dodgy car dealer tactics??

wthrelfall

I came across a Honda Jazz on Autotrader being sold by a garage in Edinburgh: 1 owner, 2005 1.2 i-dsi s 16798 miles for £4995. I was immediately surprised at the price, as the book price for this car would appear to be approx. £5500 (possibly a bit more for the low mileage). I called up and the guy told me that they had today just dropped the price from £5995 as this car is yellow, and although he's had a few people looking at it, it seems nobody want's a yellow car - he said he has dropped the price to get rid of it as "it can't sit here forever". He also said it's an ex motability car (which explains the low mileage & 1 owner). Anyway, I haven't been to see the car yet because I live in Glasgow, but I'm just trying to work out if this can genuinely be the bargain that he says it is.. Is this perhaps a recognized tactic of selling a lemon - 'it's a great little car but people don't buy yellow cars so i've dropped the price by a grand to get it off my forecourt'... or perhaps this is a real problem for car dealers, being stuck with cars which are good but people won't buy? anyone with experience or knowledge or advice for me?

Wig

Nothing you have said sounds unreasonable to me. Go see the car, look at the service history, buy it if you like it.

vansboy

Sounds a pretty straightforward dealer, to me.

He's spot on regarding yellow, I'm a BIG fan of this colour - on the correct vehicle.

If you want to get noticed, it IS the one to go for. If you want to sell on again, maybe not!

VB

custardy

wthrelfall wrote: »

I came across a Honda Jazz on Autotrader being sold by a garage in Edinburgh: 1 owner, 2005 1.2 i-dsi s 16798 miles for £4995. I was immediately surprised at the price, as the book price for this car would appear to be approx. £5500 (possibly a bit more for the low mileage). I called up and the guy told me that they had today just dropped the price from £5995 as this car is yellow, and although he's had a few people looking at it, it seems nobody want's a yellow car - he said he has dropped the price to get rid of it as "it can't sit here forever". He also said it's an ex motability car (which explains the low mileage & 1 owner). Anyway, I haven't been to see the car yet because I live in Glasgow, but I'm just trying to work out if this can genuinely be the bargain that he says it is.. Is this perhaps a recognized tactic of selling a lemon - 'it's a great little car but people don't buy yellow cars so i've dropped the price by a grand to get it off my forecourt'... or perhaps this is a real problem for car dealers, being stuck with cars which are good but people won't buy? anyone with experience or knowledge or advice for me?

its only £500 below the book and its not good for a dealer to have cars sitting for ages.
ive travelled to london for a car so glasgow to edinburgh aint far

daveyjp

Perfectly reasonable. When I was buying an A2 a green one on the forecourt was £1,000 less than the one I bought. Both were the same age, same spec and similar mileage. Dealer said green was an unpopular colour - I agreed and bought the black one!

harveybobbles

Cars are colour senitive! Terribly so!

Two cars, identical age, spec, mileage. One is black and the other is a grand cheaper cos its doom blue.

Yellow isn't going to be everyones cup of tea, so he needs to make it look agressive on price and to get the right man on it!