Motor price probe
Friday 16th October 2009, 2:59PM BST.
THE prices set by car dealers and the amount of profit they make is to be investigated.
A major review into the Island’s motor trade industry has been launched today by the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority.
The Island’s competition watchdog wants to hear from the public on their experiences of purchasing and importing new cars into the Island, as well as the servicing of their vehicles.
The review follows a request by Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean to the JCRA to review the market to clear up any concern over the price of cars in the Island.
• To take part in the survey, go to the JCRA website by clicking here
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Cars are massively overpriced in Jersey, used cars are 40% more expensive here than in the UK. Dealers will argue that mileage is less but I’d rather have a car that had done 80,000 motorway miles than a Jersey car with 20,000 miles that travels to town from the West every day in that 3 mile traffic jam, can you imagine the wear on clutch/brakes/gearbox.
As for servicing costs, Jacksons charge over £100 per hour, main agents for Porsche in Britain cahrge as little as £50 per hour. Independants charge £60 – £70 per hour here, £35 per hour in the UK.
As with everything else in Jersey we are being stiffed, that stretch of water is the most expensive in the world, as for the investigation, what will it achieve, at best it will tell us what we already know, nothing will change.
I buy my cars from car supermarkets in the UK, pre sale inspection and if necessary service. Warranty and no quibble return policy, all for 40% less than local price. Local traders want to make 30% profit on the sale and part ex, UK dealers are happy with 5%.
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Yes, about time, i was a bit shocked when i looked up a valuation of a car on whatcar website, it came to £3100 private £3250 dealer prices.
Now I know that condition may vary but the Jersey Car dealers price at a large garage was £4995.00, if anyone would care to explain that amount of difference then please do.
I notice the smaller dealers are much more inclined to be more realistic about prices and since I came by ths information have vowed never to by a car from that dealership.
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Sorry, but I don’t think this will do anything to address the pricing policy in this Island which is “that’s our price if you want it, take it or leave it”.
Having taken a considerable length of time getting my purchasing organized where what I buy in this Island is minimal, that’s the way it will stay for the forseeable future.
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Just printed off this survey – what a waste of time.
Questions are poorly drafted and its hardly probing or detailed.
Another waste of effort by the JCRA in my opinion.
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A local garage over here is asking “£4995″!!!! for a “2001 Toyota Yaris” which in real terms would sell anywhere else for less than £2000!
Garages are putting a “ridiculous” mark up on second hand used cars, particulaly the one above.
There is no way on earth an eight year old Yaris is worth five grand.
Or any other of there fantasy prices!
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One of the best things that I did when the children left home was to buy a laptop. To buy a new car get an emailed quote from a u.k. wholesaler then take it along to the local dealer and ask him to match the price + a few extras. He will may try to give you a lot of flannel :- the shipping (the local dealer will charge for that anyway),the guarantee not being valid (twaddle any main agent will honour it) and then the likely part exchange (I would suggest taking it to the local auction after having spent £60 on having it professionally cleaned if it does not reach the required reserve a search of the gravel patches may achieve the required price). The other thing to do if you are buying the car on H.P. is to arrange your own finance, remember most dealers take a substantial cut when organizing your finance. If you are buying a Mini or a Bentley you can win with the above methods,believe me, I am not a States’ Member.
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I would suggest this when buying a car, if you do see one you want to purchase and you are lucky enough to have the cash in hand dont listen to the car salesmans patter, ensure that you will get a guarantee on your purchase then offer him cash at what you are prepared to pay, show him the money there and then if he says no dont even haggle, give him your phone number and walk out of the shop remember this, cash is king you are the buyer, he wants your cash, 9 times out of ten you will get a call so give it a go you have absolutely nothing whatsover to lose the seller has
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Same old story I’m afraid. The people with serious money living in Jersey force up the price of everything because they don’t need to shop around. It’s plain old economics, supply and demand!!!
A little tip if you’re interested. Pop over to the UK and go to a car auction. Exeter used to have them (Marsh Barton I think) and Bristol still does. Both large auctions with a good selection of motors. True, you have to pay GST on the imported price but that shouldn’t be too prohibitive.
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Car of the week at one of the franchised dealers in tonight’s motoring pages: a 2000 VW Polo for £3995. That must be a misprint surely, even £2500 would be expensive for a nine year old small hatchback!!
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No 6, piston broke aren’t the mini or Bentley sold from the same over priced car selling servicing garage here in Jersey, lol
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I know a thing or two about “CARS” & inagreance with Craig,a nine year old VW polo is worth £1500!
quid “not” £3995!!!
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It is not just certain motor traders who try it on price wise, even the clasified adds are a bit pricy.
I was talking to a guy a couple of years ago who was trying to sell a large German estate car – He mentioned an asking price and when I showed him a print out from Parkers price guide indicating the market price being £4,000 less than the figure he mentioned, his response was ‘this is Jersey and I can get away with it !’
