Looking at buying a new car, nothing fancy, just a run-around to get me to contract work around the country.
In Scotland this weekend and visited 2 large dealer groups. One (A***** C****) had a ‘compulsory’ ‘on-the-road package’ for £195. When I asked why they had this over and above the manufacturer’s on-the-road price, they said it was for petrol and mats. I said I wouldn’t be entertaining that and their reply was that it was a charge their dealer group made and couldn’t be removed!!! The other dealer group (E**** H******) had a £99 additional charge that covered checks to ensure that the car wasn’t stolen, a write-off, or had outstanding finance owing (a very expensive HPi in other words)… This was on a brand new car I was looking at, and when I told the salesman that charge could come off their price straight away, he started questioning me why I wouldn’t want these things checked!!! :hehe:
Seriously, does you average car-buying Joe Public just accept this sh1t without question???
I think I’m going to buy a basic Dacia from a dealer in Eastbourne - price you see is price you pay, no daft add-ons, & no con-tricks 
You don’t become Sir A***** C**** and get on the times rich list cos you ain’t afraid of adding on the pounds where you can .
You’re not wrong NumNum. My granddad remembered him ‘back in the day’ when he first started out… patching up holes in the bodywork of old bangers with newspaper and filler.
He might have a fancy title these days and a marketing teams to present a polished image, but I don’t think the underlying ethos of the company is much different from those early days 
Blimey - in a buyers market ( which I guess we’re still in ) they’re still pulling those tricks?
Never heard of either of them but with a flexible dealers margin and a philosophy of “never let the punter leave without a deal” I’m surprised a) they have the cheek to do “add-ons” and b) they are not out of business already,
Did they produce the add-ons after you negotiated a price? (discounts / trade in value etc) In which case it’s as dodgy as buying a Mars bar for 50p and the newsagent ringing up another 10p for a “handling charge”.
A quick ring round the dealers should establish those who are not trying it on and I believe “What Car” highlights those dealers who are doing offers … if you establish a base price with them then you know where you are - and any add ons they can blow out of their tassie…
Our policy on cars is to go for ex- mobility vehicles.
On our second one now, a 2002 Astra, which Mrs Art has been pottering about in for the last 65,000 miles/10 years. The Astra was a replacement for a 9 year old ex-mobility Cavalier sporting 120,000 miles on the clock. There was nothing wrong with the Cavalier really, a little sad we we got rid of it really.
So there we are Mrs Arts top choice tip of the day - A one previous owner, 2-3 year old, low mileage, ex-mobility car, hand polished and complete with a bouquet of flowers (which we’ve no doubt paid for in cold blood) straight from a main dealer. Any manufacturer you like as long as its a Vauxhall, Mrs Arts preference not mine.
Snap Art…
Mrs Triang got an ex Mobility Merc A Class 160 last year from Car Giant … 3 yrs old , 14k on the clock , better price than any dealer (for sure) and beleive it or not , a better price than private sellers on Ebay/Autotrader.
This is the 4th car we’ve bought from Car Giant off the Scrubbs Lane … can’t recommend them highly enough - what other dealer gives you a walk round choice of 3000 motors!
How do you get ex motability cars?
Ahh, Art, I had a 2002 Astra that I bought at 14 months old and flogged 4 years later having taken it from 14k miles to 125k. It’s still showing as insured on the MIB database. Always regretted selling that car :crying: Had loads of Vauxhalls despite some people telling me they were rubbish, and they’ve always been great 
Ross, I love Car Giant. Been there loads of times with other people to buy a car but never bought from there myself as yet. You certainly get to see all mainstream cars in one place so it’s easier to make your mind up. My partner is forever thinking about changing her car and we sometimes go there on a rainy afternoon for a nosey.
