Hard to buy anything not from AC these days.

 

Salesmen have a reputation even among other salesmen for being 'feral'.

 

AC drives their guys very hard to sell. I have bought from them in the past but more recent experienced have led me to avoid them if possible.

Hard to buy anything not from AC these days.

Salesmen have a reputation even among other salesmen for being 'feral'.

AC drives their guys very hard to sell. I have bought from them in the past but more recent experienced have led me to avoid them if possible.

I went to look at a MKI Fabia vRS at an AC in Edinburgh a number of years ago - salesman wouldn't give me peace for a second to examine the car - I walked away and sneaked back only for him to pounce on me again.

Never actualy realised arnold clark was mostly a scottish thing....thought i was nationwide

But aye, a guy in my college class last year bought a nice shiney audi A5 but didnt remove the massive yellow arnold clark sticker so it just looked horrendus

Edited 29 March, 201511 yr by stu_mcl

The BMW dealer near me still retains the 'Harry Fairbairn' name - no doubt because most Beemer drivers would view buying a car with an Arnold sticker as a tad vulgar.

 Did Arnold Clark start off as " Cowies " or " Reg Vardey "  [ no,.........not him from On the Buses ) ( now Perter Vardey's )

No, I'm pretty sure he just started off using his own name - is Vardy not some religious nutter from NE England (think he funds / funded faith schools)?

Yep thats him, " Cowies " were a very big car seller but I think they got bought out by some one. Think they were one of the first to sell Muiti brands

Arnold Clark started off sometime around 1927 when his Mother & Father had probably never thought about a Used Car Empire in the Family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Clark

 

Peter Vardy is worth a bob or too as well.

I liked getting MOT's for £9.50 with Vouchers out of the Scottish Sun.

(Many a mickle maks a muckle.)

Edited 29 March, 201511 yr by goneoffSKi

Jings, he'll be 87 this year - maybe time to start winding down...

I dont know much about Arnold Clarke, but believe they are a big Scottish / Northern England dealer / lease company (?) being based in the south west but when I head up north I always notices the cars with big yellow stickers on the back.

Some of these are 'nice' cars that I'd thought people have brought because of looks and would take pride in them - just wondering why they then leave the big gopping yellow sticker on the back window - is it part of the lease or hp deal or something!?

 

Many - I'd say most - people never remove the dealer stickers. Even my old boy who's anal retentive about tidiness and cleaning leaves his on. Seems for many it just doesnt even occur to them.

 

The reason you're seeing so many is because they are massive as has been demonstrated already here, plus as you say they are a hideous bright yellow, so stand out more.

They(AC) also stupidly affix then to the exterior of the window instead of the more traditional interior window sticker. 

Edited 29 March, 201511 yr by loskie

As for the stickers... if you park within about a mile of an AC garage they'll slap a sticker on it.

 

For some reason AC stickers go on the outside.

 

I had a mate that had an AC car with more than a few problems (Fiat Bravo) every time it went back in they slapped a sticker on it  even when he specifically told them not to.

Eventually lost his head and went ballistic over it on about the 6th occasion (multitude of faults probably didn't help).

 

All the Merc garages here have been bought up by AC. I was seriously considering one until I discovered that.

 

My recent experiences were like Brian 69's, overly aggressive salesmen that take everything from the big book of ****e selling. I walked out the last time.

Found the same same saleman at a VW garage a year later and just turned round and walked out of there too.

Edited 29 March, 201511 yr by Aspman

They(AC) also stupidly affix then to the exterior of the window instead of the more traditional interior window sticker. 

Park's do that as well - I started to peel mine off but left it as it as you would have been able to tell a sticker had once been there.

If you watched the Documentary on the 'Killer A9',  you might remember the American Couple in the Motor Home noticed all 'Arnold Clark' stickered cars passing them.

 

I thought they were maybe thinking he was like 'Billy Graham',  

Surely not as bad as those odd few dealerships that actually have the dealership or company name stickers on the bodywork themselves rather than on or in the rear window..... That really would be a deal breaker for me if the dealership I was buying from did that......

Hopefully I will be taking possession of a new 1 series and as it has a titchy rear window, I have asked the dealer not to put a sticker on it. At the bottom, it reduces reversing view and at the top, you can't see if the car following you had lights on the top of it

 

But the main reason is, if they put it over the rear heated elements, it's easy to damage them taking the ruddy sticker off.

 

I wait to be disappointed when I see my new 1er :(

AC....................when they bough over the Skoda dealership up here I recon their sales plummeted..........................I see fewer New Skodas now, but way more new VW's as the VW dealership is still a reasonably good independent.........

 

It was another factor in me going VW this time around......................oh & the next nearest Skoda dealer is about 2 & 1/2hrs drive away..........

Surely not as bad as those odd few dealerships that actually have the dealership or company name stickers on the bodywork themselves rather than on or in the rear window..... That really would be a deal breaker for me if the dealership I was buying from did that......

There seemed to be a 'fashion' in the 90s for some dealers to actually glue a plastic name badge onto the paintwork! That would have been a deal breaker for me too. I don't know why people put up with it.

Yeah theres still loads of Fords from round here that have proper plastic 'Perrys' stickers on the back from 15 - 20 years back. 

My Bravo came from AC and in contrast to most people's experiences the sales chap was just fine. No high pressure tactics, a huge discount and a fair PX price.

Well they stick their name on the number plate, I don' see why I should not only advertise their business, but have an increased safety hazard added to boot (well not the actual boot if you see what I mean)

Someone mentioned "Sticky stuff remover".

WD40 is your friend

Discreet, not!

 

 

 

 

Given the numerous threads on here about the shoddiness of Arnold Clark every time I see a car with one in the window I just think 'unlucky'!

 

All the effort of a bespoke LED high-level brake light spelling out "Punto" and the fool leaves on the AC sticker 

 

Edited 7 April, 201511 yr by silver1011

Surely not as bad as those odd few dealerships that actually have the dealership or company name stickers on the bodywork themselves rather than on or in the rear window..... That really would be a deal breaker for me if the dealership I was buying from did that......

 

I hate that - Vindis is the one that springs to mind.

AC's not shoddy as such you just need to go there knowing what you're walking into. It's pile 'em high sell 'em cheap and load on the extras. There are gems to be had but you have to remember that AC is probably making 3x as much on finance, warranties and other bolt on than they are on the car. And there is a lot of pressure on their guys to move stock and not much incentive to be nice about it.

 

Sales staff are not treated well so many move on and you end up with the new guys straight out of sales school.

 

And they hate dealing with anyone that wants a straight deal. You get asked for you phone number to do anything and they'll phone you up for the next week making offers.

you'll get asked your budget before you open the door. Deals get quoted back at you as a monthly figure i.e. How much to change car ... £200 a month. They do the endless running to the manager thing for every item drawing it out as long as possible. I'm it's the same thing they did in Guantanamo.

 

Last time I was in I asked for a straight cost to change and the guy refused to give one and had a go at me for even asking.

 

I did buy an AC car in 2001 in their Aberdeen Ford branch, the guy was quity old school and no bother to deal with at all. I'm sure he got moved on.

Edited 7 April, 201511 yr by Aspman