Potential new Octavia Scout buyer - price negotiations / haggling

[TrevSyncro]

Hello,

 

I am seriously considering buying a new Octavia Scout. I have never bought a brand new car before, so I am currently on a learning curve when it comes to finance options, cheaper Internet dealers, warranties, service plans, price negotiation and so on. 

 

I visited one local Skoda dealer today to discuss the pricing and finance options on the 2.0 DSG model. I learned that the current 0% finance offer would be available with a £1000 dealership contribution towards my deposit. The car would come with three year warranty, but without any service plan. I have attempted to haggle with this dealer over the invoice price of the car, and alternatively tried asking for a free service plan. They were not prepared to move whatsoever, with the exception of a possible £100 discount on one of the "care packs" which doesn't particularly excite me. I walked out feeling quite surprised. 

 

I've visited a number of online dealers (Broadspeed, and so on) and determined that through these, savings of around £4K are possible.

 

Armed with this information, I have spoken with several Skoda dealers about the possibility of price matching. I wasn't going to be daft and expect a dealership to offer the same level of discount as an online company, but what I was hoping to achieve was at least some discount on the car's price along with the 0% finance on offer. However, I think no fewer than three dealerships explained that there really is no room at all, because the 0% eats their margin (it's not really zero percent -- it's just a discount). Essentially they insisted they just made far too little on the car to budge. Actually, there was some success, because one dealer offered to provide the Winter Pack at no extra charge (which, if I remember right, is usually a £600 option). 

 

It's looking at the moment like a choice between buying from an online dealer saving ~4K and paying interest, or going with a high street dealership and taking advantage of the £1K dealer contribution plus 0% interest (and I realise the 0% is actually just a further discount) and bagging the winter pack one dealer offered. 

 

Are there any other avenues recommended for me to try? Does the free winter pack sound a good achievement or should I push for more? 

 

Thanks,

 

Trevor.

[TrevSyncro]

Apologies - looks like I ought to have posted in the http://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/288-buying-dealers-service-help/ section.

[Gaz]

Hello and welcome Trevor 

 

I thought about 0%, but when I decided to go elsewhere the dealer said they'd knock £3.5k off the car if I didn't choose 0%, which made me feel like it's a bit of a con, and that the front end cost is loaded.

 

This is my first new car as well, so I understand where you're at in trying to work out what's best to do.

 

Can't off you any advice I'm afraid - was just saying hello.

 

Gaz

[MRJSVRS]

Carwow is your friend chap, I am only a few weeks away from my first new car, tsi vrs I went back to the dealer with the carwow figures and although they didn't exactly match the best deal they done their best to get near it, which I was happy with as my local dealer is only 9 miles away. They gave me a fair price on px of my car aswell. I am on a 0% pcp deal and saved £3k off the list price.I'm having the px from my car as cashback rather than deposit, and paying just £500 deposit, ok it increases the monthly payments but when I come to change I won't need to stump up a wad of deposit to carry on with similar monthly payments. Plus the cashback from my px can be split down to make the monthlies less. If you follow. All of this depends on how good your dealer is but they take carwow quotes seriously. Hope this helps

[Shuggy2876]

I have just bought a DSG Scout through Carwow. Got a decent discount, the £1000 deposit contribution and a nice 0% PCP finance deal. My local dealer couldn't get close, even with their showroom vehicle you would have thought they might want shot of. Instead I ordered through a dealer about 90mins from home and experienced the most straightforward buying process ever. The dealer had been very attentive through my many Carwow quotations and queries and certainly worked hard for my business so was very happy to give them the order. Thoroughly recommend Carwow, Ingram Skoda in Ayr and the DSG Scout. Good luck with your purchase.

[Mallettsmallett]

I found when I bought my 6 month old Octavia, they wouldn't move on the price one iota. It was fairly low, but using carwow, I managed to get a cash price that was about a 6k discount of rrp. I would have had to travel half way across the country, but it was a valid price

[TrevSyncro]

Thank you very much indeed for the replies and advice, and for the nice welcome!

 

Incidentally a friend of mine recommended Carwow just after I created this thread. It's an extremely nice and well made site, which I'm very impressed with it. I specified a 2.0 DSG Scout, and over the course of the weekend I had five offers come in. 

