Victory!

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Sat 7 May 2022 06:39
Victory! - SLO76
Thanks to VW’s inability to give us a build date let alone a delivery date on swmbo’s new ID3, I have managed to talk her into buying a good used petrol or diesel car more akin to my motoring beliefs instead. The search is ongoing but I’m running into the usual problem of almost every used car I look at having b***** awful poor quality paint repairs, missing or incomplete service histories and/or obviously wound back mileages. I can’t believe the condition Honda are allowing their dealers to present so-called approved used stock in. I may buy a cheap runner to do for the time being until I can find something decent.

Edited by SLO76 on 07/05/2022 at 06:40

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Sat 7 May 2022 07:06
Victory! - paul 1963

Well done SLO!! I know a chap on another forum waited a year for his Tiguan ( spelling??) and had to accept a different colour.

Honda aren't alone in presenting poorly prepared cars, I walked round my local Vauxhall dealers stock recently, most if not all of there used stock was appalling.

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Sat 7 May 2022 07:11
Victory! - Falkirk Bairn

A granddaughter was getting a wee car for her birthday.

My son narrowed down the choices to a few cars and decided to limit the search to 30 miles.

Main dealer franchises, small dealers and even private sales the story was the same as Slo is finding. Cars 3-4 year old, neglected by the owners .

The dealers are in a sellers market - unvaleted, scrapes, dings, damage inside & out and these are on the forecourt.

After nearly 8 weeks he found an Aygo - the 4 year old car was in "good condition" inside & out as seen from 2 metres. Closer inspection were 2/3 dings, scuffed alloy wheel - dings fixed and scuffed alloy repaired. Car had passed 2 x MoT with no advisories and the 4 main dealer services..

He bought the car as having looked at around 40/50 cars he was at the end of his tether - car has been fine in the 6 weeks of ownership!

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Sat 7 May 2022 09:39
Victory! - craig-pd130

After nearly 8 weeks he found an Aygo - the 4 year old car was in "good condition" inside & out as seen from 2 metres. Closer inspection were 2/3 dings, scuffed alloy wheel - dings fixed and scuffed alloy repaired. Car had passed 2 x MoT with no advisories and the 4 main dealer services..

Daughter bought a 3-year old approved used Aygo from the local Toyota main dealer, FTSH etc. However I noticed that the rear bumper had had a moody repair at some point, the paint was very orange-peely and really noticeable in some lights. We complained and the dealer sorted it without quibbling once they'd seen it themselves, but it does beg the question why it wasn't picked up during the supposedly rigorous inspection that an approved used car should go through.

The upside is, the car has been a true Toyota for the past 18 months, not a hint of a problem.

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Sat 7 May 2022 07:11
Victory! - Will deBeast

Even before the pandemic, there were some shocking approved used Hondas on forecourts.

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Sat 7 May 2022 07:38
Victory! - nellyjak

Nice one, SLO....and I sympathise with your search difficulties..there is much "ordinary" and ill prepared (yet well overpriced) metal out there just now.

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Sat 7 May 2022 08:01
Victory! - daveyK_UK
It does appear the supply of new cars is starting to increase; there is a long way to go until we are back at oversupply but at least things are moving in the right direction.

I agree with comments about franchise dealers approved used vehicles are generally not the best; the dealership is mainly concerned with the physical appearance (aka retail condition) but clearly this differs between each forecourt.

If they can’t bother with the physical appears what does it suggest about there approach to the mechanical condition?
I did once visit with a friend a Toyota dealership to look at a used Yaris that they hadn’t taken the care to valet property as the previous owners crisp packets where in the door and stains in the boot.
Overlooking this we continued with a test drive only to find the clutch was nearly worn out.
The salesman’s approach was poor ‘nothing to worry about, you get a comprehensive Toyota used warranty, when it goes you can claim on that’.
We didn’t proceed with the car despite travelling an hour to view it.
With some dealerships they appear to minimise any pre sales effort so they can claim it on the approved used warranty.

However I am impressed with how Cazoo presents vehicles, they clearly go the extra mile compared to most.

The car I sold them was soon purchased and I spotted it in a Aldi car park; all the minor dings and dents and the alloy scrap has been professionally removed, the car looks as good as new.

