Think of it another way. If you are getting £10K off a cracking £35K car with 5500 miles on it, any engine/drivetrain problems will show up within the (assumed) 3 year factory warranty. You could balance all the doom and gloom merchants opinions by either buying brand new or hoping that a newish 2nd hand car hasn't been thrashed or just as bad, run on long life oil between18-20K services. Even then I've seen new cars being driven off the ferry and whipped around the docks by staff and I didn't see much patient warming up going on there. The repairs will be carried out before you get it and you simply won't hand over the cash/cheque if it's not right on handover day.

When I bought my 1st Octy VRS which was 8 months old, the Skoda dealer salesman in York tried to bump up the agreed price by £750 alleging it had been misadvertised and underpriced, despite a clear picture of the price in the windscreen screen in the online advert. He also tried to offer me a low trade-in price. I walked away and told him, having driven up from Lincoln, that I was going for a pizza and a coffee and if he rang me within the hour at the previously agreed price and £500 additional trade-in (i.e. a fair price) I would do the deal. It worked, it wasn't arrogant, just fair and honest and I got a very good car. You seem to have worked out the pros and cons, if you like the car and it's a good deal then do it.

Walk away. If I was spending that amount on a car I'd expect it to be perfect. In fact any nearly new car should be perfect. I wouldn't take any car irrespective of condition just because it is the exact model and spec you want. There are thousands of cars available. Something else will come along. I study photos on dealer websites and if the interior is remotely worn or scuffed, it gets dismissed. I find the fact that this was a Volvo dealer and very pushy quite shocking, actually. Especially As I have been considering a V-40 too, but not a Polestar!

Think I'm going to have a look at a few websites like Carwow etc and get some quotes for a new one. You can either have a whole polestar pack which is about £5k or you can select individual parts of it like the exhaust system or the lowering springs or whatever. Maybe threatening to pull away from the deal may make the dealership offer a sweetener or something. And if they don't, I won't lose any sleep if I don't end up with the car.

I might go and pick up the car and it's been fixed perfectly, there aren't any problems with the car and I never have to deal with them again. Or, I go to pick up the car and they haven't done what they said they would or it's not done properly and I have issues getting it sorted. I got a reply from Volvo UK yesterday saying:

Dear Mr..

Thank you for your email.

I am pleased to read of your imminent purchase of a Volvo V40 T5. However, I am very sorry but we cannot give the reassurances you are requesting, as the purchase of your vehicle is a contractual relationship between yourself and Volvo Cars West London.

Therefore, it is the dealership that needs to answer these questions directly to you. I would be more than happy to refer your email to Volvo Cars West London requesting they contact you directly to offer the reassurances you are seeking and please do let me know by return if you would like me to contact the dealership on your behalf"

I had ask them if they could offer reassurances that the work would be guaranteed and I could take it to another dealer if there was any issues. So if anything did go wrong they wouldn't be interested lol. Is this the same stance that other car makers would have?

If they sort the issues with the car & you inspect it & are happy with it then you can use any Volvo dealer for warranty repairs & servicing,you dont have to use them ever again,however if there is a issue with the roof or the wheels a few weeks after you have the car then id say you will have to deal with the original dealer as they will need to get the company that did the wheels or the company that fitted the glass roof to rectify it,if the car is what you want then id wait until its fixed,inspect it closely & roadtest it & if your happy with it then buy it,if its not repaired correctly or your not happy with it then refuse it & ask for your deposit back,im sure it will be fine.  :thumbup:

Not exactly confidence inspiring from Volvo.

Will you get the deposit back is the question.

Edited 16 November, 20169 yr by tubbytommy

this posting may be of interest to you regarding the sunroof being damaged by keys,  a manufacturing fault perhaps?

 

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/416477-cracked-panoramic-roof/?hl=%2Bpanoramic#entry4752104

 

Unless I got this wrong but arn't we talking 2 different roofs here. The roof the OP is talking about is a Sunroof where as the Link to a thread is a Glass Roof, no a sun roof.  I would have thought the Glass roof would be part of the structure where as the Sunroof isn't.

 

I think..........

Will you get the deposit back is the question.

If they dont replace the roof & sort the wheels then id say yes,if they fix the issues he told them them about then it should not be a issue,if he just changes his mind & tells them he doesnt want it then im not sure. 

