should I buy a Vrs 2.0 TFSi?

[VRStu]

Stu you'll remember from last year how much we px'd our cars for, you won't get anywhere near that same level now! :(

Some of us did better than others then too

I think cars are taking a hit in general Steve, you are probably more 'tuned in' to Octavia as an owner.

That said, Skoda aren't helping us by keep offering the good finance deals an the extra's as it makes a new car a better proposition than a nearly new.

[sms]

Then there is the fact (well, from my experience) that Skoda dealers seem to be more willing to haggle money off the rrp also.

Lee

My experience is none of my local skoda garages wanted to haggle, as far as they were concerned you either wanted a car from them for the full price or go elsewhere.

[Makefish]

That said, Skoda aren't helping us by keep offering the good finance deals an the extra's as it makes a new car a better proposition than a nearly new.

I find it amazing why anyone would want to buy a second hand car off a dealer forecourt for the ammounts that some are trying to get away with, but they DO sell for stupid money on occasions! :confused:

[VRStu]

car from them for the full price or go elsewhere.

They would have been saying it to may back if they were quick enough to catch me on the way out. I had a similar situation in Southampton where I was told 'we don't need to buy your business' which was followed with 'no problem, I don't need to buy your car'.

[Makefish]

My previous 2 cars were px'd for £13.5k and £11.5k and were SOLD on the forecourt for £15k and £13k respectively which is nothing unusual until you consider that I paid only £15.9k and £12.3k for them NEW (£15.9k one was ex-demo).

You read that right btw, my MkI vRS estate sold for £700 more SECONHAND after I'd run it for 9 months and stuck 20,000 miles on it that I'd paid for it new? Work that one out!!!!

[2manycars]

I find it amazing why anyone would want to buy a second hand car off a dealer forecourt for the ammounts that some are trying to get away with, but they DO sell for stupid money on occasions! :confused:

By the same token though,some seem realistic with the price of their cars compared with the over optimistic prices people are asking privately,as there is a main dealer in Cornwall currently advertising good spec cars ranging from £10995 for a 2007 '07 (albeit with 40k),a 2006 '56 with 11k for £11695 and a diesel with 7k on a '56 for £13495,and i am absolutely positive that there would be cash off those prices.Compare that with circa £11000 people want privately and it stops making sense buying privately.

While i haven't tried Skoda dealers for a discount,i have been in the position the last couple of weeks to try VW dealers and they will not budge atall,as i have tried with 2 different dealers to get £500 off for a cash sale with no part ex and have been refused...............clearly all this doom and gloom in the current market is not affecting them??

[Tom_vRS]

Ah, but at the same time, there is no benefit in buying a 2 year old car from a dealer imho, so even if you pay £500 less for a private sale it is worth it.

However, those cars do sound cheap - certainly the only cars I've seen advertised that are cheaper than mine have double the mileage.

[expostmanpat]

If a dealer as it on his forecourt for 10,995 then you can guarentee they paid under 10 for it. Like Tom says there is no advantage buying a car under 24 months old from a dealer as you will only get the remainder of the skoda warranty either way.

[Captain Sisko]

I think if you want the VRs and can afford one then why not!!

I keep reading the cars for sale and think damn I wish had more funds!!!

But thats another topic

[2manycars]

If a dealer as it on his forecourt for 10,995 then you can guarentee they paid under 10 for it. Like Tom says there is no advantage buying a car under 24 months old from a dealer as you will only get the remainder of the skoda warranty either way.

The advantage,IMO is that the car will have been checked through their workshop,they have criteria a car must pass before it is sold (i.e if tyres are under a certain tread depth,brakes low etc),also,if the car is going to be due a service this would be done,so it is a little short sighted to say there is NO benefit,plus if there is a problem you can reject the car within 30 days.................you cannot do this privately!!

Don't get me wrong,most of the cars i buy are bought privately,but i also recognise that the best deal is not always the cheapest.As with anything,whether you buy from a dealer,privately or from an auction the price has to be right at that time and if the difference is only a couple of hundred pounds the peace of mind is worth that.

Arguing that the car is still under warranty anyway is fine,but that does not mean a car being sold privately is worth what a dealer would ask for it.

Be realistic on the price and the car will sell,if it doesn't,and the car is "mint" or "immaculate" then unfortunately................it's overpriced!!

[madfiddler]

my expereince is that if you are able to pay for a car outright yourself then there are still some good deals to be had. I.e. if you are putting cash straight in the delears pocket

In this sort of situation the profit margin on a new cars is greater than on a used car so better deals are to be had on newer cars. I ended up paying about £750 more for a brand new 08 reg car ordered to spec (admittedly not a skoda!), compared to the year old car that was on the forecourt.,,whether or not used car prices are over inflated I'm not sure, certainly residulas from a consumer point of view don;t seem to get any better

I think you are right about current economic conditions. the credti crunch not only hits the consumer but businesses too, so they are finding their overheads increasing all the time and profit margins being squeezed.

[Yeti_Man]

My experience is none of my local skoda garages wanted to haggle, as far as they were concerned you either wanted a car from them for the full price or go elsewhere.

Wow. :eek: I phone six dealers when I was 'shopping' for the VRS 2 and they ALL talked about £1000 off the price list with little pressure from me.

I think it helps if:

you negotiate face to face

you make them aware you are ready to do the deal immediately if the deal is 'right' for you. (ie the price is low enough!)

you choose the right time to buy - end of a yearly quarter is a good starting point.

