What does it mean by sold as trade sale?

Chibisan

jk0 wrote: »

There's a lot of complicated toys on that Merc to go wrong. If even a motor trader can't repair it economically, what makes you think you can?

Looks like you were right. I emailed the dealer and he was very helpful and polite. He explained all the faults to me.

motorguy

Chibisan wrote: »

I'm enquiringly about a used car that has been in their stock for 3 months now. I emailed them to see how much more discount can they give me.

I got a reply saying "car is now being sold as a trade sale due to failing retail prep". In simple term, does it just mean that they are unable to sell it and is now selling it at the value they bought the car for?

I don't know the dealer but it seems like they are quite a reliable dealer based on online reviews and on their FB page. Very rarely I see dealers with so little bad reviews.

What does "trade sale" and "failed retail prep" mean?

It means hes found faults with it, but has stocked it too high in price to put it through an auction or offload it to the trade.

So hes hoping to sell it on to some unsuspecting private purchaser on the premise that its "trade sale, sold as seen" so he can try to avoid his responsibilities under the Consumer Act by not having to stand over it.

motorguy

Chibisan wrote: »

Looks like you were right. I emailed the dealer and he was very helpful and polite. He explained all the faults to me.

Whats the faults?

forgotmyname

I bought a car on a trade sale basis, they had a screen price and a trade sale price. They allowed me to stick it on a ramp and give it a good test drive and happy to pay the lower price knowing that if it broke down 50 feet up the road then its my tough luck.

Normally though they should not be selling to the public as a trade sale.

If you know nothing about cars then you may need to think about that type of car. You can easily spend as much as your paying for the car for a few fairly minor issues.

To me it says its going to be a costly fix and they dont want to repair it or offer any warranty on the repair.

Electrical issues and braking issues on those early cars could soon empty your wallet.

Pay a bit extra for a 2006 onwards car?

Chibisan

It's the electrics that are broken. Satnav stopped working and dashboard is lighting up like a christmas tree even though there are no faults on the said items.

bod1467

The warning bells should be ringing loud and clear - £££££££££££££££ to pay down the line.

motorguy

Chibisan wrote: »

It's the electrics that are broken. Satnav stopped working and dashboard is lighting up like a christmas tree even though there are no faults on the said items.

Its quite a common failure on older mercs. I'd a C36 AMG that did the same thing - dash lit up like a christmas tree. Has to get the dash binnacle pulled out and sent off to get sorted.

Then when it did come back the ABS light was on, and that was a fault. So that had to go to Merc to sort....

Chibisan

motorguy wrote: »

Its quite a common failure on older mercs. I'd a C36 AMG that did the same thing - dash lit up like a christmas tree. Has to get the dash binnacle pulled out and sent off to get sorted.

Then when it did come back the ABS light was on, and that was a fault. So that had to go to Merc to sort....

Yes it also has the ABS light on apparently lol. How common...

I've been looking to get an C class estate around 2003-2004. I could go with something newer like 2006-2007 but then to match the price. The mileage will also go up to 170k-180k.

I'm only planning to use the car for 1-2 years. It just stops me from wasting money on renting SUV.

lincroft1710

As this is your first car and you're "definitely not a mechanic", buy something that is cheaper to fix, e.g. Mondeo/Focus/Astra/Skoda Octavia. Mercs are nice cars but aren't cheap to repair.

forgotmyname

The 2006 onward cars were better, but you still risk bills that 1/3 of the price of the car or more even if you use a Merc specialist.

Drop that car into a main dealer and you maybe looking at another £3k to fix it. A specialist maybe well into 4 figures also.

Its an ideal car for someone that does a low mileage and does not need to rely on the car whilst they search out the right parts at the right price.