I was also looking at the Petrol Sport Nav.. shame their is no heated windows and we can't have the US spec 2.5Lt 4x4 auto.

Slightly off topic, but did you find a good forum? could do with finding a BriMazda to get some user feedback.

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Mazda 6 Owners Club has can be quite helpful, albeit slow and nothing like here. They're all the same engines etc as the CX, so worth a look. I joined when I had my 6.

I agree the range really needs the 2.5 American unit, and AWD. It's the only downside of the UK range for me. I don't think it's turbo though, as SkyActiv is by definition focused on high compression NA.

Edited 12 June, 201610 yr by Derv

I was also looking at the Petrol Sport Nav.. shame their is no heated windows and we can't have the US spec 2.5Lt 4x4 auto.

 

Slightly off topic, but did you find a good forum? could do with finding a BriMazda to get some user feedback.

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Yes, that engine would be nice but as usual diesel dictates everything in Europe...(" no one wants petrol") well I do....never had a diesel and never will!

Try mazdacx5forums.co.uk.....its okay, but not much activity on there. Also there is mazda247.com, but its very USA biased.

Mazda 6 Owners Club has can be quite helpful, albeit slow and nothing like here. They're all the same engines etc as the CX, so worth a look. I joined when I had my 6.

I agree the range really needs the 2.5 American unit, and AWD. It's the only downside of the UK range for me. I don't think it's turbo though, as SkyActiv is by definition focused on high compression NA.

Mazda don't do petrol turbo's at present, they have gone down the skyactiv high compression route!

Yes, that engine would be nice but as usual diesel dictates everything in Europe...(" no one wants petrol") well I do....never had a diesel and never will!

For how much longer will diesel be acceptable anywhere in Europe, including UK. The writing is on the wall for diesel, starting with London here in UK. Khan ( who has already reneged on his 2 main promises )is determined to knock diesels on the head, and other UK towns and cities will follow suit. Germany, France and Italy are making the same noises. Anyone who ignores the portents is foolish , in my opinion. Unless politicians give diesels guaranteed and long term thumbs up, I will not buy another one but switch to petrol.

Leaving the specific NCD case aside, there may be another factor at play; a reason why certainly manufacturers and perhaps even their dealers are not that bothered about some heavily discounted online sales to private buyers.

 

In the US, it was said long ago about General Motors that GM is a finance company with some car manufacturing attached to it. The PCP was cooked up in the US, too, except it seems there it’s more honestly termed ‘rent/rental’.

 

When I ordered my SIII, the dealer made some effort to sell me a PCP instead of my actual purchase (in the true meaning of the word). After one or two attempts they took my ‘no’ for an answer and backed off. In hindsight, I had more than one very good reason not to have been taken in by all that “they’ll give you a £2000 contribution” and all the other nonsense; but that’s too long a story.

 

A couple of weeks ago I set about buying another car for the family; a VW Golf, it so happens. On 31 May (last day of the month – best time to buy a car apart from last day of a quarter or year), I called half a dozen dealers who had one-year-old cars that roughly matched what I was looking for to see who was keenest to offload one that day. It so happened the ‘winner’ was quite local (I have in the past not bothered about 100s of miles if the deal was right – usually the north). A deal was done and I paid the deposit.

 

A couple of days later I arrived at the dealership to pay the balance and therefore buy the car. As I handed my debit card to the salesman, he asked “could my (branch) manager have a quick word?” Said manager set about pushing PCP … hard. Of course the harder he pushed, the more I smelled a rat. But he was very skilled – I’m sure they practice nothing else in their sales seminars these days – and I’m embarrassed to say he put me off the scent. I accepted subject to seeing the proposal in writing. That’s when my eyes were well and truly opened; lo and behold it was a rat after all! Naturally, I vehemently declined. They nevertheless kept pushing, also claiming the fact that “88% of their customers take this option” as an argument why I should reconsider. Yeah right. Only after a final ultimatum from me to sell me the car on the initially agreed terms or I walk did they capitulate.

 

Now I fully understand what a good deal PCP is for the industry.

 

The moral of the story: they are indeed finance companies first and car companies incidentally too. Hence the ‘sticker price’ at which they ‘sell’ cars to private individuals are also fairly irrelevant to them; they’ll recover any ‘discount’ or ‘contribution’ by the bucket load from the interest income. And hence why a relatively few cars sold online at (big) discounts might not be such a thorn in their sides. Car sales isn’t their business anymore – they may, generally, be quite content to leave that fringe segment to online brokers.

 

I will be buying and collecting the car this afternoon.

Very pleased for you.

I'm feeling deflated as today should have been my delivery day. As I say the world hasn't stopped spinning:)

Leaving the specific NCD case aside, there may be another factor at play; a reason why certainly manufacturers and perhaps even their dealers are not that bothered about some heavily discounted online sales to private buyers.

