Viewing used cars.

[DaveHerns]

Large chain of used car dealers advertise the same used car at (for instance) Derby and Croydon. If you want to see the car at Croydon branch they ask for a £500 deposit and you only get it back if the car is "not as described" Trouble is there is no description of the condition only the features of that particular model. I think if it's advertised as being at Croydon branch it should be available there at no cost to the viewer.
Another dealer network has 2 cars on site and is asking for a £500 deposit to retain them for viewing and test drives.
Cars are 65 plate Volvo V70s so is this the way Volvo dealers operate?

 

[Burnerman]

For sure, they would get nowt up front from me.....there's loads of these cars available so I'd be hunting round the local dealers.
I find the vehicle I'm keen on at a local dealer. If it's what I want I ask them to supply one to my price and spec. if they can. By then I'm ready to buy if they can find one for me.
At that point I'll pay a deposit, but they have to honour their side of the deal......and they get nothing more until the new car arrives - and they only get the trade in on collection day.
John

 

[magicmushroom666]

There's plenty of cars out there for sale from various sources, why risk the £500 just to see it!

 

[Burnerman]

Once you've paid a deposit into the motor trade.......
There's next to no chance of getting it back!
John

 

[DaveHerns]

Burnerman, would you part with money before you'd seen the car ? Otherwise it might be the model and colour you wanted but not the condition. I can see me saying the car has 2 scuffed wheels and the dealer saying it's normal wear and tear. It has to work both ways , they specify the condition and any defects and I cover any costs if I fail to honour any agreement. It doesn't cost £500 to bring a car down from Derby to Croydon, 200m worth of fuel and a local OAP on minimum wage working as a driver, £200 max. Looks like I won't be getting a Volvo V70 for Xmas.

 

[Burnerman]

Maybe I should have said Dave, I'm in the fortunate position where I don't buy second hand motors......I will take a pre registered car with delivery mileage though.
No way would I part with any dough before I'd seen a second hand set of wheels I was interested in.
John

 

[Astra99]

I would not do business with any trader who insisted on an appointment to view or test-drive a car they had for sale. Similarly, traders with only a mobile number and no other contact details would also be bypassed. As for a large chain demanding a non-refundable deposit, what a damned cheek! Sooner or later they will be named and shamed - or is it the local salesman hoping for extra cash for Christmas?

 

[DaveHerns]

Yes, I reckon they're making money on taking deposits and holding on to them. Not with me though. I'm dealing with so-called reputable Volvo main dealers (stealers) Unfortunately they've stopped the V70 so I won't get a pre-reg although I thought that applied more to the likes of Vauxhall. We got my lad a good deal on a pre-reg Meriva in 2015. I was never a Vauxhall fan but it's a good little car.

 

[Brigade77]

Car dealers who play tricks like this aren't actually selling cars . . . they're selling finance to the sort that can't get a loan anywhere else.

They deserve each other IMO.

 

[DaveHerns]

I've been through this before. Sales manager of a large group promised he'd source me a car that would be "as new" . I put down a deposit, car took ages to be prepared and I found a long list of faults to rectify. Got it sorted but I just don't need the aggro.

 

[DaveHerns]

Just gone and bought another Peugeot. Been driving French cars since 1999. Had a look around and a test drive without putting any money down or showing them my driving licence.

 

[Burnerman]

I remember walking around Beziers in 1996 or thereabouts......wandered into a Renault dealership and asked what was the crack concerning the new Megane.
Sales Monsieur said take it for a drive, but he wouldn't be back until 2 when he had finished his dejeuner.
I did - how trusting was that? Bought a Megane too, back in Blighty.
John

 

[DaveHerns]

Some of us have to buy French cars...... I've gone and bought a 16 plate Peugeot 508SW RXH , not the hybrid but the 180bhp diesel adblue engine. I couldn't resist the leather seats! I was looking at a 16 plate Citroen C5 , one of the very last, but the Peugeot is better.

 

[Burnerman]

The French are very good engineers, in fact.
Mind you, after just fitting a new rear axle to my Berlingo van my relationship with them has soured a bit!
Good luck with your Peugeot - the best diesels are still French in my opinion.
John

 

[DaveHerns]

Thanks. Hope I don't need it! All the abuse I got when I had a Citroen C5 as a company car made me all the more determined to stay "French"