Shocking Nissan HPC experience West Way Manchester

[Alex C]

Hi all - Long time 300z and GTR owner but just wanted to share a bad experience with 370Z owners as well.

 

I've just returned from West Way Manchester after being basically refused a test drive in a used 370Z by the used car sales manager Neville Goddard.

 

Firstly some background (all explained to the original salesman) - I currently own an R33 GTR but would like to have a more modern car as an everyday vehicle rather than a 500bhp machine in the garage and another runabout. We are in a position where we could pay outright for the 370Z, although a large deposit and some financing while the GTR is sold was an option.

 

Having phoned up over an hour before and booked the drive, my girlfriend and I arrived and made small talk with a Sales team member and I made it clear that I had a budget of £20-21K and wanted to compare to other cars in the same price bracket (B7 RS4, 335i). Although the 370Z in stock at the dealership was listed at £24k, another in the West way group was listed at £19995 with just 8500miles, with a specific mention that group stock can be moved to closer dealerships if required.

 

I considered it perfectly reasonable that I could drive a car that was in stock nearer to us to see if I like the car as a daily proposition.

 

In short, we were told that they would only let us drive a car that was within budget as "it costs them money to do test drives" and "we get all sorts coming in wanting to test drive cars".

 

As a customer experience manager, my girlfriend immediately demanded to speak to the manager (we were!) and then asked for the Nissan customer complaints number to speak to them directly and we were also told we could not have this and "you just phone Nissan".

 

Basically, they had made a totally incorrect judgement that we were not in a position to buy. As you would imagine, this left both my girlfriend and I extremely angry and belittled.

 

I have a car that would paste a 370Z in most departments apart from age and upkeep, surely as an owner of two 300ZX and an R33 GT-R with a brand loyalty, I have acted reasonably here?

 

One thing is for sure; I certainly will not being buying a 370Z, yet again Nissan Customer service has lost itself another potential sale, and I would certainly recommend everyone here to avoid West Way Manchester HPC at all costs.

[Ekona]

Not buying a car because the salesman was an idiot isn't particularly smart either. Take your business elsewhere, but dot deprive yourself because WestWay are a bunch of idiots.

[rtbiscuit]

its common in alot of nissan dealerships, they seem to have an attitude of not actually wanting to sell any cars.

 

glynn hopkins were just as crap in ipswich;

[rtbiscuit]

Not buying a car because the salesman was an idiot isn't particularly smart either. Take your business elsewhere, but dot deprive yourself because WestWay are a bunch of idiots.

 

my experience with nissan has meant i never would or never will give them repeat business again. when i owned the car i made sure all parts and servicing was all done by independents.

 

and after my previous experiences with nissan they'd have to get megan fox to come butter my balls before i ever decide to step back in a nissan dealership.

[scubapics]

Hmm. Butter on my balls. I'm not sure I'd like that. Even if it was Megan Fox applying it.

 

To the OP. You need to remember that every Nissan garage is a franchise. They're not owned by Nissan or run by them. Just take your money elsewhere. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea telling them that you were going to compare against other cars. If you'd just kept the focus on the car in the forecourt they'd probably have let you test drive without any questions.

 

Besides, you can probably get better examples and cheaper too from independents.

 

Here's an example although not in your area:

 

http://www.lodgemotor.co.uk/nissan-370z-v6-gt-coupe-6-speed-sat-nav-in-berkshire-for-sale-2101813

 

Jim

[dragon]

Hi mate, yeah had a similar experience at nissan bolton, a lot of members on here have had major probs at nissan dealers.

[ioneabee]

Conversely - I had a very good experience

Taken out for a test drive 1st time, 2nd time was allowed out on my own - was out for a good hour or more

Swansea Nissan

[Ricey]

That is a bad state of affairs but seriously bud thats the silliest knee jerk reaction I've heard of declaring that you won't but a 370 because some cockpiece wouldn't allow you a test drive.

 

Find a better garage not a different car!

[glrnet]

Their loss but do you really want a 370

[Alex C]

Conversely - I had a very good experience

Taken out for a test drive 1st time, 2nd time was allowed out on my own - was out for a good hour or more

Swansea Nissan

 

And now you have a 370Z, what a coincidence.

