the weak points to check for that car/model, when you get there take the keys from reception so as to beat anyone who goes there to see the same car and get first pick. Usually they are not gleaming clean so have a good look around for dents even small supermarkets ones on the doors) c heck even the most basic things that caught me out like all seatbelts, air con if it works, window wipers (that they work!) interior lights etc. you got plenty of time to do this at your own time without anyone looking over you once you get the keys.
When you have made your mind up and still want to go for it, ask to see the service book, that will give you a lot of information of where the car comes from and if it really was serviced and where, it's like a jigsaw where you need to put all pieces together. Again check this against the logbook.
The whole process take about 3 hrs maybe longer if you go for finance.
Dont get sucked into extra special paint/cloth protection/gap insurance with is so overpriced etc.

Let your head rule the decision and if you have done all the right checks you will have at least minimized the risks. Good luck!

Hoof_Hearted

I don't know why anyone wants to use Car Giant. When I change my car I decide on what I want and then look at those for sale at a competitive price within a reasonable radius, private and trade. Car Giant have a lot of cars, but I wasn't impressed when I went to look. At that time you also had to pay £90 for the pleasure of buying a car from them.

mikey72

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

At that time you also had to pay £90 for the pleasure of buying a car from them.

By the time you put the cost of the car in, it's a lot more than £90.
It's the cost of the car that matter's at the end of the day, not how they split it up.
I've bought cars from supermarkets, and had bargains.

Kilty_2

bigjl wrote: »

I am sure i will listen to yhe opinion of somwbody that said a Picanto on PCP was the best thing to do and after it not working out like he expected is now looking for a "shed".

Nothing worse than a smart !!!! except for a smart arsethat doesn't know about the subject being discussed but can't resist being a smart !!!!.

Calm yourself - unexpected change in circumstances has lead to my situation, nothing else.

I don't really care where you choose to buy your ex fleet crap - I actually thought you'd add something constructive to this thread even if my post was a bit tongue in cheek.

mikey72

bigjl wrote: »

Ah , Woody the new sign in name for Scooby doo.

Never mind i am sure you have plenty more names to use.

I am not going to bother about your stupid opinions as far as CarGiant goes.

If you want to spend extra money then go for it.

Ignorance is bliss.

I am sure i will listen to yhe opinion of somwbody that said a Picanto on PCP was the best thing to do and after it not working out like he expected is now looking for a "shed".

Nothing worse than a smart !!!! except for a smart arsethat doesn't know about the subject being discussed but can't resist being a smart !!!!.

What's that got to do with the op?
Some factual comments would be good for them.

Flyboy152

mikey72 wrote: »

By the time you put the cost of the car in, it's a lot more than £90.
It's the cost of the car that matter's at the end of the day, not how they split it up.
I've bought cars from supermarkets, and had bargains.

The point is Mikey, it is the cost of the car plus the ninety pounds on top, which they don't tell you about, until you have committed to buying the car.

bikebarbie

Flyboy152 wrote: »

The point is Mikey, it is the cost of the car plus the ninety pounds on top, which they don't tell you about, until you have committed to buying the car.

that's not strictly true, it is displayed after the price of every single car on their website and on the info sheet on the cars in the 'compound'.


I think the point is more that wherever you buy from you need to do your homework and dont walk in blind.

Flyboy152

bikebarbie wrote: »

that's not strictly true, it is displayed after the price of every single car on their website and on the info sheet on the cars in the 'compound'.


I think the point is more that wherever you buy from you need to do your homework and dont walk in blind.

But the charge is mandatory, therefore should be included in the price in the first place. They and others like them, are trying to emulate RyanUnfair, with their hidden charges. They will soon come to realise that, like the budget airlines, they will fall foul of the OFT.

grizzly1911

Flyboy152 wrote: »

But the charge is mandatory, therefore should be included in the price in the first place. They and others like them, are trying to emulate RyanUnfair, with their hidden charges. They will soon come to realise that, like the budget airlines, they will fall foul of the OFT.

Spot on. Might be OK if you need personal plates changing or something exotic adding but not just to buy the thing on offer.

It's a bit like mobile phone contracts where they ask you for an upfront payment for an iphone so they can make the rental price competitive. Or the PCP contract that asks for a sizeable upfront deposit and a ridiculously low annual mileage limit again so they get the monthly rental to look good.:eek:

bigjl

mikey72 wrote: »

What's that got to do with the op?
Some factual comments would be good for them.

Not really the OP posted up in 2008.

My comments are more relevant than people continually moaning about a nominal sales fee that is mentioned everyehere in the website and around the place itself, including the adverts in Autotrader when they used to have their two page spread every week.


The simple fact is that the prices are as close to Auction prices as a private buyer will find, the cars are as they are surrendered from lease agreements and contract hire agreements.

They sell hundreds of cars a week and even though one of two people think they get a bad service these are the kind of people that are pro moaners that don't understand that if a Merc is £3000 cheaper than the same car at a main dealer it isn't the same car.

And Flyboy I take it you never buy at auction either, after all every car has a fee, but the fees are actually only displayed in small letters out if the way so many buyers miss them, especially the points where the fees increase.


If you don't want to buy at CG then don't, nobody will care, but I will continue to put them forward for consideration, along with Fords of Winsford and Motorpoint.

Motorpoint and Fords of Winsford do tend to stock newer and more expensive cars though, and also tend to stock lower mileage cars.

CarGiant have always stocked high mileage vehicles.

The prices at CarGiant are also a good guide for what to pay at auction, if the price at auction gets within a grand of the CG price then you may be better off buying with the protection that buying from a trader gives you.

Lets be honest, if the car you buy is several thousand cheaper than a similar one elsewhere, why worry about a £91 fee, if the car works out more expensive after adding the £91 then go somewhere else, simples.

If you have never bought from CG, know nobody that has bought from CG and will never buy from CG then why bother moaning about a clearly advertised fee.

Would you rather it was hidden in the sticker price?

What is the difference?

Or would you moan that they hide this fee in the sticker price and are therefore acting fraudulently?

The fee covers things like HPi checks, and I have not been bothered about it when I have bought there.

What i do is look at the price on the windscreen, say £5999, add the £91, so that is £6090, look at other similar cars, if they are more than £6090 and in similar condition then I will buy the one at £6090.

You have to remember that CG has charged these fees in this way for over 20 years, the fee has increased, I seem to remember it was about £25 when I first purchased there in '91 ( They were called The Great Trade Centre then), but as it is clearly advertised I can't honestly see the problem.

OFT, thats a laugh, we are talking about something that has been done for 20+ years.

Seriously, are you having a laugh, what exactly has Ryanair have to do with an indemnity fee charged for several decades at a Used Car Dealer?

Yes they will fall foul...................

Jesus, OFT staff have probably bought many, many cars from CG over the years, it is the biggest Used Car place in London, if not the largest in the UK.

There really is some rubbish spouted on this forum.

The forum is about saving money, they sell cars at cheap prices, they don't give you the main dealer experience, but since when does that save money.

If you are unable to spot a good car from a dog then get it examined by the RAC/AA, unlike a proper Auction they allow this.