Shortage of used cars?

Churchy

cpoh1 wrote: »

So a 3 year old car gets a year older and loses 5k and thats normal?

Anyone who discounts a car because the registration is blanked out of the ad is an idiot. Id put people who wont buy private in the same bracket, you'll get feck all guarentee from a dealer either on a car worth 10-15k besides the standard 3month engine and gearbox warranty.

Honestly lads im looking at private used cars online everyday thinking "wow what a bargain". There really is the world to choose from at the moment at sometimes astonishing prices. Ye're not looking hard enough lads. And remember what people ask for on carzone and get in reality are two completely different things! If someone has a price of 12k advertised on a car you'd be an idiot to pay anything over 11 in cash.

You've used the word idiot twice there - steady on we're trying to keep it friendly. If you want people who buy and sell 100's of cars a year to contribute at least listen to what we have to say.

BigZack

Spoke with a dealer earlier today. He was just back from a trip to a variety of auction houses in the UK. Wanted to purchase between 75 and 100 cars. Viewed over 7,000 and bought.......wait for it...........8!

rco2000

[quote=lifer_sean;61238074]So are you including in that comment all motor trade people who contribute to boards to try to advise all and sundry on their motoring questions as best they can, with no benefit to themselves ?

No, I am not including motor trade people who offer honest & valuable advice to Boards users - what made you think that???

So if you have a problem with a funny noise in your car you will accept our inputs
No, I don't have a funny noise in my car. My car is working fine thanks.

but you don't trust our opinion when it doesn't suit ?????[/quote]

:eek:

Mike...

lifer_sean wrote: »

So are you including in that comment all motor trade people who contribute to boards to try to advise all and sundry on their motoring questions as best they can, with no benefit to themselves ? So if you have a problem with a funny noise in your car you will accept our inputs, but you don't trust our opinion when it doesn't suit ?????

Seems that a few bad dealers tarnish the name of good fella's trying to make a living.. I would much rather buy a car from someone who appears knowledgeable like here on boards than from someone who I don't know offering a massive bargain online..

Thats just my 2c

rco2000

Mike... wrote: »

Seems that a few bad dealers tarnish the name of good fella's trying to make a living.. I would much rather buy a car from someone who appears knowledgeable like here on boards than from someone who I don't know offering a massive bargain online..


Sadly, there were more than a few bad dealers out there during the boom years. Unfortunately such was the extent of poor service from these motor dealers that they definetely tarnished the industry.

However in time I'm sure that the phoenix will rise again from the flames!

Saab Ed

BigZack wrote: »

Spoke with a dealer earlier today. He was just back from a trip to a variety of auction houses in the UK. Wanted to purchase between 75 and 100 cars. Viewed over 7,000 and bought.......wait for it...........8!

Lads its scary stuff out there. We cant get anything and values are going up not because the good stuff is rising but because you find yourself paying good money for cars with higher mileage etc that only 3 months ago you'd have left behind. I've been at auctions , repo yards in and out of main dealers and trade sellers and the stuff is just drying up. Theres very little to be bought out there. Worst bit is that the repos are starting to slow because the worst is over and the banks are getting cocky. If prices keep going up like this its gonna make it economical again to go to the UK even with the exchange rate as it is because it will be the only place you can get stock. My big concern about this is that its gonna leave the door wide open to the scumbags selling the clocked and crashed stuff which there is loads of here already. Big gaps in the market like that is exactly what the quick buck ropey dealers love to see.

Ted Striker

Having read through this thread there's some good and bad points IMO throughout. Having just sold my own car recently (Southern Reg) and been looking at other cars since end of last year (ROI, UK and NI) I'd like to make a few comments..

a) The decline in car prices is coming to a slow down, which is no surprise. Simple supply and demand. Lot of people are going for second hand cars when a few years ago they may have gone for new ones. People are wary with the economy at the moment and are being prudent. Theres no big surprise here.

b) Second hand cars are not (which seems to be the suggestion here) going to massively jump up in value and leave people paying much more for them. If this happens people will just not buy them. The general man/woman on the street will not pay 1,2 or 3k more for a car than it was 6 months/1 year ago. So prices will level again even if there is a slight increase for a period. People are not stupid and demand/supply will dictate prices. Dealers especially need cash flow.

From having looked myself over the past few months theres still some great value out there. It all depends what your after but in general cars are still much better value than they have been. Some makes/models are levelling off as I said (UK BMW 3 series M-Sport, years 06,07,08 for example) but the average saloon is, and in my opinion will be, good value over the next few years.

