Ordered a replacement for SWMBO on Sunday, 1.4 Fiesta Titanium, same as she has now but in a different colour.
Went armed with various second hand prices and broker prices for new cars (She said "You cant take that in" and "it won't make any difference")
Starting point was list but could offer us a couple of hundred pounds off if we took one of the stock cars they had and they would throw in the metallic paint. . . .
I said we could get a car on-line the colour she wanted for a lot less, then got a lecture about how this WILL BE a Jersey or Malta car and it won't have an engine number and so on. . . I suggested that the engines all come off the same line and will all have numbers stamped on them, even if it does not show on the V5, and if he didn't want the business we would go and check if it was UK spec . . .
Price came down and now included the colour she wanted. About the What Car target price and trade in about what I was expecting so deal done and she is happy and commented afterwards "I thought it would cost a lot more than that" - it would have done if we had we not gone prepared.
Of course all this is through the monkey who kept going upstairs to check with the sales manager, he finally appeared at the end to thank us for buying a car.
Oddly they had access to sufficient information on her inurance history to know that she had a no fault write off accicdent and a Gap insurance claim in 2007.
|
>> Ordered a replacement for SWMBO on Sunday, >>
The things you can buy from a dealer these days, amazing. Is it a bit like ordering a mail order bride from the far east?
:-)
Last edited by: Arctophile on Wed 19 Oct 11 at 08:43
|
|
If only it was that simple . . .
|
>>Ordered a replacement for SWMBO on Sunday
Thought we were on the non-motoring page but then the 1.4 Fiesta gavve it away.............
|
Happened to have a conversation with a local MB dealer only this week (tempted by Humph's recent thread on his new car!!), and they were refreshing open about pricing / discounts.
Obviously their opening position was list price, but as soon as I mentioned the fact that I'd done some research on-line, and mentioned drivethedeal (who have a dealer offering nearly 13% off) they were very open about what they could do, and came pretty close to the on-line price, albeit for a car already built and sitting in Germany.
Of course I realise that they make more money from the various manufacturer bonus schemes, but was pleasantly surprised that there was no attempt to pursuade me that the online offers were not genuine. The whole negotiation took less than 30 minutes, which included 2 cups of coffee and a sitting in a few different cars ;-)
What's more surprising (to me at least) is that more people don't do some research online before entering a dealer - I certainly got the impression from MB that it's not the norm...
Interesting on the insurance info though; I'm surprised that your dealer had access to the level of info they did - doesn't seem like the sort of thing that should be in the public domain...
Peter
|
When I sold cars, the more expensive the car, the less research of all types was done by the buyer.
Quite common for an executive car to be bought without a test drive.
A Merc dealer will have generally more well-heeled customers so will see less negotiation than a mainstream dealer selling superminis, which is where the real price scrapping goes on.
Are you having a new Merc, Peter?
And the obvious follow-up, which one?
|
Well, without wishing to appear too much like a copy cat I ordered an E250CDI estate :-) Avantgarde spec though, not Sport - the car is already built and at a port somewhere in Germany. Should be at the dealers by the end of next week :-)
Almost the spec I would have chosen if going for a factory order too (though I probably wouldn't have chosen 'designio' burr walnut trim!!). Genuinely amazed at the improvement in standard equipment since the last Merc I had as well. Leather, nav, heated seats, adaptive xenons, media interface and bluetooth all standard now. You could quite happily take a car with no options and not feel short-changed.
Peter
|
Way Hey !
If my short experience is anything to go by you'll love it. Really nice car. Cossets you but also very pleasing to drive and practical as they come.
So c'mon then, colour exterior / interior?
Mine is called "Obsidian" but it's black and has beige leather seats, black carpets and "black ash" trim.
Not worried about snow, doesn't snow much in Britain does it? Cough...
:-)
|
Ah well, mine will be what's called "Palladium Silver" which, obviously, is grey. Interior is black leather, black carpets and "designo" burr walnut trim. Also fitted with something called an "exterior style pack", which means bigger wheels and a few ornate bits and pieces
Very impressed on the test drive. The previous shape 'E' I had (back in '04) was a great long distance car, but always felt quite large. This one felt much smaller - I know it isn't, but the car shrunk around you much more than the last one ever did - more like a BMW 5'er in that respect, but with a better ride ;-)
I had great fun in the snow last year in a rear wheel drive car - preferred it to the FWD A4 to be honest. It was a sub £1k BMW 325i touring though. Not sure that I'll be willing to 'drift' £3xk's worth of car with such gay abandon ;-)
Peter
|
I reckon the Mercs are the best looking estate cars.
An acquaintance of mine has one, which I've been in as a passenger a couple of times.
Lovely, big car feel which you just don't get in anything smaller.
|
|
Sounds nice, a guy round the corner from us has a silver one. Suits the car. I know I've spent the last couple of years in a small SUV so it obviously had its dynamic limitations not least due to its centre of gravity but the Merc feels so much more chuckable. Proper car. Love it so far. Hope you enjoy yours.
|
>> it's black and has beige leather seats,
>>
So, the drug dealing is going quite well?
|
I didn't even bother, the local dealers were around 30% more expensive for my Panda than what a brummy one was offering it for. So rather than play the game I just ordered it from Birmingham and and had done with it.
The radio likes a lot of heavy metal, but thankfully the car doesn't like to go on strike.... :D
Next time I probably will play the game, but I hate this "lets over price the car and see if we can sell to a few foolish idiots" lark.
I did however phone round when it came to getting my car serviced, there was no way I was going to pay the asking price of £180ish for a service.
|
>> I didn't even bother, the local dealers were around 30% more expensive for my Panda
>> than what a brummy one was offering it for. So rather than play the game
>> I just ordered it from Birmingham and and had done with it.
We can't be bothered to trravel far and the discount was not available from a dealer without playing the game.
They also get the servicing as they are close to where she works - convenience.
Must remember to do the gap insurance online - they don't play the game on that, either you take their price or you don't so we didn't.
|
I didn't drive to Birmingham, I got them to come to me :)
My impression of the entire experience that even with cheap small cars the margin can be huge.
|
Or even bigger than that, Ratts.
You don't see poor, competent car dealers.
Only the crap ones go broke.
|
Same with any business really. The Stockport dealer where poor because they knew I was willing to buy a Panda on scrappage and if that scheme didn't go ahead I was willing to pay a bit more. They also knew I could get finance, they had my contact details and they could have easily made a sale none scrappage if they had tried.
One of the reasons I left Curry's, some of the sales people there could make a lot of money, but I personally could not sleep at night doing the things the rich ones did. They would sell a extended warranty on USB cables if they thought they could get away with it.
|
>> They would sell a extended warranty on USB cables if they
>> thought they could get away with it.
They once tried to sell SWMBO an extended warranty on a kettle - for more than the price of the kettle . . . . . she asked if he was serious.
|
Remember in 2003 buying a Citroen for Mrs B. Had done my research and found a really good deal from a dealer up north - spoke to the sales manager who was open in telling me he was selling at cost to hit their target as the end of quarter bonus was worth far more than making a few hundred on each car.
Tried in local dealer who refused to budge on price telling me the price I had was "made up" and then persisted to try and sell me finance.
Anyway, walked away and bought from the dealer up north, but had a random call from an independent research company who had been asked to seek feedbck on my dealer visit.......I was more than happy to be open and honest with them :-)
Last edited by: mikeyb on Thu 20 Oct 11 at 16:56
|
Dealer antics and Information they have access to - Arctophile
