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CarGiant - another rather happy customer. (long)

CiniO

As cargiant was mentioned here mostly positively on this forum many times, I decided to get a car in there as well. I went earlier this week.

In general, while not everything was perfect, generally it's a place worth visiting when someone is looking to buy a car in UK.
I found the model in which I was interested on their website at the afternoon, and gave them a ring. They confirmed some facts (f.e. who was the previous owner/ if it has full service history in main dealer, etc). Eventually I reserved a car (no deposit) as they said they can hold any car for Irish customers for up to 24h. (also it would be bit risky to put deposit on a car you haven't seen yet).
Anyway - I booked a flight straight away for next morning (Knock to Luton) - came up about 50quid with ryanair so I was really happy.
From Luton to Cargiant you can get pretty easy. One of the bus companies to Central London for 10 pounds + Bakerloo tube line. Took me less than 2h to get to Cargiant.

In there I was taken care by one of their sales staff. He showed me to the car. And let me stay with the car for as long as I wanted. I took a really proper look, but I wasn't happy with few things. Generally on the pictures car looked flawless, while in reality is wasn't as great. Few scratches. Interior pretty worn. Strange smell (maybe someone was carrying animals in there).
Prices at cargiant are not negotiable, so all this wouldn't let me haggle the price. The guy said that interior and exterior can be cleaned and valeted up to the greates shine, and I wouldn't notice a difference to brand new car, but this service is extra 250 pounds.
I took keys to few other cars, and I viewed them. Sales person was all the time helpful and very patient, considering it took me few hours looking around those cars. Eventually I chose between two, and we took them for a test drive. Unfortunately test drive could be done only on local roads, so speeds of 50km/h are pretty much maximum. Test drive however pretty much gave me a good overview, and I eventually decided which car I want to take (it was actually completely different model than the one I looked at initially, but they store around 5000 cars, so there was plenty to choose from).

After I made a decision, we completed the paperwork. Generally very good athmosphere. I got some free drinks. In the end general manager came down to congratulate me my new car. Sales guy also tried to convince me to some extra options, like full valet for 250 pounds, or warranty for 300 or more. Generally those things are not included, so if you don't pay for it, you get dirty car (maybe not dirty, but not clean either), and you get no warranty, unless car still has manufacturers warranty. It's a huge place, procedures are quite complicated. Once sale is agreed, he had to put me down for a slot to payment and pickup. He said that unfortunately they have plenty of customers taking cars today, and nearest slot is a 9pm (it was around 5pm then) - he said that even though their cars go through 114 point checks when they arrive, they still need to check many things before giving it down to customer as cars might have been standing parked for a while. Also extra valet would take time, but I didn't go for it.

I first though that I go to the city centre to do some sightseeing, but it was late and cold. It's 15 minutes walk to the tube + another hour in the tube to the centre so it didn't really made sense.

I just went to the other side of the street to eat something.

I rang my insurer to swap the cover. They provide facility with internet access and printer for free, so I could print up the confirmation.

I asked again if I my car couldn't be picked up ealier, as my ferry is at 2:30am in Holyhead and it's quite far - I won't make it from 9pm.
5 minutes later I was already signing documents. Guy informed me, that most cars come without road tax, and it's up to me to pay for it (they can arrange it) but generally as I'm not UK resident and don't have UK issued insurance for the car, it will be quite impossible to tax it. He also mentioned that most Irish customers don't really bother with taxing vehicles anyway, but that it's my risk. (additionally it was written on receipt that "customer was informed that car in not taxed" so they made sure they are on the safe side).

They required passport and two proofs of address.
He gave me service book, spare key, V5C, receipt, and MOT cert.
I went to pay. I used bank draft which I had ready from Irish bank. And paid remaining in cash. Generally it's possible to pay whole amount in cash, but over 5000 sterling it costs extra (not much though).

I went to pick up point, where a person gave me the vehicle key and showed me where is it parked. I spend another 30 minutes looking around the car, made sure everything is really OK. Generally it was, but as I said - it wasn't cleaned really, and the worse, they left the glue and tape leftovers on the windscreen which was used to advertise the price when vehicle was displayed at their parking. I think this should be cleaned. It was mostly on passenger side, so it didn't obstruct my vision too much, but it took me literally 30 minutes with cif to clean it once I got home. This definitely shouldn't be the case.
Also as cars come with 114 points check, they forgot to check numberplate lighting, as one bulb was blown.

