Buying a brand new car!

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telboy
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Buying a brand new car!

Postby telboy » Wed Sep 27, 2017 3:54 pm

Ok there are many websites offering useful information on buying a new car.
I haven't bought a new motor since February 2004 when I moved to Spain, in fact 230,000km on I am hoping to use it as part exchange when buying new.

My questions are these -
Roughly how much does a dealer offer in part exchange, would it be based on the going value of the car on a 'price checker websites' then say halved for example?
Also
If I have exactly the same spec in mind for a new car and went to the same dealership in different towns, is there likely to be a difference in price? The reason I ask this, is because I enquired about a car with a salesman, they put all the info into the relevant database on his computer and gave me a price. Is this a national database for manufacturer/supplier in the whole of Spain? Is it worth playing one dealership against another?

Any advice on this subject would be welcome.

cheers
terry

markwilding
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby markwilding » Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:24 pm

That’s what happened to me when I bought a new car last year. The price was the same in the three places. I did push for a discount and got an extra 500€ off by not committing straight away. Apart from that I got a range of discounts which depended on me being self employed etc. You would need to speak to them to see what is available.

I part exchanged a 5 year old car. I think had I tried to sell it privately, I would have got more but I think it wasn’t worth the bother.

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby TorreDelAguila » Wed Sep 27, 2017 5:57 pm

Outright discounts seem difficult in Spain. Some manufacturers also dictate pan-European pricing.
Mark is right - hesitate. And try asking for "extras" (eg proper spare wheel, towbar....) rather than a cash discount. This way, you get the value, but it costs the dealer far less.
Chris

El Cid
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby El Cid » Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:51 am

I have bought three new cars while here and in all cases the experience was much the same. Unlike the UK, where dealer margins are very much higher, almost all the discounts are set by the manufacturer. There is usually a big range of offers which can change monthly. Some give a flat reduction in the price, but that is nearly always contingent on having some sort of finance deal.

I have had a €1000 "loyalty" bonus for staying with the same manufacturer. Often the monthly offer is something like an expensive option for free such as leather seats or a sunroof. The finance deals can be very attractive where the discount can be more than twice the cost of the interest payment and sometimes includes an extended warranty and/or free servicing.

As these deals are manufacturer driven they will not vary significantly from one dealer to another. I doubt that the dealer has much more than €500 discretionary discount to play with but if he has a car in stock that needs shifting then it could be better. Part exchange price seems to be straight out of the "book". In fact VAG dealers have it all on their computer. Obviously mileage and condition plays a part.

If you want a car that is normally on an extended lead time, then you might get an earlier delivery date from a different dealer if they happen to have a cancelled order in the pipeline.

Sid

markwilding
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby markwilding » Thu Sep 28, 2017 11:37 am

I agree, Finance is a good way to get a discount. I got something like 2,000 euros off, more than covering any interest.The 500 Euros discretionary discount must be about right as well as it hasn't been possible to get more on either of the last two cars I have bought.

telboy
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby telboy » Thu Sep 28, 2017 1:16 pm

Cheers guys

Thanks for all your advice, I will put it to use :thumbup:
El Cid wrote:I have had a €1000 "loyalty" bonus for staying with the same manufacturer. Often the monthly offer is something like an expensive option for free such as leather seats or a sunroof. The finance deals can be very attractive where the discount can be more than twice the cost of the interest payment and sometimes includes an extended warranty and/or free servicing.
In view of this Sid - I was planning on paying cash, but if there are possibly better deals/discounts to be had by arranging finance then this sounds like the route to take.

I've always found that warranties never seem to cover the things that go wrong with a car and free servicing is just the price of the service not the added costs of engine oil, air filters etc. so no great incentive there.

terry

markwilding
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby markwilding » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:00 pm

Finance was about 40 per cent of the total cost on mine so it’s possible to split it.

Miro
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby Miro » Thu Sep 28, 2017 3:54 pm

Much the same experience here. Last car I bought in Spain was a new Ford, in 2003 (and managed to clock up an impressive 53,000kms in it before selling it in England this year!) I did go to three or four dealers, and the prices varied a little bit but not much. I paid cash and traded my older Ford, for which I got what seemed like a fair price. In the end like others I settled for a few extra goodies thrown in, which really didn't amount to much - rubber floor mats, a car cover (that I've just given to my brother-in-law, who drives a Ford - still in it's original packaging!) etc.
Unless your current car is something really special, with the age and mileage, I don't suppose you'll get much for it however you dispose of it, but it may be worth taking a look at the equivalent of webuyanycar: https://www.compramostucoche.es/ You can enter the details and get an estimate straight away. I was quite surprised what they came back with for mine (but it did have low mileage of course) and I assume that if I had then taken the car to them to be appraised, they would have knocked some off for whatever. But I did use their e-mailed "valuation" to give me some negotiating leverage when I sold it in the UK :thumbup:
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El Cid
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby El Cid » Thu Sep 28, 2017 4:35 pm

telboy wrote:
I've always found that warranties never seem to cover the things that go wrong with a car and free servicing is just the price of the service not the added costs of engine oil, air filters etc. so no great incentive there.

terry
I bought a VAG car and the 4 year warranty is exactly the same cover as the normal warranty. Even the tyres are covered for ALL risks for three years. The free servicing includes all parts and materials.

Sid

bbobandannie
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby bbobandannie » Thu Sep 28, 2017 7:56 pm

With the latest UK stats showing more than 85% of new cas being bought on PCP's, are these also common here in Spain and what financial status would you need for finance as a foreigner living here? Anyone know?

El Cid
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby El Cid » Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:04 pm

Yes, they are available. What proof of your financial status, they require will depend on the finance company. At worst they may require copies of your tax declaration and possibly further evidence of what the income consists of.

Sid

telboy
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby telboy » Wed Oct 25, 2017 7:05 pm

Just an update - Went into a particular car dealership on the coast rather than up here in my area, felt more confident bartering with an English speaking salesperson. However, I asked how getting finance worked out cheaper than paying cash :wtf: They said, this is because they provide their own finance and offer a set discount of 1500€ of the price of the car (22,000€ new) plus one years insurance, 2 years servicing and a 5 year warranty (instead of 3). I hadn't mentioned at the time that I wanted to trade in my existing car too - (13 yr old, 4WD 2.0 Diesel 225,000km 'all terrain' with a few bumps and bruises).

Is this just sales talk?
When I asked about colour selection, they recommended white for obvious reasons (reflecting the suns rays) but when I asked about other colours other than metallic the advised against it as none metallic paint fades and blisters - my existing car is 13 years old and non-metallic, the colour hasn't faded over this time but there are patches of blistering mainly from bird droppings and the parking under our plum tree.

Another question - If they offer one years free insurance, how does that affect my 13 years loyalty discount from my current provider :?:

terry

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Buying a brand new car!

Postby TorreDelAguila » Wed Oct 25, 2017 7:12 pm

What blisters on car paintwork is the clear lacquer applied over most colours, including metallic, to give the car shine.
The strong UV here disintegrates the lacquer over time.

Some non-metallic colours are offered "non-lacquer", and so sidestep this problem. White is often unlacquered, but you MUST get this accurately confirmed when you buy. You might need to check direct with the manufacturer; sales staff may not know, or may not be correct in what they say.
Chris


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