Well as described in another thread, we are into serious car buying mode, chosen model being a Ford Fiesta auto, Max budget 7.5k
Today we toddles over to Car Giant. I gave them a slating earlier on, but I have to eat dirt and say they have honest cars at good prices and a hands off selling attitude. Anyway, two are of interest
This one
www.cargiant.co.uk/Ford/Fiesta/details-635838-Ford-Fiesta.asp?viewtype=0
Good car, a good buy BUT
1/ It has a slight scratch on the passenger door, with white undercoat showing - Nicole will turn this into a black and white panda in an instant.
2/ Looks a rugger to keep clean, its been recently washed not driven anywhere, and already it looks streaky and naff - some black cars are like that.
So dismissed
And this one.
www.cargiant.co.uk/Ford/Fiesta/details-629309-Ford-Fiesta.asp?viewtype=0
It had a couple of battle scars to the nearside front, they were "rubs" that had taken the paint off the bumper and the adjacent front wing edge (thats why its priced slightly down) BUT the light undercoat made them not obvious and I would guess it would wear other supermarket scars well.
Nicolle didn't want it. "Its got marks on it - I am not spending that amount of money for a car with marks on it" "No dear, quite right dear I mean its not as tho you won't keep it pristine is it dear"
Anyway its the car I would have walked away with and maybe spent 75 quid at dentmaster, but not to be - sigh.
On the way back I said "Lets drop into Car craft"
Now I know car craft at Chertsey well, they have a unique sales model. They are there to sell finance not cars, and sell on price not your choice of car, Only one guarded entrance, you don't get to see the cars till you have been washed over by a salesman. I have bought there before and you can really beat them down if your nerves are good - I enjoy the battle there.
Anyways in we wander, and sure enough a young salesman who knows naff all bout cars latches onto us and proffers a hand.
I pointedly look at his hand, look up at his face and put my hands in my pockets. "I am here to buy a car not make friends"
"Sit down here he says, coffee? he says"
Pointedly stay standing and say "Got any Fiesta Autos"
Turns out they have one, and he walks us over to it. Its a 2012 priced up at £9995.
"Out of our price range" says I
"Price is negotiable" says he
"Give you 8 grand says I" - jokingly
"Lets see the manager see if we can do that says he"
"yeah right" says I "the old manager trick"
So in we wander, sit down - 5 minutes later he comes back and says
"manager says you can have it for £8,000"
CLONK - thats the sound of my jaw hitting the table.
Now we hadn't really looked the car over having baulked at the sticker price, so I was in instant "suss mode" "How many miles has it done says I"
"Want a test drive" says he
So when it rolls up outside and I climb in all is revealed 59k miles. But its a cracker, it drives like brand new, rock solid, the engine is well run in and very free and sprightly, autobox feel spot on, the body is pristine, newish pads, great tyres, its a goodun.
But at 59k with nicole doing 12k a year it will be worthless in a heartbeat so its a no go.
BUT £9995 down to £8k, I am so tempted - buoyed by my clearly superior car dealing skills. so we wander off home
Get home, check their web site, and find this.
www.carcraft.co.uk/used-cars/detail/1044444/ford-fiesta-1.4-edge-5dr-auto?searchId=48202685&provideBackButton=true
The bar stewards would have dun me up like a kipper.
A 2.2k difference between web price and sticker price - Gits.
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>> Gits
Indeed + too many miles, I'd have gorn for the black beauty @ cargiant.
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>> Indeed + too many miles, I'd have gorn for the black beauty @ cargiant.
Me too, as mentioned elsewhere, black felt pens are cheap !
Edit - I like Fiestas.
Double edit - Mercedes put some gunk on my paint which makes the dirt run off quite effectively. Got a bottle of it somewhere.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sun 9 Mar 14 at 17:19
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Actually, with hindsight I am pleased I drove it. Its proven to me that the car wears it miles well, its clearly been a hard driven company car (sold before it hit the 60k lease milage limit) and has reinforced the choice of make and model as a good one.
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The missus has a black Fiesta - great car apart from the colour!!
I had to buy a spare wheel and tyre off Ebay - don't come with one as standard.
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>>I had to buy a spare wheel and tyre off Ebay - don't come with one as standard.
What about the jack and wheel brace, you're stuffed without them?
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>>What about the jack and wheel brace, you're stuffed without them?
If she gets a flat at home can use my jack and wrench, if gets a flat out on road we have breakdown recovery who will do it.
