Dealer said ex Alfa car, V5 says ex Hertz !!!

Originally Posted by jimbo2109

I would've said it was a little high. Most go back at circa 10k

Ours go back at 15k miles (Avis).

I work down beside Gatwick, and you always see hire cars being dropped back - you can spot them a mile off. The Alfa's always have West Country plates (W at the start), and a big GB sticker on the rear I've seen a lot of 159's lately too mind.

So what's the difference between a hire car & one that's been a pool car at Fiat/Alfa? Both are as likely to have been abused IMO.

Would I buy an ex-hire car? Yes. And I have. And so have a couple of friends of mine. No discernable difference between them & any other used car out there.

Originally Posted by PC7671

Exactly what I was thinking. It maybe harsh but their ether dishonest or incompetent.

Hope it works out OK

yeah i'm thinking the same, there is no way that he couldn't have seen the V5 before he sent it.

The South Marocan & DKelly: Did you inspect the V5 before he sent it off? and did you sign it?

When you purchase a car from private or Dealer you should be signing the "old" V5 and then it is the seller/deales responsibility to send it off, so you would have seen the V5 then before it went?

If it were me and I was happy with the deal I got & I'd not found anything wrong with the car that could be attributed to Hertz then my gripe would be with the salesman only. I'd look for an acceptable settlement (free servicing, 1yrs tax, new tyres, roofrack etc) then walk away and deal with someone else next time safe in the knowledge that you've learn't your lesson and will ask different questions.

Alternatively I thought AR Approved Used had a 30 day/1000mile rule for returns ?

Originally Posted by k3lvc

If it were me and I was happy with the deal I got & I'd not found anything wrong with the car that could be attributed to Hertz then my gripe would be with the salesman only. I'd look for an acceptable settlement (free servicing, 1yrs tax, new tyres, roofrack etc) then walk away and deal with someone else next time safe in the knowledge that you've learn't your lesson and will ask different questions.

Alternatively I thought AR Approved Used had a 30 day/1000mile rule for returns ?

I agree 100%. I understand your gripe with the salesman appearing to be economical with the truth, but as owning a Hertz car as opposed to an Alfa pool car, whats the difference? As said, try to get some compensation from the dealer for his bull but crry on enjoying your car.

Friend of mine had a similar experience with an Audi main dealer. He took the car back and played hell with them and threatened to make a big issue of it. He ended up with the managers car, higher spec with all the options worth nearly three thousand more.

Had two National hire cars for six months (pre-contract for my company car). Both were due back at 14,000 miles -before first service is due, then sold on, I rand up these mileages in both! The discount they receive means that they can run them and sell them on at very low cost.

It is possible that Alfa own it and Hertz lease it. How old is the car? How quickly were the miles put on it? Has it been serviced prior to you buying it? Key one that...

It sounds like mis-selling, but I would have been happy to have bought both cars I ran, particularly at a good price. Why not ask for some good will in the form of a free cambelt change and service?

If you are happy with the car, at least you know that the niggles have been dealt with!
regards,
daren

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I just rang Hertz and said I'd like to hire an Alfa 159. They don't run them in the UK at all, just the Brera.

https://www.hertz.ie/rentacar/byr/in...=globNav_3_2_3

They do in Ireland

Originally Posted by bluefoam

https://www.hertz.ie/rentacar/byr/in...=globNav_3_2_3

They do in Ireland

But not in the UK.

UK models are a different spec and have speedos with mph, not just kmh, so the ones being sold here are not ex-Irish.

The guys in this thread have bought them in the UK, which is why I referred to the UK, as opposed to elsewhere in Europe.

They also stock different cars in different locations...

Did you ask about all uk or a specific area?

Originally Posted by bluefoam

They also stock different cars in different locations...

Did you ask about all uk or a specific area?

I asked about all UK, which is why I said "They don't run them in the UK at all".

Thanks for all your input guys, appreciate it.

Spoke to the dealer today, they are still investigating, thougth the car was actually bought from a Fiat subsiduary in the uk, not an Alfa named company (I do of course realise that Fiat is the parent company).

Pigfarmer, I don't remember actually seeing the whole V5, I just remember signing the wee tear off slip that the purchaser gets to keep. I 'm sure the salesman separated it in front of me but only passed for signing the relevant bit. Lesson learnt for next time I guess.

Paddy2bsure, my car does indeed start with a W.

Jdrrco, thanks for your feedback, but given Paddy's comments about Avis, it is possible that whoever you spoke to gave you some duff info.

