[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by frazzle

Yeah I understand that there is a fine line, but at points I have literally seen people admit to getting a quote from Tony so they can use it for their local dealers.

Given the time Tony and his team put into it, and the fact that they provide great personal service, it feels a bit much to then take it and use it to hammer down the price elsewhere. Just my view though and I guess its a business transaction in the end and everyone wants to get best value.

For my next car, so long as its a BMW, Tony will be the first person I go to.

Getting a coast 2 coast quote which is publicly available is absolutely there to set the expectation with a dealer though.

Ok, I see it differently, my local dealer is the one that goes out of his way to arrange test drives, gives personal chit chat time for me and let's me help myself to a coffee. Non of these time wasting things are carried out by the distant 'best deal' guy. So my loyalty will be with my local dealer. However, as I am buying a car and want a good deal out of it, I might ask the 'best deal' guy to quote. Yes my local dealer might beat his quote under duress and the quote goes nowhere, but he has placed himself in a firm fall back position. Not a bad place to be considering.

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by teaston

Well actually yes, Cooper Croydon!

Norwich, then?

[planemad]

I don't want a dealer experience, I want the car at the best price full stop and I will travel.
I traveled to Germany to get my 2002 e46 brand new as the euro was 1.50 to the pound and I saved thousands by doing that.
I got my wife's A3 from Scotland as the dealer was £3k cheaper than down south.
Cost me a days time and a £30 easyjet flight.

TRL and his team are looking after my 335 build as they made the buying easy for me at the best price beating c2c by a mile on the first quote.

I went into my local dealer (sytner) before even knowing about TRL and they did not even have a 3 series sales magazine and price list!! Utter pish.

[gtsussex]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Ok, I see it differently, my local dealer is the one that goes out of his way to arrange test drives, gives personal chit chat time for me and let's me help myself to a coffee. Non of these time wasting things are carried out by the distant 'best deal' guy. So my loyalty will be with my local dealer. However, as I am buying a car and want a good deal out of it, I might ask the 'best deal' guy to quote. Yes my local dealer might beat his quote under duress and the quote goes nowhere, but he has placed himself in a firm fall back position. Not a bad place to be considering.

With you on this Gordon. I'm loyal to my local dealer (well actually Brighton now as my sales guy has moved there and I bought last car from him and Hailsham, whilst amazing for service, are crap for sales). I'm very close to buying an M3 now and he's letting me have one for two days next week to make that call. We've already had the conversation over what is available 'elsewhere' (as we always do). Will continue to use them (and funnily enough am just also buying a new X1 as well).

[simon.]

My M135i was bought local to me, from Elms Bedford but they couldn't do the deal on the F31 & they had first chance to do so.

I still use Elms for servicing & anything else, won't use MK even though I live here as they are bloody useless IMHO (all the decent service guys moved to Bedford from MK anyhow).

Will go to Elms if & when I am looking to change but I will be asking TRL again as I do want the best deal when buying

[philiper1]

If local dealer was good, saves me time and would be much easier, BUT they are useless! Gave them a chance, but failed as expected, not interested! So, will travel to pick my car up

[....,,,,..,,..]

I am and have historically been loyal to dealers.

However, lately (around Wolverhampton) have just been taking the piss.

I remember asking about a Fiesta ST and being offered £500 discount, that was Fords discount nothing from dealer.

Where as there is around £3500 discount available.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by F32Dude

Norwich, then?

Hell no!

[je suis Paris]

Originally Posted by Brigand

I am and have historically been loyal to dealers.

However, lately (around Wolverhampton) have just been taking the piss.

I remember asking about a Fiesta ST and being offered £500 discount, that was Fords discount nothing from dealer.

Where as there is around £3500 discount available.

This is what us Frenchies call "taking the piss"

[Archer-s]

Originally Posted by TRL

I think it went wrong when I had too many quotes to deal with and had to ask my team to assist. They are just doing what they are trained to do, give the details out verbally rather than in writing which is what has happened here I fear. I do run a risk by emailing the hard facts out - because there are several forum users who then make it too easy for their local dealer by just sticking my offer under their noses. And to be fair I get a lot of flack from other dealers over stepping on their toes. Then I risk being told to get off of the forums. I accept people are shopping around - all I ask is that you make your local dealer work for it as I am putting a lot of my spare time and effort into this - I am not on commission like a Sales Exec - I get paid when we make budget - and that does not happen that often!!! This was a bit of sport that seems to have grown legs! I will try and hold on to everything moving forward guys!

Thanks for the reply, and if he had said let's deal with this over the phone I would totally understand, but that wasn't the case.

For me the business goes to who ever can give me the best deal, my plan was never to wave your quote under the local dealers nose, but that is exactly what I was asked to do, wave my local dealers quote under your nose .

I appreciate the thin line, offering good deals that puts other people's noses out of joint, and wasting your own time in the process. You do have lots of great feedback on the forum, I was expecting more.

[Thehoss]

Originally Posted by Brigand

Service, reliability etc are worth that extra, more so if the deals first class as well.

Agree with this. I'm travelling from Scotland for the service etc that has been mentioned in previous threads/posts.

