Gasman

I cannot believe what I have read from some people on here - has Briskoda been infiltrated by the BNP? WTF does 'look after our own first' mean, we are all human beings living on one planet. I haven't got the time or inclination to respond in detail to all the extremely offensive rascist rubbish on here - suffice to say that I have enjoyed reading the forum since the days of VW Vortex but have never felt so appalled and saddened by fellow Skoda drivers. I only hope that the silent majority to do not share these views.

..and equally huge targets with big bonuses at stake.

The bigger discounts offered to fleet companies are usually provided by the manufacturer not the dealer and are subject to the fleet company running a minimum number of vehicles. Dealers are provided with a profit margin (of around 8%)and this does not change dependant upon the customer. A discount of more than 8% means he is using some of his target bonus to 'buy' the deal - if he doesn't hit his target he will have lost money on the sale.

Sorry Simon but there is no 'cooling off period' if the deal is signed on trade premises. If an order is signed the dealer can keep the deposit and sue for costs (plus lost profit etc) as the customer has broken a legally binding contract. If no order has been signed then there is nothing the dealer can do.

You think a Matiz is bad - try a Nexia or Espero! :shock:

TaviaRs I don't disagree with a lot of your post. Please don't think I am a supporter of manufacturer's imposing expensive showrooms etc on dealers just to satisfy their own egos. The investment many are having to make is not realistic based on the likely return. Interestingly this is a direct result of the removal of Block Exemption rules which was supposed to increase competition, not reduce the number of dealers! My argument is that it is getting harder and harder for dealers to make any sort of money these days due to the customer so often wanting 'something for nothing' (and being educated to expect just that by so called consumer groups/magazines). Unfortunately when these dealers can no longer justify staying in business very often the very people who wanted to screw them to the floor on every deal/service are the ones who complain when they then lose thier friendly local dealer. The bottom line is that you can't expect a dealer to sell you a car at cost and still expect him to be in business in the long term.

Sorry to be contrary but I find it a bit hypocritical when everyone on here swaps notes about how to save a couple of hundred quid on a new car and compare the relevant merits of internet brokers (who don't have to pay for premises, demonstrators, coffee, workshop tooling etc etc) and then moan when their friendly local dealer goes bust - I'm sorry guys but if you want good service from a local dealer then you have to allow them to make some money so they can stay in business. (I'm not saying this is necessarily the case with this particular dealership)

"although the interior is tan leather and not black (ick!) " Guess it's a personal thing but I think the tan is gorgeous and gives the interior a much lighter air than the 'coalmine black' - you need a dark exterior paint to go with it though.

'January 2004 for the new Octavia' - hmm, I thought we were looking at 2005 model year i.e September 2004 onwards.:confused: Fabia VRS should be available for dealers to order within the next couple of weeks.

Oh dear what a situation we have here... First of all, if you have signed an order form, that is a binding contract, anything that is written on that order form forms parts of the contract, anything that was 'said' is less watertight. The dealer is perfectly entitled to keep your deposit and sue for any lost profit. If you sign the finance documents and they are sent to the finance company and 'paid out' that is also a binding contract so you will have your 0% - however to get them paid out the dealer will have to provide an invoice and therefore register the car. My biggest query in all this is the alleged two weeks to get from Grimsby - once the dealer has 'called the car across' from Grimsby it should be with him within 5 days (often less). We have customers coming in this weekend to buy cars that are at Grimsby and they will get their 0% no problem. I can see no reason why your deal should be at risk - don't cut off your nose to spite your face. I'm not sure why you are willing to lose

... and the amount of money VW are prepared to throw at the Fleet companies to support their product - not that they are worried at all....

It should all be pretty painless - the dealer should have taxed the car already (assuming you got him your insurance in time), any balance due needs to be paid (if he's got any sense the dealer will have a 'cleared funds' only policy) and you sign the finance docs - you will also need to provide proof of address and signature to keep the finance company happy - usually a driving licence will suffice. The dealer should then offer to spend as much time as you want going throught the handbook pack, warranty details and the car itself - I've known customers spend hours going through all this, others just want to grab their keys and go and play - it's up to you, you're paying! Make sure you check the car over for damage because the last thing the dealer will ask you to do is sign a form confirming you are happy with everything - coming back in a week's time to complain about a stone chip that you are sure was there when you picked it up will probably not work! Have fun!

12 months tax is included in the 'recommended on the road price' quoted in the brochure - however if you are not paying the brochure price it depends on what you negotiated with the dealer. Check your order form - it should be stated on there.

You can tax (or register a new car) with a cover note or certificate as long as it is the original and not a fax/photo copy etc. This is a requirement of the DVLA and nothing to do with the dealer.

Ok, here we go - on with the flame proof suit: The vast majority of Skoda dealer's late plate used stock is sourced from Skoda UK - most of this will be ex-rental, some will be ex Skoda Management company cars. Where else could a dealer get enough used cars from? It would be nice to have a forecourt full of 'one careful private owner' cars but this is not realistic. (Incidentally how many of the owners on this forum who blast their cars aroung the 'ring would volunteer that information to the dealer come PX time?) It does sound as if this particular dealer was underhand in his attempts to hide the car's history - I don't see the point in this as the previous owner is always identifiable from the V5 and the dealer is only storing up problems for the future when this info comes to light, KJB's dealer obviousley got it right and now has a happy customer. Steve, I'm sorry but car dealers are not the scum of the earth, clearly you have had a bad experience with yours but there are a lot of good, honest, customer focused dealers out there who are simply trying to make a living in an increasingly difficult market. Ok, I'm ready to duck!

Whoops, looks like my info is out of date already. Apparently there are a fair few cars in the country all ready, your local dealer should now have prices and, depending on colour and spec, you could be the proud owner of an Octy 130 by the end of the month.

Mellow yellow - I do have some 'inside knowledge' - no plans for a 4x4 TDi of any sort I'm afraid.

130PD will be available with Elegance and L & K specs - estimated launch date is Quarter 3 (August/September). It's unlikely any dealer will have one until nearer then.