She can't work the remote control, the ipad or the I-ron so I don't expect her to be able to use a jack!
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>> its clearly been a hard driven company car
I would tend doubt that - you said the body was pristine but in my experience hard driven company cars really show their mileage.
It *might* have been SMART repaired before being returned at the end of its lease.
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>> >> its clearly been a hard driven company car
>>
>> I would tend doubt that - you said the body was pristine but in my
>> experience hard driven company cars really show their mileage.
You dont do 60k miles in under three years without hard driving
>>
>> It *might* have been SMART repaired before being returned at the end of its lease.
Must have been - not a stone chip on it.
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>> its clearly been a hard driven company car
Wearing Landsail LS288 tyres - wouldn't want to work for that company (unless Carcraft popped them on as they were on the nubbins and didn't want to shell any more than necessary)
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>> >> its clearly been a hard driven company car
>>
>> Wearing Landsail LS288 tyres - wouldn't want to work for that company (unless Carcraft popped
>> them on as they were on the nubbins and didn't want to shell any more
>> than necessary)
They would be fine for suburban work.
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>> >> >> its clearly been a hard driven company car
>> >>
>> >> Wearing Landsail LS288 tyres - wouldn't want to work for that company (unless Carcraft
>> popped
>> >> them on as they were on the nubbins and didn't want to shell any
>> more
>> >> than necessary)
>>
>> They would be fine for suburban work.
>>
It was probably on a full maint lease and those are all the lease company would authorise as the car neared the end of its lease. Happened to me once - I can't remember the tyres they put on but I had to adjust my driving to stop the ABS from cutting in all the time and it had never done that before.
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You don't want a titanium - the wheels are a pig to clean.
SWMBO is on her second 1.4, disappointed that she can't have a third. Tried telling her it has been replaced by a 1.0 turbo but she still wants another 1.4.
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If I recall correctly Carcraft were originally an FSO or Yugo dealership in Rochdale.
If I AM correct they had a real reputation in the day for offering £1000 PX on ANYTHING ad selling, as you said, monthly payments above all else.
They had a terrible reputation as stitch-up merchants and hard sell specialists.
If it is them - it worked out for them!
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Seen a few 63-plate Suzuki Kizashis at 13 grand with a handful of miles.
Might as well blow the budget for a ghetto-Lexus.
edit: Carcraft?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BVQ3ln5wyw
Few swearies in the comments but I like the irony at 5:10
"Every car has gone through a 120-point check by a team of expert mechanics"... and the the Ka proceeds to drive of sans a taillight.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sun 9 Mar 14 at 22:10
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>> And this one.
>>
>> www.cargiant.co.uk/Ford/Fiesta/details-629309-Ford-Fiesta.asp?viewtype=0
>>
>>
>> Anyway its the car I would have walked away with and maybe spent 75 quid
>> at dentmaster, but not to be - sigh.
>>
When I first saw this one I thought that was a Jersey plate, and thereforea car to avoid. But I think it's a private/poser plate which might indicate a careful user (as opposed to the usual ex-renters often foundation Car Supermarkets).
Surely you can persuadevNicole to think again.
P.S. glad you found Car Giant better than you thought.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 10 Mar 14 at 10:06
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>> When I first saw this one I thought that was a Jersey plate, and thereforea
>> car to avoid. But I think it's a private/poser plate which might indicate a careful
>> user (as opposed to the usual ex-renters often foundation Car Supermarkets).
>>
>> Surely you can persuadevNicole to think again.
as you say - private plate, comes with it - Meaningless to us, and nothing wrong with ex renters.
Bought an ex rental clio once, 6 months old with 18k on it. It was a cracker and did another 6 years with no issues.
>> P.S. glad you found Car Giant better than you thought.
>
Yes eat dirt time - liked it
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For another £800.00 you could have had my Beemer...less miles and faster, much faster and probably as economical ! :0
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not sure the hooker look would go down well her patients.
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I hired an early Fiesta in Belfast back then and hated it, and I've met a couple of nasty abused and neglected sheds of early examples. Horrid things.
But a friend took me out the other day in his new sweet little 3 cylinder one which was totally different. Obviously recent ones are a different kettle of fish altogether. Amazing what a difference 20 or 30 years can make to a model name, what?
Nicole's being picky.
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>> Get home, check their web site, and find this.
Why didn't you do it there and then with your iPhone instead of waiting until you got home?
