Renault Clio import - or not?!

Tizz

I would be very grateful for opinions/advice before I commit to a decision about a new car. I'm looking to buy a Renault Clio 1.5dci 86 Dynamique A/C.
My 2 best quotes are
1 - £10,543 inc met paint, UK supplied and delivery
2 - £9742 inc met paint + £300 delivery (which I could save by picking it up)
On the face of it, seems an easy choice, however, the cheaper quote is for an Import (confirmed full UK spec and will be first reg'd owner).

The first broker says Renault garage might refuse to service an import (I will ring local one and check this!) and that resale value will be diminished.

Has anyone any experience with a Renault import they could share?

thanks

scotsblood

We are now on our third imported Renault.

Yes there is a devaluation for an import but generally only by the main dealer network. They still have the misguided notion that just as a car wasn't delivered originally to a UK dealer it is in someway inferior to one delivered to them!
All three cars have had a slightly different spec to uk cars, in the case of the previous two missing front fog lights but gaining, the first time rear electric windows and the second a cd/radio that was on a higher spec uk car only. This time it gained an electrochromic mirror and a couple of body colour painted bits.

When we bought the first it was £6000 less than a uk car! I consider this the first saving as I came out of a company car and this was a no px purchase.

Both previous cars were "valued" for part exchange purposes. I'm not rich enough to change cars every two years without using the value of the old one to help pay for the newer so the "cost to change" figure is what actually counts. I can't also do without a car so the uncertainty of a private sale is a no no as well.

In both previous deals the px prices offered by the dealer networks were inflated by the profit margin in the new car but supposedly "not as high as it could have been" as the car was imported whereas from the import supermarkets a basic trade price was quoted.
Still the overall amount I was being asked for to change was MUCH lower from the importers, in the case of the first deal almost £4500 less, the second £3800!

Now this latest car has a trade value of £6K today, I've been offered £6k by a supermarket against a new (UK NOT IMPORT) car costing £13800 and another offer of £8250 by a main dealer, their car however is £19975!! Only a £3925 difference.

So, should you be worried about an import?

£6000 + £4500 + £3800 + £3925 = Total saving over the course of three cars and almost six years £18225!!! Need you ask more!

Oh by the way the dealer network has serviced all my imports just as they do any other BUT you do need to write to Renault and point out your car is in the uk if you do buy an import, it helps with the dealer spotting any recall work needed!

Tizz

Thanks so much for your reply. Thats just the sort of reassurance I was hoping for! I spoke to my local Renault Service centre today - couldn't have been more helpful. No problem with the car being an import. They're happy to service it whether it has a 1/2/or 3 year warranty (it's got 3 btw). If I let them have the chassis number, they will check it out with Renault and confirm I'm getting what I'm expecting. They also told me to write to Renault and tell them the car is in the UK now.

I've checked with my insurance company - they've no problem with it either.

So I've taken the plunge and told the 'broker' I'll have it, they've got the paperwork through, so he'll assign the colour I want and send me the contract/chassis number and what not so I can get it insured.

It seems a no brainer to me too. I'm being offered a brand new car for less than an 06 with over 10,000 miles on it (a years mileage to me).

Hope it all goes through smoothly!

peterg1965

If you are going to keep the car for a long time it doesnt matter if it is an import any negatives will certainly be cancelled out completely by the time you come to sell it on.

mjr600

Once you've got the car you are able to register it with Renault UK. You post certain documents off to them and they'll put the car on the warranty computer system so any issues can be resolved at local dealers easily.

My wifes had two Meganes imports, the latest cost £3000 less than the UK model, the only difference was that the import had no alarm only an immobiliser.

When we traded that first one in the dealer wasn't bothered about the import status and gave us better than the book price.

The 1.5 diesel is also in some Nissans and is a super engine but it'll take 5,000 miles to run in, driven well you'll see 60mpg and it has loads of torque so in gear it's nippy too.