 

In time I will probably calm down but seriously unimpressed with such a take on sales, they have to expect that people wil have a short list and are looking for a car that ticks the most boxes for them.

[haytonz]

one of the best nissan garages are in chesterfield. they were welcome polite and knocked about £3000 of the price listed.

[Alex C]

Their loss but do you really want a 370

 

Maybe, I'd like to drive one to find out! love the looks, layout, reviews and bloodline of the car, but I can say the same of a lot of cars in he price bracket. A nearly new Z with a warranty is one of the most tempting options...

[Will370z]

I would have made a scene in the showroom making it clear to other customers what the place was like and taken my money elsewhere.

 

God if thats their attitude when they are trying to be nice and sell you a car just imagine what they would be likeif you had bought it and found a problem and taken it back for them to fix.

 

Id go elsewhere.

[DoogyRev]

Welcome Along

 

Thats a very poor show from a dealer Stick with it though, the 370 is a nice place to be IMO. Just go to a different garage You may find a nice member who will let you have a go in theirs

[rtbiscuit]

i twas my dealings with head office that put the final nail in the coffin for me.

 

 

marshalls are very good regardless of what manufacturer they are selling for, and were very helpful with a warranty issue. agreed with all was said, passed it on to NissanHQ got told no. spoke to them lots and lots oand lots, they couldn't give a monkies.

 

put me off them for life. can happen with all kinds of manufactures, chesterfield has a pretty identical opinion of jaguar. where as i've found them to be excellent.

[Screamer]

Had a similar experience with West Many Manc myself around April this year - turned up the first time to drive a 370 (having booked and arranged exactly that), was told I could go out and have a look at the car, get in, etc while waiting for the salesman... Car turned out to be locked, so 15 mins of searching by other salesmen eventually revealed the key, followed by another hour to hour-and-a-half wait before we gave up.

 

Decided to attempt it again and got a test drive that time around (I was, and always have been, willing to go anywhere in the country to buy a car, but didn't really want to go all that far to simply decide whether the 370 was for me or not - I always find that being sure you want a brand and model of car before you start negotiations on a specific one is advantageous in terms of negotiations), but then was offered a stupid amount for the 09 BMW Z4 sDrive35i that I had to trade...

 

So I went to Norwich to get my 370Z GT Edition from Desira instead They were the the UK's 370/GT-R highest selling dealership last year, I was told. Although it was just a case of calling, making an offer on the car, giving the details on my Z4 (always a bit annoying when the dealer tells you it's a 'lovely looking model and spec' when you arrive to trade as it makes you think you could have got more had they seen it at the start of the deal!) and then going to collect it, I had no problems, which is all you can ask really!

 

Just in case it matters, the guy I eventually got my test drive at West Way with was called Jack - seemed a nice enough guy and was willing to let me give it the beans on the motorway

 

We've come at the 370Z from two different directions (me with the Z4, you with the GT-R), but it's a fantastic, brilliantly fun drivers' car with a great community here with plenty of meets and events to get involved with It's definitely something you should consider an added extra that you won't find on the Nissan spec-sheet

[Will370z]

Well said screamer, couldnt agree with you more.

[Gudzy]

with a great community here with plenty of meets and events to get involved with It's definitely something you should consider an added extra that you won't find on the Nissan spec-sheet

Just be aware that there is a high risk of catching the incurable disease called "zeditis" at these meets which leads you to spend all your money on modding the zed...

 

With regards the test drive, I can understand why you are angry at the service you received. Saying that they get all sorts coming in for a test drive is pretty irrevelant as your previous car history shows that you aren't just someone after a joy ride.

 

You could just go back and talk to someone else and say you are interested in that particular car they have, but I think I'd probably go elsewhere myself after that experience. Hopefully you can find somewhere closer than Norwich though, I've heard of Chorley Nissan as my car was serviced there before I got it, I think they have a few locations around your sort of area.

[sipar69]

According to the salesman we dealt with for our first 370Z, they get a lot of people just after a drive in a fast car with no real intention of buying. I think that has unfortunate consequences for some genuine buyers like the OP.