In the end I saved just over £4000 on the car and the service I received from them was excellent. I've recommended a few people to them now and two have actually made the purchase and been very complimentary about their sales and service ability. Cheap doesnt mean poor service. ;-)

Not sure if it had any bearing on the deal but mine was a cash deal with no finance needed.

Lee

[expostmanpat]

The advantage,IMO is that the car will have been checked through their workshop,they have criteria a car must pass before it is sold (i.e if tyres are under a certain tread depth,brakes low etc),also,if the car is going to be due a service this would be done,so it is a little short sighted to say there is NO benefit,plus if there is a problem you can reject the car within 30 days.................you cannot do this privately!!

Don't get me wrong,most of the cars i buy are bought privately,but i also recognise that the best deal is not always the cheapest.As with anything,whether you buy from a dealer,privately or from an auction the price has to be right at that time and if the difference is only a couple of hundred pounds the peace of mind is worth that.

Arguing that the car is still under warranty anyway is fine,but that does not mean a car being sold privately is worth what a dealer would ask for it.

Be realistic on the price and the car will sell,if it doesn't,and the car is "mint" or "immaculate" then unfortunately................it's overpriced!!

all true but thats where common sense comes into the equation, you are perfectly capabale of checking tyre depths etc, and if it comes to it whipping a wheel off and checking the brakes For example mine was serviced a month ago and at the same time I got a trade in value against a new one, so a 2 year old vRS with fsh no advisories on the service and 16k on the clock and they would only give me £10.5K against a new one :eek: But at the same time I have seen similar vehicles with more miles and less options on the forecourts for over £12k. I know they have to make a profit but why let it be out of you:D

[Babs]

A guy at Ford offered me less than 5 grand for my Octy... he got confused when I laughed...

[VRStu]

I fail to understand why everyone assumes that they will get a better deal by offering cash to a dealer - Dealers make money from selling finance guys, welcome to the cruel world.

[Babs]

Stu hits the nail on the head... again!

They'd be more inclined to cut more money off if you're on finance - they get more anyway

[2manycars]

all true but thats where common sense comes into the equation, you are perfectly capabale of checking tyre depths etc, and if it comes to it whipping a wheel off and checking the brakes For example mine was serviced a month ago and at the same time I got a trade in value against a new one, so a 2 year old vRS with fsh no advisories on the service and 16k on the clock and they would only give me £10.5K against a new one :eek: But at the same time I have seen similar vehicles with more miles and less options on the forecourts for over £12k. I know they have to make a profit but why let it be out of you:D

Common sense does come into it,the point was that a dealer HAS to do a lot more to the car if it needs to be done...................most people asking over optimistic prices privately won't then negotiate for things that need to be done/replaced,in which case,if you can buy a similar car at a dealer,it makes sense.

The problem is,most people selling a second hand car,especially a nearly new one, want top money for it as they do not want to accept it has lost so much money in a relatively short space of time and are just hoping someone comes along that knows very little and accepts their valuation of it..................saying they paid £18,000 for something a year or 18 months ago and assuring the buyer they must be getting a bargain because now they "only" want £11,000 for it doesn't make a bargain,it just highlights,to me at least,how much new cars lose in value!!

[2manycars]

Stu hits the nail on the head... again!

They'd be more inclined to cut more money off if you're on finance - they get more anyway

Agreed,i had it this week with a VW dealer i was trying to buy a Beetle Cab from for the wife...............i offered him £500 less than it was up for for cash with no p/ex and he wasn't interested,but told me i could have it on 0% Finance over 3 years which would "save" me £400 .......................i declined!!

[expostmanpat]

The problem is,most people selling a second hand car,especially a nearly new one, want top money for it as they do not want to accept it has lost so much money in a relatively short space of time and are just hoping someone comes along that knows very little and accepts their valuation of it..................saying they paid £18,000 for something a year or 18 months ago and assuring the buyer they must be getting a bargain because now they "only" want £11,000 for it doesn't make a bargain,it just highlights,to me at least,how much new cars lose in value!!

But no one is suggesting that you pay more for a private sale than a forecourt car :confused:

[madfiddler]

I fail to understand why everyone assumes that they will get a better deal by offering cash to a dealer - Dealers make money from selling finance guys, welcome to the cruel world.

That depends on who actually is providing the finance

just because finance is offered through a dealer doesn't mean the car manufacturer is providing the finance

I know ford do their own, but then their are third parties such as companies like GE that do the finance sometimes, when third party is involved then I think there is less room for manoooooover

[Tom_vRS]

Ah but the finance companies are obviously paying commission to the salesmen/dealers, and I bet that can be quite substantial

[2manycars]

But no one is suggesting that you pay more for a private sale than a forecourt car :confused:

Nor was i believe it or not:rolleyes:....................i was suggesting that sellers choose to look at the top price they can find for a similar car and think they will get that for theirs,irrelevent whether it is a dealer asking that or not,just because theirs has a warranty left on it................to me at least,their has to be an incentive to buy the car privately over going to a dealer,and that incentive is that it's cheaper by a decent amount,so if a dealer wants circa 11k for a car,someone asking circa 10.5k for theirs privately just isn't going to sell it,theirs would need to be circa 9.5k (certainly advertised under 10k) to get it sold!!

[VRStu]

Whatever the finance company there will be a bonus of some description paid to the dealer.