Cazoo prices may not be the most competitive but they do know how to prepare a car.
Paint and wheel repairs, a deep valet with some detailing makes the difference regardless of the vehicle.

With the current profit margins in used cars, there is no excuse for not going the extra mile.

Edited by daveyK_UK on 07/05/2022 at 08:09

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Sat 7 May 2022 09:04
Victory! - Xileno

Always interesting to hear your experiences of the trade SLO.

Maybe the poor quality of stock is also down to so many cars not being owned although I'm sure the cars are gone over with a toothcomb when they are returned when the lease runs out.

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Sat 7 May 2022 09:15
Victory! - thunderbird

We stopped buying used back in the early 90's, even then supposed "perfect" cars were riddled with annoying issues and unrectified paint faults. Since then we have bought new or pre-reg with one exception, the Fabia in November 2019.

18 months old and local owner, been traded in for a new Scala. 5000 miles and unmarked. Been perfect so far.

Just looked on Autotrader and near identical cars are up for £2000 more than we paid, totally crazy.

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Sat 7 May 2022 10:05
Victory! - Alby Back
We bought a then three year old Jeep Renegade for my wife in March 21. Just before prices went crazy. Bought it remotely with the aid of a video call due to Covid restrictions.

It, and the whole process, were faultless. Polite, friendly, informative salesman, car immaculate on collection, and a fair price paid for our trade in without them even seeing it.

Evans Halshaw in Manchester if that’s of any interest.
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Sat 7 May 2022 09:57
Victory! - SLO76
“ Maybe the poor quality of stock is also down to so many cars not being owned although I'm sure the cars are gone over with a toothcomb when they are returned when the lease runs out.”

That’s the issue, most people take a new car on PCP or contract lease and thus they will never own it nor care about it. When it’s returned they’ll be hit with a bill for repairs which are then not carried out while the car is given a quick bucket of water over it then it’s flung on the forecourt. They do absolutely nothing to them other than a substandard valet and a lights and levels check.

It wasn’t like this in the 90’s, manufacturers and importers took approved used stock very seriously. We had stringent checks to go through and anything that didn’t measure up couldn’t be sold as approved used. They sent reps on a regular basis to check the stock. I remember the high profile Ford Direct and Network Q programmes which offered well presented stock with a 12mth manufacturer warranty. Today the big dealers are offering garbage and in the case of national chain AC they don’t even offer a warranty.
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Sat 7 May 2022 13:03
Victory! - Engineer Andy

Always interesting to hear your experiences of the trade SLO.

Maybe the poor quality of stock is also down to so many cars not being owned although I'm sure the cars are gone over with a toothcomb when they are returned when the lease runs out.

I could also be - at least from mid 2020, that the shortage of normal-grade stock has forced retailers to 'accept' lower quality (older or less well-kept) stock / trade-ins. I know that Motorpoint are now selling on older / higher mileage cars than they did 3 years ago to keep sales at a reasonable level.

Similarly with some staff quitting or not replacing those who did because of the more work-shy nature of people because of the Pandemic?

I suspect that Honda has gone downhill in recent years. John Cadogan has documented similar woes Down Under on his YT channel with quality problems, where sales have contracted so much they appear to be well on the way to pulling out completely.

Here in the UK people may 'get lucky' if their local dealership is part of a respected franchise. Rather like I've found with Mazda - it's a bit of a lottery to find a good dealer.

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Sun 8 May 2022 14:51
Victory! - pd

Cazoo might prep well but it doesn't seem to be working as a business model with stock crashing and admissions it might not be possible to ever make it profitable. Rumours Cazam might about to go bust as well.

The online used market doesn't seem to be the success predicted unless you have a lockdown forcing everyone else to close.

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Sun 8 May 2022 15:54
Victory! - _

Cazoo might prep well but it doesn't seem to be working as a business model with stock crashing and admissions it might not be possible to ever make it profitable. Rumours Cazam might about to go bust as well.

The online used market doesn't seem to be the success predicted unless you have a lockdown forcing everyone else to close.

I thought i read a while back that the owners wanted to "grow" it and then make a fortune selling the business on to another major retailer.

The recent interest rate rise won't help them either

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Sun 8 May 2022 17:46
Victory! - pd

Cazoo shares have fallen from a high of $13.60 to $1.30 in about a year.

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Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

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