I just bought a "very clean" two and a half year old Rover 25, with a few nice extras, for just over £3000 from a good local dealer. Great deal I thought. The same car age-wise, from a nearby supermarket (NOT a "leg-breaker" finance place) was six grand. Why are people so mad? These places look very nice and they give you a cup of coffee, and the sales staff have nice smiles, but...
OK, I've heard that some places are cheap, but other places in the North are horrifically expensive. yet they thrive. Why? I think it's a shame.
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Carland in Chertsey had a shabby Mondeo 1.8 GLX T reg posted at £7000 (Worth approx £3000 private sale).
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Most people are pretty thick when it comes to this sort of thing, Car Supermarkets are big, shiny and provide the right image and feeling a buyer needs and wants. They make the whole process easy for the buyer and as quite a lot of people can't think for themselves any more, they make the decisions for them. In fact there are lots of areas like this, we just do what we are told.
It's a bit like replacing components in cars rather than repairing them, Ok some are expensive to repair but lots of skills are disappearing now, it's more common than you think, now we have ready made meals, etc. People just do what?s easiest: Need a car, go to a car supermarket, need a meal, get a ready made one or go to a fast food joint for a sawdust-burger.
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If you want to get ahead - get a Van!
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Car Supermarkets vary a lot from one to another - like any other independent dealer.
I done a few car checks (for potential buyers) at Available Car in Castle Donnington. I must say that their prices are pretty keen and the stock I looked at was all in good shape and 'well chosen' by their buyers. I would not hesitate to look there for a car. Motorpoint in Derby are also not bad, from my experience.
I also accompanied someone to Ian Shipton Car supermarket near Burton (it was a few years ago), and again they seemed decent cars at pretty sharp prices. Things may have changed since, of course.
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With being in Burton On Trent our dealership regularly has to deal with these three supermarkets (all within 20 mins drive).
Yes they are all cheap and have pretty good stock but the main problem with them is any problems after you drive away they just tell you speak to your local main dealer. Once they have your money they're just not interested.
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Yes, I think that is a problem. Although, TBH, if the car is less than three years old and under manfrs. warranty then it is probably the best advice!
Last year I inspected a car (Mondeo) at Available Car and shortly after purchase there was a fault with an electric window. The buyer took it back and they did sort it out very quickly. So not too bad, IMHO. One other snag is that they tend to push the finance very heavily - so best sort this out before you visit, otherwise you are a prime target for them.
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In the last 12 months I visited 5 times large car supermarket in West London, one advertised in national press. One of the things I noticed was that once the car is priced, valetted and parked it isn't likely to change its price ever. Something priced in November, before new registrations, and for whatever reason not sold there and then would still be there, with the same pricetag, 4 or 5 months later. By then slightly newer, lower mileage cars would be parked right next to it with same or not much higher price on the windscreen creating quite puzzling lineup. Why would anyone buy 51 plate for ££££ if you can clearly have 02 plate for the same money. Few months later the unsold dud would still be there, waiting for mercy, this time in company of 52's for the same money. Somewhere there, in database it's filed as "we paid ££££ for it in part exchange, we need to make that and that much only" and nothing on earth can change that dreadfully high pricetag.
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Most supermarkets are pretty keen; occasionally there are a few bulk buys that aren't as well prepared or chosen as others might be, but they are priced alongside some keener deals so it's not as though the dealer is attempting to pull the wool over the customer's eyes so much as keeping the accountants happy without too many write-downs.
The Carland Mondeo is probably going to be a half price special - my TV cost me £399, down from £799 but it was never a £799 TV, probably £450's worth in the normal run of things. I still had a 'half price' deal and this Mondeo is likely to be the same sort of thing, although I'd still say it's £1k over the money even with that much off. However, if somehow they sell it at £7k then they're laughing!
Looking at Carland's Mondeos online today, an 01Y 1.8 LX with 47k was £7k less the £350 off 5% voucher, so £6,649. CarGiant's closest equivalent was a 51 plate 1.8 Zetec with 57k, at £5260 including the admin fee. It's a very big difference and of course that's without the finance, warranty and so on which is where the real money, at least for CarGiant, will come from.
A good deal is a good deal wherever it comes from, but I do think it's fair to say that some of the big operators (not just the finance for the feckless places) don't major on value for money so much as choice and simplicity in one place - which you pay for, through the nose. Others though genuinely do pile 'em high (or at least fill tarmacked fields with them) and sell 'em cheap.
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this just goes to illustrate one thing "SHOP AROUND"
- the internet is now a brilliant resource for car buyers & can really help you save some serious money - for the record I recently bought an 04 Fiesta Zetec from a car supermarket for £500 cheaper than anywhere else I could find after some serious research.
There's no hard & fast rule as to who sells the cheapest cars (dealers, independants, Car supermarkets etc) so it's up to you to make sure you don't pay over the odds !!
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Car parked just off the M4 Madejski Stadium junction, K reg Rover, not sure what model, medium sized. £4,250!
HA HA HA HA.
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Sure it wasn't £42.50? :-)
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There is another one in that neck of the woods, Aprilia, Hilton Garage (or something similar). They seem to advertise a lot in the local press - prices seem ok. I think they are a junction or two further up the A50 from Available. Agree with what you said abour Available by the way, the stock I saw was all nice and clean and well presented.
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Carcraft in Leeds had a three year old MINI One with no extras for £13,600.
The same car brand new from a MINI dealer would have been nearer £12,000.
That, combined with the skin-crawlingly irritating salesmen make me wonder how they stay open.
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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