The story of my friend who recently divorced and had to go into the dangerous world of used car sales has come to a happy conclusion I am pleased to report, however before I tell the tale let me just recap some of the events leading up to the purchase.
After we left the auction and she had a broad idea of the car she needed (i.e. a 5 door 1.4 with air-conditioning, metallic paint, 06 or newer and with a maximum price of £7,500) I advised her to visit some dealers on the pretext of driving some cars so she could make a final choice. Now I won’t mention any names but one particular dealer she visited gave her a bad experience, this is how it went;
My friend visits the dealer with her dad and daughter and asks if they have any used 1.4 engined cars in stock. The salesman immediately starts running down the 1.4 model with quotes like
‘We don’t usually stock them because nobody buys them’ (complete rubbish)
‘They don’t have air-con as standard why don’t you go for a 1.6’ again this is nonsense.
All in all my friend was left with the feeling that all this salesman wanted to do was to get her into a car he actually had in stock (I wonder what would have happened if he had a 1.4 in stock).
The point is that this is what was happening here is what we have highlighted all along. My friend could easily have been sold a car she didn’t really want for more money than she wanted to spend had I not alerted her to the pitfalls and what to look out for. I am all for a salesperson offering alternatives but not at the expense of what the customer truly wants by slating other cars in their range.
So beware the salesperson who doesn’t have what you ask for in stock and starts picking holes in your choice.
To conclude, my friend came back to me having made her choice and I am pleased to say I was able to source for her an 07/56 1.4 5 door in a lovely blue metallic with 16k on the clock for £7,300. She is so happy with it she has not stopped texting me to say thanks, needless to say I was treated to a lovely lunch and had a great feeling knowing that Motor Trade Insider had just advised on the right car for a great price (a saving of well over £1,500).
A very happy lady who has gone through a bad time recently.
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