 

The discounts offered range between £1,500 and £2,500 when bought via the 0% finance. (Slightly larger discounts are offered for cash purchase.) But what is confusing is that when getting in touch with them, some are stating that the figure already includes the £1000 deposit contribution, while others say the figure they've offered is additional to the £1000 deposit contribution. I am currently in the process of phoning all of the dealers to clarify this with them.

 

What I do know so far is that I definitely have at least £1,500 discount on offer, off the book price of the 2.0 DSG, before the £1000 contribution and on the 0% finance. 

 

I have not yet approached dealer to see if they can beat the Carwow offers, but I shall have a go!

 

Shuggy2876, are the discount offers I've received so far in the ballpark of what you achieved? I am also tempted to try phoning Skoda in Ayr that you recommend. 

[Aarond]

Yes, I found this when I spoke with the dealer about the listed discounts on carwow; he said that they have had a lot of customers quote figures at them, but regretfully (for the customer) it has/is the dealer contribution already. 

[Shuggy2876]

Wouldn't be far away, I think I may have got a bit lucky as I was getting quotes just as the 0% deal became available on the Scout. Went to and fro with various re-quotes for different specs but was being offered about 6% for finance deals I seem to remember. I know discounts were difficult to come buy due to dealers having to fund the 0% deal themselves. Drew is the Carwow contact at Ingrams.

[Jono]

I got 12.5% off list via carfile.net. I would recommend them.

Was a "cash purchase" of sorts though, no dealer finance stuff to muddy the waters.

[Stuski]

I'd not be buying any VAG product with the on going emissions scandal right now...

[London Les]

Another happy Carwow customer. Gave a lot of options - if I was prepared to drive to Liverpool I could have got a load of money off, but compromised on the second best offer in the London area - pleased with the website, process and dealer. I agree the 0% deal is a pain - basically the cost is added to the car up front, so you have to be clear how much 0% is worth to you.

[Shuggy2876]

I'd not be buying any VAG product with the on going emissions scandal right now...

So what would you buy if you were in the market for a new car?

 

I am not hearing BMW, Vauxhall, Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot et al screaming from the rooftops that they are whiter than white, urging wavering VAG buyers to buy from them. Why wouldn't they, a perfect marketing opportunity, surely?

 

Rather than worrying about VAG or not I would consider buying petrol over diesel if I were in the market right now - this could be the start of the diesel death nail.

 

Anyway.....this is all for another thread I'm sure!!

[skyjawa]

Its worth checking the online brokers.  I used CarWow and spoke to a few dealers.  With the discount and 0% it would still end up costing the same as getting 20 odd % discount via the brokers and taking out their finance at 5.9%.  We spec'd an L&K and to do it the broker way with the same deposit as the 0% lead to lower monthlies, lower GFV to buy it and in total ends up costing a few hundred quid less than I was quoted for the 0%........

[Stuski]

So what would you buy if you were in the market for a new car?

I am not hearing BMW, Vauxhall, Mercedes, Ford, Peugeot et al screaming from the rooftops that they are whiter than white, urging wavering VAG buyers to buy from them. Why wouldn't they, a perfect marketing opportunity, surely?

Rather than worrying about VAG or not I would consider buying petrol over diesel if I were in the market right now - this could be the start of the diesel death nail.

Anyway.....this is all for another thread I'm sure!!

I only have a brand new diesel car because I have to. So with that said. A lot of manufactures have stated publicly they have no such devices fitted. As much as I like my skoda it is white goods. Plenty of white goods providers not embroiled in a massive scandal right now.

But absolutely agree with you that buy a petrol unless you're doing 30k a year and some one is paying you to run it.

Edited 21 October, 2015 by Stuski

[bigdavy]

I also got mine via Ingrams Ayr via carwow, however they are my local dealer who i've bought from before. Well worth an inquiry. 

 

Great cars by the way, and buying the dsg model with the 184hp engine, they are euro 6 and outwith the whole emissions debacle 

[ccfc1987forever]

I got 12.5% off list via carfile.net. I would recommend them.

Was a "cash purchase" of sorts though, no dealer finance stuff to muddy the waters.

+1 for Carfile.  I used the 0% national offer rather than paying cash and still got 7% off the list.