I have taken the plunge and ordered a new Octavia Scout TDi for March 1st delivery. My original budget was fine for the standard 4 x 4 but I decided to go for the Scout because it seems so much better value. However this meant that I was restricted in the toys I could afford. So my only extras are: metallic (Satin Grey - thanks to Fluffmeister and Captain Kremen for their pics which helped me decide!), m/f st wheel with maxidot and dealer fit detach towbar with twin electrics (£550 fitted); (no factory fit towbar available for a few months yet). I really wanted Xenons but at £450, tho' good value, I could not justify the cost on the limited amount of night driving I do.

So total otr cost is £20810. I have a trade in (2005 Touran 2.0 TDi SE 7 seat) - so how to get the best deal? I tried a new tactic this time! I spent £3.50 for a valuation from Glass's guide. The valuation report (3 pages) proved invaluable. The main info is reproduced below:

Trade-in Excellent £10301

Trade-in average £ 9280

Trade-in below average £ 8261

Dealer Retail Price £11800

Private Sale Price £10200.

I also got a quote from a large dealer in Nottinghamshire via SkodaStore.com which offered a discount of £1700 for a straight sale. This was a non-starter because I do not want the uncertainty of selling privately - but it gave an idea of the possible margin available.

I then visited the 3 local dealers in my area (within a 35 mile radius) and asked for a changeover price. We did the usual sparring initially but the Glass's valuation was helpful in establishing a fair starting point for discussion.

Needless to say the deal offered improved with each dealer visited and the final (preferred) dealer offered £10510 trade-in, guaranteed until 1st March; (this figure is 56% of original price I paid for the Touran). This dealer was quite open about his margin being 8%. So I reckon I probably got a fair deal considering he does not know how much my car will decrease in value, especially at start of 2008 when the car becomes 3 years old.

Very often at the start of this trade-in experience we think our cars are worth a lot more than we are offered. At least this way I had some indication of what was fair.

Any thoughts?

Trade in - excellent: £ 10,301.00

Trade in - average: £ 9,280.00

Trade in - below average: £ 8,261.00

Dealer Retail price £ 11,800.00

Private Sale price: £

Trade in - excellent: £ 10,301.00

Trade in - average: £ 9,280.00

Trade in - below average: £ 8,261.00

Dealer Retail price £ 11,800.00

Private Sale price: £ 10,200.00

Using the figure of £1700 discount off list for a straight sale, does this mean you effectively got £8,810 (£10,510 - £1,700) for the Touran?

That figure is below the average trade in price now, but given that is fixed until 1st March, I guess it could well be above average by then.

You're right that there is a bit of guesswork involved! Your aim is always to get as much of the dealer's margin as possible and it is easier with a straight sale. That was my point with this post - many of us want a factory order but still want a good deal on trade-in. This is possibly not a good time of year for selling privately which I accept is likely to give the best overall deal.

have you placed the order then?

my thoughts are that you could have saved yourself £3.50...

Vauxhall

Thanks Babs. Will know next time!

no problem

it's a handy little link, that one!

also, try getting prices from brokers online to see what sort of discounts are available