Car Brokers- What do you think?

hesmywatermelon

Hi everyone, you may have seen my other post but I am looking to buy a new car, and I’m looking into the idea of buying it through broker- in particular drivethedeal.com or maybe CarFile.
Does anyone have experience with these brokers? Or any brokers?

How did it go? What were the good/bad points of going through a dealer?

Many thanks in advance!

daveyjp

I used drivethedeal almost 5 years ago. If I ever want a new car and don't have a trade in I'll use them again. Excellent service.

The best point is you only need a visit to one dealer and it doesn't take long. Show them the price from dtd, ask them if they can match it, if they can't walk out and order it through dtd.

The downside is depending on the brand of car it may not come from a local dealership. Some potential buyers have palpitations about paying money for a car you may not see until it is delivered, it didn't bother me. Car was delivered and all was fine. The local dealer dealt with the couple of warranty claims we had during the first three years.

vikingaero

I've bought cars from both companies. DTD normally include delivery to your door. Carfile involved collection from the dealer. In my case I had to spend £250 on a hire car, hotel and fuel driving from Maidstone to Stoke - but that was balanced against a saving of over £4k over my local dealer.

hesmywatermelon

Thanks for your help guys, it makes me feel a lot better about ordering from them now!

vikingaero- which company would you say you prefered or were they comparable?

Would love to hear from anyone else who has used a car broker!

vikingaero

Buying from DTD or Carfile is simple and safe as both only use UK franchised dealers.

(1) You order online
(2) DTD or Carfile call you to confirm the order and they pass your details on to the supplying dealer
(3) A salesman will call you to confirm your details and take your £500 deposit (pay by Credit Card or Visa Debit Card for better protection)
(4) They'll order the car, call you for a firm delivery date, try and upsell paint protection/GAP insurance which is easier to decline over the phone.
(5) It's easier for you to call up for the free 7 day comprehensive insurance as the dealer is emailed the cover note to tax the car.
(6) Arrange a date to collect the car or have it delivered.

It depends on the car you want and how soon you want it. With DTD delivery depends on several people within your area ordering so you may have to wait a few weeks for delivery. Bear in mind that the transporter may have to park a few streets away if your roads are narrow or you may have to meet up in a supermarket car park for the handover but you are saving money! With Carfile just book a cheap train/coach ticket or car hire and collect within a week if the car is in stock. I found that with both companies there are no "freebies" such as car mats/mudflaps etc but when you're saving thousands over your local dealer who cares?! That said I did get a bunch of flowers from the Carfile dealer.