The car market is crashing...keep your eyes open for bargains

[digit]

It does mean cars such as Mondy ST220s are getting nice and cheap, though...

Well i'll be dammed!! There is a mondeo st220 on autotrader with 43k miles for £7,495!! Could well be affordable by next year when the price will only be lower .. Must resist spending placement earnings on a car!!

[Raz316]

I've been looking around on autotrader alot recently and some of the prices are dangerously tempting, seems I've managed to start saving some pocket money at just the right time! I'm still considering an E30 again though.. hmmmmm, what's a guy to do!?

[joshwa]

All the small engine cars seem to be overpriced and right bangers and the sellers don't seem to want to budge on price... big cars on the other hand...

[Howard]

And thus, small engined cars are rubbish and big cars are better value

[badass]

true. But....the VED is the reason that many people are binning (well....trying to bin) their cars though. Why? Because they're not all that bright.

Having lost a small fortune on the CAR, many people then go and have it serviced somewhere less than efficient to save £50 on the labour rate at a main dealer....and thats silly too. But it happens. Every day, someone goes to Halfrauds/KwikFit/anyother for a service because the Main Honda/Toyota /other dealer wants "too muh money" and then gets low grade exhaust and brake components fitted cos Halfrauds are the Upsell kings.

Main "stealars" are a complete rip off and the quality of work you get from them for the price paid is pathetic. Hellfrauds are just as bad. Independant garages may vary enormously but a good one is definately the best value.

[wombar]

Main "stealars" are a complete rip off and the quality of work you get from them for the price paid is pathetic. Hellfrauds are just as bad. Independant garages may vary enormously but a good one is definately the best value.

Yup, I have only once taken any of my cars to a main stealer and never again will I set foot in there. I booked it in for an MOT and service, they managed to quote me for things that blatantly didn't need doing totalling up to ~£750 not including the service or MOT. They said I needed a new headlight cluster at a cost of £150 + fitting. When I got it home, I simply clicked a clip back into place and that was it fixed, and it's still going strong after 4 years.

Unless your car is under dealer warranty or you're desperate to keep up the dealers service history, it's generally not worth going to a stealer. A full dealer history is unlikely to increase the resale on a car by more than £1k (dependant on make/model of course) and you'll most certainly pay that out in excessive charges over the years.

Find a good indy who knows your make of cars and you'll generally receive more competent service and a significantly cheaper bill. Of course there are plenty of indy specialists out there who are just as crooked as the dealers, but that's life I'm afraid.

[Vimeous]

I feel I must stick up for at least one Main Stealer.

I have had nothing but superb service and reasonable pricing from the Gloucester Arlingtons Honda Garage.
However their sister branch of Honda in Cheltenham, Brooklyn Toyota in Gloucester and Cheltenham all over-quote for the most basic of services.

It's such a shame so many of us mis-spend hundreds of pounds while searching for even the most basic of quailty service.

[99Flake]

There are some very good main dealers around and some god awful ones.

In my area the Vauxhall garage is possibly the worst dealer I have had the misfortune of going to, I bought an Escort from there and it was covered by their Network Q warranty, unfortunately it developed faults in its warranty period and every time I took it for repair they tried to wriggle/charge me/broke something else in the process.

One time they took over 4 weeks to fix my steering rack claiming they were waiting for a new Ford rack as they were out of stock. Got the car back eventually and the invoice showed a new rack had been fitted, independent inspection showed that they had helicoiled the pipe that had come out back in. So they are liars as well as useless, oh and they are very rude.

On the other hand the local Lexus dealer is fantastic and very helpful, only got mine a week ago and went in to inquire about new carpet mats and whilst I was there they took the car in checked it over and informed me of a recall that needed doing (this is an 11 year old car),no charge whatsover and I turned up at 4.45.

[Funkstar]

Another good main dealer is Specialist Cars in Aberdeen (WV and Audi). I would also guess that John Clarke BMW would be good, they are the same company.

Granted the VW arm is probably more expensive than an independant garage, but the service i've had off them over the years has been great. And i'm pretty confident they haven't charged me for unnessesary work.

[Zak33]

A good dealer is a thing of greatness.

Troulbe is, they thenget taken over by a big dealer group,eho inevitably kill off the passion for the product, make people's jobs harder, mess the staff about and lose the magic.

There are a few good Main Dealers left.....and I know some of them

[99Flake]

A good dealer is a thing of greatness.

Troulbe is, they thenget taken over by a big dealer group,eho inevitably kill off the passion for the product, make people's jobs harder, mess the staff about and lose the magic.

Sounds remarkably like when inchcape took over L&C, very sad day when the L&C dealers became Cooper. Lost all the charm of being a successful private dealer and became soulless.

So many people left at that point, myself included.

[Guy]

Well i'll be dammed!! There is a mondeo st220 on autotrader with 43k miles for £7,495!! Could well be affordable by next year when the price will only be lower .. Must resist spending placement earnings on a car!!

If your willing to go for a slightly higher-millage then you can get a ST220 with 82k on the clock on a 52 plate for £4950!

Theres a handful around at that price!

*must resist urge*

They do look good in blue, and with Recaro's and a sweet V6!

[Guy]

FFS Double post!

[hitman67]

If your willing to go for a slightly higher-millage then you can get a ST220 with 82k on the clock on a 52 plate for £4950!

Theres a handful around at that price!

*must resist urge*

They do look good in blue, and with Recaro's and a sweet V6!

If you think they are cheap, look at Foci ST170s! Stupidly low money for a very very sweet car. Part of me still wants to make my TDCi into a 170 replica.

[Guy]

If you think they are cheap, look at Foci ST170s! Stupidly low money for a very very sweet car. Part of me still wants to make my TDCi into a 170 replica.

Please don't the resale values will be awful! Now't wrong with a TDCi.

Id still have the mondeo over the Focus ST 170.

V6 or standard 4 pot.

Leather heated Recaro's v.s part cloth part leather seats.

Im not saying the Focus is a bad car, just not really special enough for a 'hot' version.

Doesnt really look the part either.

[Howard]

Im not saying the Focus is a bad car, just not really special enough for a 'hot' version.
.

Too expensive, too, for what is really a >5 year old Focus