Petrol-head question

[westernind]

Are Parkers Guide prices way under? Or are dealers massively overpricing because they think you'll haggle them down? Or are South-East prices just generally higher?

E.g. Parkers reckons around £1,600 max for a 1998 Civic 1,5GXi. The prices I'm getting in Autotrader are from £500 to £1,000 higher.

It's ages since I've done this...

Comments

[dragonzgrace.livejournal.com]

Parkers tend to have their cost as an average, area, and type of car in that area, effect the cost a lot, 98's around here start at 1000 and go up 1650.

this is why sometimes with buying cars it can be handy to go further afield :-)


K

[westernind.livejournal.com]

Considerably more darn sarf!

Ta :-)

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

What They Said (points up) and also you're allowed to haggle. Having said that, they're a bugger to haggle with, especially if you're female. I ended up paying the asking price for my (lovely) car, but arguing a full service out of them ("They" being Evans Halshaw). For the short time I was believing what I'd read on the internet & thinking that Celicas have cam belts, I also got them to agree to change it for me. Then I argued them into replacing my brake discs for free a month later :)

Basically, salesmen get commission on the sales price, so don't want to drop it. Services & repairs come from a different budget and don't directly impact the salesman's pocket, unless they *really* start giving lots of stuff away.

[dragonzgrace.livejournal.com]

Wow something I said made sense???? the flags will be flying out in town tonight :-), I did have a nose ruond Evans Halshaw liverpool, when I was looking, but they just made me feel dirty and not in that good way.

[ephraim.livejournal.com]

Celica? Nice. what gen?

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

It is very nice! It's a 2000 X-reg - current shape, but old enough to be affordable. It's also *completely* the bottom of the range (red; the only colour that doesn't cost extra) and it's still lovely enough to make me grin every time I see it :)

Coincidentally enough, I had a 51-plate 323 before it. That was perfectly good and serviceable, and I sold it to a friend with no worries about it misbehaving for her, but it was "just" a car. The Celica is a Car...

[ephraim.livejournal.com]

Red Celicas - the way forwards.
Mine is a gen 6 (1998), old boggly eyed variety, but I love it dearly, and it still gives me that grin when I go out to it each morning. And when I put my foot down in 3rd and let the revs stray about 4000. Vrrooooom!

In case you hadn't come across it, if you have any problems or questions about them, the folks over at http://www.celica-club.co.uk are all pretty helpful.

[glaelia.livejournal.com]

I bought an M reg civi for 750 in Feb (a bargain as it's in perfect nick) ... Parkers were suggesting it would be 1500 from a dealer... so we snapped it up!

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

I got my Mini (and bytepilot got his Jag) off Ebay. It took some time but we both got good prices.