Possible new Yeti buyer - available discount

[RDT]

Hi,

 

Looks a really useful forum.

 

I am considering a new Yeti Outdoor for my other half who wants a small 4x4.  The Yeti seems just about the only well-rated one out there.  Wading depth is important as there can be a foot of water (occasionally more) in the dips on local roads a couple of times a year.  4x4 is also important as we live in a hilly area where the minor roads are rarely gritted.

 

I was considering a Yeti Outdoor Elegance or L&K.  Initially I thought the 140hp would be sensible, but there seems to be very little price difference with the 170, so I would probably go for that.  We hope to test drive early next week.

 

Looking at this forum I noticed a recent mention of 14% discount from carfile.  Looking at the Honest John site, one or two places seem to be doing 16-17%, if they are genuine (buyanewcaronline and new-car-discount)?

 

I would aim to get a local dealer to match the best genuine available price, or failing that place an order online.  What is the best discount that members here are aware of?  

 

I will have a few more questions about spec soon, but for now, I would be very interested in discount.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

RDT

 

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

Hiya. Carwow seem to be doing some of the best discounts at the mo, and you have the advantage of knowing exactly which dealer the quote is from.

[RDT]

Thanks, I will give Carwow a try. Any idea what level of discount they have been offering.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Not sure on the yeti, but on the Octavia it was just over 6% when the 0% finance was on, or 12% without which was as good as any reputable site.

The best quotes were being supplied by Alex Lawrie in Liverpool.

[Llanigraham]

12" is just over the limit for safe wading in a Yeti. I've been deeper but it's something I would not recommend, especially to a novice. Certainly anything regularly more than that is a definite NO NO!

 

And I'm sorry, but 4x4 is not the answer for people who live in hilly areas. Too many people seem to immediately presume they must have a 4x4 but forget that although it might help getting up the hill, it makes very little difference on the down hill; gravity is always the greater force. In the hands of the untrained often a 2 wheel drive with proper tyres is by far the safer option.

 

Where are you in the UK?

[RDT]

Thanks Dr Zoidberg.

llanigraham - we may well end up with winter tyres as well. I use them on my RWD 5 series and they turn it from a complete handful into quite a composed car on ice. I appreciate that 4wd doesn't help a great deal going downhill. I am an experienced driver, although my other half isn't, but we would probably use just this car in the worst weather. The 5 series doesn't like deep water or snow - the protective under tray came off last year driving slowly through less than a foot of water. Does the Yeti come with all season tyres with a few sipes, or are they just normal 'summer tyres'?

I had a feeling that the wading depth was supposed to be 45 or 60 cm for the Yeti. Do you know the real figure? Again, I am very used to driving through flood water - it is a common occurrence up here in the Lakes!

Edited 1 February, 2014 by RDT

[Fairyvan]

I can't comment on the brokers you mention, but I can say that Carfile are very good and offer competitive discounts. I bought mine 3 months ago via them and I like their system. Basically they are really 'introducers' they have dealers whom they put you in touch with and from then on all your business is conducted with the dealer, including paying your deposit. You do not pay anything to Carfile.

 

 

When I was doing my research, there were brokers online who had very short histories in the business and you paid the deposit to them.......?  Buyer beware.     Carfile have a long history and seem well respected in the industry.

 

My 2wd Yeti is doing very well on flooded roads, but wouldn't take it through 12" +.     I think that would be pushing the boat out a bit personally!  

[Llanigraham]

Thanks Dr Zoidberg. llanigraham - we may well end up with winter tyres as well. I use them on my RWD 5 series and they turn it from a complete handful into quite a composed car on ice. I appreciate that 4wd doesn't help a great deal going downhill. I am an experienced driver, although my other half isn't, but we would probably use just this car in the worst weather. The 5 series doesn't like deep water or snow - the protective under tray came off last year driving slowly through less than a foot of water. Does the Yeti come with all season tyres with a few sipes, or are they just normal 'summer tyres'? I had a feeling that the wading depth was supposed to be 45 or 60 cm for the Yeti. Do you know the real figure? Again, I am very used to driving through flood water - it is a common occurrence up here in the Lakes!

The Yeti comes on "summer" tyres. I've run Kumho's for 3 years which although still a "summer" tyre I have found have coped admirably in all weathers here in Mid Wales.

 

The official wading depth is no longer stated in the brochure, but it used to be to the bottom of the sill below the driver's door. Not very deep. I have been deeper but even with my training I would not recommend it. We have one member here who did go much deeper and he did have problems.

 

I note you say that you are an experienced driver, however with another of my hats on I would say that this means very little when it comes to driving a 4x4 in difiicult situations. Being involved in the 4x4 world as a driving assessor I would suggest that you at least obtain some basic training in the Yeti before you venture out in adverse conditions.

[Fairyvan]

I would worry about warranty issues as well as safety ones- going through deep puddling is a bit different to very deep water.

[RDT]

Thanks Fairyvan. I'm sure you are right - I certainly wouldn't plan to go any deeper than the car was comfortable with, hence the question about wading depth before we choose a car. I will take a look at carfile

Llanigraham. - the depth limit is slightly disappointing for the Yeti. I appreciate it isn't intended to be a proper off-road machine, but I think they could have done a little better without major modifications. We are looking for a car to replace a small Shogun which has a 50cm wading depth, although it is getting on a bit, so I am not completely confident in the door seals.

I understand the point about the tuition, but I am pretty confident with the sort of conditions we get up here, and have had a couple of 4x4s which have coped fine. If I was doing some serious off roading, I guess some tuition may help, but I would probably also choose a different car.

The difficulty we have is wanting a smallish normal car with 4wd, reasonable ground clearance and wading depth. All of the decent makes keep making them bigger. The Rav4 and CRV are just too big now for my other half. The Yeti seems to get excellent reviews and I pay a lot of attention to JD Power / Driver Power surveys. The particular reason for the 4wd is that there is a 20% gradient road which climbs above 1000ft, which we use a lot, the alternative being a long diversion. Winter tyres are pretty effective there, even on my RWD car, but I would like my partner's car to be even more sure footed, as she is less confident.

[RDT]

For those interested in discounts, Carwow has been underwhelming so far with four responses from 3 to 6.9% discount. There are a couple of places advertising 17% discounts, buyanewcaronline and new-car-discount which I found via the honest John site. However both look a bit dodgy to me and I have read some very bad reviews of the latter one.

Carfile seem to be genuine, I think, and have been recommended on these boards. They are offering 14% off all Yeti models and it seems that all cash is paid to the dealer, rather than the broker as with the others, which is a good sign.

Unless Carwow come back with better than 14%, I would ask a few local dealers to match that until I find one that will.

Planning to test drive tomorrow, so still not certain...