Not to mention the good deal too.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by je suis Paris

This is what us Frenchies call "taking the piss"

I always thought it was "ta-keeng ze pisssss" :

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by gtsussex

With you on this Gordon. I'm loyal to my local dealer (well actually Brighton now as my sales guy has moved there and I bought last car from him and Hailsham, whilst amazing for service, are crap for sales). I'm very close to buying an M3 now and he's letting me have one for two days next week to make that call. We've already had the conversation over what is available 'elsewhere' (as we always do). Will continue to use them (and funnily enough am just also buying a new X1 as well).

Don't you dare post any pictures of an M3.........I mean it

[teaston]

Originally Posted by mssond

Thanks for the reply, and if he had said let's deal with this over the phone I would totally understand, but that wasn't the case.

For me the business goes to who ever can give me the best deal, my plan was never to wave your quote under the local dealers nose, but that is exactly what I was asked to do, wave my local dealers quote under your nose .

I appreciate the thin line, offering good deals that puts other people's noses out of joint, and wasting your own time in the process. You do have lots of great feedback on the forum, I was expecting more.

It was one of Tony's team, and he has had his wrist slapped for it.

I do hate it when sales people treat you like your wasting their time, when actually if they treated you well they could get a sale out of it. Cooper Norwich is the place i've felt this most, the service staff were not willing to do their job properly, and were then rude to me, and the sales staff have always ignored me completely when i've been looking round their showroom! Is it because I don't look middle aged and wearing an Armani Suit, and I don't go in their saying I want to buy a car at full price so please sell me one?

I even went in there 2 years ago before I got my current car to see if they could do me a PCH deal for similar price as the ones online, and he just had a quick look and said no i'd be better off going with online brokers! He never told me about PCP, and didn't try selling me one! Unbelievable!

Fact is I was a serious potential customer and they lost me, a loyal BMW owner who could have bought 10's of cars off them over the rest of my life! And then these dealerships complain to the likes of Tony because he's stealing their local BMW buyers!

Rant over!

[gtsussex]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Don't you dare post any pictures of an M3.........I mean it

[daveuk340]

I emailed TRL for a quote and got an immediate response. Although he passed me on to one of his team I has happy with the deal and the service so far
Scheduled to pick the car up 30-11-15 so I will see what the collection experience is like

[Nick Malaka]

Originally Posted by NISFAN

Don't you dare post any pictures of an M3.........I mean it

[gtsussex]

Originally Posted by Malaka

Actually this is one I'm borrowing

[Mrklaw]

How is waving a quote under another dealers nose wasting their time? Surely it's saving their time? You've done the legwork of putting your spec together, and you have a target figure, all the dealer has to do is decide if they can/want to compete with that.

Are customers not supposed to shop around for a good deal? Yes that means in theory you might be wasting some time of he first dealer you see - the one where you spend time to figure out your options and get that initial offer. But then if they offer a good price then you'll stick with them. If I got a better deal elsewhere I'd make sure to come back to the original dealer and offer them right of reply, and may even stick with them if they can't beat a price but come close enough, when I factor in the time they've spent with me and the service they offer (and possibly being local)

[FOAD]

And how much of a dealer's time are you wasting. It takes minutes for an initial quote that lets you know what ball park you are in.

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by teaston

It was one of Tony's team, and he has had his wrist slapped for it.

I do hate it when sales people treat you like your wasting their time, when actually if they treated you well they could get a sale out of it. Cooper Norwich is the place i've felt this most, the service staff were not willing to do their job properly, and were then rude to me, and the sales staff have always ignored me completely when i've been looking round their showroom! Is it because I don't look middle aged and wearing an Armani Suit, and I don't go in their saying I want to buy a car at full price so please sell me one?

I even went in there 2 years ago before I got my current car to see if they could do me a PCH deal for similar price as the ones online, and he just had a quick look and said no i'd be better off going with online brokers! He never told me about PCP, and didn't try selling me one! Unbelievable!

Fact is I was a serious potential customer and they lost me, a loyal BMW owner who could have bought 10's of cars off them over the rest of my life! And then these dealerships complain to the likes of Tony because he's stealing their local BMW buyers!

Rant over!

Interesting. I find Cooper Norwich first class and have a fantastic relationship with their sales and service staff and they always say hello or wave when I wander in... Oh, and I DON'T wear Armani suits. More jeans, hoodie and/or teeshirt!

And they have a stunning avus blue M3 in there right now!

[k44ENT]

I contacted TRL last Friday morning and asked for Tony, he wasn't in so I spoke to another sales guy and mentioned the forum. To be honest he thought I was wasting his time but agreed that I should e-mail him my spec and details of my trade in which I did. He seemed reluctant to offer any figures and e-mailed me Saturday to say he was working on a quote asking me a few further questions. He then contacted me on Monday asking for my date of birth to get a settlement (i'd already provided an accurate figure) and to say he had to speak to his manager before he could send any quotes out. I then had some help on Tuesday from a forum member who managed to get Tony to e-mail me. Before Tony could get back to me I had an offer I couldn't refuse from my local dealer so e-mailed Tony straight back to say that I did not want to waste any more of his time and thank them for the help. I've yet to receive an e-mail back. I am a serious buyer but not sure why but after 5 days of asking still didn't get an offer. I had every intention of doing a deal with them based purely on forum recommendations.