What Car? guide to car supermarkets - Motorhouse 2000, Cannock

CHOICE
Cars range from 06 plates back to 03s, and there's a good choice of volume brands plus some sporty models such as the VW Golf GTI and Renault Clio Renaultsport. There were no data sheets within the cars to provide useful details.

PRICES
On average Motorhouse 2000's prices were 7% below trade figures, and we spotted some big savings.

DID IT HAVE THE CARS WE SAW ONLINE?
Because there were no data sheets in the cars, we couldn't find the vehicles we'd seen on the website.

HIDDEN CHARGES
A £49 preparation fee includes a vehicle inspection and mileage check. For £89, you get 'silver service' which includes a full valet.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THINGS GO WRONG?
Customers receive the balance of the manufacturer's warranty; extended cover costs £199 for a year or £299 for two.

FINANCE
The business manager was happy to give us a quote and used a rate of around 11.8% APR. He offered a full printed quotation, but then couldn't get the printer to work!

PART-EXCHANGE
After inspecting our Mondeo trade-in, the salesman offered us £5300 against any car on site. However, he said the car would need to be revalued if we didn't close a deal on the day of our visit.

TEST DRIVE
Motorhouse 2000 doesn't offer test drives. Our salesman told us: 'We tried it once, but the number of cars we sold went down'.

CONDITION
Some cars were a bit dusty, while others were filthy. A number of cars also had marks and scuffs on their paintwork, including some relatively new vehicles.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
We wandered around the site for ages, then got fed up with waiting for someone to notice us, so we went into the showroom to see if we would be offered any assistance. Despite it being quiet in the showroom, the sales staff didn't seem very enthusiastic, but Cavan introduced himself and we discussed the cars that had caught our eye.

It was disappointing not to be able to take a test drive, but Cavan quickly got down to the business of valuing our Mondeo trade-in and giving us a finance quote. We were given the keys to the car we were interested in so that we could inspect it, and shown the V5 document to check the car's history. Overall, the cheap cars made up for the lacklustre customer service.

VERDICT
Great prices, but test drives aren't available and the absence of data sheets in the cars is frustrating.

MOTORHOUSE 2000
Walkmill Lane, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 3XE
Web: www.mh2k.com
Phone: 01543 462300