General > General Technical Chat

Is it difficult to buy a car in Australia?

<< < (4/11) > >>

james_s:
Makes me glad I've always bought used cars from private sellers. Show up, take it for a spin, poke around, if I like I negotiate a price, hand over a wad of cash and drive away. I'd rather have an older car and spend some time tinkering and fixing it up any day over paying a huge depreciation hit.

Cthulhoid:

--- Quote from: Bassman59 on September 28, 2018, 05:03:36 pm ---In most States, there are laws against a car manufacturer selling directly to consumers. To buy a car, you must go through a franchised dealer. One might think that there is some value-add to that, in the sense that the salesperson knows everything about the products, but that's not true.

--- End quote ---

If there were any benefit to using a third-party dealer rather than buying from the manufacturer, the government wouldn't be sending men with guns to stop manufacturers from selling direct.

Brumby:

--- Quote from: sokoloff on September 30, 2018, 02:44:04 pm ---
--- Quote from: Brumby on September 30, 2018, 03:43:54 am ---
--- Quote from: sokoloff on September 30, 2018, 12:01:03 am ---
--- Quote from: razberik on September 29, 2018, 06:22:18 pm ---What  :o The entire process with negotiating price is totally strange to me.
In place where I live, the cars have their prices on stickers like anything else - milk or bread in grocery or washing machine in electronics store.
I can open car brand website, configure the vehicle with desired options, print this configuration with calculated price and bring it to the dealer - I receive it and the price is final.
--- End quote ---
Well, there are window stickers and prices here, too, but I’ve never paid anywhere close to the sticker price on the two new cars I’ve bought in my life. So, if you want to make it easy and don’t care how much you pay, you can surely buy a car like it just has a price and you pay that or don’t get the car. You’ll also likely pay thousands more than I would for the same end result.
--- End quote ---
This is where cultural differences can play a part.  If you come from an environment where haggling is an alien concept, then trying to do so will be rather offensive.  Alternatively, if you come from an environment where it is expected - and you don't - then the vendor may feel guilty and give you something extra.  (I saw this in a video I watched last night).  In Australia, it's not all that common in formal retail settings - but for big ticket items, it is not unexpected.

When criticising people on taking or not taking certain approaches in various situations, we must be careful to consider such differences.

--- End quote ---
I don't believe I levied criticism in the text above.

--- End quote ---

I didn't mean to infer a negative attitude.

Perhaps I should have said:  "When commenting on people taking or not taking certain approaches in various situations, we must be careful to consider such differences."

Rick Law:

--- Quote from: razberik on September 29, 2018, 06:22:18 pm ---...
Different situation is used car dealers - they are 99% idiots and crooks and I would never buy a car there. The prices (they are on stickers) are usually like +20% compared to cars sold by individuals.
There might be involved some process similar to that described in John Cadogans videos, but used car dealers here are for people who are absolutely clueless about cars.

But the price negotiating process in new car dealers shocks me. :o

--- End quote ---

re: used car buying from individual vs dealer...

One issue with used car here in the USA is the Title.  This is the legal paper issued by the State that you own the vehicle and Title is required to register the vehicle.  In the USA, car registration is handled by the States and each has its own laws.  If one search the web, there are plenty of examples of used car purchaser having trouble registering the vehicle after buying the car - because of issues with the Title.  Most are innocent things, but some are less innocent.  Worst case scenario is when the buyer and seller are in different States there-by two different sets of rules.

Title-issues could be because of prior owner with a marriage-name-change, lien not properly cleared, typos, signed at the wrong spot...  Imagine trying to call the seller for her marriage certificate and proof of change-of-name.  (One can do a formal/legal name change in the USA, but one doesn't have to...)  Worst case is of course a stolen car with a fake title.  Stolen car can even get a "real" Title by various known tricks that you can find on the web - Department of Motor Vehicle guys are not known to walk out to the parking lot to carefully check the vehicle's VIN against the paper work.

In the USA, it is common for individual sellers to park the car at a high-traffic area with a FOR-SALE sign and a phone number. A shopping mall by a major road is a typical spot.  It therefore seemed natural to meet the seller there instead of meeting the seller at his/her home.  Even if you first discover a car in the eBay listing, it would not be suspicious when the seller say "my car is typically parked at XYZ mall, why don't we meet there."

The risk of title-issues is less when purchased from a dealer instead of an individual.  At least, when an issue popped up with the paper work, there is a business there for the buyer to go back to and follow up.  When purchased from an individual, if you need to look for the seller, you could find "no one live here by that name" and the phone number...well, it was a pre-paid phone disposed after the sale.  Of course it would be pointless to go back to the damn mall where you first saw the car, spoke to the seller who seemed so nice...

Brumby:
In NSW at least, there is no formal "title" to a vehicle, unless you have an original receipt for the sale of the vehicle (which is not common for second-hand vehicles).  The registration papers are used as a defacto - but they technically do not represent any title of ownership - just the right for a particular vehicle to travel on public roads.  The name & address on the rego papers is simply somewhere to send any correspondence.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod