Is this normal or where they being ripped off?

[sockrage]

My parents have been looking at cars this week at dealers. I don't drive so have no idea if this is genuinely how they work!

They were asked their budget and shown cars including one they really loved and my Dad was thrilled with it. It is automatic (they are both disabled and have joint pain and in late 60s so much easier for them. Theyve always had older cars or if new they have been very basic models and this one really was nice.

The price on the screen said 7.5k which was within their savings budget.
They sat down to do the paperwork and the guy tells them the price was nearly 1k dearer than the screen price.

When they queried they were told that the dealer had to do the tax and fill the tank (fair enough)
They then proceeded to tell them the car only came with a 12 week warranty. (on a 7.5k car? Dds second hand phone came with a year!) and in order to make it 3 years they would have to upgrade which account for another few hundred pounds.

Is that normal?

In a word , no

Garages don't tax cars these days, as far as I'm aware you tax it yourself. Road tax can no longer be transferred with ownership of the vehicle.

Rip off merchants

def. trying it on, older people scare tactics and trying to treat them like mugs.

Maybe they should shop around and try a few other dealers.

But... the warranty thing. If there is still manufacturer's warranty to run, then that's a different thing and you wouldn't pay extra for it. However, if it's outside the manufacturer's warranty period, then you would have to pay a few hundred pounds extra if you want cover for a longer period. When I bought a car from a second hand dealer, I think extended warranty was around £250 and it was not included in the price on the windscreen. I chose not to buy it though.

Warranty is totally normal for a used car.

Paying £1k extra than the screen price, not normal. Anyway, Road tax (which the buyer has to arrange before collection, not the dealer) and a tank of fuel would come nowhere near to that.

Are you sure they didn't get their wires crossed re what the £1k was for? Maybe the salesman was trying to sell them a load of optional extras?

Can you go to the showroom with them and see what's going on?

Just to add the 1k quoted made it out of the budget amount the dealer had asked and they had said they wouldn't go above which is what made me a bit about it all.

Also, When buying a second car of a reasonable value (privately or from a dealership) , your parents should pay for an independent inspection before purchasing. I think the AA do them for about £180? Well worth it if it saves them buying a £7.5k lemon.

The dealership will try to put them off but don't listen to them.

I'd run a mile.

Yeah, but the warranty tends to be just 3 months and you would pay more for a longer time period, unless it still has the manufacturer's warranty. Paying for a longer one should be optional though. The extended warranty I was offered was around £250 (could have been less actually).

Agree about tax- that's the owner's responsibility and unless it's a big gas-guzzler, would not be very much anyway. A tank of petrol is £80 max surely (I drive a smaller car so for me it's about £40).

So yes, sounds a bit dodgy but 2nd hand car sellers are not obliged to offer long warranty included in the price.

Have they bought it?
I think I'd report the garage because if it really was £1k more than the screen price surely that's misleading advertising.....trading standards??

They are both very switched on thankfully so i doubt they are getting mixed up.

It was a hundred and something tax
Full tank of petrol
Warranty with the must be regularly serviced at their dealership and can only be fixed at their dealership rule included.

Garages don't tax cars these days, as far as I'm aware you tax it yourself.

Not true, we bought two second hand cars a couple months ago and the garages taxed them for us in our names. Dealership one threw it in for good measure. Dealership two they set it all up and we paid directly to DVLA using their PC.

However tax does not cost £1k on your average car, I'd run a mile.

It doesn't cost £1k to tax and fill an engine. I bet that was a load of extras he was trying to con them in to buying. Can you or someone else go back in the next few days and pretend you want to buy it to see if people who don't appear vulnerable get the same bull shit?

Report to trading standards to stop others being ripped off

Plus both cars had a full tank and warranties included - 12 months for one bought at dealership, 12 weeks for second hand garage.

You can actually buy the warranty independently from the dealer on a second hand car, its usually far cheaper as most of what your paying is commission to the sales man see www.warrantydirect.co.uk/

It must have a bloody big petrol tank!

Automatic cars are actually quite dangerous for people with failing physical strength. Think about it - get your foot stuck on the pedal (or push wrong pedal in a moment of confusion) in a manual, vs an automatic. The manual is going to rev to hell but speed will be limited. The automatic will just get faster and faster.

IMO if your physical health can't handle gears, you should think about whether it can handle emergency stops and evasive manoeuvres. And i say this as a 30 year old with arthritis. When I consider that I can't change gears without pain, I think very carefully about driving at all.

But, to the point... dealer sounds like a scumbag.

Definitely sounds odd. There will be up sells but none of the ones you're describing. We bought our car in Oct and the garage paid our tax for us with lout asking for more.

Incidently, we're selling our car as we're emigrating. Automatic car 59 plate and good condition. Pm me if you want and can let you know more if your parents are interested and not too far.

As your parents have disabilities maybe it might be worth exploring Motability...

Essexmummy that is very useful thankyou. I didn't know that.

Coolie they have blue badge and whatever dla now is but not enough for a car apparently.

I did a huge amount of research before buying a car from a used car dealer -

Make sure you've researched which car you want but know what similar options are out there. Be flexible in colour and trim.

Offer substantially less than the screen price, particularly when you are paying the full amount there and then.

Be prepared to leave without buying.

Refer negotiations to a higher authority (I faked two phone calls to my husband to get his permission to offer a bit more).

When you're right at the end of the negotiations pretend to still be unsure. This is where you get a free tank of petrol, new mats, car cleaning kit etc.

Try to go just before the end of their sales run e.g. just before end of month/end of quarter/end of year.

I used these tips and got the following:

Screen price £6995 - paid £5250.
Car cleaning kit, mats, petrol. Teddy bear for my daughter. Free food and drinks for my daughter from the vending machine while we were negotiating.

And last but not least, they offered me a job! It was a really stressy cpuple of hours but all the research paid off. I didn't take the job though - it just highlighted how bloody slippery they are!

Oh yeah and do that thing where you say nothing and let them gabble to fill the silence.