Discussion
My O/H and a chap here in the PH office have both bought cars from Dandy, and both are very pleased (both Mk 1's)
The chaps seem to know what they are talking about and the level of aftercare is amazing. Sarah’s roof had a tiny leak and the replaced the hood with a brand new one, without any hassle.
We all have different opinions I guess, but personally I’d recommend Dandy Cars.
The chaps seem to know what they are talking about and the level of aftercare is amazing. Sarah’s roof had a tiny leak and the replaced the hood with a brand new one, without any hassle.
We all have different opinions I guess, but personally I’d recommend Dandy Cars.
Garlick said:
We all have different opinions I guess, but personally I’d recommend Dandy Cars.
I've never heard a bad thing about the quality of the cars or the service given. But you pay for that. Just depends on your priorities if you want to do that or not.Paul Sheard in Cheshire might be a bit closer for NI. Also not the cheapest but good by reputation.
Me I'd just look for a good one locally wherever it may come from.
Munter said:
Garlick said:
We all have different opinions I guess, but personally I’d recommend Dandy Cars.
I've never heard a bad thing about the quality of the cars or the service given. But you pay for that. Just depends on your priorities if you want to do that or not.Paul Sheard in Cheshire might be a bit closer for NI. Also not the cheapest but good by reputation.
Me I'd just look for a good one locally wherever it may come from.
I'm the other PH staff member that Garlick mentioned above, with a 1990 Mk1 MX5 bought from Dandycars.The forecourt prices at Dandycars are indeed pretty high, but when looking on the private market I came across some real stinkers (even a solid reliable car like an MX5 can be treated badly and suffer accordingly - I saw one with major hidden rust and another with a plethora of faults inside and out), so the good quality of the forecourt stuff at Dandycars is reflected in the prices. Also, the prices include a year's warranty that I've used for minor bits and bobs, that does eat away the price difference over time.
There is always going to be a premium buying from a specialist, but you are paying for a top-notch car ready to go, with a year's warranty and the advice of a specialist. If you can afford it, its worth it. If you are on a more immediate budget, then of course any MX5 is going to be supremely reliable as long as, like any car, it isn't abused. Its a Mazda - they are tough. My 20-year old example starts first time every time, rain or shine (or, indeed, snow).
On a more general note, good car choice - I'm having a lot of fun with my '5, especially with the weather now taking a turn for the better
Its not fast, but it is tremendous fun. 
Edited by SiMan on Friday 29th May 12:46
I brought a 1.8 S-Special MX-5 in black from Dandy cars a few months back and I could not be happier with her! She is in amazing condition and such fun to drive .
Dandy Cars are expensive compared to the private market as Simon has said; however, I have received amazing customer service from the guys at Dandy.
I have had a replacement hood (tiny leek as Paul mentioned), new speakers (speaker blew in the headrest), new air con (just broken) and many more niggles that have appeared since purchase, all on the warranty!
If I had brought privately I would have had to pay for out of my own pocket so for me I have made the right decision purchasing from Dandy Cars.
This is just my opinion, and everyone is different, but I am personally very happy with my purchase and I would recommend Dandy Cars to anyone.
.Dandy Cars are expensive compared to the private market as Simon has said; however, I have received amazing customer service from the guys at Dandy.
I have had a replacement hood (tiny leek as Paul mentioned), new speakers (speaker blew in the headrest), new air con (just broken) and many more niggles that have appeared since purchase, all on the warranty!
If I had brought privately I would have had to pay for out of my own pocket so for me I have made the right decision purchasing from Dandy Cars.
This is just my opinion, and everyone is different, but I am personally very happy with my purchase and I would recommend Dandy Cars to anyone.
F and F said:
I have had a replacement hood (tiny leek as Paul mentioned),
A new Mohair is 260 professionally fitted.F and F said:
new speakers (speaker blew in the headrest)
£20 and 5 minutes to fit.F and F said:
new air con (just broken)
Unlucky. Doesn't happen very often!F and F said:
If I had brought privately
...for about 2 grand less...F and F said:
I would have had to pay for out of my own pocket
And still be a grand or more up on the purchase price.Sorry don't mean to single you out and I'm sure you are happy with your purchase. But, when I see Mk1 limited editions for sale at between 5 and 6 grand I do wonder who buys them. Far better to be a canny buyer, get a well sorted one and save yourself megebucks.
Again, that's just my opinion.
My absolutely spotless R-Ltd sold for 3300 a few months ago, and that is what I consider to be a good selling price for a great car. I've always thought Dandy Cars pricing has taken the proverbial compared to the general market.
Still, they must be doing something right!
hornetrider said:
But, when I see Mk1 limited editions for sale at between 5 and 6 grand I do wonder who buys them.
It was nothing near £5-6k is was £3k with Tax, Warranty and MOT. I would not have even looked at a car for £5k (not a MK1 at least!)Each person is entitled to there opinion and I feel that for the money and the service I got a good deal. I looked for a long time and found some less than perfect models for cheaper.
Some people might be great a looking after cars and knowing how to fix things themselves and cheaply but I don't have the skills to do this unfortunately.
As I have said it is everyone’s different opinion I am happy with my car, the level of service and the cost, I know that if the car has a problem then Dandy Cars will fix it for me which gives me peace of mind.