Not exactly confidence inspiring from Volvo.

Its the total opposite to how i was treated,they could not do enough for me & my car was perfect on collection & mine was 4 years old.I guess its down to how each dealer is,Volvo themselves contacted me 2 weeks after id had the car to ask about how i was treated by the dealer & if i was happy with the car etc.

Unless I got this wrong but arn't we talking 2 different roofs here. The roof the OP is talking about is a Sunroof where as the Link to a thread is a Glass Roof, no a sun roof.  I would have thought the Glass roof would be part of the structure where as the Sunroof isn't.

 

I think..........

On the advert its says its a panoramic roof & in the photo's it doesnt look like a normal sunroof but it doesnt look like it covers the whole roof either,it does look like its bonded to the roof & not a normal sunroof as such. 

Just read through this thread and without re-reading and picking out fine details, who said what etc etc

My gut feeling is

I wouldn't walk away

I'd run as fast as I could as long as I had my deposit in my hand

Essentially the car is 2nd hand been uncared for ' well it ain't mine ' attitude, it's now being sold at a loss and Volvo don't want to be directly involved

No disrespect but how many warning bells do you need

Sorry sometimes one has to be bluntly cruel to be kind

Its the total opposite to how i was treated,they could not do enough for me & my car was perfect on collection & mine was 4 years old.I guess its down to how each dealer is,Volvo themselves contacted me 2 weeks after id had the car to ask about how i was treated by the dealer & if i was happy with the car etc.

 

Yeah there are good dealer and there are awful dealers and it doesn't really matter what the brand is.

Even between salesmen at the same branch

Edited 16 November, 20169 yr by Aspman

You want the Dealership or the UK Manufacturers Customer Services (the importer) to tell you in writing because you asked.

 

Was it a Volvo UK owned / Dealership Demonstrator, a Media / Press car,maybe  loaned to Top Gear / Evo etc and given some track time, 

or what was it actually, because Volvo, VW/Audi/Seat, Mercedes, BMW 'Management Cars' are as much fiction as JK Rowling books.

Edited 16 November, 20169 yr by Offski

There are plenty of cars out there to choose from but if you are set on this one then get it as part of the sales invoice that the work will be done before collection. Any work done by a franchised dealer should be invoiced, and then will be subject to the normal manufacturers warranty which you can then use to your advantage. You could always go to your local dealer, ask to see what cars there are in Volvo national stock and see if there is one there to suit your requirements and budget.

Ian.

You want the Dealership or the UK Manufacturers Customer Services (the importer) to tell you in writing because you asked.

Was it a Volvo UK owned / Dealership Demonstrator, a Media / Press car,maybe loaned to Top Gear / Evo etc and given some track time,

or what was it actually, because Volvo, VW/Audi/Seat, Mercedes, BMW 'Management Cars' are as much fiction as JK Rowling books.

I was told it was given as a company car type thing to the showrooms top salesman, but they were being de-fleeted (probably not a word) and put up for sale to the public.

I think the plan for the time being is to keep eyes open for other cars and if the car isn't absolutely immaculate when I come to get it I'll be getting my deposit back and saying thanks but no thanks.

Thanks all again for your feedback and advice, it really is appreciated. I know a lot of you will have a lot more experience in buying cars than I do, and I feel I won't be risking to much if I do give them the chance to do everything they say they will and if not, instantly walking away.

If I do go ahead and complete the buying of the car, I'll certainly be sticking around on briskoda, the best forum I've found!

(so for the time being, there is a Fabia vRS for sale..)

Sounds about right, dealers buy cars as demonstrators which the sales staff and management use as company cars. The higher up the company the better car you get, they run them for about 3 months then, depending on when the manufacturer allows which is usually not sooner than the 3 months, they will sell them on as ex-demonstrators. Gut reaction is usually the right way and if it says walk away then do so, there are plenty more cars out there.

Ian

That was the way it was.

Now there will often be specced up models that on paper are Demonstrators but the general public wanting a road test hardly get near them because sometime down the line, 'friends or family' or even a GF / BF will be buying that one.

It was 3,000 miles / 3 months but with a premium model it might be 6 months now, and still a bargain to the 'Lucky Buyer'.

