Rip off cars - epic rescue and dreadful cow of a woman included

[J-Rod]

I got caught out by this, by an otherwise seemingly reputable garage when I bought my Legacy. As it wasn't a backstreet dealer type place, nor did they have any car on the forecourt which was older than 8 years old, idiot here assumed all would be well. Ended up being sold a car with a massive blow to the exhaust, leaking shocks as well as needing a complete set of bushes, droplinks, etc. To give them some credit, they did attempt to sort out the problems but it was all the least possible effort (for example, the exhaust was totally fucked and a new system would have been 1200 quid). Cut my losses in the end and got a custom stainless job (which was quite worthwhile), plus sorted the other issues myself. 

 

The lesson here (apart from listen a bit harder for exhaust blows, Mr J-Rod) is trust no-one and expect zero from anything. Everything else, is therefore bonus. 

[Junkman]

Why do you think novice drivers get stung with this crap? It's not just because owning crap cars teaches you how they work - it doesn't. But under 25? "Sorry, we can't let you have a test drive unless you can get a covernote". "Under 25? Yes, day cover will be more than the car costs with a four-figure excess" "Under 25? Oh, sorry, the fully comp insurance on your car doesn't have third party extension".

 

Plenty of reasons to not let a young driver take the car for a run, and I'd bet most of us could drive a car with howling bearings, overheating, bad clutch (or no clutch) in a way that masked most of those issues, because we've had to do it at 3am in January in full panic mode hoping the wheel doesn't fall off etc. - traders are zen masters of this stuff. I reckon we'd have at least two a month which had to be brought back to the yard with clutchless changes, hoping a cable would fix them.

 

Isn't that the reason to take one's parents, or like here, grandparents?

Do you think my daughter's first car will break down half an hour after purchase?

Well, it most likely will, but I won't be in tears and blame the seller.

[Dave_Q]

Yeah no-one really knows the full story, but I would concur with Hirst's description of the place.

 

Went down there once to look at a e36 318tds they had up for about £500. Was long MOT and described as driving alright in the ad.

 

Anyway gets there, given the keys to take it for a test drive, battery dead. Eventually went after about 5 mins of unsympathetic cranking (by them) on a booster pack.

 

Had pretty much decided not to buy at this point but took it out anyway, drove ok except the rear end was bouncy as fook, like a shock absorber had been completely removed.

 

I knew what to expect from their name and the general air of the place, but should the general public be expected to??

[Junkman]

I knew what to expect from their name and the general air of the place, but should the general public be expected to??

 

Yes.

I am the general public and I would have left the place a lot earlier than you did, i.e. after the battery turned out to be dead.

The last time I was looking at a car at a used car lot was about five years ago and it was a very nice looking OVLOV 245 auto.

A test drive was arranged and I started the car, which started immediately, but conked out the moment I shifted it in gear.

I got out of the car, told the guy he can unload his scrap metal onto some other idiot, turned around and walked away.

[gdhaydock]

I've just run a few of their "short test" and "test just expired" cars through the MOT history checker, funnily enough, a good few of them have been presented for a test and have a long failure list

[mouseflakes]

If the hooker costs less than the rest but still looks as good, they'll probably have a set of balls.

 

I would pay extra for that.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Check the receipt

 

I would expect a car of this age to be sold stating 'an unroadworthy vehicle sold for spares or repair, to be transported away'

 

If not then they do have to some liability

 

To be fair to dealers though, old cars can be twats.

 

I've sold the odd one that has gone badly wrong just after

 

One that sticks in my mind is a Renault camper that was totally reliable then sold then get a call 20 mins later saying its knackered want money back etc

 

Anyway cut a long story short, turns out fanbelt had broke, ignored all lights and guages and kept going till major head gasket failure

 

I'm not commenting on this individual case but some customers can be deceitful twats too with the opinion it's OK to fleece a dealer, even seemingly nice people

[dugong]

So long as they're not wounded, starving private property owners, people are twats and I agree with Hirst.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Oh and the 206 that conked out, then towed home flat out behind the sons Shogun then crashed into Shogun causing a fair bit of damage to the 206

 

All my fault of course.....

[carlo]

We're starting to sound a bit like MoneySavingExpert on here to be honest, and rather surprisingly.

 

I think if you're an organisation which is going to sell stuff like this (and let's be honest if they didn't the stuff would probably end up being scrapped), then you've got to be hard nosed and not take any crap.  I was a salesman with Peugeot for 14 years and it was bad enough in a new shiny showroom dealing with the public.  There's a similar place very near us which has all sorts of stuff including cars with knackered gearboxes; it's a market for some.

