Novara Reviews 

I have never previously felt the need to leave a negative review for a business, but after our experience with Novara, based in Brookfield, Glossop, I feel it is important to share what happened so others can make an informed decision before purchasing a vehicle from this company.

In May this year, we purchased a Vauxhall Grandland X from Novara for £10,000, together with an extended warranty. We changed our vehicle because a close family member required regular hospital appointments and we needed a more practical SUV.

Before purchasing, we were advised by the salesman that there had been gearbox concerns which would be resolved before collection. We were also told the vehicle would undergo an independent AA inspection and that any issues identified would be addressed before handover.

Unfortunately, just six days after taking ownership, the clutch began slipping to the point where the vehicle would no longer reverse. We contacted Novara immediately and the vehicle was returned to the dealership.

A courtesy vehicle was provided, which we appreciated, although this also had issues including non-functioning air conditioning during warm weather and visible exhaust smoke. We accepted this as a temporary arrangement.

After around a week, we were informed that the issue was more extensive and that the gearbox also required replacement. In total, we were without our purchased vehicle for approximately two weeks while the clutch and gearbox were replaced.

During this time, communication was often slow and we were left waiting for updates. On two occasions when returning the faulty vehicle to the dealership, we had to arrange and pay for our own taxis home. My wife also felt the communication from the salesman became rude and aggressive when she attended the dealership.

When the vehicle was finally returned after the repairs, it failed to start the very next day on our driveway. We provided video evidence showing the fault, and the vehicle only started after the battery was charged at home.

We were disappointed when this was initially suggested to be due to something on our part, such as the vehicle lights being left on, because the dealership considered the vehicle fit for the road as it had started when it left the forecourt.

Due to the previous faults and the loss of confidence in the vehicle, we exercised our rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to reject it.

Initially, we were offered the choice of another vehicle or a full refund. However, we were later informed that we would be responsible for repair costs of £1,372 plus return fees. After seeking advice from Trading Standards, this position was withdrawn and a refund was agreed.

The refund process took approximately two weeks. The vehicle had been driven less than 200 miles during our ownership, yet deductions were made for administration and processing fees. The £449 extended warranty payment was also not initially refunded and had to be challenged before it was returned. We were ultimately left £498 short.

Novara disputed our rejection under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and considered the transaction to be a vehicle buy-back rather than a rejection.

As part of reaching a settlement, my wife was required to sign a confidentiality agreement and remove her existing negative review. I was not a party to that agreement, which is why I am sharing my own experience of the purchase, the faults, the communication and the events that followed.

We accepted the settlement because we needed to move on and purchase another reliable vehicle, not because we felt the outcome was satisfactory.

I fully appreciate that used vehicles can develop faults. What disappointed us most was not the faults themselves, but how the situation was handled afterwards. A vehicle purchase is built on trust, particularly when spending over £10,000, and in our experience that trust was lost very quickly.

Based on our experience, I would not purchase another vehicle from Novara and cannot recommend them to others.

Went to a few Dealerships last year when I thought I may have to change my car. Not one bit impressed. This year it was essential.Called at NOVARA. My what a difference. No fuss. When we approached Alex the Salesman he was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Found the right car to suit my requirements. I would have no hesitation in recommending them. It was a pleasure dealing with Alex. Thank you.

Amazing place, bought a beautiful car from them with the help of Alex, customer service was great

Absolutely terrible experience with Novara — by far the worst company I have ever dealt with. The management and wider team were no help whatsoever throughout the entire process.

From the beginning, I felt completely misled. A “nationwide warranty” was heavily used as reassurance during the sale process, but when serious faults developed with the vehicle, the dealership began denying responsibility and contradicting aspects of the warranty they had originally used to help sell the car.

The vehicle developed multiple serious issues including a diesel leak, coolant leak and other faults which eventually left the car undriveable. Instead of resolving the situation professionally, I spent months chasing phone calls, emails and updates with little to no communication back. Calls were ignored, promises were not kept, and I was repeatedly left waiting with no proper answers while still paying finance on a car I could not even use.

I also later discovered what I believe was a botched repair, and in my opinion the vehicle should never have been sold in the condition it was in or considered roadworthy.

What made matters worse was the dealership attempting to get me to sign waivers/documentation that I later found out I should never have been asked to sign in the first place. The whole process felt completely unfair and designed to avoid responsibility rather than genuinely help a customer.

It took around FOUR MONTHS of stress, arguments, inspections and constant chasing before responsibility was finally accepted to repair the vehicle. Even after eventually getting the car back repaired, it broke down AGAIN only three weeks later.

The entire situation caused huge stress and disruption to my life and became exhausting to deal with. In the end, the matter escalated all the way to the Financial Ombudsman, who ruled in my favour, and the vehicle had to be rejected.

In my opinion, this dealership showed:

* Extremely poor customer service
* Misleading sales practices
* Constant delays
* Failure to communicate
* Failure to properly resolve serious vehicle faults

I would strongly advise anyone considering buying a vehicle from Novara to think very carefully before doing so.

Although there were issues with me not having been booked in to collect my car due to the finance company not doing their role properly, I felt at ease at Novara and the person who dealt with me and got me on my way with my car was amazing. He was really helpful and ensured to go through everything thoroughly with me and explained anything I didn't understand. I would travel here again gor a future car.

I am usually somewhat apprehensive when dealing with car dealers, however the team at Novara were so easy to deal with. They were clear and informative on everything and at no time did I feel under any pressure or that things were being hidden from me. The package included a full AA inspection and I also opted for the extended warranty, which seem great value for money.