I set for journey around 8pm. I didn't really know the way (I didn't take the map), as I was planning to get a vehicle with satnav, but eventually got one without. The worst part was to get from London to M1, but I managed somehow, and then M1, M6, M56, A55, A5 to Holyhead.
I made it there at 1:30, so it was just about time to buy a ticket and board the ferry. Eventually back in Mayo around 9:30am

Generally conclusion is, that I'm quite happy.
Not everything is so perfect, but car I got I consider very good price for what it is. Procedures are straight forward.

In general:
Pros:
- they have huge amount of vehicles on site, and they allow Irish customers to reserve a car for free up to 24h.
- no one is forcing you to buy in there. You can take as much time as you wish to view the car.
- cars are mostly ex-leasing cars and they usually have full service history very often main dealer.
- They guarantee (and take responsibility), that vehicles are not clocked, were't in any accident and are not stolen or on finance.
- service is very nice, helpful and professional.

Cons:
- cars might look better on the pictures, than they really are.
- cars come not fully cleaned, and valeting is extra service which costs 250punds.
- they don't provide a warranty for free. You can pay for it, but I don't think it's worth anything in Ireland. (however if car still has remaining of dealers warranty it still applies)
- preparing vehicles for customer is not perfect (those glue and tape on windscreen from ads and not working bulb). Maybe it was because I asked them to have my car ready sooner, but still it made very bad impression.

But in general, after doing over 1000km in the car, having a proper look on it, I must say I'm really happy with what I've bought, and I assume most of their cars are worth the price.

Hope this few words might help someone who is planning to buy anything from cargiant.

Any questions - ask me.

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George Dalton

copacetic wrote: »

Buying from cargiant is just like buying from most second hand dealers, where the 'warranty' is mostly useless anyway,

Are you seriously trying to suggest that the majority of secondhand dealers will not stand over a car that they sell with a warranty? Because that is just not the case.

copacetic wrote: »

except they aren't also trying to price gogue you as much.

Here we go again with the double standards, it is ok for Cargiant to make a few quid but when a dealer over here does so then it is "price gouging" ??

copacetic wrote: »

That's rubbish, nothing like buying at auction. Exactly like buying from any Irish dealer, except price is much better. The OP has given a great honest review and gets the usual pot shots.

It is the same as buying at an auction except with Cargiant you get a limited test drive beforehand.

I'm not taking pot shots at all, either at the OP or at Cargiant, I am just making an observation on an aspect of people's thought process that doesn't make sense to me.

copacetic wrote: »

The issues outlined you would find and do find with most of not all dealers in Ireland as the myriad of boards thread on them point out.

Come off it man, you are confusing the internet with the real world there I'm afraid. You can't make an accurate judgment on the secondhand car trade in Ireland just by reading Boards.ie. To suggest that you would experience those issues with all dealers in Ireland is pretty ridiculous to be honest, anyone can see that.

Leprechaun77

I had recently been looking on Cargiant with a view to purchasing, however this does seem a bit off-putting for me. Whatever about not washing/valeting etc to give a competitive price, it seems farcical that they do not offer a warranty. I don't mind the cosmetics that can be done myself however when buying from a dealer, they are basically saying that they cannot standby the quality or condition of the car.....CARGIANT off the list for me

Tragedy

Geo, you're distorting the facts just a little bit.

Buying from auction: no recourse, no legal right to warranty/remedy.
Buying from Cargiant:

Your consumer rights when you buy a vehicle from a dealer

If you bought the vehicle from a dealer, you will have certain rights under consumer law.

A secondhand vehicle must match its description, be fit for its purpose, and be of satisfactory quality. However, the standard for meeting the requirement that the vehicle is of satisfactory quality will be lower because it is secondhand.

A secondhand vehicle should be in reasonable condition and work properly. When deciding whether a secondhand vehicle is in reasonable condition it is important to consider the vehicle’s age and make, the past history of the vehicle and how much you paid for it.

