I’m really struggling to justify buying from a dealer!
Discussion
I’m really struggling to justify buying from a dealer.
Why buy from a dealer?
You pay 3 or 4 thousand more on average.
You get a warranty that’s not worth the paper it’s written on.
The numbers don’t really stack up.
For the money I save going private I could put a grand in the bank for emergencies, buy a warranty, go on a cruise and still have money left over for upgrades.
With sites like PH the need for dealers of second hand cars is becoming less and less. I simply don’t want to pay for some dealer’s ground rent and wage bill when I can buy exactly the same car a few grand cheaper and if I throw in a car inspection have peace of mind as well.
Am I missing anything???
Why buy from a dealer?
You pay 3 or 4 thousand more on average.
You get a warranty that’s not worth the paper it’s written on.
The numbers don’t really stack up.
For the money I save going private I could put a grand in the bank for emergencies, buy a warranty, go on a cruise and still have money left over for upgrades.
With sites like PH the need for dealers of second hand cars is becoming less and less. I simply don’t want to pay for some dealer’s ground rent and wage bill when I can buy exactly the same car a few grand cheaper and if I throw in a car inspection have peace of mind as well.
Am I missing anything???
Edited by blackpoolrocket on Thursday 16th September 16:41
where do you think they get their cars from, either desperate sellers or worse the insurance companies, trade in cars from normal garages, all the while people keep paying they will keep selling, i don't see anything wrong with that, they are a business, good luck to them. me personaly, i would hope i had enough knowledge to buy a good solid car privately, and save a few grand!
Edited by tbdgriff500 on Thursday 16th September 16:52
No experience of specialst sports car dealers.
The rest I avoid like the plague, you never get a good feel for the history or type of owner, you don't know what things they have tarted up, a bit of spray here and there. You get use to answer like, has it been in any accidents, "well a car of this age may have picked up a few knocks" when it's blatant the back ends been resprayed etc etc
Looked at a alfa gtv the picture on the web had the proper alloys the car had steel rims, the passanger airbag had gone off and been replaced by a plastic cover that dropped off if you touched it. Asked about crashes etc "not that we know of mate", and "those wheels were standard on that model", I just dont' have the patience for most of them, you definately not buying a better car.
Sure there are some good ones around though that spend time and effort getting the car to a good standard before sale and have a decent warranty.
Find a good private sale get it inspected if your worried and throw the spare 1-2k in the bank as your own warranty, if after a year you haven't used it by some upgrades or go on a cruise!
The rest I avoid like the plague, you never get a good feel for the history or type of owner, you don't know what things they have tarted up, a bit of spray here and there. You get use to answer like, has it been in any accidents, "well a car of this age may have picked up a few knocks" when it's blatant the back ends been resprayed etc etc
Looked at a alfa gtv the picture on the web had the proper alloys the car had steel rims, the passanger airbag had gone off and been replaced by a plastic cover that dropped off if you touched it. Asked about crashes etc "not that we know of mate", and "those wheels were standard on that model", I just dont' have the patience for most of them, you definately not buying a better car.
Sure there are some good ones around though that spend time and effort getting the car to a good standard before sale and have a decent warranty.
Find a good private sale get it inspected if your worried and throw the spare 1-2k in the bank as your own warranty, if after a year you haven't used it by some upgrades or go on a cruise!
blackpoolrocket said:
I’m really struggling to justify buying from a dealer.
Why buy from a dealer?
Go to:Why buy from a dealer?
http://www.rv8r.co.uk/buying.html
I wouldn't question buying from a dealer. I'd question which dealer based on how they treat the cars they fix buy and sell.
There are great dealers who take the hassle out of the buying experience. More so if going on your own means searching, when a dealer has the right car already. It's worth knowing there are s
t customers too. Especially those who begrudge dealers making a profit from a car sale. Private sellers don't have overheads and the law is less protective when buying private.
