Car Giant Review

BeenThroughItAll

Geoff_Audi wrote: »

Most of the Car Giant Reviews are totally meaningless - you can't compare to a Main Dealer.
They basically just sell Thousands of Cars at just over Trade Price with little done to Vehicles.
I just bought a Two year old Audi to replace the Golf we bought same place Six years ago.
Massive Choice & you can Drive Away same day so go on the Train!
Buyer Beware & Homework & you get what you Pay for & Save big time.

With some of that cash you saved, you could buy a new keyboard. You know, one with more lower-case characters.

terrydactil

I don't think they are just over "trade price". Try sticking some of the registrations through webuyanycar to see what they'd pay for them, and you might get a shock. I doubt if you'll find a CG car priced within £1200 of its webuyanycar value.

motorguy

terrydactil wrote: »

I don't think they are just over "trade price". Try sticking some of the registrations through webuyanycar to see what they'd pay for them, and you might get a shock. I doubt if you'll find a CG car priced within £1200 of its webuyanycar value.

+1

Definitely not just over trade price.

I got a 13K mile Golf TDI S at 9 months old, mint, from a main dealer for the same as what the big supermarkets were selling them for at the time - only rougher and slightly older.

motorguy

Geoff_Audi wrote: »

& Save big time.

As you say Geoff - do your homework first, but dont "assume" you're saving big time.

Theres plenty of dealers about who are the same price or cheaper, and are likely to discount their prices, rather than "add on" as the supermarkets do

bigjl

terrydactil wrote: »

I don't think they are just over "trade price". Try sticking some of the registrations through webuyanycar to see what they'd pay for them, and you might get a shock. I doubt if you'll find a CG car priced within £1200 of its webuyanycar value.

I valued my Picanto on WBAC just after I bought it, the offer online (before chip) was £5500, I paid £5698 for the Picanto.

CG works on fixed margins and always has. Hey put their margin on top of the price they pay for the car.

Which is why my Picanto was only a few hundred more than a 13 plate with more miles at CG, the simply got a better deal on mine, maybe mine was a snatch? I am personally not bothered either way, the deal suited me at the time.

He same car with almost identical miles on a 13 plate at Romford Kia was £6700.

You make your own choice.

motorguy

bigjl wrote: »

I valued my Picanto on WBAC just after I bought it, the offer online (before chip) was £5500, I paid £5698 for the Picanto.

CG works on fixed margins and always has. Hey put their margin on top of the price they pay for the car.

Which is why my Picanto was only a few hundred more than a 13 plate with more miles at CG, the simply got a better deal on mine, maybe mine was a snatch? I am personally not bothered either way, the deal suited me at the time.

He same car with almost identical miles on a 13 plate at Romford Kia was £6700.

You make your own choice.

There are bargains to be had in car supermarkets - but its best not to "assume" they are the cheapest, which a lot of people do.

We bought our 2013 370Z GT with 9K miles, mint for £20K in may last year and up until Jan this year WBAC were offering £20,155 for it

motorguy

I just did a sample check on a common car at CG

3 year old Focus, 29K miles, 5 door, Zetec, 1.6TDI.

https://www.cargiant.co.uk/car/ford/focus/MT62YUH

£7799 plus admin fee of £99 = £7898.

Looks a nice enough car in the pictures. Although chances are its an ex lease car which is worth bearing in mind (but wouldnt necessarily put me off in fairness)

Cheapest franchised Ford dealership car of the same spec is this one...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602201223606?radius=1501&search-target=usedcars&postcode=bt622hb&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&maximum-age=up_to_3_years_old&maximum-mileage=up_to_30000_miles&page=1&model=focus&sort=default&seller-type=trade_adverts&maximum-badge-engine-size=1.6&fuel-type=diesel&transmission=manual&quantity-of-doors=5&body-type=hatchback&make=ford&logcode=p

Car has full Ford history with that dealer and is more likely to have been privately owned. Of course it could be an ex lease car too, but bearing in mind its history is with that dealer, its less likely.