If a secondhand vehicle needs more extensive repairs than seemed necessary at the time it was bought, this does not necessarily mean that the vehicle is not of satisfactory quality. A secondhand vehicle can be of satisfactory quality if it is in a useable condition, even if it is not perfect.
If the vehicle develops a problem soon after you bought it, you may have a right to return the vehicle to the dealer and get your money back. This would probably need to be within about three to four weeks at the most of buying the vehicle. The problem would need to be fairly major, and you would need to take into account the age, mileage and price of the vehicle when deciding whether it is reasonable to take it back.

You must stop using the vehicle at once and contact the dealer. If you traded in a vehicle, you are entitled to have it returned if it is still available, or to have the full value allowed on it, if it has been disposed of. If you have left it too late to claim a refund, or you don't want one, you may be entitled to ask for a repair or replacement. The fault must have been there when you bought the vehicle. If you do agree for a major fault to be repaired and the repair turns out to be unsatisfactory, it's not too late to ask for your money back.

If the dealer won't agree to put the problem right, you can take legal action up to six years from the date you bought the vehicle (five years in Scotland). However, it is probably unrealistic to take legal action for a fault in a secondhand vehicle, especially an older vehicle, once you have been using it for a reasonable length of time.

If you take the vehicle back within six months of buying it, the dealer should accept that there was a problem when the vehicle was sold and offer to repair or replace it. If the dealer doesn't accept that there was a problem when the vehicle was sold, they will have to prove this.

After six months, it will be up to you to prove that there was a major problem with the vehicle when it was sold. You will have to provide evidence of this so it may help to get an independent report which could establish the condition of the vehicle when it was sold. If the dealer agrees to repair the vehicle, the repairs have to be carried out within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you. The dealer must pay the costs of the repairs. If the repair has taken a long time, you may be able to use a service loan car or claim compensation, for example, for the cost of hiring a vehicle. If the dealer refuses to repair the vehicle, you are entitled to get it repaired elsewhere and claim back the cost from the dealer. If the vehicle can't be repaired or replaced or this is considered too expensive, taking into account the type of fault, you may have the right to get some or all of your money back. You will have to negotiate with the dealer to decide on what would be a reasonable amount. In deciding what is reasonable, you will need to take into account how much use you have had out of the vehicle
__________________

Bit of a difference.

Also, cargiant didn't refuse to fix the faulty bulb, by all accounts they didn't know it had blown in the first place.

goochy

Agree many people here want all the things you expect at at dealer like warranty even when the price is very good the problem with a private individual getting a car at auction is that the chance of them getting car in exact spec and colour, mileage they want are slim and also sometimes cars at auction go for big money and then you have a wasted trip to the uk at least at cargiant the price listed is what u pay It seems though that a lot of cars are at cargiant and not a main dealer for a reason incomplete sh and not in mint condition

bbability

Leprechaun77 wrote: »

I had recently been looking on Cargiant with a view to purchasing, however this does seem a bit off-putting for me. Whatever about not washing/valeting etc to give a competitive price, it seems farcical that they do not offer a warranty. I don't mind the cosmetics that can be done myself however when buying from a dealer, they are basically saying that they cannot standby the quality or condition of the car.....CARGIANT off the list for me

I can't say I had that experience when I purchased from Cargiant. My car was spotless and clean. It was serviced as per service history as I rang the garage in question.
Don't forget this is one buyers experience and they sell many many cars to Irish Customers
I'm afraid I'm one of those with an eye on the exchange rate, I won't be buying here if I can help it.

George Dalton

mickdw wrote: »

It does sound terrible when you put it like that george. I wasnt aware that they were shifting all those cars without warranty (or charging for 3rd party warranty). It does make them a relatively pointless operation really if that is the reality.

I don't agree that it is terrible or that they are pointless. They are a business and there is obviously a market for what they provide. I am just pointing out the double standards that exist in the minds of Irish motorists.

I think that secondhand car dealers in Ireland should be able to position themselves in whichever part of the market they choose.

