'Where to Buy a Car' Some Curious Guidance
Recognising that many people look to Which? publications as an independent consumer-centric guide on what and where to buy products and services, an article titled 'Where to buy a car' published recently provided some very curious guidance.
The opening paragraph set out a very helpful opening, ‘Is a dealership the best place to buy a new or used car? From car supermarkets to classifieds, we explain and rate all your car buying options.’
The options explored by Which? were, buying from
The absence from this list of independent used retailers, the largest suppliers of used cars in the UK, is an obvious omission from the list, whilst including classified websites, which, with only limited new car possibilities, do not sell cars, was an odd inclusion.
The actual analysis of each option was very light touch and littered with inconsistencies. A negative of buying from franchised dealers was that dealers ‘may push unnecessary insurance or finance add-ons’. Conversely, buying from a car supermarket saw the offering of a finance package ranked as a positive!
Inexplicably, the article lists Car Shop as an online buying service alongside Cinch and Carwow. A negative of buying from a franchised dealer is that “choice may be limited to models from a single brand”!
Items like consumer protection are overlooked, as is the availability of aftersales ?from a physical retailer or car supermarket, and I’m doubtful that classified websites, to use Which?’s description, will be entirely happy with the following summary:”
“As with selective classified websites, traditional classified websites are a place for dealers (and private sellers) to advertise the cars – and they are essentially a free-for-all so you could find dodgy back-street dealer cars alongside ones for sale through franchised main dealers. However, they're also the best place to pick up a bargain.”
Candidly, the article could have been far better. As it is, it risks misinforming car buyers about their car buying options. I, for one, will be writing to Which? to share my observations!