TCS or Specialistcars?

[ahaughton 0]

Hi,

 

Just trying to canvass opinion on buying a car from either TCS or Specialistcars? I've read one thread on here about TCS commenting on the fact the guy's just in it to make money on turning cars over asap etc. Which is all well and good but when I buy a car such as a Corrado I expect the dealer to be a specialist/enthusiast - someone whom I can contact if there are problems or I want advice etc. This doesn't necessarily seem the case with TCS? Their cars are usually around 2K cheaper than Specialist cars which is a lot but does the additional 2K get you a car from a dealer who picks his cars carefully, provides excellent back up service, is knowledgeable and willing to go the 'extra mile' with the after sales, 'cos if he is then that's who I'd rather buy from....

 

So, anyone had dealings with Specialistcars and willing to share their opinion(s)?

 

Cheers,

 

Adrian

 

Previous owner of '91 G60 and '93 Dragon Green VR6 now wanting to get back behind the wheel!

[dukest 0]

Unless one of them have a car you think you cannot live without i'd much rather buy privately, particularly off a forum like this. More choice, less mark-up, better chance of finding an enthusiast who'll tell you all about the car etc..

 

There are very good cars around for less than £4-5k, so to talk of paying 40-50% (£2k) premium to one dealer over another seems crazy to me!

[Andy665 0]

I spoke to the owner of TCS at the NEC last year, he was the first to admit that he doesn't know a lot about the C apart from the fact that he can make a decent amount of money out of them. I wouldn't expect much in the way of aftersales help from them however it doesn't mean to say I would not buy a car from them.

 

If you know what you're looking for and see a car that ticks the boxes for you and its a decent price then it could be worth a punt

[IrishG60 0]

Have heard some dodgy things about TCS from Irish guys who've gone over to visit... misleading descriptions of motors etc...

 

Only a viewing/personnel experience will tell though.

[ahaughton 0]

Thanks for this so far everyone. My natural tendancy has always been to buy from a dealer but if I can find a good one privately and find its history etc. from you guys then I'm willing to give it a go! I suppose it makes sense 'cos the likes of TCS/Specialist cars only give 2/3 months warranty anyway so it would be cheaper to find a private one and get an RAC check?

[Campaign 0]

Unless it's the Campaign you're after of course ;) In which case, you can find out a lot more info from the forum...

[Walesy 0]

Thanks for this so far everyone. My natural tendancy has always been to buy from a dealer but if I can find a good one privately and find its history etc. from you guys then I'm willing to give it a go! I suppose it makes sense 'cos the likes of TCS/Specialist cars only give 2/3 months warranty anyway so it would be cheaper to find a private one and get an RAC check?

 

Corrado dealers will only be buying their stock from the same places that you can buy them from directly (i.e Autotrader,Pistonheads,Adtrader,Ebay, Forums like this one etc etc) then adding a premium, which is why, personaly I wouldn't buy from a dealer unless they had a particular Corrado that I wanted, at a price I was happy to pay. You should use the same caution when buying from a dealer as you should when buying privately.

 

RAC checks are pretty intense, bare in mind when you get the report back that the car being checked is over 12 years old. I had someone run a Rado I was selling through an RAC check once, and the inspector went through my car with a fine tooth comb for 2 hours. He told me that it was VERY rare that he had to check cars that were more than 2-3 years old and worth much less than £8000 so it's a pretty tough test to put such a relitavely old and inexpensive car through. I suppose from a buying perspective it's worth doing for peace of mind, but don't get too hung up on minor details such as the car having less layers of paint in some areas than others (they have a little gadget that can tell if any of the panels have ever been painted) etc as MOST cars on the road have had bits of bodywork done at some point, sometimes even before they've left the forecourt they've had little scrapes here and there touched up so as long as the car looks spot on who cares? I think this was the gist of what the inspector told the guy that was buying my car, as he bought it anyway so he can't have been that put off.