Honest Trustworthy Dealer?

colino

While I always recommend that you use your local, friendly independent, take local recommendations too. However, at the outset know what type of car you want, what your really going to use it for and what your real budget is.
Then, take into account what you are buying and compare comparisons with your situation. Believe it or not there are a whole lot of categories of buyers, so if you are on a very tight budget, don't take at face value every recommendation for a car/repairer.
For example, your golf club mate might speak heartily of the great service he is getting from his local man who is replacing the corks on his vintage clutch, whereas you might baulk at the prospect of having your Mondeo clutch changed for half the price.
(Collectors Cars are called that because you have to stop every few miles and go back to collect the bits that have fallen off. I love those buyers, knowledgeable, free spending and know mechanical devices inevitably go wrong).

mikey72

pgilc1 wrote: »

Ignoring the idiots with chips on their shoulder, i'd say check with friends / relatives / colleagues for recommendations as to who they've used. Ultimately the 'sale' part of the deal is usually painless (other than paying) so its down to how they handle problems that you will want to check.

Ultimately if you get a car still under manufacturers warranty then thats going to be one of the safest routes.

Think of this thread as a straw poll, with two answers, the one from dealers, and one from everyone else. I agree though, any dealer warranty is worthless, look for a manufacturer warranty, check the service record is up to date, and even phone the manufacturer to check, don't take the salesmans word for it.

motorguy

cardinalbiggles wrote: »

Yeah have to agree with this advice you are more likely to get problems fixed from the manufacturer than by a private dealer...

Did I read what you said there wrongly pglic?

No, you read me right. If pretty much anything goes wrong in the first three years then with a manufacturers warranty it will almost always be covered.

However after that, you're really into the realms of defining whether or not something is wear and tear, and what the customers expectations are, and what expectations were set by the dealer.

For example, a customer may feel that an alternator failing on a 2005 car two months after purchase is unacceptable, however the dealer may argue thats wear and tear on a car of that age, therefore they wont cover it.

Hence the older the car, the less likely the dealer is to be able to live up to some customers expectations.

motorguy

mikey72 wrote: »

Think of this thread as a straw poll, with two answers, the one from dealers, and one from everyone else.

The implication from you and several other trolls on here is that dealers are !!!!s and are always out to screw over the customer. That is not necessarily the case. There are decent honest dealers out there, and hence any reaonsable persons advice to check locally, and ask for recommendations.

Also, a lot of your responses on other threads set an expectation with a customer that a dealer cannot meet. For example, the thread whereby you believe that all parts magically become new again when a dealer sells a used car and it is the customers god given 'right' to expect no parts to fail and for the dealer to replace anything instantly if it does, even on a 10 year old car.

mikey72 wrote: »

......look for a manufacturer warranty, check the service record is up to date, and even phone the manufacturer to check, don't take the salesmans word for it.

Have to agree fully - from personal experience i bought a 535d 'approved used' from a BMW main dealer some years ago, with a full service history. It only later transpired - and by contacting BMW themselves - that that was NOT the case.

Sgt_Pepper_2

Honest car trader or Santa.

Which one is real?

mikey72

pgilc1 wrote: »

The implication from you and several other trolls on here is that dealers are !!!!s and are always out to screw over the customer. That is not necessarily the case. There are decent honest dealers out there, and hence any reaonsable persons advice to check locally, and ask for recommendations.

Also, a lot of your responses on other threads set an expectation with a customer that a dealer cannot meet. For example, the thread whereby you believe that all parts magically become new again when a dealer sells a used car and it is the customers god given 'right' to expect no parts to fail and for the dealer to replace anything instantly if it does, even on a 10 year old car.



Have to agree fully - from personal experience i bought a 535d 'approved used' from a BMW main dealer some years ago, with a full service history. It only later transpired - and by contacting BMW themselves - that that was NOT the case.

The problem on here is no one ever posts unless there is a problem. So the dealer has already gone wrong. It's no good responding that the majority are nice really, the posters need advice on what their rights are, not the assumption the dealer who sold them the dodgy car will suddenly have change of heart. And, like it or lump it, right or wrong, used car dealers are in there with politicians, plumbers and double glazing, and they are put themsleves there, we didn't decide one day to move them from the nice category on a whim.

motorguy

mikey72 wrote: »

The problem on here is no one ever posts unless there is a problem. So the dealer has already gone wrong. It's no good responding that the majority are nice really, the posters need advice on what their rights are, not the assumption the dealer who sold them the dodgy car will suddenly have change of heart. And, like it or lump it, right or wrong, used car dealers are in there with politicians, plumbers and double glazing, and they are put themsleves there, we didn't decide one day to move them from the nice category on a whim.

Where your immediately going wrong is assuming the dealer has gone wrong.

Problems occur. Moreoften people come on here with a problem and prior to approaching the dealer, therefore the 'dealers are !!!!!!s' mentality simply entrenches the situation for the customer even before they've spoken to the dealer.

Often we see the problem resolved to the customers satisfaction without having to go down the 'trading standards' / hammer out the SOGA route that seems to be first line of attack by several on here, but again there is rarely any credance given to that from the likes of yourself, at bests its a 'dealer only did what they were obliged to do'.

Sgt_Pepper_2

pgilc1 wrote: »

Where your immediately going wrong is assuming the dealer has gone wrong.

Problems occur. Moreoften people come on here with a problem and prior to approaching the dealer, therefore the 'dealers are !!!!!!s' mentality simply entrenches the situation for the customer even before they've spoken to the dealer.

Often we see the problem resolved to the customers satisfaction without having to go down the 'trading standards' / hammer out the SOGA route that seems to be first line of attack by several on here, but again there is rarely any credance given to that from the likes of yourself, at bests its a 'dealer only did what they were obliged to do'.

If the stealer hadn't gone wrong they wouldn't post.

mikey72

I think we've done this to death enough times. My answer to the op would be to go to a car supermarket, buy cheap, and get any problems fixed with the remainder of the manufacturers warranty. At least you know where you stand with a car supermarket, and they tell you upfront you're not coming back without a fight.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

pgilc1 wrote: »

Where your immediately going wrong is assuming the dealer has gone wrong.

Problems occur. Moreoften people come on here with a problem and prior to approaching the dealer, therefore the 'dealers are !!!!!!s' mentality simply entrenches the situation for the customer even before they've spoken to the dealer.

Often we see the problem resolved to the customers satisfaction without having to go down the 'trading standards' / hammer out the SOGA route that seems to be first line of attack by several on here, but again there is rarely any credance given to that from the likes of yourself, at bests its a 'dealer only did what they were obliged to do'.

when someone comes on asking THEIR RIGHTS that is whats given, whether you like it or not you seem to take it personal but its just giving them the answer straight.