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I know where there is a beautiful blue manual fiesta you can have with only two owners...
Redundant now because of the sunshine and Bertha being used from today for work!
Pat
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>> >> Get home, check their web site, and find this.
>>
>> Why didn't you do it there and then with your iPhone instead of waiting until
>> you got home?
Because I left my bag of hindsight behind.
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www.carcraft.co.uk/used-cars/detail/1044444/ford-fiesta-1.4-edge-5dr-a
uto?searchId=48202685&provideBackButton=true
Amazingly it says Low Mileage on the windscreen.
Last edited by: andyfr on Mon 10 Mar 14 at 09:18
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mm
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Mon 10 Mar 14 at 12:28
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>>>> Get home, check their web site, and find this.
Wow. Hadn't realised (though guess I'm not surprised) this was common practice.
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The deed is done..
Deposit paid on a 2010 red Fiesta Zetec auto, 22k miles up - £6895.
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Sounds good. What engine is that?
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Did they throw in a set of winter tyres?
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...and a bottle of touch up paint?
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And a set of (cough) heavy-duty 'bus bars'*?
*Similar in function to the 'roo bars' fitted in Australia.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 15 Mar 14 at 16:43
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Bought a red felt tip, thanks for the tip.
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>> Sounds good. What engine is that?
The front type.
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good choice - the missus wishes hers was red instead of black.
She has the 1.25 manual and one of the niggles with it is if you have demister setting set to windscreen the air con automatically is on and its very noisy!!
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Longer and wider than a Polo. Only saying...
I'm sure you'll find a way of dropping that into a conversation. Door mirrors on certain cars, for example, can be quite costly I gather.
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>> Longer and wider than a Polo. Only saying...
>>
>> I'm sure you'll find a way of dropping that into a conversation. Door mirrors on
>> certain cars, for example, can be quite costly I gather.
I'm hoping that, like the polo, you can buy parts and bits of the mirrors.....
I had to strip apart and replace the indicator section of the polo one to pass the mot. The new one has front parking sensors as well as rear ones.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 15 Mar 14 at 19:54
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You can see Carcraft buyers down at Blackbushe. Why don't you cut out the middle man?
Wouldn't touch Car Giant. From dodgy beginnings and personal experience they have grown due to pile them high, sell them "cheap". You get what you pay for and they tend to be ex fleet stuff.
Why don't you just buy a low mileage private sale that's been carefully looked after with good history. Much cheaper and better option.
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>> Why don't you just buy a low mileage private sale that's been carefully looked after
>> with good history. Much cheaper and better option.
>>
>>
Perhaps because, as he says, "the deed is done"?
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Nothing wrong with a decent ex-fleet car. Not all Company cars are abused and come to that a lot of private owners aren't particularly careful with their motors. Especially the 3000 mile a year brigade. A lot of private owners also have a far from realistic idea of what their car is worth.
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>> Wouldn't touch Car Giant. From dodgy beginnings and personal experience they have grown due to
>> pile them high, sell them "cheap". You get what you pay for and they tend
>> to be ex fleet stuff.
Indeed they were honest motors you do indeed get what you pat for and that's a good thing
>> Why don't you just buy a low mileage private sale that's been carefully looked after
>> with good history. Much cheaper and better option.
>>
I got a low mileage, well looked after car at private buyer price levels but with comeback and ford dealer warranty. Car is ex Ford company fleet registered in Dagenham
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>> Car is ex Ford company fleet registered in Dagenham
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Wonder what it's been used for? It's very old for a manufacturer fleet, yet also pretty low mileage for its age.
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Looks like a good price. Hope it serves well. Are Fiestas the TC auto you were looking for then?
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>> Looks like a good price. Hope it serves well. Are Fiestas the TC auto you
>> were looking for then?
No, not TC, kinda gave up on that requirement. The Ford box has been around a while tho, and does not seem to have massive reliability issues.
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>> >>
>> >> Car is ex Ford company fleet registered in Dagenham
>> >>
>>
>> Wonder what it's been used for? It's very old for a manufacturer fleet, yet also
>> pretty low mileage for its age.
1st registered owner Ford (6 months) , 2nd private buyer 3 years, now us.
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>> 1st registered owner Ford (6 months) , 2nd private buyer 3 years, now us.
>>
Ah, that makes sense.
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Zero, has the missus got the car now?
Can you tell me if it is very noisy with the air con on?
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everyday tale of car buying. - Dog