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Estimate from Jacksons = 400 Pounds.
Estermate from French workshop = 200 Euros Final cost from workshop was 139 Euros (127,50 Pounds)
When told that I was givern a quote of 400 Pounds, I was told ” It is a Rip Off price”
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Dest bargains are nearly new VAT qualifying cars. Most dealers will ship these cars direct to Jersey for you and charge the asking price less VAT. A six month old Merc, after allowing for shipping, GST, etc., costs around two thirds of the new price.
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I do not understand why people can not look after their cars and stop feeling the need to dump the old and buy the new everytime they take the whim.
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4)Sandy Trinity – isn’t this what we’ve always said the retailers in Jersey paying lip service to the buying public and the JCRA set up by the States as a toothless bulldog, my advice to anyone locally, buy off island, including your groceries, I buy my groceries twice a year off Island and save an absolute fortune – no I don’t worry about the fate of local retailers’ too good for too long comes to mind!!!!
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15) Ann – if you have nothing constructive to say don’t bother posting comments!
My car is ten years old, no, I wouldn’t trade in locally but would sell privately and then buy secondhand off island saving a wad of money in the process, this is what it’s all about.
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‘I do not understand why people can not look after their cars and stop feeling the need to dump the old and buy the new everytime they take the whim.’
Dead right Anne!
It is time for a lot of manufacturers to look at their sales model and accept the fact that in the long term; supporting their product, selling parts, spares and upgrades so that their product stays in the field for as long as possible can be a viable and sustainable business model.
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Mogit 17
Ann’s comment is constructive!
It shows a non-materialistic and non-consumistic approach to solving the “exaggerated car-price problem”.
Less demand, lower prices…sounds feasible to me.
You and I may not agree with it, but it certainly isn’t an “empty” comment.
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I wonder what the bicycle market is like over here
It’s getting too expensive to drive, park and maintain a car let alone buy a new one. Then you have the traffic issues.
Maybe if I get some advertising on my car like the taxi drivers it would help
Another example of Jersey only wanting the rich to drive on the rock!
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Well said Robert! I know many people who now get their cars serviced in France. The service here is not up to scratch, they realize most vehicles here trundle about at 40 mph covering 2000 miles a year, so therefore no need to do the full check, stamp the book take the cash and job done. I know of several cases where the service in France found serious defects. If you are charging gold rate prices, then the quality should be there!
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Buy in the UK, keep it on UK plates, at least it will be required to have an MOT, which is a damn sight safer than the Jersey system. Quite frankly the DVS is an expensive anachronistic department which only survives because of Jersy’s reluctance to comply with EU standards. I mean who dreamed up a test for drivers to examine thair knowledge of Jersey??? How idiotic? most people use maps in the UK!!! Since when did National Express drivers get lost????
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Mogit-I’m quite certain that this forum is about the cost of new cars. You are referring to buying 10 year old second hand cars off island.
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A 20mph speed limit across the Island would solve this problem.
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Hi all,
I believe this is something that happens when people stop buying due to high prices, to compensate for the loss of business the dealers put there prices up! and this goes on and on, and then no one wants to buy the cars or whatever there selling! Guys in industrys keep the prices reasonable and you should get sales and a happy customer! if you dont then you only have yourselves to blame for going out of buisness!!
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Ahhh Mrs Bead
Although I don’t agree with your crusade to lower the speed limit I do feel that those caught speeding should be severely dealt with……especially as I just lost another pet from some idiot speeding through a village with a limit of 30mph!!
There should be speed cameras in all built up areas with 20mph limits……then perhaps not only would the drivers get caught and fined but it would give enough evidence to sue them for the unnecessary deaths caused to our beloved animals too.
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24 “Mrs. Rosemary Bead – A 20mph speed limit across the Island would solve this problem”
Mrs Bead delighted to her from you, I had originally thought your posts the work of an ill informed fool, I now realise you are playing to comic effect.
You are of course completely right, an island wide traffic jam (sorry 20mph speed limit )would solve the issue of disparity of price between UK & Jersey vehicles, actually I don’t think it would stop there, I fully believe it would promote world peace and restore the environmental balance caused by greenhouse gas ( a direct result of people buying too many greenhouses )
Come on fess up – you are taking the p*** aren’t you.
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BS Deluxe – you are of course right, I’ve never understood why an island obsessed with raising revenue has resisted the urge to install these cash machines throughout the island, it’s an obvious source of revenue under the pretension of road safety.
If we are serious about stopping speeding then this is the measure we need to persue, it won’t stop everyone but will deter most. The only way you can get nicked for speeding at present is if you are unfortunate enough to be caught by a rare roadside check, I think I’ve seen half a dozen in over 20 years.
The one proviso would be that the speed limits set were reasonable, no point in Mrs Bead’s 20mph limit that everyone would flaunt.Sorry about your pet, I keep sending my mother in law to the shops in the hope that the same thing happens to her.
