Emil

Just don't bother to buy a used car

Where to begin? Perhaps with the fact that the employees are good storytellers, and I wish I could have read the reviews before making the purchase. We bought a used Nissan X-Trail Accenta Premium (70 reg model, 18,000 miles) from Glynn in Romford, about 80 miles from where we live, and paid in cash - £19,500. While I understand it was a used car, I am confident we could have found a much better one elsewhere. Later research revealed that they had been unable to sell the car for three months, initially listing it for £20,500. 1. At the very entrance, we experienced zero interest from the seller (Terry), possibly because we did not look like potential buyers. 2. During the inspection, I pointed out chipping on the bonnet, small scratches (as if it had been parked near bushes), scratched door sills, dirty upholstery (the driver’s seat appeared stained as if with paint, and the rest of the seats had stains from a poor wash), and crumbling foam from the driver's seat, visible on the carpet. Terry assured us that everything would be "repaired" and I have asked about the car mats, he said we would receive a set from them. Additionally, Terry said, "while I show you the car I am handing over to a customer today, you will see the quality, yours will look the same," pointing to a new car. This raised a small red flag, but I chose to ignore it at the time. as it was a black car with a panoramic room, something I was looking for. 3. We were charged a deposit of £1,000, which surprised me. Apart from the receipt, we were not given any information about a refund policy if we decide to cancel. However, the website mentioned booking for £99, if I recall correctly. 4. We managed to negotiate the price down to £19,500 (initially £19,750). Terry assured us that the "imperfections" would be fixed. 5. We waited nearly 10 days for the car to be ready for the collection. The first time, Terry was "not happy" with the repairs. The second time, we could not pick up the car on a convenient day because Terry was not working then. 6. Upon collection, they had not even bothered to vacuum up the crumbled foam, nor had anyone inspected it. I also believed the car came with Android Auto, but I could not connect my phone. When I asked Terry for help, he said this model does not have Android Auto. I thought I might have confused the offers, but at home, I found their windshield sales tag indicating it had Android Auto. It turned out I had the wrong cable (fortunately for me, there was a sign in a boot, as they removed the ad immediately after the deposit), so I had something to argue. After some research, I discovered that the Accenta Premium does come with Android Auto, indicating they were unaware of the car’s features. PROMISED REPAIRS: These were nothing more than a lipsticking a pig: - Paint chips: they used a correction marker or fine brush, not proper repairs. Interestingly, by applying a protective vinyl to the sills and cleaning them with alcohol, all repairs were easily removed. - Scratches: the car was polished with colour wax, but not properly polished. After the first rain, all scratches reappeared. PROMISED UPHOLSTERY CLEANING: They only cleaned a paint-like smear from the driver’s seat. The rest of the seats still looked like a child had thrown up and they were ineptly washed. They didn’t even bother to vacuum up the crumbled foam. Fortunately this is an easy fix. CAR MATS: Upon collection, I asked about the car mats. Terry said he had ordered them and they would be delivered to our home address. We NEVER RECEIVED them. Why did I actually buy it? I was unsure about the deposit policy, the car had a 12-month warranty, it didn’t look too bad on the collection (except for the paint blobs) before it rained, and I needed to get the V5 quickly to travel abroad within the next 4 weeks or so. I personally will avoid Glyn Hopkins like a fire, they didn't even offer short-term car insurance, because Terry said they only have it for new cars. Every other dealer where I looked at other cars had it. Save yourself the nerves and disappointment, and look for a car somewhere else....