Superbalicious

Hmm, if I had a little more time, then yes, that's the approach I'd look to take with a number of dealers, one call, one price, the cheapest get's the order. But then if I am to get this sorted before the VAT deadline, which a number of others on here have confirmed as being the end of this month. Oh what fun...!

Thanks for the continued replies. I've told the dealer how it is... that the brokers can offer £3,000 to £3,500 off the price of the car. The dealer is doing well so far, he's shaved £2,250 off the price and the APR is better than the brokers, but now I'm being told there is no way they can match the broker, even though they "really want to have my order"...! Here's some of the info they've offered so far... "the reason they can give you more off the car than me is because they get an additional amount of ‘support’ from Skoda that we don’t. They then use some of this and add it to our discount to offer you the £3000-3500 saving off list. Whilst I am equally as keen to secure your order, I have to be honest and say I will never be able to give that level of discount as we simply don’t have the margin to do it. The VAT protection offer (worth some £554.79) is only available to RETAIL orders - any car supplied to a broker by a Skoda dealer would be an AGENCY order, and as such would be subject to the prevailing rate of VAT at the time of delivery." Question is, how far do I push it. I mean, it's been made clear that the VAT will only be honoured at 17.5% until tomorrow... the extra 2.5% adds around £600 to the car... so the dealer knows that this is at stake. GAP insurance has been suggested, although I'm not sure of the actual cost as yet... I was also thinking of pushing for mats, servicing... and of course... an umbrella...!!! Would welcome a bit of guidance here

Hmm, there seems to be a lot of support for car brokers, and I've got the prices from Broadspeed, Drive the Deal, UK Car Discount and Buy a Car. The prices for the Elegance TDI CR 170 DSG range from £22,655 to £23,119. The savings equate to between £2,956 and £3,420... quite a healthy saving So, I understand that 30th September is a quarter year deadline for most dealers, and I'm hoping that my local dealer is a bit short on sales this quarter. I'm thinking of playing them with a straight bat and saying I can save £3,400 off the list price and see if they can get anywhere near it. If they get to £3,000, then they get the sale. If not, then I'll have to try and wait until the end of the next quarter... if I can...! I'll also ring around a few dealers to get their best prices too. Thanks all, will report back with my findings...!

Did you have any problem with drive the deal with the length of time it took to be delivered?

I've just been fortunate enough to spend a whole weekend in a Superb demonstrator... they even found the exact model I am considering buying Needless to say, I was really impressed and quite reluctant to give the keys back at the end. I asked the dealer to knock up some finance quotes, which he has done, but unfortunately the spec I want now seems a little out of reach (or certainly more than I could justify). Currently, the finance is based on an approximate price for my car (a mint 2006 Saab 93 TiD, although the dealer hasn't seen it yet) and the list price of the car I want including a couple of extras. The spec I'm looking at is the Estate Elegance TDI CR 170 DSG, with the sunset glass, heated washer jets and the auto dimming rear view mirror, approx £27,000 inc metallic paint. Can anyone offer any advice on driving a good deal... I'm looking at the Solutions plan (3 years then return the car, etc) I'm wondering whether I should push for... A discount off the overall cost of the car (drive the deal are offering them around the £24k mark) Some or all of the extras for free A better interest rate The dealer is trying to push me for an order in the next day or so to beat the VAT increase too, so any help to bring the costs down would be welcomed. Oh, and the dealer already claims to have knocked off £1,500, although it's not off the price of the car, nor added to the value of my Saab, so I'm not sure where he's getting it from...!!??

Doesn't the estate already come with a boot spoiler...?

Interestingly, I have a 60 plate Elegance DSG with the 170 CR engine on loan from the dealer at the moment... it whines too, and there's only 1,700 miles on the clock!!

Hmm, I'm not sure I'll be ready to place an order before the end of the month, so I may just have to accept the extra £500, or try and get the dealer to absorb it in the part-ex or with free extras. Mind you, they clearly want my order as they've given me a brand new 170CR Elegance DSG Estate to play with, for the whole weekend, for free... picked it up this evening and I drop it off again on Monday morning Happy days...!

Hmm, more interesting replies... the VAT debate continues...

Interesting to read that you used drivethedeal.com as I noticed the prices are quite good. I'm keen to read more about your purchasing experience from them. Was your car an estate, or the twin hatch... just thinking of the delivery delay and the potential effect on an order with drivethedeal. Glad to see you're enjoying the motor

Thanks for the replies so far. It's a shame about the VAT... unless I could get Skoda to pick up the tab... will have to see nearer the time, although it's not the end of the world as it's about £500 on the model I'm looking at. As for not starting the payments until the car is delivered, well that's good news as it means I can get the car on order sooner and be able to save even more money to put down up front Cheers all

Well, I've been considering a new motor for around 6 months now and although I drive a Saab 93 TiD at present, which within reason is a very nice car, I had vowed not to have another as the quality of the interior just isn't good enough for the money. I stumbled across a good review for the Mazda 6, which took my fancy, although the styling was a bit "loud" for me... then I read the long term test of the Superb in What Diesel magazine... a quick search on the internet made me realise that perhaps the Skoda was the right car for me. I've taken a test drive of an SE 170 bhp Diesel with the DSG box (I've also decided to go "auto"), and I was very impressed, with the car just feeling "right" So, now comes the decision. The dealer only carries the 170 bhp diesel as a demonstrator, and I fairly certain that's the engine I want. I also want DSG due to 40 mile daily commute. I'd really like the Elegance, with the optional auto dimming mirror, heated washer jets and the tinted rear windows. Oh, and it's the estate I'll be getting. Would I be right in thinking that, let's say I placed the order just before the end of this year, to beat the VAT increase... how would the build time affect the cost of the car? Would I be expected to pay the higher rate of VAT when the car would be delivered some 3 to 4 months later? Also, would I have to start making the monthly payments as soon as I order, or not until I have actually received the car? I'm hoping that I wouldn't have to pay the higher VAT rate, or any of the monthly payments... and that the car could actually end up being an "11" registration as I doubt it would be ready before the end of March... Would welcome some thoughts...

Hi all, this is my first post on here... I'm in the market for a replacement for my Saab 93, something a little more spacious and well built. How lucky am I that I stumbled across the Superb Estate...! I'm doing my best to limit myself to a 140CR SE with the DSG box, but I'm finding it hard not to lean towards the 170CR Elegance!! You'll see me around on here asking all manner of "pre-purchase" questions, which could relate to features, waiting lists, finance deals, etc... so I'll apologise now for all the questions. Cheers all