 

What happened to the young lassie is sad but really someone like that needs to be taking someone along with her who knows a bit more about it, and, as many have commented, the buyer has enough available courses of action if they bought something terrible.

[Alexg]

At this end of the market the margins are slim so there's very little prep that's carried out before it makes the operation fruitless. So as long as it drives from the auction/dealer px yard without boiling over or losing a wheel it's getting a £££ mark up and a sold-as-seen receipt. Sure there will be the odd knackered motor that will be backed by a furious customer, but no dealer is going to build a solid reputation at this end of the market anyway because most of the stock will be faulty in some respect, so they'll deal with those at they happen and ride their luck with the rest.

[J-Rod]

Well, not entirely true. I offloaded a Bini last year because it was sitting there, unused. Wasn't a great deal up with it at all - the only major thing that went wrong with it was that the alternator went pop. Got that sorted and it was fine. 

 

(Was happy to see the back of it though - didn't like that car)

[Taff]

Spotted an older couple today, broken down in a KA in Shipley - right between the two streams of traffic at lights. Wound the window down, and asked if I could assist........

Parked up at ASDA, got a coal board jacket and boots on, grabbed my toolkit and headed down. 

They had the bonnet up, and a young lass with them. She was trying to take it well, but had just bought her first car, driven it for half an hour, and then this.......in her own words, "I feel I want to cry"

 

So me not being a mechanic, I made the checks, spotting a huge blow on the exhaust down pipe along the way. Having checked the filler caps were all clean, I proudly pronounced OMG NOT HGF (thats exactly what it turned out to be   ). 

I phoned the firm she had bought it off, "Trade cars Cleckheaton" - noting "No warranty given or implied on the receipt which she had been asked to SIGN (wtf?)

"Ring the mobile number on the receipt" the receptionist coes at me - so I did

Got the run around from a degenerate tosser claiming not to have anything to do with them, he finally claimed a manager would ring me back within 30 mins - I'm still waiting 10+hrs later

 

We got it started, and into the local garage where my mate is a mechanic. OMGHGF promptly dIagnosed!

So the nice couple went off with granddaughter in tow, the air reeking of disappointment and anti climax!

 

I thought it would be a good idea to ring Cleckheaton trade cars again and be bloody rude to them!

"Ring the mobile number on the receipt" she says again

"None of that, you've fobbed me off once already today!" I respond

"EXCUUUUUUSSSEEEEE ME!" She barks

"Listen to me, you've sold this girl a car that's a crock of shit, and bearing in mind it's her first car, having conked out after 30 mins, its been a disappointment to say the least"

"Don't you swear at me!" (did I? I never swear at ladies)

"I'll speak to YOU any way I choose"

"No you won't, I'm putting the phone down!"

 

We then get a call from the Grandfather - by coincidence he phoned right after me and got told to go to hell, her thinking it was me again hahaha

He then phoned back sometime later, saying he'd spoken to "A ghastly woman.....who's agreed to exchange the KA for another car, but will not budge on a refund!"

 

A closer inspection of the car found it absolutely reeking of weed, piles of rubbish in all foot-wells, and Mould under the rear mats!

 

A thoroughly nice family, Cleckheaton well and truly saw them coming - anybody else ever dealt with them / got a story to tell / an axe to grind?

 

nice of you to get all outraged on someone else's behalf

[Bren]

nice of you to get all outraged on someone else's behalf

But to be fair Taff this is Autoshite - it's how we roll.

[dugong]

But to be fair Taff this is Autoshite - it's how we roll.

FUCK'S SAKE I'M SO ANGRY

[Bren]

Although I have some sympathy rubbish in the footwells alone shouts "Don't bother!".

 

The trader CBA lifting up said rubbish and putting it in a bin. Tells you all you need to know. Unless it was covering holes in the floor.

 

I viewed a xantia once advertised as immaculate. Bollocks. No history, drivers seat worn away, would'nt even start.

 

Said no thanks and walked away - no point in getting wound up - it gives me another tale of how I wasted half an hour of my life that I will never get back.

 

I have viewed many cars for people. I am always polite to the vendor, even when they embellish something like you would expect a politician to. I point out the faults and advise whoever has the cash.

 

If they don't buy that one, there's plenty more.

[Taff]

But to be fair Taff this is Autoshite - it's how we roll.

