Second hand cars from main dealers

[Tailhappy]

I am sure that this has been covered before here, but I cannot seem to find it - any guidance much appreciated.

My basic question is: is it worth purchacing a second hand Skoda from a main dealer - i.e. is the warranty and checks worth the bit extra? If a main dealer is not reccomended, where is? Please forgive my ignorance as I have never purchaced a car before - always free from the scrappy:O.

Also, is the Skoda finance applicable to used cars or just new? Is it competative?

Lastly, is there much room to haggle on the price of a used car or is it pretty tight?

Thank you, Ian

PS. I drive an Estelle at the moment, but am looking to try something a bit more modern with a hatchback. Maybe a Felicia 1300 or Fabia VRS.

[Skodaboy1983]

I bought my vRS from a skoda dealer in edinburgh just for piece of mind as I fancied a skoda and knew they were the specialists.

I actually got a good deal from the dealer who extended the warrenty by six months for free (skoda used car warrenty) and a full service carried out and also a seat replaced as well due to a ciggie burn.

The finance is alright and works for me at £191 a month for the car iver three years and not had a problem with them and so easy to set up, can't think of what the apr is through off hand!

I could have haggled on the car I bough ie the seat but this was all done and the price I paid was good at the time considering a 06 plate was nearly two grand more than a 05 plate.

Hope this helps mate.

[Tailhappy]

Thanks for that. Private prices are tempting, but I worry about the car not being as described - just down to trust and it is all to easy for the seller to 'fudge' over any problems. At least the main dealer offers some recourse in case of a problem.

Cheers, Ian

[Skodaboy1983]

No worries mate,

Hope it helps you find the right car.

[Babs]

I'm glad I bought my Octy from a dealer... it's since been back for about £900 worth of warranty work in the past few weeks!

[Skodaboy1983]

thats one of the reasons why I bought from Skoda and their aftersales has been top notch for me in regards to warrenty work.

[homerjh]

i have just bought from a dealer (picking up on thursday)

the APR was slightly higher than i got with my bank and would be about £5 a month more, so it was quite good depending on your situation.

Also i have a years warranty, full valet (need to check if they got the stains out of the seat!), 1 years breakdown cover and as its a main dealer somewhere to shout at if things go wrong.

looking at used prices the dealers were not that much more TBH, considering the extra warranty/etc i will get.

the price couldnt be haggled on, but if i get the 06 plate car in showroom condition when i pick it up then i will be happy.

[Captain Sisko]

I'd say look privately aswell.

HPI check the car yourself, RAC offer £5 checks and you can get the cars MOT history checked online Here

My cousin was looking at some cars but main dealer cars can be over priced. My cousin paid £4k for an 03 plate Fabia 16v Comfort from a small car company. Which is a good price.

He saw one a few weeks prior a W plate Elegance in a London dealer for £3500, which was no where near as good. Rusting underneath, the car wasn't valeted, engine ran rough etc....

Decide on a car and do your research on price etc. Then when you go to see prospective cars you'll have a general idea of what to ask when you see it and test drive.

Haggling? There is always room to haggle.

The Fabia my cous bought was marked up at £4500 with a 6 month warranty. He haggled 500 off but lost the warranty.

but there are no major issues, we checked everything before buying a/c, no knocking, service histories etc...

[andy2407]

Don't forget that any (UK model - not imported) Skoda will have 3 years warranty whether you buy privately or from a dealer.

But Skoda also offer 12 months warranty on all used cars (under a certain age / mileage I think - check on their website).

You can easily buy a warranty from someone like Warranty Direct :: The UK's leading car warranty & household warranty supplier. Providing used car warranties, new car warranties, and household protection for your TV, washing machine and other products. if you buy private and its over 3 years old.

Use the following sites to get an idea of "market price" of whatever you are looking at. Look on a national basis even if you ultimately buy locally...

Auto Trader UK - Buy & Sell New & Used Cars, Car Loans, Car Insurance

Škoda

PistonHeads.com :: Speed Matters

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

Armed with plenty of information, you will soo be able to recognise what is a good deal and what isnt.

[Tailhappy]

Thank you.

Ian

[Captain Sisko]

Don't be scared of looking at Felicias either

You lose some of the newer "luxuries" but who needs them :P

My Felicia was cheap to buy, tax is high but is ok on fuel.

If you want something cheap to buy and run then the Felicia is the one to go for, plenty of choice nowadays too.

If you want to splash out then the Fabia (1.2 12v HTP or the 1.416v are the best petrols) or the Fabia VRS if you can afford it.

Whats your Estelle like?

[Tailhappy]

Felicia is on my radar - I remember the club members used to like the 1.6 petrol model, but I always had my eye on the 1.3 as it used the brill 136 engine:thumbup:. The Fabia looks nice and I saw (and liked) the VRS, and it would be nice to take on some hills and win for once!

So, bottom line is the Felicia 1.3/1.6 or Fabia VRS I am looking for.

My Estelle? It is a 105 Lux and I wrote about this on another thread, see: http://briskoda.net/forums/rwd-skodas-others/s-time-again-mot-worries/107572/

Cheers, Ian

[colkai]

Got to say, until we had a body blow, we were looking to replace the wifes car with a Felicia. Wouldn't hesitate to buy one over a fabia to be honest. No leaks, nowhere near half of the sensor hiccups / failures and solid little engines.

[BoilingPoint]

Is your main dealer listed on here. Do a search and check to see what others think of them. If their reputation isn't very good then steer clear.

[Captain Sisko]

Thats a beautiful Estelle!!!

[apd007]

That is a cracking looking Estelle.

[h4rri]

Bought an 06 Fabia vRS ex-demo from the dealer with part finance and the balance of the 3 year warranty. Glad I did as it had over £900 worth of warranty repairs last month.

Just bought myself [gave the 06 to the missus] a 56 Fabia vRS from them which was a good deal too

[Captain Sisko]

Would the Estelle be up for grabs? or keeping that as a second/show car?

[Tailhappy]

Not for sale I'm afraid - I would miss it too much:P. Now DaveRapid has worked his magic on it with a full engine rebuild I am enjoying it all over again - going out for a drive just for driving's sake:). It's not always power that makes travel fun.

Ian

[Captain Sisko]

I'm not surprised you're not selling.

Beautiful car.

I haven't driven any of the RWD ones yet.

Good luck with the hunt!!

[andyt5]

shop around for finance/loan. i was offered a flat rate but a loan with APR and a good rate of around 6 or 7 % works out a lot cheaper, the APR rate is nearly double the flat rate, on a flat rate finance quote.

[x_boxer_x]

i brought my car straight frm a dealer 2nd no problems yet! and 6 months warrenty n service

[Dmac1969]

Another thing to look for is a Skoda at a non Skoda dealer. I got mine from a Mitsubishi garage as a 5 year old car , under their 'Red Zebra' used car package , which comes with 12 month warranty and breakdown cover - Good package which got me a new battery and the rad fan switch replaced for nothing.