Buying a new Fiesta

WobblyDog

I'm considering buying a new Ford Fiesta, one of the bottom-of-the-range ones, which seem to be reasonable value compared with second-hand Fiestas. I don't need a test drive, and don't want finance. I don't want any optional extras, and I'm not too fussy about colour either.

I've noticed that some of the car brokers advertise some attractive prices, (eg. the Honest John website), which are considerably lower than the "target prices" on the What Car website.

If I start asking for quotes from the Brokers, am I likely to be offered anything like these advertised prices?

Is there anything I should be aware of before dealing with brokers?

Thanks.

iNath

Use websites like drivethedeal or dealdrivers - all they do is put you in contact with a dealer that is willing to sell at that price (the dealer doesn't want to publicly advertise at that price as they'll loose too much from their regular customers who pay the higher price!)
No money is paid to the broker and you deal directly with dealer.

flashg67

I don't have a problem with brokers, the company I work for uses them. My brother got his car (personal) through a broker recently and received the price quoted and got the car within 3 weeks, but downside was limited choice of colour/options etc. Perhaps watch out for any up front payments and look for a broker who is a member of a trade association such as the BVRLA

property.advert

When I was looking for a model last year the best deal was through coast2coast. I didn't follow it through to an order but there was nothing to suggest it would not have been ok.

Another one works like an auction in reverse where they bid down on price. Best to spend some time on the net going through a few of them. I put the figures into Excel to make sure I am comparing like with like.

keith1950

Hi, last time I bought a new car ( 2006 ) I used www.happynewcar.co.uk and found them a great to deal with. I saved £3500 on the car I was buying.

daveyjp

I can recommend drivethedeal. It's over 4 years since we used them, but a friend has just used thme to buy an end of line old model Focus and the service is still excellent.

She placed an order through DTD, a day later a Ford dealer in Birmingham made contact and she gets the car this week.

RedBern

I would say exercise caution and ensure you pay the garage for any transaction, not a broker.

My friend bought a brand new BMW for a few thousand below the list price through a broker 3 years ago. Paid cash and about 12 months later had a letter from a credit agency about his finance not being paid. The broker had pocketed the money, set up a finance deal and pocketed the cash (broker subsequently imprisoned for massive fraud). However, my friend still doesn't 'own' the car as it is owned by the finance company, so he can't change it or sell it as it isn't his.

WobblyDog

I'm considering either the 1.25 petrol or 1.4 diesel engined versions.
My annual mileage is nearly high enough to justify a diesel, but I'm worried about reports of expensive injector-seal problems on this engine. This is a concern, because I would aim to keep the car for more than 5 years, and do my own maintenance after the warranty period.

Are the petrol engines likely to be more long-term durable and easier to work on than the diesel?

property.advert

Get an extension to the 3 year warranty from Ford when you buy the car. I guess it is available. Nissan do one for years 4 and 5 for a couple of hundred quid - well worth it IMHO.

Kilty_2

Are you sure you want a bottom of the range Fiesta?

We have 14 1.4 TDCIs at work which are the real boggo fleet spec and they're horrible. To think they cost what, £11,000 each? is outrageous.

Can't comment on reliability because they're all 2010 59s but they've done about 12k miles in a year and have had no reportable defects that I know of.

WobblyDog

I like bottom-of-the-range cars, there's less to go wrong, and more room under the bonnet to get at the important stuff. I reckon if they're bought brand new and kept for a long time, they give good value.

My current car is a 13-year-old Fiesta Encore, which is thankfully free of decadent luxuries like power steering.:) Unfortunately it is now also free of a valid MOT certificate.