We haven't much cash, but by selling her old Discovery and relucantly parting with virtually the last of our savings we should be just able to afford both. Maybe!
What we hadn't counted on was the sales people.
First, the trailer. We want a small livestock trailer for pigs, but does anyone want to sell us one? No chance.
About two thirds of the trailer firms in Aberdeensire go all sniffy when you tell them you're looking for a livestock trailer with their sales people adopting a supercilious tone and pronouncing "we don't do livestock, we only do horse trailers".
Still, you'd think that left a third. Wrong again. "I can count on the fingers on one hand the number of small livestock trailers I've sold in the past 10 years, so I don't do them. But I can do you a deal on a 12ft one with decks, at just £1700."
Or: "I don't do small livestock trailers, but I have a used 10ft one you can have for £1500".
Er, sorry but we don't have £1500 or £1700 (or more). What we have is the cash for a small trailer (either new unbraked or used with brakes) and will definitely buy. No, they're not interested.
Okay, let's try buying a car then. No trade-in, cash in hand, and a car on the forecourt at £150 over our budget. Must be able to do a deal.
"No mate, I'm not budging on price and I prefer to sell to locals who I know."
Right, next car dealer. Call about an ad for a car that sounds all right and are told "Sorry, that one's sold but I can put you in another for £3000."
No, we don't have £3000 and when I drive past two days later, I see that the car we phoned about is still there and still for sale.
What a bunch of plonkers. This is only a small sample of the dozens of sales people the OH and I have spoken to over the past week, but the experiences are typical.
We have cash, we are going to buy and we know the type of car and trailer (new at least in the case of the latter) we want are available. But no one wants to sell to us. I even contacted a a certain trailer manufacturer to see if I could buy a new one direct, but I have to buy through their distributors and they don't want to sell to us.
The sales people would much rather turn us away because they're too posh, too insular, can't be bothered to do the work, or want to sell us something more expensive.
Boy, am I glad I no longer deal with people like this on a day to day basis. I'm going back out to talk to my pigs, shovel muck and get a good dose of reality!
Stonehead