If they want to shift cars quickly with minimum cost and risk (as per Cargiant) then they should be allowed to do so without fear of ending up in court. It is not how we do things but you can take it from me that there are plenty of dealers in the country who do operate in this way. I have seen lots of threads on here where people have queried this kind of thing and have been advised that said dealer is in some way "dodgy" and is best avoided. Yet when people mention Cargiant they are given the thumbs up even though they operate in exactly the same way?

George Dalton

Tragedy wrote: »

Geo, you're distorting the facts just a little bit.

Buying from auction: no recourse, no legal right to warranty/remedy.
Buying from Cargiant:
Bit of a difference.

That is true, I forgot about that particular aspect of the matter. Remember I am not anti-Cargiant, I just don't like the double standards that I see on here sometimes.

Henry Ford III

Tragedy wrote: »

Geo, you're distorting the facts just a little bit.

Buying from auction: no recourse, no legal right to warranty/remedy.
Buying from Cargiant:
Bit of a difference.

Also, cargiant didn't refuse to fix the faulty bulb, by all accounts they didn't know it had blown in the first place.

Car Giant are based in the UK though. That can make life pretty tricky.

p.s. It's incorrect to say you've no rights at a car auction too. Ever heard of the "golden hour"?

http://motoringjourno.com/2012/03/how-to-buy-a-car-at-auction/

[Deleted User]

George Dalton wrote: »

That is true, I forgot about that particular aspect of the matter. Remember I am not anti-Cargiant, I just don't like the double standards that I see on here sometimes.

To be fair most of the double standards brigade on here just rehash stuff they've gleaned either here or elsewhere in an attempt to appear knowledgeable

CiniO

Tragedy wrote: »

Geo, you're distorting the facts just a little bit.

Buying from auction: no recourse, no legal right to warranty/remedy.
Buying from Cargiant:
Bit of a difference.

Also, cargiant didn't refuse to fix the faulty bulb, by all accounts they didn't know it had blown in the first place.

Thanks for that.
Generally in my understanding it means, that while they don't provide warranty, but if there will be some major issue with a car, customer is still protected and can get a refund or get the car repaired.

Generally then it should be all Irish customer needs, as from what I found out, most dealers don't offer full warranty anyway on secondhand cars, but f.e. only covering engine, gearbox, etc.
Also even if there was a full warranty from cargiant covering even small fault, no one would bother bringing car to them to London to get a fault balljoint repaired, as costs of transport would be way bigger than getting it fixed here in Ireland.
According to what you quoted, any major problem with the car is still covered under consumer rights.

And that example from last year with someone having problems with BMW from cargiant who got is sorted properly, is the best example it works.

Also it's worth remembering, that they rather quite sell new cars (usually up to 5 years old). These days many manufacturers provide warranty for 5 years or over.
So if car was serviced up to the schedule with main dealer (and many cars from cargiant are) then there still might be reminining of dealers warranty, which will be valid in Ireland as well, and in case of any problem this should be sorted by any main dealer in Ireland.

CiniO

bbability wrote: »

I can't say I had that experience when I purchased from Cargiant. My car was spotless and clean. It was serviced as per service history as I rang the garage in question.
Don't forget this is one buyers experience and they sell many many cars to Irish Customers
I'm afraid I'm one of those with an eye on the exchange rate, I won't be buying here if I can help it.

TBH my intention was rather to show cargiant experience as quite positive.
I mentioned drawbacks, but in general I'm very happy with service they provide.
If it was understood oppositely, then it means I described it wrongly.

CiniO

George Dalton wrote: »

I don't agree that it is terrible or that they are pointless. They are a business and there is obviously a market for what they provide. I am just pointing out the double standards that exist in the minds of Irish motorists.

I think that secondhand car dealers in Ireland should be able to position themselves in whichever part of the market they choose.

If they want to shift cars quickly with minimum cost and risk (as per Cargiant) then they should be allowed to do so without fear of ending up in court. It is not how we do things but you can take it from me that there are plenty of dealers in the country who do operate in this way. I have seen lots of threads on here where people have queried this kind of thing and have been advised that said dealer is in some way "dodgy" and is best avoided. Yet when people mention Cargiant they are given the thumbs up even though they operate in exactly the same way?

I find a problem with Irish dealers mostly the price.
In example of my car, if you want to get the same thing here, it would be nearly 30% more expensive than comparing to buying in the likes of cargiant and importing.
Surely they would provide car spotless, with warranty for engine and gearbox (not including clutch, DMF, turbo, etc).
But that's not worth this 30% more.