I just wanted to say I had a good experience, the weather is great lets just all enjoy our 5's - it is lovely weather for a drive
.(ETA: I looked at your car when I was looking to buy but I couldnt sell my car for the price I wanted, Dandy offered me a very good price for my car, which was another reason I went to a dealer).
Edited by F and F on Friday 29th May 14:36
F and F said:
hornetrider said:
But, when I see Mk1 limited editions for sale at between 5 and 6 grand I do wonder who buys them.
It was nothing near £5-6k is was £3k with Tax, Warranty and MOT. I would not have even looked at a car for £5k (not a MK1 at least!)F and F said:
I just wanted to say I had a good experience, the weather is great lets just all enjoy our 5's - it is lovely weather for a drive .
Amen to that!.First of all i'd like to thank Si, Paul and Sarah for giving us a good report on our services.
We will be the first to admit that we are not the cheapest, but we are also the biggest MX-5 dealer in the UK and for us to have reached this stage its required the large forecourt and well equiped workshop we have. Not to mention the 5+ staff members required to make sure we can cope with it all!
All of this increases our overheads and costs. We could never compete with someone who trades from home as his/her overheads would be a fraction of ours! We specialise in the hard to find examples and pride ourselves in offering the very best MX-5s on the market today. Renovation work also costs time and money.
Hornetriders R-Ltd is an excellent example and well worth £3.3k, in fact i know the new owner and they have been down to see us (minus the car so far) and discussed options to bring the car up to the level of cars we offer for sale. Had we bought his car for 3.3k and spent £300 making it perfect, how much would we have to retail the car for in order to make a profit after we had included 12 months MOT, 6 months Tax, 12 months warranty etc etc?
Mk1s demand big money in Japan, well the nice ones do anyway. We refuse to buy anything less than a grade 3 and wont touch repaired cars. By the time you have imported a decent low mileage example into the UK and paid all the taxes it can add up close to 3-4k. What is not widely known is that when we sell fresh imports the car is charged VAT on the FULL amount (like a new car). So a £5k car might net us ~£4k.
Since early 2007 the business has changed hands and as the new owners we have tried to improve the business and the way it is has run.
While we cannot always please everybody we pride ourselves on excellent customer service and will always do our absolute best to ensure our customers are happy.
cheers,
Dandycars team
We will be the first to admit that we are not the cheapest, but we are also the biggest MX-5 dealer in the UK and for us to have reached this stage its required the large forecourt and well equiped workshop we have. Not to mention the 5+ staff members required to make sure we can cope with it all!
All of this increases our overheads and costs. We could never compete with someone who trades from home as his/her overheads would be a fraction of ours! We specialise in the hard to find examples and pride ourselves in offering the very best MX-5s on the market today. Renovation work also costs time and money.
Hornetriders R-Ltd is an excellent example and well worth £3.3k, in fact i know the new owner and they have been down to see us (minus the car so far) and discussed options to bring the car up to the level of cars we offer for sale. Had we bought his car for 3.3k and spent £300 making it perfect, how much would we have to retail the car for in order to make a profit after we had included 12 months MOT, 6 months Tax, 12 months warranty etc etc?
Mk1s demand big money in Japan, well the nice ones do anyway. We refuse to buy anything less than a grade 3 and wont touch repaired cars. By the time you have imported a decent low mileage example into the UK and paid all the taxes it can add up close to 3-4k. What is not widely known is that when we sell fresh imports the car is charged VAT on the FULL amount (like a new car). So a £5k car might net us ~£4k.
Since early 2007 the business has changed hands and as the new owners we have tried to improve the business and the way it is has run.
While we cannot always please everybody we pride ourselves on excellent customer service and will always do our absolute best to ensure our customers are happy.
cheers,
Dandycars team
V6 inside said:
Hornetriders R-Ltd is an excellent example and well worth £3.3k, in fact i know the new owner and they have been down to see us (minus the car so far) and discussed options to bring the car up to the level of cars we offer for sale. Had we bought his car for 3.3k and spent £300 making it perfect, how much would we have to retail the car for in order to make a profit after we had included 12 months MOT, 6 months Tax, 12 months warranty etc etc?
Wow that's really interesting! Seemed like a really nice genuine chap - he drove the width of the country to buy it - do look after him. The air con thing is electrical I'm sure (after I swapped in an MX5 cubby!) as one day it worked and the next day the compressor just didn't engage when I pushed the button in...Hornetrider,
Yes the guy (if its the same one - i'm 99% sure it is) is a genuinly nice guy. In fact we had a car for him that was awaiting prepration that we simply didnt have ready in time. Looking forward to seeing your old R-Ltd, its a personal favorite of mine and we seem to have sold out of them!
We always look after our customers and we do our best to make sure they leave with a smile.
cheers,
Gary
Dandycars.com
Yes the guy (if its the same one - i'm 99% sure it is) is a genuinly nice guy. In fact we had a car for him that was awaiting prepration that we simply didnt have ready in time. Looking forward to seeing your old R-Ltd, its a personal favorite of mine and we seem to have sold out of them!
We always look after our customers and we do our best to make sure they leave with a smile.
cheers,
Gary
Dandycars.com
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