Car hire - the sting

[mjr]

Bought a year old car from main dealer. Will never use independent small garage again. Although recognise that if spending £2k, private or small dealer likely the only options

Main dealers aren't much better IMO - one from another town did us over. We escaped over half of the cost because the abused non-visible part failed about a month before the warranty expired (and our then-local dealership was only too happy to handle a £500 warranty part replacement on another dealer's car!), but they got away with another stunt costing us hundreds. Sadly, Motorvogue has now taken over the local franchise, so I'll have to travel to Norwich or Bury if I want a Alfa/Fiat dealer for anything.

I trust independent small garage Silena much more than main dealers, but he's not trading second-hand cars.

 

[Drago]

I don't trust anyone but myself when it comes to buying a car. None of these sellers are my friend, and they all exist to maximise profit. I crawl around, over and under any purchase with a mirror, satisfy myself that it's good enough (forget any promises of 111 point checks, or RAC approved inspections, it's all tosh) and then I pay the few quid for a weeks access to CAP so I know what the real value of the vehicle is.

There's no way of telling which sellers, be they private or businesses, are sharks, so i treat them all as if their sole mission in life is to separate me from my money by any means necessary. That way I don't get nasty surprises.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I don't trust anyone but myself when it comes to buying a car. None of these sellers are my friend, and they all exist to maximise profit. I crawl around, over and under any purchase with a mirror, satisfy myself that it's good enough (forget any promises of 111 point checks, or RAC approved inspections, it's all tosh) and then I pay the few quid for a weeks access to CAP so I know what the real value of the vehicle is.

There's no way of telling which sellers, be they private or businesses, are sharks, so i treat them all as if their sole mission in life is to separate me from my money by any means necessary. That way I don't get nasty surprises.

I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite.

I start out with a plan then "Oooh, shiny" I buy the first thing that catches my eye.

That includes a shiny white Allegro with beautiful paintwork - painted the previous week over the top of the bird shoot. I kid ye not.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I pay the few quid for a weeks access to CAP

https://capuk.org/ ?

 

[Drago]

Absolutely. the moment they realise I am a man of the cloth (usually touching cloth!) the discounts start tumbling in.

 

[Slick]

I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite.

I start out with a plan then "Oooh, shiny" I buy the first thing that catches my eye.

That includes a shiny white Allegro with beautiful paintwork - painted the previous week over the top of the bird shoot. I kid ye not.

That did make me laugh, but isn't "white Allegro with beautiful paintwork" an oxymoron.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Probably. Bugger of a car. We discovered the windscreen seals leaked when my girlfriend's feet got wet in the rain. The windscreen wipers packed up and had to be replaced by the two of us pulling on a piece of string. Then the big ends went, the knocking for the first 50 miles disguised by the sawdust in the oil.

But it was a bargain and looked shiny under the auctioneer's lights

 

[screenman]

Probably. Bugger of a car. We discovered the windscreen seals leaked when my girlfriend's feet got wet in the rain. The windscreen wipers packed up and had to be replaced by the two of us pulling on a piece of string. Then the big ends went, the knocking for the first 50 miles disguised by the sawdust in the oil.

But it was a bargain and looked shiny under the auctioneer's lights

I could tell you a few stories about selling cars at auctions, used to dispose of a couple of hundred cars a year and made a very good living out of them, never once bought a car at an auction though.

 

[Slick]

Probably. Bugger of a car. We discovered the windscreen seals leaked when my girlfriend's feet got wet in the rain. The windscreen wipers packed up and had to be replaced by the two of us pulling on a piece of string. Then the big ends went, the knocking for the first 50 miles disguised by the sawdust in the oil.

But it was a bargain and looked shiny under the auctioneer's lights

Haha, magpie. A bit like a mate of mine, a salesmans dream.