Credit crunch?????

[Labtech]

After 8 months driving an Astra......... I felt the need to get back to being a Skoda owner.

In these times of credit crunch and nobody buying new cars I thought I'd manage to get a reasonable deal - however, nobody seems to wants to sell me a car!!!!!

Local dealer wasn't interested at all and one a bit further away offered my a crap trade in price for the Astra...................

Looks like I'll need to keep it a bit longer :(

[O.B-B]

Traditionally this time of year has always been a good time to buy a car. The new 09 plates are out so instantly every car on a dealers lot is 6 months older. That coupled with the imminent release of the new face-lifted Octavia should mean dealers are anxious to clear all their old stock. I bought a used car back in November and the whole process took me three months as i spent the time haggling with dealers up and down the country. It might seem a bit of a bind to some people but i actually enjoyed the whole experience; it was great to know that all the dealers were keen to sell so i could ignore all the usual waffle and sales tactics safe in the knowledge that they were desperate for my money.

Once they knew i was a serious buyer I pretty much had them working for me; my house phone was ringing off the hook at the end of every month (when a dealer has to make his sales figures target) and my email box was overflowing with quotes and offers. My advice is that now is a fantastic time to buy a car so don't feel disheartened by the reaction you've had off only one or two dealers. On another note the low part exchange value on your Astra is a standard sales tactic. At the end of the day the only figure you have to keep in mind is "the price to change".

[mr_awol]

What kind of percentage are they talking about you losing on the Astra? I've always had the impression that Vauxhall depreciation is pretty rapid - are you being realistic with your trade in expectations?

[Stoofa]

When you're buying a car you can't have it both ways!

So we're in a credit crunch, so there should be some deals to be had out there and if you look around there are.

So OK, some of these deals are on brand new cars, but even in the second hand market it's a buyers market.

However you canot expect heavily discounted prices on cars for sale and then to get "top dollar" for your vehicle as a trade in.

The dealer needs to shift your old car and with people expecting low prices he has to offer you low prices.

In an ideal world sale prices will be through the floor and people will get "A1" prices for their trade-ins.

No dealership could get through the credit crunch doing that hence very poor offers for part-exchange.

Sell privately is still your best bet.

[G.K.]

I cannot believe the prices some of the dealers are asking for Vauxhalls that are barely run-in!! There are so many pre-reg ones out there andthey are stripping thousands of pounds off new price. It is certainly a buyers market at the moment.

With factories shut down and on short time I reckon that nearly new used cars will soon be an attractive proposition to the dealers again ,,,, but not just yet.

The question is,,,

Which dealer is the cleverest one?

The one who was not interested at all, or the one willing to gamble (granted a small allowance), on your Vauxhall.

[riph72]

When you're buying a car you can't have it both ways!

So we're in a credit crunch, so there should be some deals to be had out there and if you look around there are.

So OK, some of these deals are on brand new cars, but even in the second hand market it's a buyers market.

However you canot expect heavily discounted prices on cars for sale and then to get "top dollar" for your vehicle as a trade in.

The dealer needs to shift your old car and with people expecting low prices he has to offer you low prices.

In an ideal world sale prices will be through the floor and people will get "A1" prices for their trade-ins.

No dealership could get through the credit crunch doing that hence very poor offers for part-exchange.

Sell privately is still your best bet.

Agreed. I got a great deal on my car because of the economic conditions, but I also had a poor trade-in on my old car. Of course, Nov wasn't a great time to trade in an MX-5, but I couldn't be arsed to store it for 6 months till the sun came out

[Labtech]

Thanks for all your commetns guys.

Just to clarify, I was looking at new cars, told both dealers I was after a 2.0TDI with a DSG box and the first one told me 'there aren't any'.

Dealer number 2 was much more helpful, was able to check the stock and lo and behold, they do exist but his cost to change was a good bit more than I wanted (and expected) to spend.

[Paul007]

A relative of mine has a Zafira on a 55 plate with about 20k on the clock. He was offered £4,500 against a new one with a "top up" to £6k by Vauxhall. He'd still need to spend nearly £9,000 and didn't want to. Decent deals ? I don't think so. Can't say the same about my local Skoda dealer though, they're offering cracking deals but the relative is a Vauxhall die hard. I think he should look elsewhere !

[Guest]

Thanks for all your commetns guys.

Just to clarify, I was looking at new cars, told both dealers I was after a 2.0TDI with a DSG box and the first one told me 'there aren't any'.

Dealer number 2 was much more helpful, was able to check the stock and lo and behold, they do exist but his cost to change was a good bit more than I wanted (and expected) to spend.

Try Silbury Skoda in Cramlington - give them a call, they'll match any deal and are a pleasure to deal with.

[stu4rtparker]

I know where you are coming from, im trying to get out of an octy because of to many problems & poor dealer service, but the dealers I visited just dont seem interested & surprisingly not that busy, they all save they will do a deal, but when push comes to shove, they seem to loose interest.

[Guest]

I know where you are coming from, im trying to get out of an octy because of to many problems & poor dealer service, but the dealers I visited just dont seem interested & surprisingly not that busy, they all save they will do a deal, but when push comes to shove, they seem to loose interest.

I don't understand this especially in the current economic climate.

I got a good deal on mine and I think the dealer did well out of it too. Silbury Skoda are privately owned so will go the extra mile.

[TOURBOLUX]

well Silbury Skoda might do good deals but the most dealers of any car brand will take your car for peanuts...and that is a wider european phenomenon...

the rule is: sell your car privately...

[Guest]

well Silbury Skoda might do good deals but the most dealers of any car brand will take your car for peanuts...and that is a wider european phenomenon...

the rule is: sell your car privately...

That's because they're worth peanuts. If you want an investment, don't buy a car.

[riph72]

Can't say the same about my local Skoda dealer though, they're offering cracking deals but the relative is a Vauxhall die hard. I think he should look elsewhere !

Tell him GM (Vauxhall is just the UK branch of GM) are on the absolute brink of bankruptcy, that might convince him to "let go"

[runboy]

I do wonder what really goes on behind the doors at dealers. Are they holding out for that one buyer who will not haggle and buy at list price, rather than sell a couple of cars at silly money off. Do they need cash flow or can they ride things out by not doing much business untill better times come?

Don't know, but I do know 2nd hand dealers round my area are closing, and main dealers have far less 2nd hand stock to sell.

[gadgetman]

They cant give Vauxhalls away at the mo, so I suspect where ever you go, you'll find the same.

[riph72]

They cant give Vauxhalls away at the mo, so I suspect where ever you go, you'll find the same.

GM are so close to bankruptcy in the US, it's hard to believe.

I work on a project for GM and have an interest in monitoring what's going on over in Detroit. GM and to a slightly lesser extent, Chrysler, are in serious, serious trouble.

They have already had billions of $$$ from the US government, they now need billions more just to keep operating.

If it were my money, I wouldn't go near Vauxhall until GM's troubles are sorted out one way or the other.

[cheezemonkhai]

If you want a good deal, sell the astra privately then go to a dealer about buying a car.

Don't exclude new as you might get a better price on a new car than used if you're paying cash.

[Labtech]

I was going to pay cash - that's maybe another reason they weren't offering fantastic deals, probably wanted the finance commission........

[gadgetman]

I was going to pay cash - that's maybe another reason they weren't offering fantastic deals, probably wanted the finance commission........

Remember paying cash is no protection if the firm fold between order, payment and collection.

[Labtech]

They wouldn't be getting paid until collection.