YcMing said:
Man why did you got for a stilo and buy from a dealer ? I probably would of just went for a cheap run around for a few quid!
Ming
At the time it was the best option to go on finance with monthly payments I felt. I mean, it was £100 deposit and £99 a month with the Punto and given my job, which hasn't had much of a pay increase - it worked out decent.
I was just plain naive, pure and simple really. Of course I should've just saved for a few months, bought a banger and done it up but I wasn't thinking like that at the time. I may well know a decent amount about cars, but the mechanical side was still a bit of a black art with me at the time, so wanted the relative security that a 1 year warranty and the like would give. Of course, the dealer patter did end up persuading me as well
It was worse with the Stilo as well as I was almost bullied into it. I didn't really want the car, but with the Punto broken and the salesman saying he'd cancel the engine work debt and keep the £99 monthly payments for the first year with the Stilo while the dealer paid the other £100 for that year, I decided I may as well trade up as the Stilo WAS/IS a better car. When I went back the next day to sign on the dotted line AFTER they'd taken my deposit, they said they weren't going to pay for the engine work and that I'd "withheld" that from them. As if I would've done that
So basically, I was at the desk, with the sales boss sat across from me saying they would've never agreed to those terms and they actually had 2 "heavies" behind him with the salesman cowering in the background. It was properly threatening and I felt I had to sign as they said I wouldn't get my deposit back on the Stilo. And so that was that
Of course, why did I go back for servicing and MOTs. Well, I didn't know of anywhere else that would service the Stilo in Paisley so I kept going back and same with MOTs. Though after that £633 MOT I left them and went to Hi Q and got charged less than a tenth of that. Servicing was still reasonable until they did that couple of hundred pound one. It was only by chance I found that specialist in East Kilbride and now I'll never use anyone else.
I'll admit that I should've and could've went elsewhere. Arnold Clark treated me horribly and I felt like I was held over a barrel every time they had my car. It's my own fault that they conned me out of so much money, I'll admit that as well.
Sorry to ramble on, but as you can probably imagine it's a bit of a sore subject for me
If you've got a good relationship with your dealer, fair enough. But
Fiat/Citroen Arnold Clark (formally Alfa Romeo/Fiat Reg Vardy) in Paisley are one of the worst dealers in the country. If you can, AVOID :thumb_down:
