New Vs Second hand Vs Leasing? (For work)

sniperpenguin

Hi,

New job starts on August 1st, with an car allowance handed to me (after tax) of about 350-ish. The boss is quite flexible with what I get and the only requirements set have been:

- Diesel (18K a year)
- Reasonably new (Ive interpreted this as < 5yrs)
- Room in the back to carry a server (so convertibles ruled out )

Im keeping my existing car (MG TF) as a toy so I only have about a grands worth of deposit to play with, and I've narrowed it down:

- New Golf GT 2.0 (discounted Dealer stock)
- New Seat Leon FR 2.0 (Small discount but big push on by SEAT for the LEON at the moment so decent offers / APR)
- Second hand Golf / Audi A3 @ around £12-3K from a local VAG specialist.

Apologies for rumbling on, but Ive been going round in circles (Im terrible at decisions!). I mainly interested in any haggling tricks with the dealers I may have missed, and what are the major pitfalls of going second hand.

Thanks for your time :beer:

missile

Buy the one you want. You will not be disappointed by any of those options.

TradePro

missile wrote: »

Buy the one you want. You will not be disappointed by any of those options.

Just to add some contrast, I think they're all pretty terrible, certainly not worth the 'premium price' over say, a Focus.

missile

It would be a sad, boring, world if we all liked the same thing.

TradePro

missile wrote: »

It would be a sad, boring, world if we all liked the same thing.

I agree to some extent, but don't get why you say it?

Is it cool to like a Golf or A3, but not a Focus/Astra/Auris/I30/Megane/Mazda3 etc etc etc?

sniperpenguin

TradePro wrote: »

I agree to some extent, but don't get why you say it?

Is it cool to like a Golf or A3, but not a Focus/Astra/Auris/I30/Megane/Mazda3 etc etc etc?

Hi TradePro,

They are all valid points, I did look at some of the below (initially aimed at a 320d).

Focus / Astra = The focus grown pricier (as well as size), and there was poor residuals on the Astra (shame, dealer was great)
Auris = Average interior and poor headroom
I30 = Not looked at
Megane = Poor renault support in my area (they share a dealership with Ford)
Mazda3 = Not looked at

It boiled down to VAG or BMW (Merc were too expensive, and their second hand were poor on engines returning poor MPG)...

The Leon really is closer to the golf now than ever, the cabin is a shade lower in quality (but mostly indentical parts) and they even run similar trim levels (S, SE and GT/FR). The engines, gearboxes, drivetrains are identical and they both run on the new VAG modular chassis, and in FR spec the leon uses the same suspension setups too.

I guess I really wanted to hear about extra tactics at the dealers, and the benefits/problems of nearly-new for the A3 / Golf

jaydeeuk1

Mate of mine has the leon in diesel form (the 'sporty' FR one), interior isn't as depressing as I thought it would be, and it seemed quite nippy for a diesel, can't outsprint the wifes old mr2 roadster though which was surprising.

Is a guilietta out of your budget? Would be a shame to blow that on a 2nd hand astra.

neilmcl

TradePro wrote: »

Just to add some contrast, I think they're all pretty terrible, certainly not worth the 'premium price' over say, a Focus.

Have you driven any of the new Golf/Leon or A3s?

sniperpenguin

Well Im close to a decision.... opinions on this deal please?

Seat Leon 2.0 FR TDI (184BHP!)

- 1000 from SEAT + free DAB, NAV, and LED lights (Standard promotion)
- Got the dealer to match the VW servicing offer (3yrs @ £350)
- 950 discount out of the dealer (800 for car, 150 towards servicing cost so Im paying £199 for three years servicing)

£1K deposit, 36 x £370 with a GMFV of £9,495

The above is on a SEAT UK stock car coming into the UK (not a factory order, but not a forecourt special else I would be pushing harder )

Alternative was a Golf GT on a forecourt at a local VW dealer, but they just cant match the figures and Golfs have no offers from VW at the moment.... (Best was £1500 deposit, 36 x £410 with GMFV of £9,910)

neilmcl

sniperpenguin wrote: »

Well Im close to a decision.... opinions on this deal please?

Seat Leon 2.0 FR TDI (184BHP!)

- 1000 from SEAT + free DAB, NAV, and LED lights (Standard promotion)
- Got the dealer to match the VW servicing offer (3yrs @ £350)
- 950 discount out of the dealer (800 for car, 150 towards servicing cost so Im paying £199 for three years servicing)

£1K deposit, 36 x £370 with a GMFV of £9,495

The above is on a SEAT UK stock car coming into the UK (not a factory order, but not a forecourt special else I would be pushing harder )

Alternative was a Golf GT on a forecourt at a local VW dealer, but they just cant match the figures and Golfs have no offers from VW at the moment.... (Best was £1500 deposit, 36 x £410 with GMFV of £9,910)

Have a look on drivethedeal.com!

sniperpenguin

I did try drive the deal, but didnt get much joy out of them.

Although I have tried an alternative dealer in Mansfield, and managed to get a verbal quote for £20/mth less for more equipment!.

Just chasing now to grab it in writing, then its back to the original dealer I go...

3 Lessons when buying a new car

1. Do your research. Know your options lists, and divide things into "Need / Nice to have if cheap / Not interested unless its free"

2. The right salesperson is vital - If they fob you off, dont bother going the extra mile or appear arrogant, go elsewhere (Being "new" is fine - we all start somewhere.... The difference is whether or not they put you in touch with people in the know, leave it as it is).

3. Once you have nailed your spec / offer and the dealer doesnt appear to be moving lower (and you're happy). BEFORE you sign the dotted line, ring other dealers from the same marque to see what they can do for you. A few phone calls can bring a cheaper quote, and you can then choose between
- bouncing it back to your original dealer to match
- Paying the higher price from the local dealer
- Sourcing the car from the cheaper dealer