Yesterday I visited Caffyns Skoda in Ashford to get some screen wash before meeting my mate Neil for lunch. As I walked in I thought I saw a familiar car parked outside. At the service desk I asked John whether that was Neil’s car for sale outside. He said it was and casually suggested that I buy it. I have a 53 Superb Comfort with 147000 miles on the clock. I agreed that Neil had kept his 06 vRS in metallic blue in great condition and, although I had come to spend a fiver on screen wash, I might just talk to the sales manager about a possible deal. Cut to the chase, he was willing to give me a fair price for my car and I agreed a deal there and then. Part way through doing the paperwork, I got a call on my mobile from my mate Neil asking where I was. I could hardly say that I was in the middle of buying his car, so just said I’d see him in 10 minutes. We then met, sat down for lunch and I watched as his jaw gradually fell open until at the end of my tale he laughed like a drain – probably to relieve his nerves and get rid of the shock. He’s delighted that his pride and joy has gone to a good home. I’m delighted to have a lovely car that I will cherish. I'll collect it next Friday. I just hope you like this unlikely story but it goes to show that fact really can be stranger than fiction.

- sounds like something I'd do!

So if Im reading that right, you bought your mates car but directly from a dealer; allowing the dealer to make an extra £1500 + profitfrom you and probably also making a small wedge on your Superb in the process when it gets sold on!?

Nice knowing the cars previous owner looked after it. :yes:

Edited 12 December, 200916 yr by FocusZtec

So if Im reading that right, you bought your mates car but directly from a dealer; allowing the dealer to make an extra £1500 + profitfrom you and probably also making a small wedge on your Superb in the process when it gets sold on!?

Nice knowing the cars previous owner looked after it. :yes:

Nice story - shame you've just put a huge dampener on it :think:

Way to go

Sorry, I've made a mistake here! See my proper reply below.

Edited 12 December, 200916 yr by D-Cunningham

It's not quite as simple as that but I do see why you're concerned about the dealer bit. I used to work with Neil and now stay in touch mainly by email. He only told me about getting a new car in an email after he'd picked it up and I knew nothing about what had happened to his old car. So I really did get a shock when I saw his old car on my shopping trip for screen wash. The price I got from the dealer was generous in my view and Neil's car was priced well considering it has lots of extras and has been looked after with extreme care and not abused. So I do respect your point but, without revealing the details of my deal, Neil got a sweet deal (VAT-free and shed loads of extras on his new car) and I got a treasured used vRS for a fair price. I'm chuffed to bits about it!

Good Man

I'm chuffed to bits about it!

And thats all that matters.

I was having some warranty work carried out on my old car and had a chance to have a go in a new vRS demonstrator. Needless to say I also ended up with a new car.

Thats brill mate , glad your pleased, however on a more serious note we need to discuss why your drinking screen wash with your dinner , its not gonna do you any good

Fantastic, nice to read a happy ending.

I did think exactly what Lee's first response was - and hoped you'd not got stung! But yeah, good result and hope you enjoy it

Buy screenwash from Halfords or online next time though won't you? This could get expensive

(oh and did you end up getting the required item for your Superb in the end as well?!)

The windscreen on the mother-in-laws Capri gor a stonechip in it so she bought a Toyota MR2 (this was a few years ago)!!!!

The windscreen on the mother-in-laws Capri gor a stonechip in it so she bought a Toyota MR2 (this was a few years ago)!!!!

Was she a good hairdresser ?

Let me lift the lid on the Octavia vRS deal to give you a chance to judge its worth. The vRS can be described as follows: March 06, Metallic Storm Blue, 35000 miles, one very careful owner, special order leather seats, cruise control, 4 electric windows, parking sensors front and back, excellent condition. My Superb is: October 03, Metallic Silver, 147000 miles, three owners, standard spec, very good condition, faulty parking sensors, recent cambelt and front brakes, four good tyres. Cost to me of buying the Octavia vRS - £7500. I welcome your comments.

As to the lunch and the beverages, here we go. We visited what I believe is called Rocky’s Café in the Ellingham Industrial Centre not far from roundabout to the designer outlet. We both had the “Super Breakfast” for a fiver – two rashers of bacon, two sausages, two eggs on fried bread, half a tin of plum tomatoes, half a tin of beans, a quarter of mushrooms, two doorsteps of bread and butter. All swilled down with half a bottle of screen wash. Yummy. I needn’t eat another thing till I pick up the vRS next Friday and head back to Rocky’s for Super Breakfast 2.

I've had a similar experience to this. I went into Winters Skoda on the Isle of Wight for tail light bulb that had failed whilst I was on holiday. Saw the new Roomster Scout in the showroom, test drove it then ordered one there and then! It's amazing how a 60p bulb can suddenly cost £14,000 in just the blink of an eye. Impulsive purchase? An unresounding yes. Did I regret it afterwards? Not at all!

Colour's a bit worrying - I didn't think you could get an 06 vRS in Storm Blue

Apart from that, I'm assuming £7500 was the actual cost to change, over and above your part-ex, so a lot depends on what that would have been valued at

You're right. £7500 was the cost to change. I'll clarify the exact colour and try to show some pictures after I collect it this Friday.

How about Race Blue. Does that sound more like it?

Hope yo got screenwash free with the car

Nice buy, especially when you know the car was looked after.

And id rater buy a car from a dealer than someone i know for the simple reason if anything ever goes wrong with it you wont fall out over it (Hopefully nothing will go wrong)

I fully agree about dealer back-up. It was too late for me to deal directly with my mate anyway, since he'd done his part-ex after I'd finished working at the same organisation. I knew nothing about it. What a shock when I saw his old car for sale last Friday. Caffyns, the local dealer, have always been very good in any dealings I've had with them - very good. So I'm delighted to be getting my mate's car at what I consider to be a decent overall deal. I'll get 12 months Skoda cover on the vRS, both parties to the deal are happy, I'll tell other people that Caffyns are a good and reputable outfit and will continue to use them myself. I'd say everybody's happy. I hope I haven't spoken too soon!