Re: buying a 93 ABI - valuation?

Mary Fisher Is Never Wrong wrote:
Dudley Simons wrote:

It is indeed, therefore, true to say that the seller would get a
better price for the secondhand item and that the buyer would get the
item a a slightly lower price. However, the price may be lower but
ultimately what would or the cost end up being?<<



You seem to be presupposing that the whacking mark-up incorporates a margin for the repair and refurbishment of the caravan if (or, more likely, 'when') things go wrong after purchase - you assume that the dealer will dip into his £1100 bonanza to fund, say, damp repairs?, or the cost of a new fire?

Not so. Not usually, anyway. You will find that most dealers will go to great lengths to inform you that a caravan bought for £1500 is a 'trade sale' (albeit, of course, not the 'trade sale' that occurred when they first bought the van for b400 quid!) Consumer law might not entirely support them in their efforts to avoid coughing up for repairs - but you will find it *extremely* difficult to extract any warranty repairs from them - and, given the age and relatively low price when compared to new caravans, you will also find your local trading standards officers to be less than enthusiastic about assisting you.

It all appears to be about 'relativity' - when the aged caravan is sitting on the dealer's forecourt next to its shiny young siblings it appears 'relatively' cheap - ie, £1500, compared to £15,000. So, naturally, Mr & Mrs Mugg think that it must be a 'bargain', and in an environment where the true value of money is routinely obscured by the casual bandying about of colossal sums ('only 20K for this Fleetwood - reduced from 23K, Sir") the £1500 loses its true significance and become, in comparison, a paltry sum.

Of course, the reality is that £1,500 is *not* a paltry sum - back in the real world it's a significant amount, a fact which the dealer knows very well indeed.

So, in summary, given that you know such a van can be had for £400, and given that there every likelihood that even at £1500 the same van is unlikely to carry any worthwhile warranty, *why* would anyone even consider giving Mr Dealer the extra cash?

That's something of an hypothetical question - for your own reaction to this thread demonstrates that there is still a seemingly unending procession of people (for whom the dealers are duly thankful) who count it their good fortune to be allowed to pay 275% over the odds!

*That* is the thing that surprises me! - not the greed of the dealers (for thus it ever was, and so shall it always be) , but the wide-eyed gullibility of the punters.

But this is still a vaguely free country - so if you really *do* want to pay for a couple of services on the dealer's Range Rover, who is to stop you?

It just seems a trifle odd to me that I should be so roundly pilloried for trying to save you over a grand - but, such is life.




You have lost sight of the fact that I am not actually buying from a dealer - its a private sale.

I didn't say anything about refurbishment or resealing of old vans.

A caravan may well have a trade in value of 400 quid but I doubt that many private vendors would be willing to make a private sale at that price - if thats the case, why aren't my local papers full of ads for 400 quid caravans?

On the issue of warrantys I have never had much trouble in getting a vendor to honour a written warranty. I have encountered plenty of reluctance but the promise of legal action backed by quoting the relevant sections of the sale of goods act and passages of the warranty tends to concentrate their attention. I find that if you do not exaggerate your claim, stick to the facts and point out that you have taken legal advice to verify that you have a very strong case against the dealer, they back down and honour their warranty.

I really don't have the time to engage any further in pointless arguements with you as to what is an acceptable level of profit to make in the course of a years trading - not on a single sale. You have made your opinion quite clear. So unless you have anything constructive to add to the thread lets draw a line under the subject here alternatively you are of course at liberty to start a new thread on the subject.



regards



Dudley
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: buying a 93 ABI - valuation?
    ... the item a a slightly lower price. ... a 'trade sale' (albeit, of course, not the 'trade sale' that ... in the real world it's a significant amount, a fact which the dealer ... van is unlikely to carry any worthwhile warranty, ...
    (uk.rec.caravanning)
  • Re: Venting Rant
    ... If they move on the price you keep the tasty bit and dump ... There are times when the nature of the estate forces you to mix lots. ... Although I do not allow it near the sale items to keep the buyers ... dealer will end up selling it. ...
    (rec.antiques)
  • Re: Venting Rant
    ... I knew a dealer who bought like that for years, all the box lot crap he would save and put up in a yearly auction on a rural property he owned. ... Although I do not allow it near the sale items to keep the buyers temptation to "reorganize" my lots down, the buyers can be seen to meet out at their vehicles, trading things back and forth. ... There are a lot of ways to tell a good estate sale from one you shouldn't waste your time on. ... Next, if you find yourself wanting some large single piece, and the price isn't moving for you, here is a well known trick that always works on me. ...
    (rec.antiques)
  • Re: Experience at Honda Dealer
    ... Check out this link to get the Honda warranty. ... > I went last week to a Honda dealer to trade in my car for a new Accord ... > 3) When we were negotiating the price he showed me the invoice price, ...
    (rec.autos.makers.honda)
  • Re: Shimmy
    ... and has the same warranty (which I'm not ... it would be at a dealer. ... But still - the out-the-door price would be ridiculous I think - I'll take the risk for the difference in price. ... that to what you would pay with your employee discount. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.chrysler)