 

My buying experiences have been generally ok. Can't say the same for after-sales service though.

[HEADPHONES]

Westway Nissan haven't changed much then.

In 2005 went to look at a new zed.

Rang to book an appointment to finalise specs and place an order.

Arrived on time and was told to wait for the salesman who was dealing with my sale.

Half hour later, still waiting.

When I asked how much longer I was told not long as he was out taking someone on a test drive!

I immediately left and went to Westway Stockport.

[Chris`I]

My experiences of West Way Nissan are about on par. When I got my 350z from WW Basingstoke, they said it had one previous owner, but when the V5 arrived it was 4! I was compensated by them doing the next couple of services which was fair enough and I was happy. Went back to test drive a 370z, having pre-booked it in person, and on the day they didnt have the car. Turns out the dealer principal took it out the night before and didnt bring it back. So went home (only 5 mins away) to come back an hour later when the principal had brought it in. No apology or anything from them. Went to go for a testdrive and was told you have to use their pre-defined route. Really wasnt best pleased at this point. To be fair to the sales girl that came with me, she said the route takes 45mins so as long as we're back in around that time, we can go wherever we like. The reason I wanted to take it somewhere different was to make sure it fit in our garage ok. So test drive went ok, but needless to say they didnt get the sale.

 

Instead it went to WLMG Slough who have always been faultless when dealing with me. They gave me a cracking deal, always kept me up to date with the delivery and even surprised me by getting the car on a quicker transporter and getting it to me a month early in time for the Wales meet that May

 

I know some have had problems with WLMG in Slough though, so its all swings and rounderbouts. You have to remember they are used to selling Micras to old grannies, even at HPC's so you have to ask around to get the best salesman etc. If you dont like them just walk away. To be fair, I've had similar experiences with all brands of cars from SEAT, Alfa, Merc, Volvo etc. All the same, its just pot luck if you get someone good

[Ricey]

The bigger the dealer the worse the service is my general rule of thumb.

 

Fords of Winsford in Cheshire is the same - giant car supermarket............remtards.

 

This was the sales pitch

"Its got 1 key, no service history and its an ex fleet car"

 

Will you negotiate on the price of the car? - No

Will you negotiate on the part ex price of my car? - No

Does the car some taxed - No

Will it be serviced - No

 

"Well I shall have to walk away in that case!"

 

Ok bye.

[Chris`I]

The really scary things is there must be enough idiots out there that just buy these things with service like that, otherwise they'd go out of business! Dont know why people put up with it.

[Ebized]

It does all boil down to the individual dealer/group.

 

Same with service work.

 

Local Nissan garage to me does not have the best reputation (part of large group with various franchises and far too big with a high staff turnover) although to be fair I managed to get a good rappore with one of their better technicans during 2005-2009 who I could see had a real interest with my 2 previous 350's (both in warranty) and I always made sure he would be doing the work when the ZEDs were booked as he guarded them as if though they were his own. And he was suitably thanked as I never found any problems post servicing But when it came to getting the 370 the Service Manager stepped in and said they couln't service 370s....and I had to look elsewhere

 

So off to Motorline Tunbridge Wells (HPC dealer) and all I can say is the service and customer care has been very good and professional - its not cheap (compared to the independents) but they seem to go out of their way to make the relationship work and its always nice to have a 370 loan car to use whilst mine is with them. Have twice been given the keys of later 370's to take away and experience was a nice bonus - undoubtedly to hopefully make a sale at some point, and if I do I would not hesitate to go there if another Nissan is on the Ebized list of new cars, rather than the local dealer - so their long term loss.

[4RE Leather]

I also had problems with attitude with WestWay Aldershot.

The sales people were just not interested which peeved me off as I have to use a walking stick.

maybe they thought I wanted a motobility car which is time consuming and not much profit!

I shared my thoughts in an loud manner that they were nothing but a bunch of pen pushing numpties and stormed off.

Like Chris my car came from WLMG and although I had some issues they are polite and friendly and do go out of there way to help.

Mehmet the service manager at Hanwell was fantastic.

It really does ruin the moment when you are all excited wanting to buy a new car, and your enthusiasm gets stamped on by a silly little man with a small willy!!! Westway is full of them!