I did notice this but even the cheapest new options with dealer/manufacturer contributions were £12-16k over the ex-demo options available (which were all premium line) so it's a huge leap on top of the big jump I'm already considering.
haha that's brilliant! Is this easy to do? I found this youtube link that seems to agree with you entirely (withdrawal method is best ey???)...
Agreed, the price to change is the only thing that’s important. A lot will try and make it 2 separate transactions to make you feel you’re getting a better deal. I don’t care how they put it on their paperwork (£1 for mine and a huge discount off theirs, a large amount for mine and no dis on theirs), it’s how many ££££ I have to pay that you need to know.
Most likely but the car I will trade in doesn't have a massive amount of value left in it. I've done some research and know the minimum I should get for it and won't get 'done', but it's less of a factor for me...
Agreed they have commission on finance, but do it finance it & then pay it off, as above. My son did the same 3 years ago.
Lots of words, but we want picturesSo in the end I bought a car - but there was no deal on finance whatsoever, despite asking sneakily via other options. Apparently since a recent change in the APR value companies are legally allowed to charge, there is no benefit in it for the manufacturers. Also it's a sellers market so I think they just don't care (see below).
Still - I am now the proud owner of a very nice E-Class Estate with space grey wheels that look super pretty.
Some things I will mention about my shopping experience for others who come across this thread:
1- if you are going to part-ex your car - go find the V5 document NOW! Don't assume you know where it is...... This can be a big hiccup to the transaction if you need to get a new one delivered.
2- I asked the question "are there any other fees associated with the purchase of this vehicle - or the running of this vehicle" - I was told 'no' by the otherwise pretty honest MB salesman, only to discover that the car was subject to luxury car tax (extra £350 for first five years of vehicle 'on top' of the rate stated), and that many of the smart-car options such as maps, traffic assist, and remote locking, are subscription based. In particular: paying £550 in total in three years to retain the usability of the dashboard options and app based options really does come across as nickel-and-diming at that level of car, and should have been explained when i asked the question. Shame on you MB.
3 - car tax doesn't 'ride' any more, you will need to pay for car tax for any vehicle up front for the coming year - regardless of what the previous owner had left. This is apparently widely known, but it's been a while since I purchased a car and so was unaware.
4 - Dealers will ALWAYS tell you they have someone else coming to look at the car. They don't.
5 - If not buying directly from a dealer, definitely do a pre-purchase inspection. I used RAC and twice paid £300 for a full inspection and road test by engineers. I'm so glad I did, they both came back with dealbreakers and saved me a LOT of heartache and wallet-ache in the long run.
6 - When asked about service history, second hand dealers now all say the following: "oh its all online now, I can show you later..." 2 things: firstly, ask them to show you right there and then in that case before even looking at the car - they are hoping you forget to check. Secondly, if they mysteriously aren't able to: call up Mercedes Benz servicing and ask, they were more than happy to help and I discovered literally none of the many cars I looked at had full service history (or any in some cases).
7 - When part-exing your vehicle, there is a databse they check that tells them the 'true value' (as they see it) of the vehicle. All garages use the same system. Ask to see the numbers on the screen, the MB garage showed me and I saw how pathetically low-balled I had been by all the other dealers. MB salesman gets some points back there for the total transparency and fair price for the trade-in.
8 - Don't expect to haggle. Anywhere. They just don't do it anymore. My partner and I have talked to many many dealers and MB garages and the price would barely budge anywhere, on any car for any reason. Now it's entirely possible we are just terrible negotiators, but it seems to me cars are a 'sellers market' right now with many people buying cars instead of going on holiday - AND internet shopping means cars are priced leanly everywhere to get people through the door. BY ALL MEANS definitely try, but don't go in to buying a new car expecting to not pay full price on any of the options you consider. We'd been looking at cars just above our price range hoping to haggle down to our level, this never happened anywhere.
If I think of anything else - I'll post here. Thanks to everyone for their help!
As I said earlier in this thread, a month or two ago, there were some huge discounts available on existing new stock, some of which has been sitting in storage for up to a year. I got a whacking discount on my CLS but things gave lightened up considerably now I would guess, since the last relaxation of lockdown and showrooms are open again. Certainly I was quoted at least 4 months+ delivery on a factory order in March this year - I would assume a double whammy of Covid closures and Brexit uncertainty.