Also there are other dealers here in Ireland, where car comes cheaper, but f.e. I rang one, as when I asked about service history I was told there was none recorded, but car was obviously serviced, as lady owner's brother-in-law was a mechanic and he did it.
We are talking about 4 year old car.

Generally I have nothing against Irish dealers, but they can't compete with prices from UK.

Mic. V

Hey CiniO,

I looking to buy a car at the moment but what I want doesn't really come within budget in Ireland so it seems importing is the only way to go, as I don't want to wait for these to drop in value.

I have considered going with CarGiant for my car but have a few questions you might be able to answer.

-Did you need to contact them beforehand?
-Could I just walk in and look around cars or do I need to make an appointment?
-Are the savings, on the price of the car alone (excluding VRT, travel etc) that big and worth the trip?

Thanks

CiniO

Mic. V wrote: »

Hey CiniO,

-Did you need to contact them beforehand?
-Could I just walk in and look around cars or do I need to make an appointment?

You don't need to contact them and you can just walk in, look around cars and choose one and buy that day.
However if you have something in particular in your mind from their website, you can give them a ring beforehand, and they will hold this particular car for you for up to 24h.

-Are the savings, on the price of the car alone (excluding VRT, travel etc) that big and worth the trip?

I'm not sure if I understand the question.
Prices are on their website, you know what kind of prices to expect.
If it's worth it or not to import, or if you can get particular car cheaper somewhere else, is very much dependent on make and model.
Some cars are worth importing to Ireland, some are not.

[Deleted User]

Mic. V wrote: »

Hey CiniO,

I looking to buy a car at the moment but what I want doesn't really come within budget in Ireland so it seems importing is the only way to go, as I don't want to wait for these to drop in value.

......................
-Are the savings, on the price of the car alone (excluding VRT, travel etc) that borth the trip?

Thanks

Well comparing the Irish prices to cargiant ones and the online vet calculator will provide you with the figures, add in transport and subsistence as applicable and only you can decide is it worth it

copacetic

CiniO wrote: »

TBH my intention was rather to show cargiant experience as quite positive.
I mentioned drawbacks, but in general I'm very happy with service they provide.
If it was understood oppositely, then it means I described it wrongly.

I think most people understood, it's people with an ulterior motive and a vested interest who are trying to twist your excellent post...

Stinicker

I flew over to London in 2011 specifically to buy an Auto VW Jetta, rang up and was told car was perfect etc. went over fully prepped to buy only to discover the car and a great big scrape down the rear quarter which was conveniently hidden in the online photos. Offered them £200 less than the asking price and they refused it despite being around a €200-€300 body paint job. I would never again deal with them after that, tbh I think CarGiant shafted you cinio as you bought something you had not intended to.

To add to my misery I had flown on a one way ticket from Kerry airport and then discovered Ryanair wanted €300 for a ticket home. Total wasted trip and I ended up coming home by Eurolines bus on the ferry which took 19-20hours!!

In the finish I never bought a VW Jetta and instead kept my existing car and converted it to LPG in 2012; coincidentally I also bought the BMW in London from a small garage in 2006 and had failed with CarGiant on that occasion also. They may have 5,000 cars but most of them are pure rubbish like Toyota's, Fiats etc. and if you are looking for something rarer or an Automatic car then be prepared to give yourself 2 - 4 days searching and your first port of call should be autotrader.co.uk and not cargiant.

[Deleted User]

copacetic wrote: »

I think most people understood, it's people with an ulterior motive and a vested interest who are trying to twist your excellent post...

Ah stop, theres no one twisting anything. If you think otherwise please do point us to the relevant posts.

nice_guy80

The Pontiac wrote: »

The buddy bought a BMW coupe from car giant a few years ago. The car was 'as new' with FSH. All the usual extras and he saved a few grand.

What's the big deal about a valet? Just bring the car back home and get it done for €100. Or do it yourself.

cheaper down the country.
€50 for a valet!

