Team-BHP - Second Hand Car Dealers - what value do they bring?

^^^ That is a generalized & a practical statement.
To me a good dealer is the one who has...
1. Good cars that range (or can find one) from Matiz to Merc & does a PDI, allowing a test drive only as co-passenger
2. When I buy from them, gives me a gurantee that the car will be good one & trouble free ownership for some amount of time
3. Leaves me to confuse as which one to pick rather than making me confuse which one is good

I'm willing to pay 2% or even 5% as commission for something more than screening job which anyone can do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 1990124)

I've said this before, and will say it again : There is no such thing as a good used car dealer. You can get awesome cars from rogue dealers, and pathetic cars from the reputable ones. Whether you end up with a great car or not depends on the previous owner (and NOT the dealer).

Well said GTO, completely agree with you. Both the cars and two two-wheelers I bought in Bangalore have been used ones.

The first one, Santro, was bought from a dealer. Though I was and am still happy with the deal. I realized later that the car was refurbished a bit. But at that time I was not that experienced and only thing I checked was driving the car and was also tight on budget and it was good option.

All the others have been purchased directly from the seller. For OHC, it was VP in my wife's office selling it and it was well maintained. 3-4 other people in her office wanted to buy it, but fortunately we got the deal first. For Activa, it was my colleague going to US and for R15 got it through online ads.

I think used car deals works best when you have time on your side. As was mentioned in some other thread one should keep the eyes open for look out for a good vehicle, once you find something get it checked and go for it.

I would consider buying from a seller to be better, though it takes time and energy

Quote:

Originally Posted by aargee (Post 1990177)

What you have is an idea of a good dealer.
The real world is a whole lot different.

My family changed 6 cars during 2009-2010 mostly from dealers. I have experienced mix liasons with various car dealers in Mumbai, Vapi, Valsad and Vadodara. Bought a car from a vapi dealer who promised quality at a steep price, a Valsad dealer was absolutely interested in a deal be it a badly owned car. We bought a car from a Dahisar based dealer duo, who managed to sell cars at a very reasonable quote. After paying up we noticed that the rear tyres had become malformed so the ride had become rocky like an Essel world ride. He refunded the additional expenditure incurred to us. Last deal was made in Juhu, the dealer words '' all is in perfect condition'' left us stranded on the highway.

Lesson learnt. Never trust shining ambience, interpret their marketing skill and best to pay a little more and buy from the seller directly. Keep away from all such dealers who talk big. I have noticed these pre-owned car sellers getting a margin on more than 25k on a car worth 3L. Most of them never possess insurance of the car they are about to sell. Some of them have the audacity to sell cars after reseting the odo to around 50k kms, this fact can ruin our dreams of owning a less driven carefully maintained used car. Always have ample time in hand to notice squeaks and niggles. There is nothing like trust and emotion in used car business. Buyer view should be analytical and should never feel good bargains are tough get. Used car market is flooded with cars. A new trend of buyers travelling interstate and buying very good quality assured guarantee packed cars has also developed. I sold a car to guy who came from Kannur to buy a car, and I pushed his RTO NOC formalities and also a driver as promised in hours and there he is. While there are sellers who show actual meter reading honestly. We bought a car from a private seller (non-dealer) who wished to have cheque payment and we did so. He was very cooperative and his car turned out to be just what he had described over the phone. This deal was made on the phone without inspecting the car and delivering payment. He was extra kind enough to let the delivery at a location outside his city, but we ensured RTO transfer in a week Overall beautiful experiences with most roadside dealers rather than people owning yards of cars. They have a fixed alliance with local garage guys who follow up tuning of cars they buy before selling them again. Two of our cars were delivered with clogged fuel-injector nozzles which were made good by the dealer sent mechanics at no charge.

My exp with used car dealers has been terrible. They would lie on your face about the cars usage, odo reading n the general condition. When confronted with facts & proof they would simply feign ignorance. I was told by a dealer about a 2009 WagonR in good condition & we went to see the car. The seller was another dealer, posing as the owner's brother and when he pulled in the car at the common meeting point I didnt even want to have a test drive of the car. While going back I simply asked my dealer if this was his definition of a good car.

Online/Print ads are filled with dealers posing as owners. I've seen at least 2 dealer cars in person, who claimed otherwise.

Given a choice I would much prefer to deal with the seller directly.

The facilitation of Transfer of Ownership related work is a good value add though

Used car dealers are like hawks. There are few people who actually know about cars in their premises. Rest of them are sales people and will try to convince based on the looks of the car.

I have bought many used cars for myself and for my friends. I have learnt the nuances of the game and certain key parameters that will show a good owner to a bad owner of the previous car.

Once you determine that, then it is left to the condition of the car. One of the major things you can do is check with the dealer on the details of service of the car. Ofcourse you need to know somebody for this.

So far I haven't seen a honest guy.

During my rally days, I needed to buy a used RX100 urgently. Went over to this street that has a bunch of dealers.

Checked out one bike, rode it and asked about the history. Dealer said owner lives nearby and I'll call him. Middle aged guy shows up and says, "I work for Indian Railways and bike was used to ferry wife and kids."

Decided to look at more bikes. Next day came back to see some more and I see our 'Railways employee' is actually another dealer few shops away busy talking to customers.

Sample of what dealers can do:
One of my friend's (also T-Bhpian) friend wanted to sell his car (2004 model, a rare breed). A dealer pretending to be an enthusiast picks up the car for 3.5 lakhs.

Seller is shocked to see that it was a dealer who picked up the car who has advertised all over the web quoting 7 lakhs!

Car is unsold for more then 6 months. Prices keep dropping till 5.5 lakh. meantime the dealer is posing as a individual and trying to sell the car.

Few days back the car has changed hands and the new dealer (probably the biggest in Bangalore) puts it up for sale, quoting 7 lakhs and claiming it is a 2006 model.

Another thing probably the buyer will never be told is that it is a Delhi car re-registered in Bangalore.