Lady
There are great dealers who take the hassle out of the buying experience. More so if going on your own means searching, when a dealer has the right car already. It's worth knowing there are s
t customers too. Especially those who begrudge dealers making a profit from a car sale. Private sellers don't have overheads and the law is less protective when buying private.Lady
Edited by ladygooddriver on Thursday 16th September 22:28
Dealer buying is an option if they have the car you want at an acceptable price. In a limited market like secondhand TVR you don't always have the luxury of buying the particular spec and colour of car you want from a private seller - a dealer may be the only place that has just what you want.
As far as warranties go, a friend of mine bought a Focus from Car Giant with warranty, and has had two lots of quite expensive work done under the warranty, so it more than paid for itself. Only problem they had was a garage refusing to deal with warranty company - no problem with the warranty itself.
As far as warranties go, a friend of mine bought a Focus from Car Giant with warranty, and has had two lots of quite expensive work done under the warranty, so it more than paid for itself. Only problem they had was a garage refusing to deal with warranty company - no problem with the warranty itself.
I bought from a dealer and did pay more, but then again I was a first time TVR buyer..
I was overly worried about the Speed 6 engine due to the various threads on here (about 3 to 4 years ago) before the population decided that TVR did manage to sort later engines.
The warranty came in handy, paid £800 for a new clutch and a few other bits and bobs.. so the ~£3k extra was worth it in my books, plus the guys at RG knew the previous owners and serviced / vouched for the car.
All that being said, I wouldn't do it again.. but that's ONLY because I know what I`m looking (listen) for now..
I was overly worried about the Speed 6 engine due to the various threads on here (about 3 to 4 years ago) before the population decided that TVR did manage to sort later engines.
The warranty came in handy, paid £800 for a new clutch and a few other bits and bobs.. so the ~£3k extra was worth it in my books, plus the guys at RG knew the previous owners and serviced / vouched for the car.
All that being said, I wouldn't do it again.. but that's ONLY because I know what I`m looking (listen) for now..
When i bought mine i took the view that although you get the warranty when buying from a dealer, or you could just keep £2-3k set aside for if something did go wrong in the first year. If you are unlucky you end up paying the same as dealer prices, if lucky you save yourself a few grand - I ended up somewhere between the 2 as needed a couple of things doing! Also, the colour combination I wanted was from a private seller - If it had been from a dealer, i might have bought from there as you can soon run up hundreds of pounds in fuel bills travelling around looking at cars!
As mentioned before, I i went to buy another one with the knowledge i have after 3 years of ownership i would definitely buy privately, but for people that don't have the time to drive all over the country then someone like James Aggar finding a car for you would be a good option.
If you know what you are looking for you can limit the risk to yourself, but of course i'm sure there are cases where something major has gone wrong where people were pleased they bought from a dealer and it was someone elses problem!
Same as any insurance/warranty - It's a gamble. Might win, might loose. Peace of mind or take a risk.
As mentioned before, I i went to buy another one with the knowledge i have after 3 years of ownership i would definitely buy privately, but for people that don't have the time to drive all over the country then someone like James Aggar finding a car for you would be a good option.
If you know what you are looking for you can limit the risk to yourself, but of course i'm sure there are cases where something major has gone wrong where people were pleased they bought from a dealer and it was someone elses problem!
Same as any insurance/warranty - It's a gamble. Might win, might loose. Peace of mind or take a risk.
I've had more than one experience of the absolute horror variety when buying from a dealer and would be very hard pushed before I used one for a specialist car purchase ever again. In the case of TVR'S I'd look to buy from an enthusiast who displays all the signs of a discerning owner. For example - the car is in excellent condition with an up to date service history. Then, when looking at the car, look around at the seller's home.....is it well looked after, is the garden well kept and if he has a garage, is it tidy with plenty of car care stuff on the shelves, etc, etc. You may laugh, but these things will tell you a lot about the guy and how he's LIKELY to have looked after his car.
Put another way - would you buy food from a takeaway that looks grubby and generally minging?
All IMHO, of course! ....and now I must get back to tidying the house and hoovering the garage!!!!
Put another way - would you buy food from a takeaway that looks grubby and generally minging?