Mic. V

CiniO wrote: »

You don't need to contact them and you can just walk in, look around cars and choose one and buy that day.
However if you have something in particular in your mind from their website, you can give them a ring beforehand, and they will hold this particular car for you for up to 24h.

I'm not sure if I understand the question.
Prices are on their website, you know what kind of prices to expect.
If it's worth it or not to import, or if you can get particular car cheaper somewhere else, is very much dependent on make and model.
Some cars are worth importing to Ireland, some are not.

Ah sorry, I should have thought of that myself. I guess it is the kind of car your after that makes the trip worthwhile.

Thanks for answering my questions anyway

CiniO

Stinicker wrote: »

I flew over to London in 2011 specifically to buy an Auto VW Jetta, rang up and was told car was perfect etc. went over fully prepped to buy only to discover the car and a great big scrape down the rear quarter which was conveniently hidden in the online photos.

See, that's the problem which I mentioned - car not necesserly look the same on pictures as in reality.
However I think that's the case with any cars put online with picutres, no matter if it's cargiant, main dealer, any other shady dealer or private sale.

I think they have learnt since, as I asked about car shape and condition over the phone, and I was told that nothing was in the notes in relation to bodymarks, condition, etc so only way to find out is to see the car in reality. That's fair enough. I did, and I didn't exactly like it, but at least I didn't feel I was cheated.

Offered them £200 less than the asking price and they refused it despite being around a €200-€300 body paint job.

That's clearly indicated on their website - prices are not negotiable.

I would never again deal with them after that, tbh I think CarGiant shafted you cinio as you bought something you had not intended to.

It's not like that.
I was looking for a car, and I wasn't 100% sure what I want to get myself anyway.
I reserved a car with them which suited me best, but one of the reasons I chose cargiant was that I know they had plenty of choice, so I knew that if I didn't like the car, I could choose something else. And so I did.
Car wasn't worth that much so it would be worth to make several trips to UK, so there was no option to drive around dealers and choose the most suitable.
That way cargiant was the most suitable.

To add to my misery I had flown on a one way ticket from Kerry airport and then discovered Ryanair wanted €300 for a ticket home. Total wasted trip and I ended up coming home by Eurolines bus on the ferry which took 19-20hours!!

You should have bought this Jetta then. Would come cheaper to fix the scrap than paying for void journey.

In the finish I never bought a VW Jetta and instead kept my existing car and converted it to LPG in 2012; coincidentally I also bought the BMW in London from a small garage in 2006 and had failed with CarGiant on that occasion also. They may have 5,000 cars but most of them are pure rubbish like Toyota's, Fiats etc. and if you are looking for something rarer or an Automatic car then be prepared to give yourself 2 - 4 days searching and your first port of call should be autotrader.co.uk and not cargiant.

It was for me (autotrader).
But I though it was risky to pay deposit on any car from dealer and go there to find out it wasn't as good as I though it would be, but it's too late not to buy it.
That's why I chose cargiant, so I could opt for something else in case I didn't like the car which I reserved (especially that reservation was for free).

Also there is some logic in it to know by just looking online on cargiants website.
Sometimes you see two cars of ideantical make, model, year, mileage, trim lever, and number of owners, and price is different.
It's obvious then that the more expesive one will be in better shape.
If you look at the cheapest, expect it's not going to be perfect.

I'm not saying cargiant is perfect.
I'm saying it's reasonable good way for Irish person to buy a car, without spending much money on transport, looking around, etc.

Surely the best way is to go to UK for few days, rent a car, and drive around dealers to find your dream car. But it's going to come much more expensive in the end.

George Dalton

RoverJames wrote: »

To be fair most of the double standards brigade on here just rehash stuff they've gleaned either here or elsewhere in an attempt to appear knowledgeable

An example of what I was saying yesterday:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=83729548&postcount=3

Cargiant can choose the terms they sell cars on, but if a normal dealer in Ireland tries to do the same....

lifer_sean

I just took a look at the cargiant website, and to be honest their prices are nothing to get excited about. Take a concrete example, they are looking for 7499 + 99 paperwork fee = 7598 stg, for a 09/58 plate Insignia 160bhp Exclusiv with 61k miles. I can sell an identical car, same spec, same miles (with full history), for that price here in Ireland, with a warranty/service/valet, and no transport charges, and I'll VRT it for the buyer (at additional cost of the VRT).

