I part exchanged my car without them seeing it

Charliezoo

Went to look at new cars at a main dealership with my OH in his car. At first the dealer said he couldn't do much without seeing my part ex car first (understandable) but put together some figures. He came back with a part ex price about £1000 more than my car's actually worth and said he wouldn't need to see it at all if I took him up on the deal there and then. I was happy with the new car and deal (especially the part ex price!) so accepted it, but he then suggested that if I was free next week I should probably come in and show him my current car after all!

My questions are - a) is it normal to do a deal without even seeing the part ex car? b) do I really have to go all the way there next week to show him my current car when I've already signed the paperwork for a deal? c) when I do take my car in to them can they try to offer me less for it? Its in reasonable condition and I was honest about it but they were rather generous in the price they offered me.

I'm feeling rather confused about the whole situation!:o

Kilty_2

Hmmm... if it looks too good to be true....

A dealer offered me £2500 over book for my part ex last week because he'd priced the wrong model :rotfl:

Gandalfthesecond

If it's all signed up with nothing in the small print about your trade in, I would say it's a done deal. Maybe they were desparate to sell you the car. I wonder why?

Strider590

Yes it's normal if your making a killing on the sale price

Dealer thinking....
Profit on a used car, aim for around £1000.... But you advertise at £2000 profit and you have room to make the customer "think" they're getting a great deal and you get a car to sell on for even more profit later....

It doesn't matter what the part-ex is if they're making a tonne of profit anyway.

skydiveJames

Salesmen have a margin within which they can reduce the RRP of the car. They can use this to confuse you, eg:
Salesman can discount 'rrp' by £1000, OR can offer you £1000 more for your trade-in.

Claiming you have to accept the deal there and then is a classic trick to pressure you into agreeing to the deal. Very poor, but common sales tactics that remind me of the sales style of Phones4U salespeople.

Kilty_2

Hate that kind of pressure selling - one salesman at a Renault dealer tried that on when we were discussing a P/X price for my car.

NeverAgain_2

Are you buying a brand new car?

The garage will have so much to 'give away' in terms of discount.

This amount is often split into a discount off the new car and a slightly inflated part-ex price.

If your present car is old, it will have very little value.

A good salesman will know fairly closely what it will make in the trade and be able to work out your deal accordingly.

Having said that, I'm surprised they've taken an order, as opposed to providing a firmish quote, without seeing your car.

It would be better to take it in for them to see so you can be sure they are going to honour the deal.

AnnaV

And even more profit if there is a finance package involved...

Charliezoo

I don't mind that sales tecnique - £1000 off the car or £1000 more on my part ex, its all the same to me and the price ended up being what I was hoping for.

Its more about the fact that he never even saw my car, when I last did a part ex the dealer spent ages noting down every dint and scratch.

As long as they don't end up kicking up a fuss when they actually see my car and trying to offer less I'll be happy. If they did try to do this I presume I would be entitled to my deposit back?

Flyboy152

Charliezoo wrote: »

Went to look at new cars at a main dealership with my OH in his car. At first the dealer said he couldn't do much without seeing my part ex car first (understandable) but put together some figures. He came back with a part ex price about £1000 more than my car's actually worth and said he wouldn't need to see it at all if I took him up on the deal there and then. I was happy with the new car and deal (especially the part ex price!) so accepted it, but he then suggested that if I was free next week I should probably come in and show him my current car after all!

My questions are - a) is it normal to do a deal without even seeing the part ex car? b) do I really have to go all the way there next week to show him my current car when I've already signed the paperwork for a deal? c) when I do take my car in to them can they try to offer me less for it? Its in reasonable condition and I was honest about it but they were rather generous in the price they offered me.

I'm feeling rather confused about the whole situation!:o

Although it is not common, it is not unusual. If the dealer was desperate for a deal, he will take the risk. However, if your car is not as you described it, he will have the option to withdraw from the deal.

As for over-pricing your part exchange, it depends on how much margin there is in the deal. Some dealers will over-value to sweeten the deal, taking the over-pricing out of the margin. In fact, it is more likely that the dealer will adjust the final invoice to show the stand-in value of your part-exchange. You will not have lost anything, as the cost-to-change will be the same.

I would recommend you present your car as soon as possible, to avoid any misunderstanding. Also to make sue the details are still fresh on your mind and that of the dealer.

Flyboy152

Gandalfthesecond wrote: »

If it's all signed up with nothing in the small print about your trade in, I would say it's a done deal. Maybe they were desparate to sell you the car. I wonder why?

Probably because they wanted to get to off the forecourt. It might have been over-age stock, or didn't fit in with their stock profile. Or that they hadn't done a deal all day