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monkey_boy

monkey_boy

monkey_boy

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EDIT- I should clarify that this is from a VX Main Dealer, rather than CarCraft, but the rip off proportions aren't worlds apart!

This isn't quite as bad as the muppet on here who bought the Clio for £19k or whatever it was, but still pretty hilarious IMO.

One of the guys I work with has been saying this week that he's in the process of buying a new shape Astra 1.4 Turbo. Not wanting to wee on his bonfire, we've just been listening to his excited noises about getting a new car. He's come from a 1.0 Y Reg Corsa 'Club' edition. As things have progressed, it's become more and more interesting.


The Car:
  • Astra 1.4 Turbo
  • No Alloys - Salesman said that if you hit a curb, they're scratched and ruined forever.
  • Red - Not a colour the new owner likes but they had it in stock
  • Aircon, CD player etc...
The Finance:
  • He told us the car was £15280. At first we thought this was before the 'discounts'. It's not.
  • He got £3000 'swappage' for his corsa. But only if he took the finance deal. He could have had 0% finance but would only have got £1600 for his car.
  • He got £1000 discount for having a 59 plate car rather than a 10 plate car.
  • He's had to pay £750 deposit
  • He will be paying £310 for 50 months. The first and last payments will be £650
  • The total credit he's had on the car is £14530, but the repayments alone will cost £19280 over the 5 years. That doesn't take into account the supposed £3000 he got for the corsa. Or the £1000 discount for a 'stock' model.
The Plus Side(!):
  • He doesn't have to worry about an MOT for the next 3 years
  • Tax has been paid for - for 6 months
  • He got mats and mudflaps thrown in
  • Full tank of fuel - They were only going to put £10 worth in.
  • The salesman says that he's best to swap after three years so that he doesn't lose too much money on the car or have to worry about warranty and MOT - How kind of him!
Some other details might come to light later, so I'm literally on the edge of my seat to see if he wakes up before the dirty deed has gone past the point of no return.
 
Last edited:
SeatIbiza said:
a 1.4 astra is £15k?
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That's £20k not including the part exchange.
Matt82 said:
maybe he doesnt care about cars or his money.

first to say "as long as hes happy"!
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Indeed. No-one has said much to him, just let him enjoy his massively expensive new car. He's a nice enough guy and isn't professing to having a great deal or it being the most amazingest car in the world, so may as well just let him be to be honest.
 
dannyjo22 said:
Well actually seems your not trying to talk him out of it, what a bunch of ****s you guys seem to be tbh. You say he's a nice guy so why not help the dumb ****er out.
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He's not asked for advice, so why push it on him? Normal people don't go around telling people that they've done it all wrong and should've done it differently.
He's happy with his purchase and is taking delivery of it today. How is telling him he's dumb and could have done it better going to help? He'd do what the vast majority of people do and shrug and say 'oh well' and do it anyway, but just feel a bit more down about it.
 
MrLOL said:
this is the old shape model i take it ?

the one that they're desperate to get rid of old stock for because the new model is now being offered if you do a factory order ?

so he gets rid of old stock, and charges him a bucket load of finance in the process

Yikes :(
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No it's the new shape. It's looks quite nice for what it is and is supposed to be quite a major improvement over the old one.
 
MrLOL said:
thats not that bad then.

its the brand new motor just out, so its bound to be expensive. If he likes owning new cars and is quite content at paying £19k for an 1.4 astra then theres not much you can do to persude him otherwise.
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Not trying to persuade him. Like you say, it's his choice. I just think it's pretty poor of a main dealer to take people for a ride like that, but then if people are willing to pay then why wouldn't they do it. *shrug*
 
Mucky_Pup said:
I'm looking into new car territory at the minute as one of my options to replacing my dying car, haven't committed to going to an actual dealer yet to be pedalled with b.s. but I will report back any strange findings or offers I get, lol.

and...



Why spend that much money on a car, only to be let down in the looks department with the wheels?
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I think you'll be pedalled bs wherever you go tbh. Places like here and PH can be REALLY useful for (usually) objective opinions about cars. Have you posted a spec me a car thread yet?

I genuinely don't think the guy is interested in alloy wheels in the slightest. The only reason he should have them IMO is for when he comes to sell it.
 
dannyjo22 said:
If a nice guy at my work was doing something so stupid I'd actually help the guy find a better deal or show him on paper why the deal is so bad.

A guy at my old workplace did a similar thing with a civic type R. I didn't put him down or even post on the internet to tell everyone how dumb he was I helped him. I asked him how he feel if I saved him 4k. He said he's be over the moon. I found him a deal on a better car without him getting ripped off so much.

He bought me dinner and a pint as a thankyou. You can help someone without making them feel an idiot.
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I'm not putting him down, the thread is more about what dealers can and do get away with yet the customer can still leave perfectly happy. :)
 
matt_fsr said:
Is it a serious mistake though? It's a serious expense of cash, that I wouldnt personally do, but mistake?

If nobody bought cars at these silly prices, the dealers would pretty soon be out of business.

That said, if he's earning £12-13k per year, then yes its a pretty serious mistake! :p

£20,000 and no alloy wheels. Before buying this car he should take £1000 out of the bank in £10 notes, and count it 20 times, and see if he really feels as if the car is worth that much money!
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He earns a decent wage, has a house but no mortgage and has quite a lot of disposable income. I do think he sees it more as a monthly figure rather than actually spending £20k on a car. Having said all this, I'm not sure he could get a better deal by getting a personal loan. He had trouble getting the finance because he's never had any credit before. He says that they asked him for an extra £500 deposit. I thought that this was just a fee, but apparantly it's brought his monthly payments down so it does just look like its a bigger deposit.
 
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