Cinio, you are posting a long time here and I respect what you say, but I can't agree with you when you say "Generally I have nothing against Irish dealers, but they can't compete with prices from UK". Those who try, can. And for what it's worth, I'm a one-person operation so many may dump me into the "dodgy dealer" category by just judging on appearances.

I have to agree with a lot that George has posted. Cargiant have a great business model going ... buy from fleet, don't bother preparing or warrantying the cars, and lash them out with a decent profit margin. If anyone tried to do that here they would be threatened with consumer rights on a daily basis.

galwaytt

...over the years, I've bought a lot of cars - and bikes - and mostly imports. However, in recent years, I've actually bought here.

I like the CarGiant model- it's basic 'what it says on the tin' sales: they buy, mark-up, resell. The don't make you buy upselling options (valet, warranty etc).

Compare Cinio's experience to my car-buying last year, here: I was looking for something very specific, and I came across only 1 example in the country. It was reasonably priced (imho), from a 'dealer' in Dublin 6, which has been mentioned on this forum many times (mostly in the derogatory or negative), but I went in with my eyes open.

1. I phoned, and he took my credit card details for a deposit for the car, to hold it long enough for me to get to Dublin 2 days later. (€500). He told me it was 100% refundable. But there again, that's what VISA protection is for: ultimately, there's no risk as VISA could reverse the charge if it came to it.
2. Premises were........unimpressive, but the office (cabins), were clean enough, spacious, and had a number of well presented staff (I only dealt with one). I don't put any weight on cabins/no cabins - I make and sell modular buildings, so am biased - and spent 5 yrs in one recently.
3. Car: not well presented. Not washed/polished, wheels in particular didn't look great. Tyres had seen better days. Car started and ran fine in the yard. Interior was nice, well kept (testament to original owner imho), but not polished. Witness: I ended up with someone elses 4Gb USB stick and one lady's shoe !

4. Test drive: distinct driveline whine - was worried about the auto' box tbh - but I banked on CV's. Got pulled for no tax 100m from the garage !!
5. The Sale: told him I had another booked to look at at Faichney Ringwood, and I would be back in one hour.
6. The Deal: I rang back, told him I wanted his car, to take straight away, and that I'd offer € XXXX, payment in cash, on foot of visiting bank. We did a bit of back & forth on the phone, came to a number I was happy with, and 1 hour later, picked up the car. I was offered a Mapfre warranty for...........€180/200 iirc, which I declined. Still not valeted - not that I expected it tbh.
7. The Review: car was fundamentally sound, but did have some 'car park' dings on it, but in the scheme of things, on balance, I was reasonably happy. The drive to Galway highlighted a few things the test drive didn't show up, and I booked it in to my Indy for a service. That done, I had a better pic of any real problems. Turned out CV's were fine, but the inboard offside driveshaft has an intermediate bearing and carrier on the back of block, and that's what was whining. Breaker's yard and £90 later, and €400 to the Indy for the service as well, & silence was returned

Car hasn't missed a beat since I got it, and we love it.

So, I bought an imperfect, not terribly well presented car, from a dealer here, declined his warranty and...........the world didn't end. Nobody died.

Did I pay over-the-odds. Possibly, probably even. In a model of 1, there is no comparison, so why does it matter ? Did I get the car I wanted in the spec I wanted ? Yes I did. Did the absence of warranty affect me or my decision ? No, not at the price level & model I was looking at. Bigger numbers and more modern/'techie' car, and yes, I would be looking for better in all respects from the dealer. I already worked it out, and importing it wouldn't have done anything for me.

But next time, I would like a more 'turn-key' approach, and hopefully when the time comes, I would like to pick up a well presented, sound car from here (travelling to the UK all the time can be a wearing: the novelty is long gone imho. Picking up a ......Ducati, say, over there, now that would be an adventure, so doesn't count

)

There's a market, in other words, for everything, and every level. Everyone has a different expectation of value, condition, and of course price. There is no OSFA approach. So that's why those like George and those like Car Giant and even the guys in D6...will hopefully all find enough customers to satisfy them all into the future.

Win-Win-Win for everyone then, surely ?

galwaytt

Oh, Cino, congrats on the car- it looks lovely.

And that's the thing about pictures and camera's - they're ALL liars !! It's what camera's do !

I have my car for sale atmo, and it looks better in the pics in the ad than in real life - but I've put the sins in the text of the ad - what more can I do ?

CiniO

lifer_sean wrote: »

I just took a look at the cargiant website, and to be honest their prices are nothing to get excited about. Take a concrete example, they are looking for 7499 + 99 paperwork fee = 7598 stg, for a 09/58 plate Insignia 160bhp Exclusiv with 61k miles. I can sell an identical car, same spec, same miles (with full history), for that price here in Ireland, with a warranty/service/valet, and no transport charges, and I'll VRT it for the buyer (at additional cost of the VRT).

But it's more actually about buying in UK to import here in general, than actually buying from cargiant.
Some cars are worth to bring from UK, some are not.

Cinio, you are posting a long time here and I respect what you say, but I can't agree with you when you say "Generally I have nothing against Irish dealers, but they can't compete with prices from UK". Those who try, can. And for what it's worth, I'm a one-person operation so many may dump me into the "dodgy dealer" category by just judging on appearances.

Sorry. I forgot to add that this applies only to some cars.
There's many make, model, year combinations, which can be actually got cheaper in Ireland than UK.
But there are those, where difference between UK prices and Irish prices are much bigger. Some cars you can actually get cheaper in UK from main dealer with full warranty and VRT price, than privately in Ireland.

I have to agree with a lot that George has posted. Cargiant have a great business model going ... buy from fleet, don't bother preparing or warrantying the cars, and lash them out with a decent profit margin. If anyone tried to do that here they would be threatened with consumer rights on a daily basis.

I understand that at cargiant they still must obey all the consumer rights. So if car if faulty, they must repair it or give refund.

MugMugs

George Dalton wrote: »

Cargiant can choose the terms they sell cars on, but if a normal dealer in Ireland tries to do the same....

Then what? They're still open to the law irrespective of how they choose to sell their cars.

You've clearly got a bee in your bonnet over something on this topic.

You're predicting a revolt against any dealer who would try to use the Cargiant model and using quotes from other threads to support this.

This place is the minority George and frankly, if a Garage is doing things right and in line with the customers Consumer Rights, who care's if they are being screamed at with laws quoted to them?

It makes no odds as they've fulfilled their obligations.

MidlandsM

Well, to be fair i tend to Agree with George here, he has some valid points.

Other things I'd like to throw into the mix is that is very hard for any Irish dealer to compete against CarGiant crowd ,a week Sterling .......and a flawed vrt system..........as revenue are actively undervalueing the OMSP on models to keep vrt quotes low, to entice people to go over and purchase in the uk, and import and clear........it's all revenue for the tax man, who needs it......and will not get an €'s out of 2nd hand yokes selling here with the vrt paid on them a long time ago.......

lifer_sean

CiniO wrote: »

But it's more actually about buying in UK to import here in general, than actually buying from cargiant.
Some cars are worth to bring from UK, some are not.

Sorry. I forgot to add that this applies only to some cars.
There's many make, model, year combinations, which can be actually got cheaper in Ireland than UK.
But there are those, where difference between UK prices and Irish prices are much bigger. Some cars you can actually get cheaper in UK from main dealer with full warranty and VRT price, than privately in Ireland.

I know very well that only some cars make sense to import, but the example I gave is one that can make sense.

The reason I gave the example of the Insignia is because it is one I imported from the UK, sourced from (I suspect) a similar source to CarGiant, and wanted to show that the CarGiant prices are not particularly good. Given their high volumes, CarGiant should be able to buy at a higher discount than I can, but yet I can import into Ireland and still match their price.

I will agree that there is a certain advantage in the huge selection of cars on a single physical location. That certainly worked out well for you.

MidlandsM

Henry Ford III wrote: »

If you think about it Revenue should be valuing imports as highly as possible to actually discouarage them.

It suits the coffers here much more to have new cars sold. VAT and VRT take on new cars is significant.

sure, but the €€€€€,finance and confidence isn't out there with the general public to buy new cars at the mo.