My gut feel at this stage is that it was a hire car, though of course time will tell.

Wish i'd kept my GTA and paid the extra fuel costs every week

Hi South Moroccan, still no news from this end. I have heard nothing from the dealer or Alfa UK. I'm going to give it until the middle of the week and then call both again.

Thanks everyone for your ideas and I have taken on board everyones thoughts and I have thought long and hard about it and to be honest I am happy with the car. It has needed a lot of warranty work to get it up to scratch but it is now nearly sorted. Also I have not had to push the dealers they have taken the jobs on with out question.

So that leaves me with what I want, well due to the mileage i have done and the fact that I am now becoming more happy with the car, and would i want another car that I would have to start to scratch again so I guess I am going to ask for the warranty to be extended by 1 year or money to bank against any future issues that may show themselves later.

I'll keep you all updated.

When I used to rent a hire cars many years ago, I used to practice changing gear without the clutch. Initially I wasn't very good at it.

I wouldn't touch an ex-hire car with a bargepole.

RG

Originally Posted by dkelly

I guess I am going to ask for the warranty to be extended by 1 year.

That sound like the most sensible thing as it won't cost them to much (£500ish) and you get to sleep soundly.

Originally Posted by rhg

When I used to rent a hire cars many years ago, I used to practice changing gear without the clutch. Initially I wasn't very good at it.

I wouldn't touch an ex-hire car with a bargepole.

RG

But with this logic you wouldn't buy an ex-pool car or indeed any secondhand car. I do think people doing what you did are few and far between. Even when I am in a hire car I still want it to get me around without the hassle of mucking up the clutch or anything else, even if I don't have to pay for it.

Hi Mark

Thanks for your PM. I couldn’t reply as your inbox is full.

I'm impressed, well done. My story has a different ending. Also I have a different story. I bought mine as a self financed company car and by the time I noticed I had already accumulated 6,000 miles. So they were never going to take it back. I also have spent a long time getting the car into a satisfactory state, i.e. warranty work.

I spoke with both the dealer who seemed to think there wasn't a problem but continued to say I had had a good deal; I don’t remember putting gun to his head so, so did he. I had already taken a dislike to his attitude prior to actually buying the car.

Alfa customer services basically said it was a dealer issue and not an Alfa issue, so there was nothing they could do. As I couldn't 'prove' what was said I had no real ammunition, so I went back on the offensive with Alfa Romeo hi-lighting the statements in the Approved Alfa Romeo blurb and started with No Nasty Surprises.

Finally I got a break through, and they basically offered me vouchers to be spent at an Alfa dealer, There was no where else to go, so I took it. BTW they still haven't arrived.

The bottom line is, I will NEVER buy another car from a main dealer and I will always check all of the information prior to parting with any money.

Am I annoyed? Yes but only that it has been proved that others are correct and Alfa's dealer network is appalling. I have just come from 3 Audis on the bounce and have never had an experience like this. But when all I said and done I LOVE the car and it may have been thrashed, but so might anything else. Who knows? I'm in now and have to get on with it. I can't think of a better car to have as it is it that has kept me sane!

Just a rattle in the boot lid and a sticky seat back release to go.

Cheers

DK

Originally Posted by rhg

When I used to rent a hire cars many years ago, I used to practice changing gear without the clutch. Initially I wasn't very good at it.

I wouldn't touch an ex-hire car with a bargepole.

RG

They do say that a hire car is the fastest car you'll ever drive, it's because no-one gives a s**t about them, and most people only have them for a few days, ragging the socks off them.

I don't. I always treat the beast with some respect.


Ralf S.

Originally Posted by dkelly

Am I annoyed? Yes but only that it has been proved that others are correct and Alfa's dealer network is appalling. I have just come from 3 Audis on the bounce and have never had an experience like this.

Funnily enough I was in an Audi dealer with my wife at the weekend buying her second new Audi in two years. This is despite the fact that we were not happy with this dealership when she bought the last one. But she is very happy with the car so there you go.

I did see the same wee twerp wandering about when we were in there but he kept well away and we dealt with one of the loverly lady sales people.

I was a bit surprised by the price we were offered, £3000 better than we had been offered by another Audi dealer in the same chain, and they had the details from our visit there from the week before on the computor. Said they wanted to keep our business. This is for the facelifted A3 which isn't even out yet!

Sorry haven't read all this thread but a couple of things spring to mind?

1. The dealer said they didn't know the source
2. Did you state that if it was a rental at tim