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Mr Beadmary Rose 27
I’m happy to see the penny has finally dropped!
Mrs Rosemary Bead
We’re on to you, so you’re going to have to change your name and wind-up!
Shame really, your vivid imagination (and your Scottish terrier named Leah…hmmmm…not your kindest comment!) will be sadly missed. R.I.P.
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Eleven year old Volvo for sale in a Jersey garage: GBP3,600.
Parkers car guide gives below GBP790.
Anyone beat that?
I use E Bay now. Very safe if you know what you are doing.
Buying local? Think twice.
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My campaign is a true one with true causes at heart.
I look forward to the day an Island wide 20mph speed limit is introduced to Jersey, it will be my legacy on the Island if not the World.
Like a Florence Nightengale of Jersey, my time on earth will not be mispent. I am working for our children and there childrens children, unlike most selfish people alive today.
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QS (22) thinks it unnecessary for Jersey drivers to take a ‘knowledge’ test as “Nat Express don’t get lost”. Do you want make a bet? Imagine a bus/coach turning into the wrong road, or taxi drivers having to refer to maps.
And Mrs RB (24),what the heck has a 20mph speed limit got to do with getting screwed by our answer to Arfur Daley? I’m looking for a car now and the UK seems to be the only viable option.
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29 Born Warrior – point taken but you have to admit she was good, just overplayed her hand posting on a non related forum.
The worrying thing is there are people out there holding BS views that they cannot back up with constructive argument, as for her latest post – “the Florence Nightingale of Jersey” love the game’s up, you had a good run but it’s over.
Go away and invent another charecter but not Mulvie Le Phew – he’s mine!
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Bighorse “I’m looking for a car now and the UK seems to be the only viable option”.
Too right mate, try Autoquake or Car Giant, ex fleet cars with full history for a third of the new price, no quibble returns policy, HPI check and 111 point inspections included.
Example Jersey forecourt 2006 Ford Focus 2.0TDCI £10,000 Car Giant same car £6,000, bend over and say aaahh sir.
I actually bought a car from the UK many years ago for £2700, ran it for 3 years and sold it locally for £2900 – yeh I know I’m as bad as them but would you sell for less than you could get?
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Mr Beadmary Rose,
Unfortunately I am not in the phone book to prove to you that I am a genuine person. I kept getting prank phone calls from so called religious organisations asking me if I sold rosemary beads. Can you believe how silly some people are. Little Leah got the runs because of the stress of it all, so I elected to remove myself from the phone book.
Anyway, there is no way I can prove to you that I am a genuine Jersey ‘character’, living and breathing in Jersey, apart from asuring you in writing that I am genuine and my campaign for a 20mph speed limit is genuine.
The relevance to this thread is less people would decide to travel by car and buy pushbikes instead, thus no need to worry about the price of cars. So I do think it is appropriate to bring in my campaign.
20MPH SPEED LIMIT – NOW.
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Rosemary Bead – madam, you’ve been rumbled have the grace to decline, to be honest I did think you were over egging the pudding, I mean nobody’s that thick.
Well done Born Warrior for exposing the truth, Mr Beadmary Rose he was ahead of you in this endeveour, some good posts by you none the less.
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SHA-WADDY WADDY
You’re absolutely right. The problem is that there are lots of us looking for that type of car. Some will pay that price. If there was no demand the price would be lower. I’m going to the UK this w/end to find one.
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Forget the 20mph speed limit, remove all drivers over 60 years old, it would make the roads a much safer place and would also provide loads of second hand cars, simple safe soloution.
AAANNNDDDD, a car is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it.
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To RR and everyone else,i advise personally to vote with your feet & not purchase rip off eight year old “five grand”Toyota Yaris,Polo or any other over inflated vehicles from rip off garages.
You can support local by buying private and if in doubt spend £50 or so and ask the private seller if there prepared to let you have it inspected.
If they are not prepared to honour your wishes then stay clear,let us say for example a Yaris is £2000 private and you spend £50 to have it inspected your still almost “£3000″ in pocket.
Its not rocket science.
As for “Jersey characters”,i think theres a lot of them throwing thousands away on “chavvy”
Range Rovers! Surely there arent that many farmers left over here.
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Mrs. Rosemary Bead 35
The fact that you are a “REAL CHARACTER” cannot be disputed, and this last comment proves it! So think up your new name ASAP.
How does Mrs.O.Lee Bible sound?
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Mrs Bead Born Warrior has started the ball rolling, or why not my suggestion Phyllis Stein. Come on folks let’s have your suggestions for Mrs Bead’s new charecter.
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Agreed no. 5 – the garage probably got the Yaris for about 1500 if it was traded in, or 1000 if it paid cash.
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Jenson Button’s volkswagon-now there’s a real car.
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