What Car? guide to car supermarkets - Carland, London

CHOICE
The stock was fairly new, ranging from '03/03 plates to '05/55s. Almost every type of car was represented, with a particularly good choice of larger family cars. There were data sheets in cars, but mileages weren't displayed.

PRICES
From the cars we saw on our visit, Carland's prices were, on average, 7% higher than those in the trade guides.

DID IT HAVE THE CARS WE SAW ONLINE?
We could easily find the cars that had caught our eye on the website.

HIDDEN CHARGES
Other than road tax, there are no extra charges to pay.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THINGS GO WRONG?
All cars come with the remainder of the manufacturer's warranty or six months' cover – whichever is greater. The cars undergo a pre-sales inspection, and service if needed, on site. We were also told that we would get three months' RAC breakdown cover.

FINANCE
The sales manger at Carland didn't want to give us a quote until we'd agreed to buy a car.
Carland also offers 0% packages in certain situations.

PART-EXCHANGE
The staff gave our Mondeo a thorough appraisal, and even took it into the workshop for a look under the bonnet. However, when it came to a value, the sales manager told us it would be worth between £5500 and £6000, which is good. The exact price would vary depending on the car we bought and what finance option we went for. They said the price wouldn't change much in a month.

TEST DRIVE
We were able to test drive a Ford Focus, but a flat tyre and lack of petrol delayed our departure. It was a long wait for a five-minute drive up and down an A-road.

CONDITION
All cars had been valeted inside and out, but some were quite dusty, while others had loads of fingerprints on the bodywork.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Salesman Irfan introduced himself soon after we entered Carland and was happy for us to have a look around and then tell him about the cars that had caught our eye.

Sales manager Darran made sure we had a coffee while our Mondeo was being valued, and sorted out the test drive. The only real hitch came with finding out exactly how much our car was worth and the lack of finance quote – not very helpful to potential car buyers.

Verdict
A good site and a nice choice of cars, with some a little pricey, but it wasn't that easy to get all the information we required.

CARLAND
1 Chalkmill Drive, Enfield Retail Park, London EN1 1TZ
Web: www.carland.com
Phone: 0800 072 7059