 

Just now with the likes of some Seat Ateca the demonstrator might be in the dealership fleet for 6 months as demand outstrips supply on some models.

The opposite with some apparently according to motoring journalist 'Hot Cake' BMW, Ford RS and the likes where some dealerships would be delighted to get registered cars sold.

The way the dealership seems to have dealt with you would have me running away,

 but,

if they had already repaired the car and prepared for sale before you saw it advertised...........

 

It's a gut feeling thing, and on what I've read I would now have colic.

 

 

 

.... I presume they'd have to refund the deposit if I did change my mind for whatever reason?

 

 

Possibly not. Check the small print.

So, is it normal for a dealership not to be able to do a handover until after 5pm on a weekend?

 

I'm meant to be picking it up on Saturday, but apparently because they 'are busy doing sales' on a weekend, he's not allowed to do the handover until after 5pm. It's not really a problem but it just seems odd. 

 

Also, my plan was to go on Saturday, check the car over once more and then should everything be OK, pay the remaining balance for the car. Now the way i was going to do this is pay £10k on my debit card, and then give my bank my authorization to pay the rest of the money to dealership directly (this is is via the banks car finance deal, i don't see the money). Then I'll owe the dealership nothing. I've spoken to the bank about it and they said the funds can sometimes take up to a few hours to reach their account but they'd only send the money when i said they could. However this also apparently can't be done now either as the accounts and admin department are closed on the weekend so they won't be able to confirm the money is there. They want the money (well, the money from the bank at least anyway) before hand. Again, is this common practice? Or is it just because payments from a debit card are fairly instant where as transfers from anywhere else would need confirmation? When i picked up my Fabia vRS (on a Saturday morning) i paid for the car then and that didn't seem to be an issue. 

 

I know quite a few people have said walk away and I please don't want any 'I told you so' but I seriously now am very very close to doing just that. Everything coming together now has just made the whole process difficult and stressful almost. I should be excited now not just.. a bit disappointed really with how everything has happened. The one salesman I've dealt with has been fine mostly apart from the usual salesman lines, I guess he's just been feeding back from the people above him. I've got an email to the dealer saying I'm on the edge of not coming anymore on Saturday sat waiting in my drafts to be sent. Would be interested to know what they're reply would be. 

 

I'll be annoyed that i'll probably lose my deposit but I'll still sleep OK if I do lose the car. I like it a lot, but I would have been more devastated if I'd lost the Fabia at the time! 

Edited 24 November, 20169 yr by MillsyVRS

^^^^^ another indication of their taking you for granted , or the old fashioned devious used car salesman.

I'd rock up and say waiting was too inconvenient for me and see what they think of the expression 'the customer comes first' and 'is always right'.

Amazing contempt for your position it seems.

^^^^^ another indication of their taking you for granted , or the old fashioned devious used car salesman.

I'd rock up and say waiting was too inconvenient for me and see what they think of the expression 'the customer comes first' and 'is always right'.

Amazing contempt for your position it seems.

 

How long does the handover process take? Can't be that long can it? Seems crazy and a bit ridiculous that it has to be after 5pm, not middle of the day like I was planning, especially when they've said the car is all and completely ready,

How long does the handover process take? Can't be that long can it? Seems crazy and a bit ridiculous that it has to be after 5pm, not middle of the day like I was planning, especially when they've said the car is all and completely ready,

How long does the handover process take? Can't be that long can it? Seems crazy and a bit ridiculous that it has to be after 5pm, not middle of the day like I was planning, especially when they've said the car is all and completely ready,

They have you emotionally over a barrel perhaps. And they know it.

They need a lesson and in the modern world of social media they should know they are shooting themselves in the foot behaving like that.

Don't they have any practical competition?.

They have you emotionally over a barrel perhaps. And they know it.

They need a lesson and in the modern world of social media they should know they are shooting themselves in the foot behaving like that.

Don't they have any practical competition?.

 

Competition in terms of other cars I'm considering? Or any other of the same cars from other volvo dealers?

Competition in terms of other cars I'm considering? Or any other of the same cars from other volvo dealers?

Are all Volvo dealers that casual in the treatment of their customers?.

Not being brand new, it seems you are a lesser person.

If I wasn't over a financial barrel, I'd drop them and start again.