That car is £8450. I would be VERY surprised if you couldnt get £500 off that car, and assuming thats true, then your price is back to £7,950 which gets you a full retail car, valeted, serviced if required, full Ford approved used warranty, known history, etc for just £52 more.

So maybe not the "saving big time" that is suggested.

vikingaero

motorguy wrote: »

I just did a sample check on a common car at CG

3 year old Focus, 29K miles, 5 door, Zetec, 1.6TDI.

https://www.cargiant.co.uk/car/ford/focus/MT62YUH

£7799 plus admin fee of £99 = £7898.

Looks a nice enough car in the pictures. Although chances are its an ex lease car which is worth bearing in mind (but wouldnt necessarily put me off in fairness)

Cheapest franchised Ford dealership car of the same spec is this one...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602201223606?radius=1501&search-target=usedcars&postcode=bt622hb&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&maximum-age=up_to_3_years_old&maximum-mileage=up_to_30000_miles&page=1&model=focus&sort=default&seller-type=trade_adverts&maximum-badge-engine-size=1.6&fuel-type=diesel&transmission=manual&quantity-of-doors=5&body-type=hatchback&make=ford&logcode=p

Car has full Ford history with that dealer and is more likely to have been privately owned. Of course it could be an ex lease car too, but bearing in mind its history is with that dealer, its less likely.

That car is £8450. I would be VERY surprised if you couldnt get £500 off that car, and assuming thats true, then your price is back to £7,950 which gets you a full retail car, valeted, serviced if required, full Ford approved used warranty, known history, etc for just £52 more.

So maybe not the "saving big time" that is suggested.

Slight issue with your assertions Paul.

CG are based in London. London land. London prices and a very London centric customer base.

Your cheapest Focus is based in Belfast! That's a taxi/flight/taxi/ferry/£60 in fuel away.

bigjl

motorguy wrote: »

I just did a sample check on a common car at CG

3 year old Focus, 29K miles, 5 door, Zetec, 1.6TDI.

https://www.cargiant.co.uk/car/ford/focus/MT62YUH

£7799 plus admin fee of £99 = £7898.

Looks a nice enough car in the pictures. Although chances are its an ex lease car which is worth bearing in mind (but wouldnt necessarily put me off in fairness)

Cheapest franchised Ford dealership car of the same spec is this one...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602201223606?radius=1501&search-target=usedcars&postcode=bt622hb&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&maximum-age=up_to_3_years_old&maximum-mileage=up_to_30000_miles&page=1&model=focus&sort=default&seller-type=trade_adverts&maximum-badge-engine-size=1.6&fuel-type=diesel&transmission=manual&quantity-of-doors=5&body-type=hatchback&make=ford&logcode=p

Car has full Ford history with that dealer and is more likely to have been privately owned. Of course it could be an ex lease car too, but bearing in mind its history is with that dealer, its less likely.

That car is £8450. I would be VERY surprised if you couldnt get £500 off that car, and assuming thats true, then your price is back to £7,950 which gets you a full retail car, valeted, serviced if required, full Ford approved used warranty, known history, etc for just £52 more.

So maybe not the "saving big time" that is suggested.

You have assumed that the Focus at the Ford dealer is not ex lease aswell.

Simple fact is more and more private motorists are using PCP and Lease deals to get themselves into a new ar every few years.

I also hate to point out that all CG cars are valeted prior to collection. They don't just sell them to you straight off the transport from the fleet they were sourced from.

bigjl

Had a quick look at the dealer site Motorguy linked to.

They had a 63/2013 Picanto 3 dr 1.0 City with 20k miles, so 13k more than mine and around 6months older.

For the bargain price of £6490, based in Aylesbury.

If a deal stacks up it stacks up.

I would always advise somebody to look at all options.

The simple fact that during my visit to CG several cars I had seen online had been sold before I got there says it all.