Anyone Bought From Hilton Garage?

chambta

Just wondered if anyone has any experience of this big place in South Derbyshire?

I've seen a keenly priced VW Golf online and am tempted to drive and have a look. These used car 'supermarkets' have a mixed reputation....some good some indifferent some worse.......

KeithP

I realise you are probably looking for personal experiences, but try Googling Hilton Garage review for many reviews.

chambta

KeithP wrote: »

I realise you are probably looking for personal experiences, but try Googling Hilton Garage review for many reviews.

Did that but not much to be fair. This is the car I've seen BTW

http://www.hiltongarage.co.uk/CarStockDetail.asp?ManufacturerRange=Volkswagen+Golf&OwnerCarId=1291167

Seems good price for age and mileage and the model I'm interested in. Obvious thing is take a look of course but don't want a 70 mile round trip to see a bunch of cowboys.

Slickster

I've bought more than 10 cars, nearly all from garages over the last 10+ years and would say the one the missus bought from there 3 years ago was one of the best 'experiences' I've had.

Not sure if things have changed in the last three years but we went to look at the car, asked for a test drive, they threw us the keys and let us take it out ourselves (as we knew the area). Good 20-25 minutes later we returned upon which there was no hard sell, just an informative sales person. The car was well priced, but the one thing was as we had no part exchange there was a refusal to drop the price at all. We went away and thought about it for a few days then went back signed the paperwork when we couldn't find a better deal.

Car (a toyota yaris, now 7.5 years old) has served us well!

Now as I say things may have changed but this is what experience we had. However, I certainly don't have any loyalty to any garage and buy as and where the right car (and service) is available.

Inactive

I cannot believe that a garage that is selling a car for £9.000 lists it with wheels in that scabby condition, that would put me off immediately.

goldspanners

Inactive wrote: »

I cannot believe that a garage that is selling a car for £9.000 lists it with wheels in that scabby condition, that would put me off immediately.

me too, that was the first thing i looked at,why on earth would you even picture that? if the garage think thats a selling point then (as mr T said) i pitty the fool.

oldagetraveller

Unless they've improved over the last couple of years, then I wouldn't touch them again with a 10 foot disinfected bargepole!
I have purchased from them once only and they were totally useless in rectifying a couple of faults once the money had changed hands. 'Phone calls, letters are ignored.
The salesman lied prior to purchase about whether the car had been damged and repaired. Yes, maybe i should have done a bit of investigating on the vehicle beforehand.
The prices might appear good on the surface but most of the cars are ex hire and lease sheds and in spite of the sales blurb do not go through their workshop prior to release..
If you're persistent you could be lucky enough to get 6 months v.e.d. out of them.
So, if it were me I'd go elsewhere.
Oh yes, if you do buy, take some extra fuel with you, they barely leave enough in the tank to reach a filling station, the nearest being on the A38, a few miles away.
I'd ask them why that Golf is in Derbyshire having been first registered in Scotland, i.e. it's history.
By the look of those wheels it's certainly had one or more careless, couldn't give a toss owner(s)/keeper(s).
If there is a Hilton Garage sticker on the number plates, peeling them off could reveal it's origin. Both plates on the car i bought were different, rear had the original car hire company name and the front a car body repair establishment in Essex who did surprisingly reveal to me the extent to which it had been damaged in an accident!

chambta

I noticed the state of the wheels and wondered why they'd pictured them. Hmmmmm maybe I'm best leaving them alone.

Inactive

chambta wrote: »

I noticed the state of the wheels and wondered why they'd pictured them. Hmmmmm maybe I'm best leaving them alone.

So if you noticed the wheels, why did you even consider the car in the first place?

I notice that you have only thanked the person on this thread that appeared to say what you wanted to hear, so I will wish you luck in your search and move on.

oldagetraveller

Bear in mind mine could be an isolated case and there are probably a majority who have had no trouble whatsoever.
But as far as I'm concerened I felt like sending or delivering a 10 gallon hat and spurs!
That would have been a waste of postage or fuel for a 40 mile round trip which I'd already wasted a lot of trying to get things rectified.
How about a passenger side door mirror which was subject to wind noise. Reported after a test drive, "we'll sort that for when you pick the car up", no they didn't. Half a mile up the road the noise was still evident so back I went. A week later it was "fixed" by the method described. That's when they went to ground. Instead of fitting a new seal which would have been cheap and easy they used what must have been a tube of black silicon sealant. Probably at more cost than the correct seal/gasket?
I could go on!

chambta

Inactive wrote: »

So if you noticed the wheels, why did you even consider the car in the first place?

I notice that you have only thanked the person on this thread that appeared to say what you wanted to hear, so I will wish you luck in your search and move on.

Because the wheels are one of many features of a car. In isolation it doesn't automatically make it a bad deal.

Your second sentence is rubbish so I'll ignore it.