In the US, it was said long ago about General Motors that GM is a finance company with some car manufacturing attached to it. The PCP was cooked up in the US, too, except it seems there it’s more honestly termed ‘rent/rental’.

When I ordered my SIII, the dealer made some effort to sell me a PCP instead of my actual purchase (in the true meaning of the word). After one or two attempts they took my ‘no’ for an answer and backed off. In hindsight, I had more than one very good reason not to have been taken in by all that “they’ll give you a £2000 contribution” and all the other nonsense; but that’s too long a story.

A couple of weeks ago I set about buying another car for the family; a VW Golf, it so happens. On 31 May (last day of the month – best time to buy a car apart from last day of a quarter or year), I called half a dozen dealers who had one-year-old cars that roughly matched what I was looking for to see who was keenest to offload one that day. It so happened the ‘winner’ was quite local (I have in the past not bothered about 100s of miles if the deal was right – usually the north). A deal was done and I paid the deposit.

A couple of days later I arrived at the dealership to pay the balance and therefore buy the car. As I handed my debit card to the salesman, he asked “could my (branch) manager have a quick word?” Said manager set about pushing PCP … hard. Of course the harder he pushed, the more I smelled a rat. But he was very skilled – I’m sure they practice nothing else in their sales seminars these days – and I’m embarrassed to say he put me off the scent. I accepted subject to seeing the proposal in writing. That’s when my eyes were well and truly opened; lo and behold it was a rat after all! Naturally, I vehemently declined. They nevertheless kept pushing, also claiming the fact that “88% of their customers take this option” as an argument why I should reconsider. Yeah right. Only after a final ultimatum from me to sell me the car on the initially agreed terms or I walk did they capitulate.

Now I fully understand what a good deal PCP is for the industry.

The moral of the story: they are indeed finance companies first and car companies incidentally too. Hence the ‘sticker price’ at which they ‘sell’ cars to private individuals are also fairly irrelevant to them; they’ll recover any ‘discount’ or ‘contribution’ by the bucket load from the interest income. And hence why a relatively few cars sold online at (big) discounts might not be such a thorn in their sides. Car sales isn’t their business anymore – they may, generally, be quite content to leave that fringe segment to online brokers.

I will be buying and collecting the car this afternoon.

Ok, I'm going to hold me hand up here and ask why 'lo and behold, it was a rat after all' ?

What was it you saw in writing that made the revelation?

Edited 13 June, 201610 yr by Jaytip

Worth saying that PCP interest rates tend to be far higher on used cars than new.

Very pleased for you.

I'm feeling deflated as today should have been my delivery day. As I say the world hasn't stopped spinning:)

But in the long term, you will be getting a newer reg and far superior engine!...but on a minus no TV (unless you paid £850 extra for it!)

Leaving the specific NCD case aside, there may be another factor at play; a reason why certainly manufacturers and perhaps even their dealers are not that bothered about some heavily discounted online sales to private buyers.

In the US, it was said long ago about General Motors that GM is a finance company with some car manufacturing attached to it. The PCP was cooked up in the US, too, except it seems there it’s more honestly termed ‘rent/rental’.

When I ordered my SIII, the dealer made some effort to sell me a PCP instead of my actual purchase (in the true meaning of the word). After one or two attempts they took my ‘no’ for an answer and backed off. In hindsight, I had more than one very good reason not to have been taken in by all that “they’ll give you a £2000 contribution” and all the other nonsense; but that’s too long a story.

A couple of weeks ago I set about buying another car for the family; a VW Golf, it so happens. On 31 May (last day of the month – best time to buy a car apart from last day of a quarter or year), I called half a dozen dealers who had one-year-old cars that roughly matched what I was looking for to see who was keenest to offload one that day. It so happened the ‘winner’ was quite local (I have in the past not bothered about 100s of miles if the deal was right – usually the north). A deal was done and I paid the deposit.

A couple of days later I arrived at the dealership to pay the balance and therefore buy the car. As I handed my debit card to the salesman, he asked “could my (branch) manager have a quick word?” Said manager set about pushing PCP … hard. Of course the harder he pushed, the more I smelled a rat. But he was very skilled – I’m sure they practice nothing else in their sales seminars these days – and I’m embarrassed to say he put me off the scent. I accepted subject to seeing the proposal in writing. That’s when my eyes were well and truly opened; lo and behold it was a rat after all! Naturally, I vehemently declined. They nevertheless kept pushing, also claiming the fact that “88% of their customers take this option” as an argument why I should reconsider. Yeah right. Only after a final ultimatum from me to sell me the car on the initially agreed terms or I walk did they capitulate.

Now I fully understand what a good deal PCP is for the industry.

