I was recently looking for a new car and visited a combination of independent dealers, franchises and car supermarkets. Like you, I tend to buy from franchised dealers where the quality of stock is better.

I would recommend avoiding car supermarkets. They work on tiny margins and all of their profit is in finance, extended warranties etc. They will desperately try to sell you things you don't want.

Unless you know of a good one, I would also avoid independent dealers. Most buy their cars from auction and know nothing about them. They have a bad reputation, but many are generally honest, they just don't know what they're selling.

That leaves you with the franchises again. They vary massively but, by and large, the more prestigious the brand, the more irritating the dealer.

What I found was that a franchise dealer in a rural area that is not part of a bigger group seems to be the most relaxed. The dowdier or more farmer-y the cars, the less annoying the sales people.

I had a genuinely enjoyable time at a Subaru dealer in a small market town, and a perfectly pleasant experience at a Suzuki dealer in a small City. A Suzuki dealer that was part of a large local group, though, was the very typical dealer experience.

So three things to look out for:

1. Not a glamorous brand

2. Not part of a group

3. Preferably a rural location

In your position, I would be looking for a good dealer before deciding what car to buy.

Maybe best to restrict your search to somewhere fairly local as my friend has found when he bought a high end car on the South Coast as we live in the South midlands. Taking it back for a warranty claim involved an overnight stay and two days travelling etc.

There can be complications when you allow a third party garage to carry out repairs under warranty !

Re Adam’s comment Suzuki have a standard three year from new warranty. However if has a fsh from a Suzuki dealer this can be extended each year if you have a Suzuki franchise service until it’s 7 years old. This is service activated warranty.

The only confusion I am aware of is that not every Suzuki dealer takes part. I don’t know why they wouldn’t but some don’t.

Edited by catsdad on 06/05/2024 at 15:42

They may have a point, but I dislike car salesmen (it usually is men) who want to argue with you about what they do for a living (and therefore know a lot more than you about) rather than sell what you want. A lot of my problem is simply not finding a salesperson I like and trust. It makes an amazing difference to me. I bought a Kia last time because he was the only saleperson I liked and trusted out of all the dealerships I visited. Sadly he no longer seems to work there and the only salesperson I've really been impressed with this time was a lady in Volvo, but they are sadly too pricey by a long shot.

Your advice about a standalone dealership is good thanks. Hopefully they'll be less carsalesmen like in a place like that. It always amazes me they aren't better. I won't say which specific garage but Ford were the worst 10-years ago and hadn't really changed when I visited recently. They actually seemed reluctant to sell me a car, like they were doing me a favour, which is a shame as the Ford Focus Estate ticks a lot of boxes.

Thanks again for the advice.