Brilliant experience. straight forward with everything excellent service

Very happy with the service from Novara , The staff are very efficient and friendly. The process of buying a car from here was easy and when I left with my new car, I knew I could go back to them if I had any queries, my car was ready at collection time, after receiving final checks.
I was happy with the detailing service provided by Novara too. Novara stock some great cars at reasonable prices, each car gets the same great service as my new car did.
Thank you for this experience
Joanne

Had a great experience with Novara in Glossop. Dealt mainly with Alex, but Paul as well, who were both friendly and really helpful throughout the process. They never tried to pressurise me into a sale, which gave me ample time to research and look at the best vehicle which would fit our budget. In the end, patience paid off, as they had just received a car which needed a new clutch, but was otherwise in good condition with a great service history and fairly low mileage for its age (65 plate). They let me have a look at the car despite it not being in pristine showroom condition, and I decided to put a deposit down on it. The clutch repair was completed within a few days, and they even agreed to undertake a body repair which involved a re-spray at no extra cost. Some other minor scratches were to be expected to be present on a car of that age, but most came off during the buffing and valeting process, all part of the service offered by Novara. The team took care of all the paperwork, from the V5 logbooks (including my old car which was used as part exchange) to the road tax on the new vehicle, which made the whole process go smoothly. Finally, although there is an extra fee to be paid as part of the sale, this does include the AA 129 point inspection to offer peace of mind on the vehicle roadworthiness, as well as fresh service (oil and filter change) and a free MOT for next year. Altogether, I would strongly recommend Novara in Glossop.

Excellent customer service, friendly, helpful and supportive staff.
My vehicle was prepped to a standard over and above the level I expected.
I'm so impressed with the service I have received, I will return to use their MOT and service department, despite living over an hour away.
I would recommend without any hesitation 💖

I can’t fault this car garage. Excellent customer service, friendly atmosphere and so helpful. Would recommend to anyone and would use them again.

Excellent service. Jag was friendly and helpful

I initially thought I’d had a good experience and bought great car from the Glossop branch. The advice I was given turned out to be incorrect, and the car needed £3167 worth of work doing on it as everything systematically started failing within a month of buying the car.

Needed a new battery after a few weeks and the person replacing it said it looked like it had been jump started before as a cover cap was missing.

The clutch went and needed replacing. Had water leaks in 3 different places so the engine was overheating. Left and right handbrake cables needed replacing. Front lower suspension arms needed replacing.

It was sold to me without a spare key which they said the previous owner had lost. So I had to buy a new spare key (£150). Then Novara sent me the spare key in the post with no explanation.

The car was sold to me without a V5 which they again said that the previous owner lost, yet they had a very faded photo copy which was unreadable. I therefore had trouble registering it on the Isle of Man after being told by Novara I could just send off for one (which I can’t from the Isle of Man). It then cost me £195 for a Certificate of Conformity instead.

This garage therefore cost me £3362 in extra payments on top of the cost of the car itself.

Great sales service and reception team, very friendly helpful not pressured at all nothing is too much trouble this is my second car from novara great after care would use again. Thank you for your help.

We called in to ask about replacing our vehicles and the salesman we spoke to (Alex) was really helpful and was able to answer all our questions really well. He's helped us find the right vehicles to suit our needs and his communication throughout the process was absolutely brilliant. We feel confident that if we have any problems at all, we'll be able to pop in and get the help we need

Bought a car from the Glossop branch and the salesman we dealt with (Alex) was beyond superb! Nothing was to much trouble and he was extremely laid back and relaxed, not pushy or anything like that!

He explained everything and anything I didn't understand he went through with me until I did understand.

If I could give 6 stars... I would without a doubt!

If you want a used car then Alex is the man to see! Thank you, thank you... THANK YOU for everything!

I picked up my new to me car today and Jack could not have been more helpful. We went through all the paperwork in no time. The car was cleaned to an immaculate standard and I drove away very satisfied.

I got my new car from Novara 2 weeks ago, and unfortunately I had an issue crop up the day after I collected which left the car in limp mode, which couldn't have been picked up on by the guys as the car was fully inspected and test driven. As soon as I contacted them about my issue, they quickly came up with a solution that suited me, a lot more than it did them in fairness, by sending me a courtesy car and taking mine back to their place to get the problem fixed ASAP and get me back in my new car. I couldn't have asked for a more helpful bunch at Novara that went above and beyond to help me a make sure I wasn't inconvenienced at all, and making sure I still had transport to get to work and back. Big shout out to Alex in sales, and Chelsea in aftersales (I hope I spelt her name right) for looking after me and my car, which is now back with me and driving better than before. Also, a huge thanks for the 6 months extended warranty chucked in, giving me peace of mind for the rest of this year. If anyone wants a good quality car, with amazing customer service and top class aftersales (hopefully not needed, but if you do), then head over to Novara in Glossop, they'll take care of you!

I have just bought a car from Novara in Glossop and it was a brilliant experience coming from someone who has previously had a very bad customer service and care experience. I would confidently recommend Novara and Alex very highly! He helped me throughout the process and told me absolutely everything I needed to know! Always kept in touch with me and updated me about the smallest changes! Very upfront, honest and friendly! Will hopefully return int he future :)

I completed on the purchase and picked up my new car today. I dealt with Alex from my first visit until today on completion. On my first visit to look at a car I had seen on the website, Alex gave me the key and left me to look at the car with no pressure whatsoever. I knew where he was in the background to answer any questions, which he fully did. I placed a deposit that day. Alex has kept me fully informed whilst the car was fully inspected by the AA and any work completed by Novara along with a service. I must say, a five star service throughout. Thank you.