The moral of the story: they are indeed finance companies first and car companies incidentally too. Hence the ‘sticker price’ at which they ‘sell’ cars to private individuals are also fairly irrelevant to them; they’ll recover any ‘discount’ or ‘contribution’ by the bucket load from the interest income. And hence why a relatively few cars sold online at (big) discounts might not be such a thorn in their sides. Car sales isn’t their business anymore – they may, generally, be quite content to leave that fringe segment to online brokers.

I will be buying and collecting the car this afternoon.

Current PCP on new skoda's is a good deal, only on the top spec fully loaded cars does the interest potentially cost more than the saving. It's not really a discount, it's a near interest free loan secured on the car at a rate significantly discounted from that which most buyers would achieve in the lender market. Setting the discount minimises the potential for losses on high spec models.

To make money the assembly line needs to be full loaded, then each car absorbs part of the cost of the whole operation. Value of car doesn't matter as long as it soaks up its build slot hence why surplus models usually low spec base colour.

PCP is a device to make cars feel more affordable, however your personal deposit masks the real monthly payment.

In absolute terms PCP is cheap, the catch is some don't understand the real cost and at the end of the term have a balloon payment or no car and no equity.

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Edited 13 June, 201610 yr by Decto

I smelled a rat.

Was it similar to the one that emails Skoda whenever it reads about forum members negotiating better deals than it got??

Was it similar to the one that emails Skoda whenever it reads about forum members negotiating better deals than it got??

 

 

brilliant :clap:

Was it similar to the one that emails Skoda whenever it reads about forum members negotiating better deals than it got??

Haha, good shout.

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Ok, I'm going to hold me hand up here and ask why 'lo and behold, it was a rat after all' ?

What was it you saw in writing that made the revelation?

  

Yeah, same question here. Also, PCP can be well worth taking, even if you have the capital to buy outright. You legally have a right to pay of your finance agreement whenever you want and as you can get various deals - contribution, servicing, fuel, insurance etc. - it can be worth taking out the finance and getting the potentially valuable freebies, then just paying off your finance. There is usually some charge for this, but it is generally far less than the cost of the freebies. I know people who have done this.

Worth saying that PCP interest rates tend to be far higher on used cars than new.

Indeed. It was cheaper (based on monthly costs) to buy me a new S3 than a year old S2 or Octy. Cheaper by around £100 per month, with the same deposit as new.

Where was the rat? 11.3% APR and a mere 10k miles p.a. before a mileage charge kicked in. Both figures looked like a complete joke to me. No wonder they pushed so hard.

 

Granted, taking it and some of the goodies and then paying it all off may well be a good way to go. And it may be that PCP is better on new than on nearly new.

 

The point remains, however, they are nowadays clearly in the business firstly of selling loans; the asset attached just happens to be a car. They don’t want to sell cars; they want to rent / lend them. And if this really does represent well over 80% of their business, it casts the discounted online sales in a different light.

Where was the rat? 11.3% APR and a mere 10k miles p.a. before a mileage charge kicked in. Both figures looked like a complete joke to me. No wonder they pushed so hard.

 

Granted, taking it and some of the goodies and then paying it all off may well be a good way to go. And it may be that PCP is better on new than on nearly new.

 

The point remains, however, they are nowadays clearly in the business firstly of selling loans; the asset attached just happens to be a car. They don’t want to sell cars; they want to rent / lend them. And if this really does represent well over 80% of their business, it casts the discounted online sales in a different light.

That APR is ludicrous, I can't believe it was so high! Crazy. Also the mileage charge is variable - you want more miles a year, you pay a higher monthly charge to maintain the final value of the vehicle.

To put PCP into perspective on new/used Skoda's current offer on the Superb is 2.9% (and you can sometimes get 0% offers on new cars too) but most used and nearly new quotes I was looking at were around 14.9% APR - hence its cheaper to buy a new car. That in itself is bonkers, although of course suits the manufacturers needs in terms of making more money. I'd sworn I'd never buy a new car - what a waste of money on all that depreciation! - but when it came time to be looking, it was clear I'd be cutting off my nose to spite my face if I bought nearly new.

They have to sell finance otherwise virtually no one would be able to afford their cars! Although fair point, if they give a £2k deposit contribution but then you end up paying £2.5k in interest charges, they've made a profit above their original discount.

My brother in law purchased a new Ford c-max a few years ago, manufacture contribution and a few other freebee's made PCP a very good deal, so he took the PCP to get them, paid one months payment then paid off the balance in full.

Interest was pro rata, paid virtually nothing, good way to go.

Edited 13 June, 201610 yr by roughrider10

Hi,

just wanted to add another one to the count of cancelled Superb orders. Got my cancellation email today.

I'd really hoped my first post would have been a happier one. Gutted.

Mazda 6 Owners Club has can be quite helpful, albeit slow and nothing like here. They're all the same engines etc as the CX, so worth a look. I joined when I had my 6.

