Don't you just love car yards and car salesmen? On Friday i saw a bay , nicely painted, in a yard in southport. So Iwas having a bit of a sticky beak it at it when the salesman rocked up. He looked the goods too. Dirty, unshaven, and a kiwi to boot. When I asked him the $, he rambled on about how it was "fully restored" and it was being sold at a loss etc. Then mentioned the price as $11500. I think i offended him when I burst out laughing. He went on to say that there were 000's of $ worth of rubbers alone and that it was a 1600 converted to a 2 litre. I opened the eng hatch.. i think from memory it is an1800. The rubbers were perished and it had been painted in false split pattern. The tyres were about 50 %, the wheels were oddly painted, the interior could only be described as below average...I think you get the picture, I may have paid $2000 if it ran sweet.
Later the same day, different yard (I was looking for something for my daughter, no, not a vw unfortunatly, when i spied a T3 parked out of the way at the rear of the yard. I checked the speedo: 335000k's. Salesman rushes up and i asked him the bottom line price. (This was one rough T3, complete with rust around the windscreen). $6995 he says. I said "you are joking! Its only a $2500 car max, and that is if it hasn't got a head gasket problem" and he said: we can talk at that, come inside. Iwalked away. My daughter says I'm arrogant, dunno why. Perhaps because i laugh in their faces.
I have difficulty believing these neanderthal bludgers are still out there, waiting to pounce on uninformed ppl. Saw some dodgy cars and even more dodgy characters.
spleen vented

I've always found rolling around on the ground in hysterics is the best hint that the price is a little high. Can't blame em for trying. But the less they know about VWs the funnier it becomes. I actually had one bloke go to the front of a type 3 to show me the engine.

Buying private can be just as good.
I went to have a squizz at a beetle many years ago with the friend of a friend's wife. (follow that did ya?)

Price tag was 7 grand & this is 10 years ago, so the f#cker had better be gold plated. It wasn't.
This guy told us he'd owned it since new. Yeah right.
Had the obligatory plate welded in where the battery ate through the floor.
Asked when it was done. It hasn't!! I'M LOOKING AT IT!!! YEAH IT HAS.
So here it is now obvious that his very first statement about the car was bullshit, so I went through it like a dose of the salts.
If you want to know a rough estimate of the codition of the floorpan, jack it up at the jacking points with the VW jack. It will bend or it wont.
"Where's your VW jack??"
" Haven't got it anymore."
" Thats alright I bought one with me."
The instant worried look.
As soon as it took the weight, it was gunna bend.

"are you trying to damage the car??"
" No, your trying to sell a rusty car that you haven't owned since new"
There was a lot more dodgy bits & peices about it but none of it major

We left, dunno if he got his 7 grand for it.
Don't care.

[Edited on 29-5-2004 by Spook]

come to
Newcastle Vehicle Exchange.
they'll look after you.

http://newcastlevehicleexchange.com 

lol, sam.

I too had a sqizz at the southport deal, and I gave the unshaven monkey alike dude the same response, surely he is getttin the picture by now?????

i wouldnt expect that you would be able to buy a t3 or kombi from a dealer without paying too much...

this kombi must be the same one Vwombat found on e-bay with bids from $10000 . didnt even get a bid. Car yards are like chalk and cheese there is some honest ones and some you wouldn`t send your worst enemy to.

Obviously I did not make myself completely clear. I thought I described the neanderthal bludgers quite kindly. I KNOW that not all sales ppl are like that. I bought a car for my daughter from a personable fellow in a yard, clean, cooperative, willing to talk to us and not at us. He was quite amiable and professional. He got our business. Bought a Mazda 626, auto, air, glass and cruise. After the dealings with the neanderthals in the industry, I would not have bought a toothpick from their yards.
ps: I was in the industry myself, not selling: finding them & taking them back and I do not class these neanderthals as "professional" in any way.
love you too.. That this mean we are engaged?

i dont know who is worse, car salesmans or real estate agents, both their jobs are to think that your are a dickhead and believe all the bullshit they spin, i have not had a favourable experience with either of them!!!

:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer:beer

Time to move to Sunny Qld where all is Happy.:beer