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[grifter]

Psa slashing dealerships now. Probably payback for brexit.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/936013/Vauxhall-UK-dealership-closed-jobs-PSA-cars

[STEMO]

Some of the useless fickers deserve to be closed but, of course, if you need the stamp in your service book, or parts, or a warranty fix, this will be bad news.

[tunnie]

I do find a lot of the dealers poor, I was dealing with a sales man at Camberley Eden Vauxhall when hunting for the Zafira. Had a good few emails going back and forth, trying to source what I wanted through the Eden group, but struggled. Not after much, just a non-base spec Tourer with autobox. Apparently they were hard to source. 

I bought one via another franchise, I popped him an email to see if he could do me a deal on some mats for the Zafira. Or give me rough price, as I was doing that or eBay.

Just a one line reply back, "Speak to Parts". - Zero interest now he lost the sale.

Zero effort from dealership as a whole, I know I went to another franchise, but still.

[Varche]

A modern ill. No pride in job and no management oversight to make sure the staff are delighting customers potential or otherwise.

same here in Spain. We sent an email enquiring after a car. No reply so just dropped in on spec. Car just been sold but he let us have a look around it. had another suitable car. It was quite good but we forgot to ask about a few details so dropped him an email and no reply. This was despite me telling him we prefer email.

[STEMO]

We got £8500 trade in for the captur. It's up for sale at £9990, so £1490 more than we got. Salesman wages, admin wages, rent on an effing big site, electric and gas bills, valeting .....they don't make that much on used cars.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I think the only question over Vx future is whether PSA get rid of the brand altogether, or rebrand their products with VX badges for the UK market.

[Varche]

We got £8500 trade in for the captur. It's up for sale at £9990, so £1490 more than we got. Salesman wages, admin wages, rent on an effing big site, electric and gas bills, valeting .....they don't make that much on used cars.

All the more reason to be a bit more proactive " Still looking for a car sir?" " Nice meeting you yesterday,  have you discussed the car?"

[TD]

I do find a lot of the dealers poor, I was dealing with a sales man at Camberley Eden Vauxhall when hunting for the Zafira. Had a good few emails going back and forth, trying to source what I wanted through the Eden group, but struggled. Not after much, just a non-base spec Tourer with autobox. Apparently they were hard to source. 

I bought one via another franchise, I popped him an email to see if he could do me a deal on some mats for the Zafira. Or give me rough price, as I was doing that or eBay.

Just a one line reply back, "Speak to Parts". - Zero interest now he lost the sale.

Zero effort from dealership as a whole, I know I went to another franchise, but still.

Precisely, the dealers are franchises, so not sure how VX save money shutting them down.
The more franchise outlets to sell their cars the better I would have thought.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

The dealerships may have gone upmarket with large glass cathedrals masquerading as a showroom. The coffee may be better, the girls on reception may be better groomed and smile more......but.

It is the same spivs, wide boys, and ne'er do wells who are there to sell you the cars.....and it is the same inept and incompetent grease monkey mechanics ( sorry, they are called technicians these days) who clearly have very little skill behind the spanners.

Jaguar dealers are no different. 

 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

We got £8500 trade in for the captur. It's up for sale at £9990, so £1490 more than we got. Salesman wages, admin wages, rent on an effing big site, electric and gas bills, valeting .....they don't make that much on used cars.

Don't forget the profit they made on the Astra derv they sold you.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I do find a lot of the dealers poor, I was dealing with a sales man at Camberley Eden Vauxhall when hunting for the Zafira. Had a good few emails going back and forth, trying to source what I wanted through the Eden group, but struggled. Not after much, just a non-base spec Tourer with autobox. Apparently they were hard to source. 

I bought one via another franchise, I popped him an email to see if he could do me a deal on some mats for the Zafira. Or give me rough price, as I was doing that or eBay.

Just a one line reply back, "Speak to Parts". - Zero interest now he lost the sale.

Zero effort from dealership as a whole, I know I went to another franchise, but still.

Few in business do "f*uck you" better than car dealers.

[STEMO]

We got £8500 trade in for the captur. It's up for sale at £9990, so £1490 more than we got. Salesman wages, admin wages, rent on an effing big site, electric and gas bills, valeting .....they don't make that much on used cars.

Don't forget the profit they made on the Astra derv they sold you.

I'm not forgetting, that's the profit they made from us, probably about £1500. They didn't make any profit from us on the captur.......obviously.

[BazaJT]

On the face of it it does seem odd that the latest Vx adverts are pushing the "Britishness" of the brand while at the same time closing so many dealerships.They could however be moving towards multi-franchise dealerships where the Vx brand shares space with Peugeot or Citroen or both,this would cut down overheads by not having separate sites for the brand.

[STEMO]

Only really makes a difference to folk who buy new, and that definitely isn't me.

[Nick W]

I think the only question over Vx future is whether PSA get rid of the brand altogether, or rebrand their products with VX badges for the UK market.

getting rid of the brands altogether is the only justifiable reason that PSA bought it in the first place.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I would tend to agree. VX is a dying brand anyway. They haven't produced a remotely interesting car for 15 years.
Peugeot is probably a more prestigious brand in the UK now anyway, although , personally I think they are just French shite that  I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

[Kevin Wood]

That's my view on why they were interested in the Vauxhall brand.

To try to sell their godawful plastic shitboxes under a brand that's not immediately identified as "French shite".

[TheBoy]

I think the only question over Vx future is whether PSA get rid of the brand altogether, or rebrand their products with VX badges for the UK market.

getting rid of the brands altogether is the only justifiable reason that PSA bought it in the first place.

It would have been cheaper to not buy it, and let the brands disappear on their own.

I suspect PSA will utilise the brands (though maybe remove Vauxhall and just use Opel) to target different customers.  Or keep Vauxhall and use it as a global budget brand, and sit Opel slightly above, keeping their home brands as premium - Pug more traditional, Citroen more hip.


I agree with MigV6 in that there has been nothing remotely interesting new out of Vauxhall/Opel this millennium, what with the dull Vectra-C and is equally dull (but better to drive) successor.  The Astra/Corsa type cars will always have a market for young families and 2nd cars, or for those where the family has flown the nest.

Vauxhall/Opel's dullness does really match what set in at Peugeot from around the mid nineties, and Ford around 10 years earlier - though in Fords case, I think they are changing in the last few years, and making cars that are more rewarding to drive. Hopefully that's some hope for other makers to follow...

But the fact remains, the vast majority of buyers aren't even remotely interested in driving.

[Kevin Wood]

Peugeot and Citroen : "premium brands" 

[Keith ABS]

 The Colchester Vauxhall dealer/multi franchise has ,since PSA,s involvment had Poogo taken from them and put with the Citroen dealer. They still have Skoda, Kia and Mazda though

Keith ABS

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Who or what is poogo ?   

[Doctor Gollum]

French shit... 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I get it now. had just got up when I first read it. 

[deviator]

Poogo and Clitruin make cars for people who don't care what they drive, as long as it looks pretty.

They are cheap appliances that have a limited life span, but even that is less imited than the attention span of the owners. They don't care if it only lasts 3 years, because they will be bored and move on to the next pretty car by then.

As mentioned, PSA and Vauxhall haven't really brought anything remotely interesting to the market in years, actually it's probably decades. 205GTI and the 405 Mi16 spring to mind. Vauxhall seems to have stalled too, with bland, boring and uninspiring cars. I suppose the Monaro (VXR8) is partially Vauxhall, but it doesn't make up for the cars in their current offerings.