 

I've just arranged for me to sit 4 hours of remedial Autoshite. I need to brush up on the basics, it's been a while.

[Cavcraft]

Alexg, on 12 Nov 2015 - 2:06 PM, said:

At this end of the market the margins are slim so there's very little prep that's carried out before it makes the operation fruitless. So as long as it drives from the auction/dealer px yard without boiling over or losing a wheel it's getting a £££ mark up and a sold-as-seen receipt. Sure there will be the odd knackered motor that will be backed by a furious customer, but no dealer is going to build a solid reputation at this end of the market anyway because most of the stock will be faulty in some respect, so they'll deal with those at they happen and ride their luck with the rest.

 

+1.

There was a local dealer with two for sale places locally. He'd buy his cars from the auctions, drive them back clean them up and bang them straight out on the forecourt. Any test drives from customers that revealed any problems he'd put them right, otherwise just hope for the  best. He was actually one of the better ones (despite that description) as he made sure they were safe and didn't mess about if someone brought one back with a fault.

[CHRIS1980]

I've had my fingers burned. The first time when I was 18 and no experience of dodgy dealers. I bought a 405 1.6 GR. I spotted the exhaust was on the way out and agreed with the dealer that it would be replaced. I have the car a week and the exhaust falls off because it's welded not replaced. Oh and the head gasket was blown. I was furious and had a bit of a short fuse in my younger years. I gave the dealer both barrels when he tried to shrug me off. He moved around from site to site dodging his reputation. I thought he had gone out of business but spotted his advert in the back of the local chip wrapper recently.

 

In contrast there was another dealer who would buy up all the trade ins and auction detritus. People knew what they were getting,he would list the cars plus and minus points in the screen. I remember him trying to put me off from buying a Nova off him. It was £40 and needed loads of welding. £160 in new panels later I took it back to him to show him what I had done. Had a nice chat and his only criticism was spending far too much on the car. I was a regular for years.

[Timewaster]

Sounds like a fun MASS Shiters day out ! Good god poor fecker wont know whats hit him

We would probably end up buying half a dozen wrecks off him!

[Guest Renault20tx]

nice of you to get all outraged on someone else's behalf

 

They were just such an appalling pair of knuckle-draggers on the phone, that I couldn't resist giving them some grief! 

I think the Grandfather was quite capable of fighting his own battles, and doubtlessly it will at some point occur to him that it was my fault he was told to go to hell!! HAHAHA

[Bear]

So, as shiters, we're all clear on one thing I suspect.

Why are cars worth so little in Britain? Because used cars in Britain are shit and neglected and sold by crooks and people with no mechanical awareness, but some experience, have learned that old cars are shit.

Why old cars in Britain are so shit and unreliable, is because they're worth so bloody little a simple service can 'write them off'.

 

I like the German model, as I understand it anyway. Car isn't up to scratch, even private sellers get burned. That means used cars cost more - but surprisingly, not that much more - last longer due to maintenance, and are a better experience due to the degree upon which the TÃœV will come crashing down on bodgers and scammers selling shit parts.

 

UK driving is cheap because it HAS to be cheap.

 

It's not a trade thing, this selling crap cars to novices. It's a decent human being thing. Someone comes up to me with £1K in their pocket, no experience, no parking, I'm going to tell them to forget buying some old banger and just take a cheap £99/month thing and focus on the business of driving well and enjoying the freedom. Go buy a banger when you've got more wits about you. And yes, I have given that advice to people when it's delayed the sale of my own car in the past. If they really want to give me their money, fine - but they want transport, a car, a good experience, and I want that for them too. Even one 4 hour breakdown, fucked holiday, etc. in six months is enough to cement the image of old cars being bad in someone's mind, whereas if they start out with cars being lovely shiny but ultimately dull, they'll have more perspective when the urge for "interesting" overtakes that. And if it doesn't, great, more cars for us and they can stay keeping people employed bashing out 108s and C1s.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Anyone dealing with the general public and selling cheap old cars needs a medal. You would soon develop a very think skin dealing with morons and general untermensch - I doubt I would do it.

 

The very thought of putting one car on Ebay/Scumtree and dealing with the hordes fills me with dread, never mind 10 or 20. The reason most car dealers are horrible, miserable and bitter individuals is because dealing with the public has made them that way.

[Bren]

They were just such an appalling pair of knuckle-draggers on the phone, that I couldn't resist giving them some grief! 