A lot of forecourt's I've been on are giving out the line that "second hand cars are becoming very scare" but in all honestly, when you question the how and why you find a lot (not saying all) is based on second hand conversations and anecdotes. I agree, as I've said, we are probably seeing the end of the very cheap cars, but I just don't buy the arguement that prices are somehow going to rise dramatically.

My advice to anyone looking to buy is simple, invest the time online. Use the mainstream sites to start with but branch off into doing your own research too, follow links to dealer sites, search for cars of choice, use ebay (even though I'm not a fan). You will find plenty value out there, and I believe, you will still find this over the next few years.

Also, and I know this is obvious, if you need to sell first make a big effort to sell your own car privately. Remember cash is king these days. Even if you have to reduce the price to much less that you think, you will still be better off once you walk into a garage forecourt with cash in hand. You'll find the 5k they offered for your trade-in really doesnt hold much water when your talking a straight cash deal.

Stevie Dakota

The UK is rapidly becoming a non option for some nearly new cars. I bought a 6 month old Focus a year ago for £12K, the same car now would cost me nearer £14K.

BigZack

Saab Ed wrote: »

've been at auctions , repo yards in and out of main dealers and trade sellers and the stuff is just drying up.

It was rumored that a lot of the banks decided to store their repos until the market levelled out. They were taking a beating at the auctions and felt it would be better to hold out until the market levelled off.

Don't buy that Aston Martin just yet!

Saab Ed

BigZack wrote: »

It was rumored that a lot of the banks decided to store their repos until the market levelled out.

Nah I wouldnt buy that. Sure the banks dont know their arse from their elbow. Still the same twonks in the same swivel office chairs taking the call and checking in with their superior as to can they or can they not except an offer. One good contact I have told me that " there wasnt a hope in hell they would sell that car ( Ford focus I was after ) because it was June and there was no way they would write off some much before the end of the second quarter" ( 10 grand by the way ) Sure enough the car was sold in the first week in July. You gotta remember no matter how many cars they take back its only a drop in the ocean compared to the property loans. Some of the guys at the top probably dont even know they have a repo yard . They dont care , its the same as before, targets and money in.

bf

Just a footnote on this - I have my 07 Passat up on Carzone and I have had calls from 3 garages this week offering strong cash prices (near asking) to buy it into stock. 2 didnt even want to inspect the car

Chatted to one of the guys & he said they were having real problems sourcing good used cars and they were getting most of their stock by trawling the private market as it offered the best value at the moment.

Big Nasty

bf wrote: »

I have had calls from 3 garages this week offering strong cash prices (near asking) to buy it into stock. 2 didnt even want to inspect the car

Interesting!

Now were these guys from the UK by any chance or asking you to part with €150 up front? Be very careful here - could be the next scam!

bf

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Interesting!

Now were these guys from the UK by any chance or asking you to part with €150 up front? Be very careful here - could be the next new scam!

No these are SIMI registered garages in the Dublin area (2 were main franchise dealers) - phone numbers are real & I made a point of calling them back to verify.

I know there are plenty of ads in the papers these days of garages offering to buy cars for cash, but from what i've read these are opportunists/offering very low money.

What i was struck by was these garages were offering decent money for my car

Big Nasty

If they were offering near the asking price why didn't you take it?

bf

MCMLXXV wrote: »

If they were offering near the asking price why didn't you take it?

I might still do yet!

I am negotiating on a car at the moment with a garage with my passat as a trade in & beign offered a far stronger trade in value than what I have the car advertised for - so there actually may actually be no benefit for me being a cash buyer....

Big Nasty

Well done so!

BigZack

Yep. It's definitely starting to have an impact. I was checking out the cars on the forecourts of the 'Motor Malls' recently and noticed a serious depletion in the numbers / quality of the stock.

Carawaystick

sk8board wrote: »

'08 subaru legacy diesels are non-existant. zero on Carzone

'

Subaru Diesels only came out 12 months ago- when the vrt changed. Why would anyone take a big hit selling and replace it with a different car, given the current climate.
Subaru ( Legacy and Forrester anyway) tend to keep their cars longer in the States and britain.

Big Nasty

Carawaystick wrote: »

Subaru Diesels only came out 12 months ago- when the vrt changed. Why would anyone take a big hit selling and replace it with a different car, given the current climate.
Subaru ( Legacy and Forrester anyway) tend to keep their cars longer in the States and britain.

Here's a few for ya!
http://www.cbg.ie/SearchResults.aspx