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Please feel free to print off this
simple guide to help you to buy your
new car. I hope you find these tips
useful. If you want us to help sell
your car, you can get a
free
valuation from getmore4your.co.uk. I have found some books which
also offer some advice on buying
cars, all of which I have purchased
over the years. Martin Wray
Buying new or used cars
Use the phone to check out as many
dealers as you can, you have three
choices:
- New or used car dealers
- Used car specialists
- Internet companies
They will offer great savings, let
me break them down.
New or used car dealers These will offer great service as
well as the car itself. Price is the
all important factor when buying a
car, however what about the hassle
factor when it breaks down or needs
a service? In my experience, dealers
will offer better deals and savings
to customers that will be using the
garage for servicing and parts.
In fact when a service department is
booking in cars they normally ask
this question in order to put their
customers first in line of
preference. So, it's worth
considering the value of this.
Franchise sites hold all the bonuses
and cash backs from the manufacturer
over and above the normal 7.5-15%
margin. Typical discounts will be
around 10% plus any bonuses they may
have, please note this will be off
the list price excluding VAT.
Always be polite but firm. Many
sales teams work on sales tracks and
will lead you along this to gain
your commitment. Or will talk you
around a lower or higher
specification as the car is in
stock. Sometimes this may work to
your advantage and you can get a
great deal. However normally you end
up not getting what you wanted so
keep to the car of your choice.
Seasons and time of the month can
have an angle for getting discounts:
February and August - the months
before new plate change will help
dealers clear down stocks for the
impeding plate change months; also
this will help with dealer’s cash
flow. So this is an excellent time
for a Deal!!!!
December – probably the worst month
for selling cars for obvious reasons
to get a new car in December 2006 as
opposed to Jan 2007 will make
£300-500 difference for a few days.
Month End – Dealers chasing targets
and budgets will often give bigger
discounts if they can cram an extra
registration or another used car in
to the month.
Used car specialistsThe cars will often be cheaper from
the start, these dealers still have
to offer a minimum 6 months warranty
and normally a years MOT but check
before you deal. Independents
normally have no service centre or
official workshop so check the
warranty provided, how it works and
where to take the car.
Cash is still king, especially with
the independents, so when
negotiating bear this in mind.
However the deal negotiated will be
less of a reduction due to the price
of the vehicle at the start.
Car prices will normally be £750-£1000 less than a franchised dealer so
bear this in mind. Excellent places
to pick up a great bargain
especially on higher specification
cars with a higher mileage as the
franchised dealers are unable to
sell cars over 65000 miles due to
their warranty constraints.
Internet companies
Are difficult to negotiate with as
the cars will be already heavily
discounted using many of the
manufacturer’s bonuses. These
companies will either be in contact
with the manufacturer or a local
dealer to get these prices.
Things to be careful of are new cars
being sold as new to you, first
registered to a dealer or a fleet
company so they can get the bonus
money to reduce the price. The car
is unused (zero mileage) but you
become the second owner.
Remember that with a franchised
dealer you get the back up of the
garage, many internet companies are
based in office blocks and will have
no service package again this will
be a factor at some point. Huge savings can be obtained from
these companies but just be sure you
understand the whole deal and
package. |
