UK Imports - Rip Off Margins

Sizzler

Have been looking around for a Passat / A4 the last few weeks (whilst also trying to sell my own car) and have done a lot of research on prices and VRT if I was to get up off my arse and make the effort to go find one in the UK, get the currency,drive back, ferry etc etc. But simply cant find the time so have been looking at the usual places so...

This wkend I went down to a local garage to see a 2005 Passat tdi which was advertised as having 15k on the clock, great spec and 1 owner, the price €27.950. As it turns out the car wasnt there as the garage owner had taken it home for the wkend :rolleyes: But the sales guy (who was approaching puberty by the looks of it) told me what he could from a scraggy note in his pocket, confirmed the mileage, condition blah blah and then says...its a UK reg....HELLO! So I says to him, how much is the car (for amusement) he checks his "notes" again and I tell him the same car could be brought in for less than €23K and he shít himself....I said thats a nice healthy margin and he tried to pass it off that he would have to speak to his sales mgr to see "what they could do". At this stage I had lost all interest and it was pure comedy to see him try and explain the price.

Rant over

I know the same car is in around the same price here if it was a genuine Irish reg'd but the fact they were making so much on it irked me.

From looking around the web there seems to be a LOT of garages around doing the same thing, imagine if there was no VRT, they would clean up :mad:

Jakey

If you genuinely think you can under cut him by that much you should consider going into competition, Cars like that are a commodity in Ireland so people are only worried about price and if your €2k cheaper than the guy down the road you'll be nice and busy!

bazz26

Sizzler wrote:

Have been looking around for a Passat / A4 the last few weeks (whilst also trying to sell my own car) and have done a lot of research on prices and VRT if I was to get up off my arse and make the effort to go find one in the UK, get the currency,drive back, ferry etc etc. But simply cant find the time so have been looking at the usual places so...

This wkend I went down to a local garage to see a 2005 Passat tdi which was advertised as having 15k on the clock, great spec and 1 owner, the price €27.950. As it turns out the car wasnt there as the garage owner had taken it home for the wkend :rolleyes: But the sales guy (who was approaching puberty by the looks of it) told me what he could from a scraggy note in his pocket, confirmed the mileage, condition blah blah and then says...its a UK reg....HELLO! So I says to him, how much is the car (for amusement) he checks his "notes" again and I tell him the same car could be brought in for less than €23K and he shít himself....I said thats a nice healthy margin and he tried to pass it off that he would have to speak to his sales mgr to see "what they could do". At this stage I had lost all interest and it was pure comedy to see him try and explain the price.

Rant over

I know the same car is in around the same price here if it was a genuine Irish reg'd but the fact they were making so much on it irked me.

From looking around the web there seems to be a LOT of garages around doing the same thing, imagine if there was no VRT, they would clean up :mad:

Yes I cannot image why someone would want to buy a UK import directly from an Irish dealer/trader for similar money as an Irish spec car. To me the idea of getting a UK import is to save money on the Irish equivilant model and to get a better spec car. To do this you should be going over to the UK yourself.

I think the thing to remember also is that some of these so called dealers or traders are also picking these cars up quite cheap at auction houses in the UK in bulk because they have failed MOTs, high mileage (at the time of purchase ) or cut n shut jobs. They are then sold on to the unsuspecting public over here at a healthy profit.

Lex Luthor

You've already mentioned you can't find the time to go over, so it looks like you have to bite the bullet. The garage will try to sell the car for the best price they can get so you cant fault them for that.

So stop moaning about it, either find the time and make the trip yourself and save the money or take it on the chin.

I've been looking for months for a car worth going over and was just about to make the plunge when I checked Carzone today and found an Irish one for less than I could import one. Keep looking and you'll find what you want

Sizzler

bazz26 wrote:

I think the thing to remember also is that some of these so called dealers or traders are also picking these cars up quite cheap at auction houses in the UK in bulk because they have failed MOTs, high mileage (at the time of purchase ) or cut n shut jobs. They are then sold on to the unsuspecting public over here at a healthy profit.

Funny you should say that ! The sales guy told me the owners son spends 6 months out of the year sourcing cars at UK auctions. Nuff said !

Sizzler

Lex Luthor wrote:

You've already mentioned you can't find the time to go over, so it looks like you have to bite the bullet. The garage will try to sell the car for the best price they can get so you cant fault them for that.

So stop moaning about it, either find the time and make the trip yourself and save the money or take it on the chin.

I've stopped moaning now

Will defo be making the trip now, rest assured. As the previous poster said whats the point of buying the car here at the same price as an Irish car and lining someone elses pockets

I was trying to highlight the rip off more so than my own personal mission

Lex Luthor

Sizzler wrote:

I was trying to highlight the rip off more so than my own personal mission

they're just trying to make an "honest" living

Guy:Incognito

Sizzler wrote:

. As the previous poster said whats the point of buying the car here at the same price as an Irish car and lining someone elses pockets

The point is that you dont have to do the donkey work, the same applies in all walks of life. Why buy anything here so?

Without meaning to stick up for th edealers but they arnt there to do you any favours.

If you are selling something would you put a ceiling price on it and refuse anything over that?

They will charge what people will pay.

JohnCleary

If you're not happy with the price, don't buy or show interest, simple as that