I think the Grandfather was quite capable of fighting his own battles, and doubtlessly it will at some point occur to him that it was my fault he was told to go to hell!! HAHAHA

 

 

Shit stirrer!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I bought a few cars from dodgy home traders. Every one has a story. 

 

Bought a 1980 Mark 5 Cortina. Looked okay, sounded okay, didn't drive it. Gearbox was noisy (I mean really noisy) so I just drove it 40 miles home, got a gearbox from a breakers for £25 and fitted it on a ramp.

 

Bought a 1983 A Sierra 1.6L from the same bloke 2 years later. Drove fine but after 10 miles it would just die. It was an utterly shagged fuel filter, £3.50. 

 

 

Both cars were CHEAP BANGERS. Being an adult, I knew that there would be problems and I also knew that taking the car back and whining like a bitch would get me nowhere. They were both basically sound cars, and both did me well.

 

I watched an episode of Rogue Traders a couple of years ago about some shower of shit who were flogging complete rubbish. Some lad with a braincell count in the low teens bought some latish Seat for 3 grand and you could see on the TV that it was total and utterly fucked. The panel gaps were so big the bonnet and wings needed different postcodes and it was obvious to anyone that was capable of eating/breathing/shitting unaided that the car had seen a major front ender and been repaired by Torvill & Dean.

 

We have all seen nature programmes. See the hungry Lioness with cubs to feed, and then the dozy Warthog that gets a bit too close? Parallels can be drawn.

 

As long as there are clueless folk requiring a cheap car, there will be unscrupulous Horse Trader sorts to stitch them up.

[chaseracer]

We would probably end up buying half a dozen wrecks off him!

 

Or leaving them behind...

[taxi paul]

Has a contrast. Bought a Mazda tribute from a " stack em high , sell em cheap" dealer in Yorkshire a couple of years ago. Right car at the right price. Had full history inc cambelt,stacks of receipts and all sound except rusty inner wheel arches. There sales technique was abrupt , to say the least. Didn't bother me cos price was right. When I negotiated * a full mot into the price I was doing well. I asked for a valet before I collected it and was told " it's £1,500 mate if you don't want it just say I am not arsed" so I never got the valet. He was saying he has an agreement with lots of main dealers and just gets the part exes off them . Puts a small profit on and gets shut. He sells 50 cars a week , he said and he has been going for around ten years. Opposite end . Went to buy a black cab from main dealer. 3 years old , retail Sale which means guaranteed through taxi test. Cost £20,000,. Negotiated a bottom half respray due to scratches and all mechanical work and service for taxi mot. Finally picked it up 3 weeks later from dealer in Birmingham on a Wednesday morning . Taxi mot booked for Thursday 10 am. Driving back to Liverpool it looked lovely but drove awful. Took it to my taxi mechanic , threw it on a ramp and surprised to find no service done and track rod end and rear wishbone bushes goosed. Rang them up and was told to bring it back. Finally agreed on them paying for the parts and labour for all work to be done by my mechanic. Turned out that the salesman had promised me everything but failed to tell his boss who had to agree to the work. They where actually quite fair in the end and sent me a cheque for £200.00 for my inconvenience.

[purplebargeken]

Have only ever bought about 8 cars from a dealer in my lifetime. Some cars were at the lower end of the spectrum and had minor faults. I knew about most of them, even had to have a clutch fitted to the Volvo 244 a month or so later, but that was my choice. Went in eyes open, had a good poke around and bought cheap. Worst car was the Smart car, 2003 - Passion model, FSH and all that shit. Bought it from a Merc dealer and took out an extended warranty. Thank fuck we did. That was THE most unreliable car I have ever had, it shit its gearbox after a couple of months and the dealer was shite. 

 

Ebay threw up 2 cars that were fucked, one was my P4 Rover, the other was a Moggie Minor with newspaper and bathroom sealant for a floor. Got the cash back on the Rover and sold the Moggie back on ebay with all faults listed as spares or repairs.

 

I think I have been quite lucky.

[theshadow]

that place always advertise on autotrader,they sell some right shite,treat it like a barge pole..

[sierraman]

I've heard of this place. Everything they sell looks obviously worn out. It's located on a bomb site, there's shit everywhere. It's a scrapyard. "What do I not get a test drive?" - that would be me gone.

 

Just had a look on website, the stuff they are selling is just utter utter crap, stuff I'd have binned. There's a cavalier, old pop bottles in footwell. A vectra, laughably they've cut a square out of the footwell carpet where it's got wet or stained or whatever.