I wanna buy a Merc - how to get a good deal?

Edna_Bucket_2

A question that has no doubt been asked a million times on MSE about every type of car, so sorry for the repetition.

I am rubbish on cars - no great knowledge about prices or how to know what we should be looking for to get a good deal...

BUT we desperately need a new car and have decided we would like a Merc C or E class estate - probably 2 to 3 years old.

Any kind people got any thoughts or any resoources, or price comparison sites we should look at?

Many thanks in advance.

tim_n

Best place to start is to get the what car price guide (like I did this morning) then check out autotrader for the prices of vehicles around you.

Pre-registration cars can save you a packet but can cause a bit of a headache - these are cars that have been pre-registered before sale by the dealer - they often have a few miles on them (can also be called 'ex-demonstration). The disadvantage is that the dealer holds onto the V5 to satiate the manufacturer that they've not actually sold the car (even though you are the legal owner but not the registered keeper!) which can be nasty if the police want to view your V5 or you need to make an insurance claim (just delays it somewhat).

Car supermarkets do pre-reg deals, as well as new or used cars at more competitive deals than dealerships however note that they often don't let you test drive!

Don't forget to haggle - details in the what car price guide give you an idea of what price the car can actually be bought for, so don't forget you can walk away and come back the next day.

Don't buy in the rain, dark and look to see if the car has been polished if it is an older model. Cars with no polish don't show up scratches as easily as ones that have been. Check the obvious problems such as cut and shunt and that the VIN's match. Give the AA a call when you're finally sure you want the car and get them to do a vehicle check on it.

Autotrader.co.uk, local papers (usually thursday in my area they do a car special) and of course ebay = )

And of course read the stuff on the motoring board...

Pink.

Hi Edna,

You should get more help with this on the Motoring board, so I'll move your thread over there.

Pink

plane_boy2000

Dealers do not always hold the V5 - I think that ths practise is unusuall. I bough a Pre reg last year and was given the V5 at point of sale.

DealDrivers_company_representative

The rules regarding retention of V5's (logbooks) have recently been 'clarified' but are stiil being reviewed by the OFT.

Since June, where the manufacturer prompts the pre-registration of some units to shift stock, the dealer no longer has to retain the V5. However, where it is the dealer's own choice to pre-register a car or van using advantageous terms from the manuf'r to run them as demo' vehicles, then the 'old' rules apply and he cannot re-sell the vehicle until the retention period is over (can be between 3-6mths depending on brand and the deal used).

A dealer 'behaving himself' will use it as a demo car then sell it to a new owner after that period has passed, but one 'bending the rules' will sell it straight away but withold the logbook to stop the new owner informing the DVLA of a change of owner too soon (to prevent the manuf'r finding out).

We are one of the few brokers who refuse to touch pre reg's where the V5 is witheld from the customer - because technically those sales are forcing the buyer to commit an offence i.e. not inform the DVLA of a change of owner on the car/van.

If going for a pre reg' - use a broker/dealer where you can pay the dealer direct and who don't withold the logbook - and always ask how long it will be before you get it! A customer told us of one broker last week witholding logbooks for an unbelievable 6mths. Insurers also, have varying views on the validity of cover in situations like this (if the car is written off before the new owner's name is on the logbook, an insurer can refuse the claim...or will only pay the name on the logbook shown as the owner, and you'd have to try and get your money back from them instead...tricky!)

Hope this helps

Edna_Bucket_2

Whoo - taken the plunge and gone for it, and as far as a novice can tell got as reasonably near to the target price as I would have expected.

Thanks again to everyone who helped on this thread.

xycom1

DealDrivers wrote:

If going for a pre reg' - use a broker/dealer where you can pay the dealer direct and who don't withold the logbook - and always ask how long it will be before you get it! A customer told us of one broker last week witholding logbooks for an unbelievable 6mths. Insurers also, have varying views on the validity of cover in situations like this (if the car is written off before the new owner's name is on the logbook, an insurer can refuse the claim...or will only pay the name on the logbook shown as the owner, and you'd have to try and get your money back from them instead...tricky!)

Quite, my dad bought a 52-reg Vectra in 2003 from a Vauxhall dealer (think he was introduced to them through a broker as they were quite a distance away). It was almost a year before he got the V5 - the road tax almost expired and when he enquired with the DVLA as to where his V5 had gone to, they reluctantly told him that the vehicle was still registered to the dealer. When he chased them, turned out they 'forgot' to send the notification off.