This may be my last post, as i have sold my Octavia Scout ( I have another post about that) and I wanted to share my selling experience and my view on main dealers. I have had the view for some time that dealers have an easy, ridiculously profitable life. If you part exchange a car nowadays, it is sold in the trade or underwritten before you even take it in, whereas at one time dealers would buy it and then work to resell it. It is risk free now. Dealers do not care what price they get as they just pass that on to you. Very little work is involved in making a deal. So how much profit do they make? I had difficulty in valuing my 1.8 tsi petrol Scout as I could find none for sale. Then one appeared in autotrader, both 2010 cars although it was a 60 reg whilst mine was a 59 reg., similar mileage, the other car was less well specced than mine and did not seem to have heated seats, detachable towbar or curtain airbags. My car was mint. The car advertised is on at £18995. I went to a BMW dealer in Wakefield, who went through the usual palaver of ringing Skoda dealers. Want to guess what he was offered by the nearby Skoda dealer for my Scout? £11000. A subsequent call to the Skoda dealer confirmed that this was the figure they would offer me direct. i canvassed many dealers but did not get as far as negotiating a figure, as I sold it privately to a nice chap from Lancashire for £15500. I was satisfied with that price, the buyer got a relative bargain and the dealers were kept out of the loop.

Now, I have been in business ( I am a self employed safety adviser now) and I understand the need to turn a profit, and the overheads that must be covered but is it me, or is that just rampant greed? I have no reason to belive that this sort of markup is atypical, so perhaps we need to be more aware just how much we are being ripped off? many people are afraid to buy and sell privately but perhaps it is the way to go. I like to think that I am a good judge of people. it is easy, online, to do a HPI check on a car, main dealers keep computerised records of service histories, so checking history and mileage is relatively easy (plus there may be MOT certificates and the VOSA system) and payments by bank cheque/bank draft can be checked for authenticity

As I said in my other post, I am unsure what to replace my Scout with. I may spend less than I otherwise would, becuase the more expensive the car, the more difficult it is to sell privately. I think many of us get locked into a cycle in which we spend quite a bit on a car and then feel locked in to regular changes via trade ins, losing out and lining the pockets of main dealers every single time. We get onto a merry go round, a "stealer's wheel" and it is difficult to get off. The experience of visiting many main dealer's is awful. In all modesty I know more about cars than most dealers, because I've had so many, all researched. They all go on the same courses and all come out with the same patronising guff. They compliment you on the condition of your car, offer you a hot drink to keep you there for at least twenty minutes and always have a reason why the car you are selling is not that desirable. They lack product knowledge and worse of all, they do not listen. I went into a Volve dealership the other day and asked the difference between a V50 and a V60. I was then given a fifteen minute lecture on how Volvo designations work including saloons, coupes, convertibles and esates. i knew all that, i just wanted the main differences between the v50 and v60 and whether the 60 was replacing 50. My wife was with me so I politely stood there and listened to his utter drivel. When I asked why the V60 has no spare wheel (or space for one, even a space saver, he said that Volvo research indicates that people get a puncture every nine years, so they provide a compressor and a can of gunk. It has been done for "environmental reasons" I said what if the gunk did not work (not uncommon apparently), or the tyre was damaged or unsafe? he said "pick up the phone and call the RAC!" I said what if it is 5.30pm or a Sunday and the tyre repair shops are closed? Most tyre shops will not repair a tyre with gunk all over it. What if they don't have a matching tyre? do I have to buy two?What if i'm on my way to catch a flight or to a job interview? He went quiet after that.

Don't get me wrong, i have met some decent salespeople, who seem genuine enough. They have to earn a living. But really, who needs it?

Ah, that will be DM Keith then.

Whilst in one of their branches having mine looked at Saw a 09 FL VRS saloon manual basic spec £18,500.

Got me pondering what mine would worth so out of curiosity asked for PX price against mine for exact same model and spec.

Mine is 10 VRS estate, DSG Heated leather, MFSW Bluetooth etc etc with 9000mls.

Cup of crap coffee, 30 minutes ******* about and hey presto £15,000 for mine. Would Sir like to sign up now?.

No Sir would not like to sign up now. In fact Sir would prefer to boil his head in a vat of acid and then burn his own car out rather than let you have it.

Look after your car, keep all the paperwork, clean it up and sell privately at a realistic price. Then go back to the dealer with a wad of cash and make them peel grapes for you while you consider your quite substantial options of who to grace with your custom.

Very nicely put

When shopping for my company car three years ago, I visited six dealers of various brands. Despite making it clear I had no trade in, cash waiting & knew what I wanted, only one rang back with a quote. Guess what? It was the Skoda dealer, who subsequently got my order for a vRS combi with extras.

The Ford dealer experience was gobsmacking. I walked in and started looking at the only Mondeo they had in the showroom. (Bear in mind that this was Ireland during the 'boom'-the premises was brand new.) After about ten minutes, I was approached by a 'suit' & asked 'was I ok?' I told him I was interested in a Mondeo estate, and that I would like a quote on a 2.0 TDCI 140BHP Titanium X spec. Simples.

'Well I have one downstairs I could show you'. Happy days, thought I, this is good.

Imagine my surprise when he led me down to their basement dungeon sorry carpark & showed me a silver Mondeo estate with wheel trims and black rubbing strips...........

Is this what I asked about? I enquired incredulously.

'Well this is the 1.6 with 110bhp-it's really quite quick you know, and it has electric front windows and passenger airbag as standard'........

For Pete's sake, I had basically just about handed him a sale on a plate & he ballsed it up spectacularly!!! When I made it quite clear it wasn't what I was looking for, he went on to say 'Well here's my card in case you change your mind'. His card bore the legend 'New Vehicle Sales Director'.........

:think: :wonder: