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The Dealership C4 Last Night


jcpricewatcher

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HOLA441

As someone has said further up, I am eternally grateful to those people who buy new cars and chop them in after 3 years: they provide me with a plentiful supply of good used cars for peanuts. The daft status attitude is everywhere. An acquaintance (other parent at school) was complaining about the courtesy car provided by the garage. Her complaint was not that it was smaller or less powerful....but that it was 5 years old, and "what would people think?".

My approach to bangernomics is to buy a 3 or 4 year old car and run it pretty much forever. In 2002, we bought my current car (£26K new) for £13K - it was 9 months old and had 3000 miles on the clock. So it has cost us a grand a year in depreciation, + servicing, which I do myself, so parts cost only. I see no reason why it will not last another 5 years, so the depreciation cost will be down to about £700 a year by then. But even then, depreciation will continue to be the biggest part of the fixed running cost.

The alternative is to get a "new" banger every year or so, and sometimes you win, but sometimes you lose big. The "long term banger" approach allows you to speculatively get parts when they are cheap - my parts factor did a discount on service kits 2 years ago, I bought 4 of them. I've just used the second.....

There's nothing daft about status; it's a fundamental part of our condition as social animals. Car manufacturers have cleverly tapped into this aspect of our nature in order to sell more cars. Obviously, if you just want a car to transport you comfortably and economically from A to B, it would make no sense whatsoever to buy a new car or indeed a particularly expensive car. It's almost all about status.

I'm sure this is also exacerbated in the UK by our use of number plates that tell even the least informed exactly how old your car is. Wouldn't it make more sense to use plates that don't advertise the age of the car?

(For the record: I run a 12-year-old Suzuki Swift :unsure: )

Edit: The parents of one of my son's friends are a typical example. Both work full-time in relatively poorly-paying jobs in order to maintain their Range Rover peacock's tail, even if it means they don't get to see very much of their lad, who spends half his time at other people's houses or his nan's.

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HOLA443

I go for the £3-4k range.. I like having a semi-decent car, I don't want a complete wreck, but £3-4k is about as much as I can save up for it. The thing is, because it's my hard-saved cash I spend a fair amount of time looking for the best deal before buying, probably more than if you are just looking at a monthly payment.

That's pretty much my motoring philosophy! ;)

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HOLA444

Did briefly have a D Super 5 which was actually Slough built!

The XM is pretty much rust proof, which the CX famously wasn't of course, and ideally you want a Series One, with the weird steering wheel and weird instruments. You would really struggle to find a rust free one now, even in France.

Probably worth looking at the C5 now which has hydraulic suspension. Early ones now in the sub £1000 class.

Yes, the C5 is a lot of car for the money! I think there is a C6 too! I like the hydraulic suspension!! I am not aware they have significant problems! The CX dissolved if it rained, although I liked the style, even the estate ones!

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HOLA445

There's nothing daft about status; it's a fundamental part of our condition as social animals. Car manufacturers have cleverly tapped into this aspect of our nature in order to sell more cars.

...

I'm sure this is also exacerbated in the UK by our use of number plates that tell even the least informed exactly how old your car is. Wouldn't it make more sense to use plates that don't advertise the age of the car?

...

That's EXACTLY why it makes sense for the motor industry to issue plates which displays the year of registration. In fact with the two plate changes a year introduced in 1999, it only further served to encourage people to change cars frequently!! (ie sell more cars)

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HOLA446

Did any see last night's episode?

Near the end there were 3 sisters who came to buy a car, and the one buying wanted a Mercedes for about £13k. The negotiation was almost entirely down to getting the right monthly payment. But then once agreed, it was rejected by the finance company. They then tried on her sister's name since her car was on finance under her boyfriends name - she was rejected too. They then tried the last sister, who said she already had her car on finance so was unsure it would work - but it did and they were so happy that they got their approval and proceeded to buy the car.

They queried who would own the car and the salesman pointed out it would be the original sister who wanted to buy who would own it. He never pointed out that the finance company actually owned it until it was paid off! :P

At the end the salesman talked to the camera and said in the old days people used to have to save up to buy their cars, but nowadays, anyone can get finance and can buy any car they wanted without saving up. And he though it was great the people could get what they wanted now, without having to save up :)

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HOLA447

Did any see last night's episode?

Near the end there were 3 sisters who came to buy a car, and the one buying wanted a Mercedes for about £13k. The negotiation was almost entirely down to getting the right monthly payment. But then once agreed, it was rejected by the finance company. They then tried on her sister's name since her car was on finance under her boyfriends name - she was rejected too. They then tried the last sister, who said she already had her car on finance so was unsure it would work - but it did and they were so happy that they got their approval and proceeded to buy the car.

They queried who would own the car and the salesman pointed out it would be the original sister who wanted to buy who would own it. He never pointed out that the finance company actually owned it until it was paid off! :P

At the end the salesman talked to the camera and said in the old days people used to have to save up to buy their cars, but nowadays, anyone can get finance and can buy any car they wanted without saving up. And he though it was great the people could get what they wanted now, without having to save up :)

How can anyone justify taking out a 5 figure loan for a used car?? Especially a Merc with high servicing costs..

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HOLA448

Did any see last night's episode?

Near the end there were 3 sisters who came to buy a car, and the one buying wanted a Mercedes for about £13k. The negotiation was almost entirely down to getting the right monthly payment. But then once agreed, it was rejected by the finance company. They then tried on her sister's name since her car was on finance under her boyfriends name - she was rejected too. They then tried the last sister, who said she already had her car on finance so was unsure it would work - but it did and they were so happy that they got their approval and proceeded to buy the car.

They queried who would own the car and the salesman pointed out it would be the original sister who wanted to buy who would own it. He never pointed out that the finance company actually owned it until it was paid off! :P

At the end the salesman talked to the camera and said in the old days people used to have to save up to buy their cars, but nowadays, anyone can get finance and can buy any car they wanted without saving up. And he though it was great the people could get what they wanted now, without having to save up :)

Funny you mention that. I've got what is, as far as I'm concerned, the best sports car ever built. Across the road from me there lives a young guy who does a fair bit og wheeling and dealing in cars and who drools over nice cars. Whne we were chatting one day and he heard that my place was as near as dammit paid for he was really astounded that I would not borrow to buy something that cost silly money, just to be seen in it.

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HOLA449

That's EXACTLY why it makes sense for the motor industry to issue plates which displays the year of registration. In fact with the two plate changes a year introduced in 1999, it only further served to encourage people to change cars frequently!! (ie sell more cars)

But it's not the motor industry that issues number plates, it's the government! Would it not be more sensible for the government to promote ways of displaying status that benefit society in general rather than encouraging pointless consumerism? Other countries don't seem to feel the need to advertise the ages of their cars on their licence plates.

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HOLA4410

Funny you mention that. I've got what is, as far as I'm concerned, the best sports car ever built. Across the road from me there lives a young guy who does a fair bit og wheeling and dealing in cars and who drools over nice cars. Whne we were chatting one day and he heard that my place was as near as dammit paid for he was really astounded that I would not borrow to buy something that cost silly money, just to be seen in it.

A 1952 Wingley-Throckwoth "Flying Whippet"? :blink:

Actually most cars you can't bee seen in, what with the hard roof and tinted glass! :huh: This is why people pay funny money for a funny number plate! :blink:

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HOLA4411

But it's not the motor industry that issues number plates, it's the government! Would it not be more sensible for the government to promote ways of displaying status that benefit society in general rather than encouraging pointless consumerism? Other countries don't seem to feel the need to advertise the ages of their cars on their licence plates.

No, but other countries often advertise the location of the car. I would prefer to have the year, rather than anyone and everybody knowing I'm not from 'round these parts'.

Drive a London registered car to Scotland and you'll be liable to get a lot of flat tyres.

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HOLA4412

No, but other countries often advertise the location of the car. I would prefer to have the year, rather than anyone and everybody knowing I'm not from 'round these parts'.

Drive a London registered car to Scotland and you'll be liable to get a lot of flat tyres.

Germany does, and it not only advertises where you are from, but the individual driver! :huh:

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HOLA4415

What a way to blow a lot of money! Elegant, but I think the DS might be more reliable! The engines and suspension were tops! When they came out in 1955 (wow !), they cost twice as much as a Jag Mk1 in the UK! :huh:

As a child I was fortunate enough to holiday regularly in France, where DS's were two-a-penny (well. centime), so, apart from noticing that they looked a bit odd (but then all French cars of that era were odd) I didn't think of them as anything special.

It was only years later, when I got 'into' cars as an adult, did I realise what an extraordinary car the DS was. I'd love one.

As for the SM, I didn't know about that car either, it looks superb, but they are already expensive.

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HOLA4416

A 1952 Wingley-Throckwoth "Flying Whippet"? :blink:

My Uncle has one of those! It was always breaking down because the evaporator leaked onto the ferris wheel! The pistons were made of Mazak and melted in hot weather too!

He used to chase farmyard animals in it until he got sectioned.

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HOLA4417

My Uncle has one of those! It was always breaking down because the evaporator leaked onto the ferris wheel! The pistons were made of Mazak and melted in hot weather too!

He used to chase farmyard animals in it until he got sectioned.

My uncle had a Daimler! He didn't get caught though! And he's dead now!

I wish I had inherited the car!! Although I would have have to have cleaned the back seat!

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HOLA4418

My uncle had a Daimler! He didn't get caught though! And he's dead now!

I wish I had inherited the car!! Although I would have have to have cleaned the back seat!

In those days it was dangerous to be caught with a German car, indoors or out! He was lucky!

He should have gone for a British car, like the Armstrong-Arkwright "Curmugeon". It had moleskin seats that resisted everything, including tripe!

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HOLA4419

I watched it, and at one point the salesman stuck his hand out and said "It's a deal! £56!"

Of course it wasn't £56, that was the weekly cost on finance- presumably it sounded better than the monthly cost on finance,which I calculate at £242.66 and nobody seemed very interested in what the actual price was.

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HOLA4420

No, but other countries often advertise the location of the car. I would prefer to have the year, rather than anyone and everybody knowing I'm not from 'round these parts'.

Drive a London registered car to Scotland and you'll be liable to get a lot of flat tyres.

They do sort of, unfortunately you don't need to change the plate if you move a car to another area.

Mines a CX plate (Angelsey) and the old boy a few doors down came over to me when I moved in and asked me if I was from there...

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HOLA4421

Funny you mention that. I've got what is, as far as I'm concerned, the best sports car ever built. Across the road from me there lives a young guy who does a fair bit og wheeling and dealing in cars and who drools over nice cars. Whne we were chatting one day and he heard that my place was as near as dammit paid for he was really astounded that I would not borrow to buy something that cost silly money, just to be seen in it.

Clue?

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HOLA4425

Skoda Estelle. Must be.

Come on, you clearly didn't spend enough time memorising the listings at the back of the Autocar and Motor as a child. The Estelle is a four door saloon, you surely mean the Rapid?

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