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[Sixstring]

I work about 100 yds away from one of the biggest stores of new cars in the UK, where "boats" come in with over 1000 cars on them from Japan and store them in fenced off areas with maybe 30,000 (honestly) other cars in it.

Got talking to one of the fitters whose job it is to fit the "options" to the cars when the dealers request them. All he gets is " Subaru Forester, Z318 Aquamarine Blue, full leather, alloys, CD+autochanger, load cover, tints, bull bar, 2.5TD" and he has to check a computer programme to find the right colour in stock, and then get it, fit Stereo, bull bar, etc etc, and its sent to the dealer.

NOW THEN........some of the colours that are not very often asked for, are left in the "holding area" for 12 or even 18 months at a time, not started, and not moved. He told me today, he has just sent a car to a dealership to be sold as new and registered as 2010, and it was manufactured in 2008!!

Some poor bugger has just paid damn good money for a "new" car, and he doesn't know its already rusted and stood idle for the last two years................thats just WRONG.

Who'd buy a "new" car...............?? Bet they don't tell them!

[TheBoy]

Every new car I've ever had, I've always had access to the manufacturing history.

The Rover on the driveway currently, for example, was manufactured (completed) 17th Feb 2000, handed over from manufacturing (left factory) to sales Mar 2000, and allocated (to me) April 2000.

The dealer tried the old BS of there being a 4-6 week delay for the specific car to be made, but soon came around to my way of thinking when we sat down for a little chat, and he realised I had access to more info that he did, including when it could be delivered to dealership, so I got it within a few days - just as well, as the Nova I was blasting about with at the time was too small...

[Sixstring]

I reckon it would be a good idea if every new car came with a "passport" sort of thing, showing where built, when built, when shipped, when taken to dealer, when PDI'd......etc etc.

But that will never happen, cos at the moment it  allows the dealers to sell "old" cars as "new" cars!!

Another dirty trick that has no real prevention. Mr honest joe public loses again.

[jerry]

Seems a bit bizarre sixstring to say the least. Ive had 2 jap imports. One I bought here "second hand", the other off a dealer who specialized in jap import MPVs and sports. Though the former had very little history, the emina had quite a bit and the dealer was very helpful . Id been concerned at first and got the "grey import guide" to try and make sure that I wouldnt be "done" but the dealership certainly seemed both friendly and upfront and  vehicle details were well  documented . Like many things its all about finding a dealer you can trust. Must say, when we were looking all the ones we spoke to imported them themselves rather than got them out of a "pool", although that was only just after restrictions on numbers of grey imports had been lifted so things may have changed a bit since then with people buying and importing large amounts of vehicles and then other dealers buying off them which is what you seem to describe. When we were looking it was more a case of dealers buying the cars at auction in japan then importing the ones they either thought they could sell or else had firm orders for. Do recall from the guide however that even at that time there were still people importing volumes of cars but this was mostly into Ireland as they couldnnt do it in the UK

[Sixstring]

Jerry,
these are not IMPORTS, but ordinary dealer stock for new cars that the likes of Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Nissan bring into Britain every week.
They are stored here in Royal Portbury and in Southampton until needed by the UK dealers.
Theres probably 50k cars stored here, google Portbury Dock, Bristol and have a look!!

[cem_devecioglu]

not surprised..

have seen several cases that friends buying new cars with a bad re-paint job on some parts..

the last 2 example were the roomate buying new honda civic (white) with a bad complete re-paint on the boot and the friends brother buying a new megane with a sticky rope hanging    on the drivers door RE-paint :-?

and must add the cherry suv  we buy for another friend was realy tragic.. the steering was 45 degrees off from the normal they forgot to check , we also dont check I see on the road

best pratice, buy something used

[unclelicklug]

My wife got a 'drive a lorry' pressie for her 40th - forget which airfield but I think 5th gear used to use it.
It was packed out with cars which had been registered by importers/dealers and would then sit out there for upwards of 3 months before presumably being diverted to the car supermarkets.
Must cost a lot to keep all that capital tied up, I suppose the manufacturer's sales incentive schemes make it worthwhile to do though.

[Sixstring]

Anybody interested can visit: www.bristolport.co.uk/trades/motor-vehicles.

The possible capacity of "new" cars here is enormous, there are over 20 compounds with maybe at any time 20 thousand cars of varying makes.

Some of them are still there 18 months later........

[davethediver]

There is a hugh warehouse in stockport that until very recently used to house a lot of the northwests mercedes hub stock, was alloweda look in once and all you could see from one side to the other were brand new mercs waiting to be sent out. Was rumoured to have been upwards of 30 million in the one warehouse alone

[Sixstring]

The fun will start when there are still loads stored here, and the manufacturer does a "facelift" or discontinues a model!!!

Who will want a 12 month old car when for a similar price they can get a "new model"...........

[TheBoy]

The fun will start when there are still loads stored here, and the manufacturer does a "facelift" or discontinues a model!!!

Who will want a 12 month old car when for a similar price they can get a "new model"...........

That happens all the time, nothing new.  Manufacturer either forces dealer to take it as part of their agreement (and dealer preregisters etc, and sells discounted), or manufacturer offers to dealer network with a discount, which the dealer may or may not pass on.

If you knock £1000 off any new car, stating its last years model, there is always somebody gullible enough to buy it thinking its a bargain, or somebody buys it because they can drive an even harder bargain whilst not giving a monkeys its last years model....

[Lizzie_Zoom]

There is a hugh warehouse in stockport that until very recently used to house a lot of the northwests mercedes hub stock, was alloweda look in once and all you could see from one side to the other were brand new mercs waiting to be sent out. Was rumoured to have been upwards of 30 million in the one warehouse alone

  ??!

I think you mean £30 million pounds worth?

[davethediver]

There is a hugh warehouse in stockport that until very recently used to house a lot of the northwests mercedes hub stock, was alloweda look in once and all you could see from one side to the other were brand new mercs waiting to be sent out. Was rumoured to have been upwards of 30 million in the one warehouse alone

  ??!

I think you mean £30 million pounds worth?

Yes Lizzie typo on my part, would have had to be a bloody big warehouse otherwise

[Mr Skrunts]

Now you know why the "Car Supermarkets" can offer such discounts off list price on new cars.

My Mate bought a new   Jeep Cheerokee 3.9 V6 Limited edition.  List was 24K he bought it for 16k from a Car Supermarket type place.I reckon they had bought unsold stock.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

I seem to recall that back in the 70s or 80s there were huge dumps of 'surplus to the market' new cars (either Fords or Vauxhalls) siting in fields. Car hire companies were obtaining these cars direct from the manufacturers at silly prices to have reistered, used for a few thousand miles, before being sold on through the newly new second hand market

This way the car companies were 'losing' their over-production.

Anyone else remember this and the exact details? :-/ :-/