Hi,

Been visiting the site covertly for a few weeks, thought I better introduce myself!

Anyway, onto more pressing matters - the questions.

I have been test driving a LOT of cars lately, as I plan to buy my first brand-new car. The car that has impressed me the most is the Skoda Octavia, specifically the 2.0 diesel with DSG.

Now, I'm interested in the 2.0 diesel DSG L&K (saloon) spec (I do a fair amount of miles so need the comfort and hard-wearingness of leather), best offer my local stealer gave me was

hi & welcome

I paid full retail price for my car, but I did trade in my previous car. This I got bang on the Parkers price.

Also I managed to find a dealer that had the car I wanted as a demo. This also meant I could haggle over the price of extras that are loaded onto it.

Better than this I was the first person to demo it - left it a couple of weeks then went back.

It is a fantastic car and the DSG is probably the best Auto box i have had the pleasure of driving. Its a shame you have not had the previous generation of Octavia as you will be able to appreciate the car even more. This being my 2nd Octavia TDI Auto Estate.

Hello and welcome Munky, I have an Octy Elegance 2.0TDi DSG, to which I add Sat Nav, Xenons, ESP and a couple of other toys. I haggled the dealer down by over

Hi, I also got

Hi, I also got

Drive the deal are listing the car you describe at

Now, I'm interested in the 2.0 diesel DSG L&K (saloon) spec

It will be a hatch

Good choice though

I honestly doubt I would buy a car from a dealer again

Which is why service costs are going up and you have to travel further to a dealer for warranty work.

I got 8pc off my L&K 2.0tdi DSG. Have you driven an L&K? The reason I ask, is that I found the leather seats very hard and not very comfortable. I used to commute from London to Devon in it, and by Stonehenge I had neck and backache.

Which is why service costs are going up and you have to travel further to a dealer for warranty work.

Possibly, but I'm sure the supplying dealer didn't sell my car at a loss.

There has been much discussion on here on how cars hold their value...the price you pay at the start is just as important as how much you get back at the end.

On a selfish note due to the nature of my job I'm able to get my car serviced across most of the west and east midlands so I'm not tied to one dealer...I'm loyal to whoever offers the lowest price.

I found when I bought my Primera, and this most recent Octy, the deal benefits depended more on the finance arrangements than either the new car discount or the trade in price.

[i don't count the first Octy because I got it on the Skoda UK 3 yr interest free deal which made it a terrific buy.]

The Primera dealer swung it by messing with his finance provider APR, and the current Octy became a good deal by avoiding the dealer's own finance, which worked out at 9% [5% flat.] I know the Nissan guy gave me a good trade in price because I saw my old car for sale on his forecourt for exactly what he wrote in as the trade in. He told me he was giving me the "retail" price for it, and he was. I guess it depends how badly you want to shift a new car.

Which is why service costs are going up and you have to travel further to a dealer for warranty work.

I think the fact that service costs can vary, by as much as 100 percent (as has been proved on this board) proves that it is just as worthwhile to travel a little to save a lot when it comes to servicing your pride and joy.

Like everything else, car prices differ a great deal from one dealer to teh next, from one broker to the next.........it's all about research.

Also it is a bit like power suppliers, insurers etc. They rely on inertia - many people can't be bothered to shop around. You might not save a fortune on one thing, but when I take into account the car, insurance, dual fuel, phone etc etc. I reckon I get a decent annual holiday out of it compared with if I stuck with the same outfit year after year. It is not only about research, it is about competition.

I haven't driven an L&K......hmm, didn't know the seats were harder. I didn't much care for the seats in the Elegance that I did drive, so this could be a sticky wicket.

I can't really sell my car privately, as I rely on it day to day and can't be without wheels for even a week, sadly.

I haven't driven an L&K......hmm' date=' didn't know the seats were harder. I didn't much care for the seats in the Elegance that I did drive, so this could be a sticky wicket.

That's odd - one of things I liked about the demo was the seats! [non leather']

The demo I drove had cloth seats, but I'm sure the leather seats were firmer. Add that to the 17s and it's long distance appeal diminished somewhat.

It is not only about research, it is about competition.

Of couse, goes without saying, but for many, there isn't any competition because too many stick with their local dealer, me for one, but after seeing that the price difference between having my last Fabia serviced (a 20,000 mile service) was over 100 percent more expensive than a number of dealers, I, will do the same as I did for my new car, shop around.

The Primera dealer swung it by messing with his finance provider APR' date=' and the current Octy became a good deal by avoiding the dealer's own finance, which worked out at 9% [5% flat.'] I know the Nissan guy gave me a good trade in price because I saw my old car for sale on his forecourt for exactly what he wrote in as the trade in. He told me he was giving me the "retail" price for it, and he was. I guess it depends how badly you want to shift a new car.

When I was selling Primeras, I could give you

Did all that and was told Nix. Maybe that is why the entire Citygates group has gone down the Swannee !! And good riddance.

The Primera deal was interesting - it was the last model GT saloon - bog standard.

I told him how much I was willing to pay a month on 3 years finance [naturally I didn't give him a silly figure]. His fingers flew over that calculator like a concert pianist. Got to within about