I agree the range really needs the 2.5 American unit, and AWD. It's the only downside of the UK range for me. I don't think it's turbo though, as SkyActiv is by definition focused on high compression NA.

 

I agree on the Mazda6oc forum, it's the most active one I could find for the UK and the users on there are very helpful but it's extremely quiet and it's more difficult to get information or help (no fault of the forum, just the way it is).  Although the US forums are busier and their cars seem mostly similar to the EU ones, there seemed to be small but important differences at least for the mk2 version of the 6 which limited their usefulness.  When I wanted to replace the stereo in my Octavia, there was tons of information here on the different options as well as some decent third party stereos from Kenwood and Zenec which were straight replacements for the original but for my car there's no better options from Mazda (mine is the top one and it's laughably rubbish), there's no decent third party ones leaving the choice of a Chinese one or fitting a standard double DIN unit.

 

John

Feel for you MrNelson.

Hi,

just wanted to add another one to the count of cancelled Superb orders. Got my cancellation email today.

I'd really hoped my first post would have been a happier one. Gutted.

Had you placed your order with NCD too? Or were you with another broker?

If you were an NCD customer, why have you had to wait so long to find out that your order has been cancelled? Surely NCD would know that they weren't going to get any of their customer's orders fulfilled?

Had you placed your order with NCD too? Or were you with another broker?

If you were an NCD customer, why have you had to wait so long to find out that your order has been cancelled? Surely NCD would know that they weren't going to get any of their customer's orders fulfilled?

Yes, it was through NCD. I have no idea why I was only informed yesterday. Information from NCD has been quite sparse.

My brother in law purchased a new Ford c-max a few years ago, manufacture contribution and a few other freebee's made PCP a very good deal, so he took the PCP to get them, paid one months payment then paid off the balance in full.

Interest was pro rata, paid virtually nothing, good way to go.

That will be another loophole closed after the dealer moles on here report back.

That will be another loophole closed after the dealer moles on here report back.

When my partner bought her Polo last April, the dealer encouraged her to take out the VW finance then pay it off the next day.

The cost to her was about £8 in interest and for that she received £1000 contribution to the car cost and 3 years servicing for £100, both of which she kept even though we paid it off straight away.

 

So I don't think that is a 'loophole' the dealers are unaware of

That will be another loophole closed after the dealer moles on here report back.

 

There are more than a few people on here with @skoda.### email addresses.  We've seen it over the years, whilst no direct support or involvement occurs, I know what's said on here is used, sometimes it's cost people their jobs.

 

There is nothing going on here that isn't occurring at many other marques, although I do have to stress other marques embrace their communities, Peugeot! 

 

Who knows maybe after 'figuregate' settles, this might be the start of something by all marques. By the same logic, skoda is small enough not to cause a stir, then VWG can apply learnings to seat, vw & audi. Not cancelling in build orders would be a good first lesson. 

 

Nobody, except legal boffins, know if anything illegal was occurring and if so, between whom. I did half in jest before post that briskoda is a fleet buyer, I've had no calls on that or anything else. As I say we're a great community to have, better to use.

 

I do know if I was an independent dealer paying to have the badge over my door, I'd be ****ed to find someone side dealing. 

 

From my retail background this is no different from finding the market stall trader is offloading the latest nike air's at cost. You naturally try to figure out how and then apply pressure on the regionals/importer to close the practice down. Otherwise what's the point of buying stock to watch depreciate.

 

I can buy climbing kit from a european online store for less than I can 10miles away. A lot less. Do I? No, because the day I want to buy something obscure I won't get it from the online place, but the local place, who has a good cafe too  

 

I think anyone wearing the #teamskoda badge is unimpressed at the outcome to customers. I do feel you've been forgotten in the initial actions and as time has passed, perhaps legal boffinry has gotten in the way of good old common sense.

 

The finance pay off on day#2 has been in play for years. Even the 0% years it was better to get 0%, take free servicing promo then pay it off.

 

PCP is a huge win for the motor co's, as someone pointed out they're finance co's with a bit of manufacturing...

 

Take Sainsbury's or Tesco, are the supermarkets, or property businesses with a bit of grocery? They could shut doors and sit on property, unlike high street, like BHS because high streets are the withering bush of commerce. They began to rot in the early 90's when planners said yes to out of town centres... idiots.

 

The point here big car showrooms by independent businesses spending several million are doomed if the online market traders are not embraced and models changed or kept in check. The problem is, we're aware of them now so it smells a bit like control and restriction, we like nothing more than to fight that!

 

Watch the USA, stuff that works naturally follows, I learnt that with snickers > marathon it's true today as it was back then. PCP worked, here it is!

 

Likewise luxo leases, take a top end car, park it up because you're doing < 7k a year but paying maybe 250 quid for the luxury of it on your drive. It's classic smith and jones keeping up appearances. They are coming!