All IMHO, of course! ....and now I must get back to tidying the house and hoovering the garage!!!!
blackpoolrocket said:
I’m really struggling to justify buying from a dealer.
Why buy from a dealer?
...
Am I missing anything???
I generally buy privately but for my first TVR a dealer had a very special car so if I wanted that car I had to buy from him. I haggled and was pleased with the deal. Twenty years later I still wouldn't have done it any differently.Why buy from a dealer?
...
Am I missing anything???
Well, one very good reason is that these days dealers seem to have all the good cars. I don't know how they manage to find them, but they are all either exceptional condition or low mileage or both. A look through the PH classifieds shows there is a lot of average stuff advertised privately and a lot of exceptional stuff with the dealers.
Perhaps you can give us an example of two cars, one private and one from a dealer, that you are comparing? I think that more than any other car no two TVRs are the same, regardless of what it says in the advert.
Perhaps you can give us an example of two cars, one private and one from a dealer, that you are comparing? I think that more than any other car no two TVRs are the same, regardless of what it says in the advert.
I bought my first Tuscan from a dealer.
I was in the US and found it on the internet.
My wife went with someone to check it out, I agreed the warrantee details over the phone and a finance company I always use collected it for me.
When I picked it up from the finance firm they pointed out that the dealer had hand written below the list of covereage "Max. ₤300.00 !!!!!!!
I bought my second Tuscan private for a very low price (₤24k) was offered ₤28k from a very well known dealer 12 months later knowing he would be pricing it around ₤32k.
On non TVR's I bought a brand new Nissan Murano from a Nissan dealer last year for ₤19k (list price ₤32k).
I think that if your careful you can get a good deal both private or with a dealer.
I was in the US and found it on the internet.
My wife went with someone to check it out, I agreed the warrantee details over the phone and a finance company I always use collected it for me.
When I picked it up from the finance firm they pointed out that the dealer had hand written below the list of covereage "Max. ₤300.00 !!!!!!!
I bought my second Tuscan private for a very low price (₤24k) was offered ₤28k from a very well known dealer 12 months later knowing he would be pricing it around ₤32k.
On non TVR's I bought a brand new Nissan Murano from a Nissan dealer last year for ₤19k (list price ₤32k).
I think that if your careful you can get a good deal both private or with a dealer.
Purchased my Griff last year after around 12 months searching the classifides etc.
As previously mentioned the dealers always seem to have the low mileage, mint condition models.
These cars may cost more, but if you buy from a reputable dealer any problems that may occur should get sorted.
I found during my search that once a private seller advertises a low mileage/mint condition car with all the relevant boxes ticked, you would have to be quick to view/buy as they are sold quickly.
The market may have changed somewhat now,but i would spend plenty of time searching for your ideal car.
Whether it be a dealer or a private sale, if the price is right and all the relevant boxes are ticked, then go for it.
My car was a private sale and again as previously stated the guys house,garden and garage were in good order. (he had more car cleaning products than my wife has shoes
)
Vince
As previously mentioned the dealers always seem to have the low mileage, mint condition models.
These cars may cost more, but if you buy from a reputable dealer any problems that may occur should get sorted.
I found during my search that once a private seller advertises a low mileage/mint condition car with all the relevant boxes ticked, you would have to be quick to view/buy as they are sold quickly.
The market may have changed somewhat now,but i would spend plenty of time searching for your ideal car.
Whether it be a dealer or a private sale, if the price is right and all the relevant boxes are ticked, then go for it.
My car was a private sale and again as previously stated the guys house,garden and garage were in good order. (he had more car cleaning products than my wife has shoes
)Vince
Edited by themac on Saturday 18th September 18:11
Edited by themac on Saturday 18th September 18:12
themac said:
he had more car cleaning products than my wife has shoes )
Vince
and that's what matters, I've never bought low mileage garage queens only cars that are 100% spot on mechanically. )Vince
Edited by themac on Saturday 18th September 18:11
Edited by themac on Saturday 18th September 18:12
"Not putting miles on your TVR is like NOT having sex with your Girl Friend so she will be more desirable to her next Boy Friend"
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