Looked at a few ex-Motability Focuses on Saturday but they were pretty rough despite the salesman telling us they were ‘A Grade’ Motability cars :Wow: When I did a brief stint in the motor trade a number of years ago, they were never graded. Garages just got a list of cars that Motability were de-fleeting, with a few brief details about reg date, mileage, service history and any comments regarding specific damage suffered. Maybe it’s changed, or maybe that was just salesman’s patter. Either way, the 3 I looked at were as rough as anything - badly kerbed wheels, scuffed paintwork and plastics from harsh automated car-washes, and interiors that either had suspiciously stained seats or that stank of 3 years worth of stale fag smoke.
Bob, you can’t buy ex-Motability cars direct from the fleet. Unless they’ve changed in recent years, they only sold on to the trade. Part of reason I was told is that Motability being government funded, disposes of their vehicles to trade so that the government partly support the used car industry. You can get some really good low mileage 3 year old cars, but I’ve seen other ones that have been leased to people who clearly suffered from severe incontinence and stank to high heaven.
Anyways, did a deal today on a new Dacia Sandero. Base model, new for £5995. Garage in the Scottish Borders had one as no-one anywhere around London could get me one for at least 7 weeks… they’re like gold dust apparently. Dealer is small scale, seemed like decent people, straight talking, and none of the con-tricks of the larger groups. And at that price I don’t need to sacrifice my bike spending
Let us know what Dacia cars are like. Interested to know how much good stuff you get for £6k.
I had to Googlie that, apparently …
‘The Dacia Sandero is a practial sensible purchase’ Matt Saunders Autocar Deputy Road Test Editor
inter webby do dah here
Pop down to you’re local Main Dealer, most of their low mileage 3 year old stock will be ex-mobility, if in doubt just ask what ex-mobility vehicle stock they have. As said some can have varying degrees of exterior damage and trim damage, I believe this is probably caused by careless handling of walking sticks, wheelchairs, Grandchildren and the likes. The plus side is you’re less likely to see a supermarket ding because they get parked in the disabled bays. Some can be soiled on the inside too which the previous owner will no doubt also blame on the the Grandchildren :w00t:
Generally you’ll pick up a mechanically sound, well maintained, low mileage vehicle that has probably been ‘running in’ from day one.
I drive a Dacia at work. They are cheap for a reason, very very cheap and nasty. Gearboxes made of cheese. You better hope you don’t crash in one, I suspect you won’t come out of it too well!
I won’t bore the readers of a bike forum with too much ‘cage’ talk, but the £5995 one is basic!.. manual locking, manual windows, steel wheels, black bumpers etc. Also no stereo though it does have an aerial! (It’s pre-wired for a stereo though, so a cheapo Halfords unit & couple of speakers on order). TBH, the dealer experience I’ve had so far is the best I’ve EVER experienced in buying a car. I’m currently doing an 8 week contract in the same area as the dealer in Scotland, & they’ve given me a brand new Logan MCV demonstrator to use for a few days until mine is PDI’d, valeted, and delivered. Amazed by that, as they’re making very little on the car I’m buying, but they seem to have a business model based on providing the best service they can for the customer and generating repeat business. I’m buying the poverty spec model, but I was lucky to get hold of it, as they seem to go like hotcakes. No dealer within 60 miles of London could get me one before July. It’s probably not a long-term keeper, but it’ll see me through my contract work, and hopefully when a permanent job comes back up around London then I should be able to sell it on easily and be 100% on 2-wheels.
Would disagree with you there GC. I’ve hired them a few times on holiday and think they’re as good (or bad perhaps 
) as the Renault Clio (upon which they’re based). My local mechanic tells me that they are well built cars with tough (but soft riding) suspension designed for those Eastern European roads, an extremely well protected underside, and tried & tested Renault/Nissan mechanicals that have been around long enough for any bugs to have been ironed out. Dacia came out as No.1 for reliability in a European car reliability survey last year (across 30,000 respondents). 4* NCAP crash test isn’t too bad either. Although the handling is a little wallowy due to the soft suspension, they glide over potholes in crap roads like no car I’ve owned before. Maybe I’ll live to regret it, but the signs are looking very good so far 
