The Car Thread

[Spatial]

****ing car dealers / salesmen. What is wrong with this bloody country at the moment?

This is basically a short summary of how it's gone for me since Saturday trying to buy a new car, which in the current climate has been as successful as trying to use a chocolate unicycle to escape a burning building i.e. I'm getting nowhere and look like I've **** myself in the process.

Me: I would like to give you my money in exchange for a car.
Dealership: What do you have in mind?
Me: I know what spec and accessories I want. I'd like a 2 litre...
Dealership: No you don't, you want a 1.8.
Me: Oh... okay.
Dealership: But there's none in the country. Or coming in to the country. In fact we've probably stopped making them as of two minutes ago.
Me: Oh... then...
Dealership: So how about a 2 litre diesel?
Me: Well 3 years ago you advised me I probably don't do enough mileage to recoup the cost...
Dealership: Yeah yeah yeah whatever. Test drive it and see what you think
Me: Okay.
Dealership: So what did you think? Isn't it fan-bloody-tastic?
Me: Well actually I don't do enough mileage and...
Dealership: Nah, didn't think so. You'll be wanting a 1.8 see. Shame there's none in the country. Or being made. In fact they might never really have existed in the first place... How about this 1.8 I've just found? It's as rare as hen's teeth!
Me: But that's got loads of accessories I don't want, none of the ones I wanted and is ?3000 more than...
Dealership: HENS TEETH!!!!!!!!

and then there's today's experience in Gods Waiting Room aka: the local Honda dealership.

Me: Hello, I'd like to give you some money for a nice new car.
St Peter: Holy ****ing ****!... Sorry, but can you come back tomorrow.
Me: Erm.. what?
St Peter: Yeah see we're really busy. And there's only one salesman on. There's loads of old coffin dodgers in front of you who need to be seen before they die and stink up the place. Come back some other time.
Me: I.. erm.. ok, will I need to make an appointment or...
St Peter: Whatever pal. Next!!!

To summarise: I HATE CAR SALESMEN!!!!!

[CMcK]

Was the first dealer a VW garage by any chance?

You would think they would be tripping over themselves to help you. Got to earn those bonuses after all.

[Spatial]

You're very, very close. It was actually Audi (which is basically the same thing).

Seems they're under instructions to make sure that they do everything in their power to shift existing stock even if it isn't what the customer wants. God bless the credit crunch

[Richard.John]

Must be a lot of unsold cars rotting on forecourts across the country. Time to make a killing surely.

[Yakumo]

Spatial101, I know I shouldn't laugh but your "story" was very amusing,

Yakumo

[charlesr]

Hmm. Buying Lucy's Scoob Legacy was a little easier. Stuff the salesmen. I went to a middleman. He sources cars by ringing round all the dealers right at the end of the month to see what they need to unload to get their commission, even it means selling at pass-through. He gets them at a massive discount and passes on most of that to us.

We got an ex-demo with 3000miles on the clock, with all modcons for 14.5k instead of just over 20k.

Not a dealer in sight. Glorious.

[Alastair]

Back down to earth, saw a new Fiesta on the road today, bright sort of maroon colour, got to admit it looked very nice.

I passed a Ford dealer yesterday and saw a pale silver one, thought it looked good from the rear but a bit non-descript from the front. Needed a deeper front bumper and bigger wheels I thought.

You're probably right, it's a car modders dream car I guess, after the Fiat 500 of course.

It looks nothing like the one on the adverts either. I guess that was the one with every single option ticked though!

Right, just had a wander round a new Fiesta TDCi ZETEC S in a car park. Much more like it. That was def the body kit as per the advert, much more aggressive with a big front bumper and rear skirt. Spoiler above the rear screen too. Nice.

My drivers electric window broke the other day. Pulled the door apart to find one of the cables (like a gear cable on a push bike) had snapped. What a stupid system. If you can't get in to service them then they 'will' break eventually due to rust/wear etc. New cable unit for one door = 88 quid plus VAT, damn it. God knows what my guy will charge to fit it as it's super tricky and needs to be fitted blind as it's between the outer and inner door skins. Also, as it's broken the window just falls down. I've had to crimp the cable in the door to keep water out while I wait for the part to arrive. Not having any car luck recently at all.

[Richard.John]

Checked out the new 370Z today. Ugly as sin in the flesh, it must be said. I think Nissan told the designers to deliver a Porsche Carrera, and they did. It's like a clone.

[charlesr]

I saw one a few weeks ago at Goodwood too. Weird stuff. But I thought the 350 was ugly too when I first saw that and now love it.

[VR46]

I've not seen any pics of the 370, do like the 350 though and as Charles says, it's a "grower" on you - even though Chris Field pointed out it had left over Micra bits in it lol

[ChrisF]

I said that?!?

[VR46]

You did, probably not on here, but I've never been able to look at the 350 in same light since

[ChrisF]

Sorry I spoiled the 350 for you! I'll keep schtum on my opinions on the 370 then

[Richard.John]

Style wise, it's like a two seat GTR, in essence. The rear haunches are pure Porsche though, as is the low, sloping roofline. The interior is a bit fussy, I felt, and similar to the 350Z. Cosy though, being a two seater. I think it looks okay from the side but other angles fail to flatter. It's a rather muscular car, a tad porky even. Not lithe, but then again Nissan wanted a brute possibly.

[ChrisF]

Had to shell out for 2 new tyres yesterday. Both of the front pair were pretty much bald. Official report from the garage said 0.2mm of tread on the outside and inside of one of them. Not the sort of tread you want in this icy weather!