Buying a car on line

[anobium]

I have checked various on line car suppliers and find that I can save around £1500 on the price of a new car that I am thinking of buying
The cars are uk spec and are not imports and have the same warranties and specification as main dealers.
In fact they apparently are supplied by the main dealers.
It all seems a bit to good to be true
Has anybody had experience of buying a car this way and if so what were the pro's and con's of buying this way?

 

[JohnD]

it might be a pre-registered car (so you will be the second owner and it is a second-hand car) even if it only has 2 miles on the clock.

A lot of these are sold at car Supermarkets.

I understand the dealers do it to bump up their sales figures.

Weird.

 

[mikric]

yep could be a pre reg. I did exactly the same when i bought my last land rover, local dealers £19995 lowest they would go, good old internet ,exactly the same one ie colour spec etc 1 mile on clock delivered to my door from land rover dealer in london £15250. Was what the dealer called a tactical registration.
Found the whole thing a bit unnerving buying like that but went as smooth as for me and will do the same next time.

 

[anobium]

Thanks Johnd and Mikric for your replys.
The only mileage will be the delivery mileage or you can either pick it up or pay around an extra £100 for it to be brought on a transporter.
They are not pre registered but hey am I bovered if I can save £1500.
Only possible snag is what they offer me for the trade in car, but according to initial enquiries its at least as much as main dealers.
Fingers crossed.

 

[Diyisfun]

it might be a pre-registered car (so you will be the second owner and it is a second-hand car) even if it only has 2 miles on the clock.

A lot of these are sold at car Supermarkets.

I understand the dealers do it to bump up their sales figures.

Weird.

Its done because of the discounts they get from the manufacturer.
When I was in the mobile phone business, we would connect maybe a 1000 extra phones to get big discounts from the network. Then when we sold the connected phone it was registered to the new owner.

 

[securespark]

I have checked various on line car suppliers and find that I can save around £1500 on the price of a new car that I am thinking of buying
The cars are uk spec and are not imports and have the same warranties and specification as main dealers.
In fact they apparently are supplied by the main dealers.
It all seems a bit to good to be true
Has anybody had experience of buying a car this way and if so what were the pro's and con's of buying this way?

Yes!!

I went to Pat Lawless to get mine. He's a broker, but you deal direct with the dealer so no danger of money going astray. I got a discount on the vehicle, plus a discount off any FF extras. My (August) 2002 Skoda Octavia Elegance Estate 1.9 TDI (110) brand new & with all the extras that were possible to get back then cost £14938 all in. As opposed to 17.5 or something silly.

 

[mikric]

Only possible snag is what they offer me for the trade in car, but according to initial enquiries its at least as much as main dealers.
Fingers crossed.[/quote]
You could try what i did and visit a few local small car dealers with your trade in they might offer quite alot more cash for it than a large main dealer thats how i did it, then hagle some more for your new one as you now have no trade in. if they wont budge on price go for extras.

 

[securespark]

NEVER go to a dealer with part-ex. He'll offer you peanuts for it. Sell privately for a better sum & walk into the dealer with a straight cash sale.

That way you've got more clout. The dealer won't be able to have you by the scrot.

If you HAVE to go with a part-ex, look for the COST TO CHANGE. Do NOT look at how much you get for the part ex or how much the new motor is going for, but the cost to change. Bottom line. "So, Mr Dealer, how much will it cost me to swap one car for the other OTR?"

Do not get pulled in by "I'll just have to talk with my manager" when negotiating prices. Start by giving a figure you have been offered already & see if he can beat it. If he can't, walk out.

Try turning up close to the end of the month. This is when targets have to be met & the staff will be keen to tie up a deal, and more likely to offer you a better deal.

If you feel patronised, intimidated or not treated seriously, walk away. There are countless other dealers who you can strike a deal with.