Buying new car

claire07

I would appreciate any advice. My beloved 05 Ford Ka has just failed it’s MOT and requires a lot of welding due to corrosion so have regretfully decided it’s reached the end of the road.

I’m looking at a modern day equivalent such as Hyundai i10, Skoda Citigo, etc., and would most likely buy new and keep. I’ve had quotes from carwow but I’ve also seen quotes from online brokers such as buyanewcaronline which quote much lower delivered. This appeals as I dread going to a dealer and have to bat them off as I don’t want extras just a basic car but are these online brokers safe?

Also am I likely to be able to go somewhere which has a scrappage scheme? As my Ka failed and only has a few weeks left on the MOT would it qualify or would nowhere be interested?

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

wgl2014

If you're getting a decent discount you are unlikely to get a 'scrappage' allowance, this will usually be applied to the list price in lieu of other discounts.

I have no experience of the online brokers but would suggest doing a bit of research before committing and paying the deposit on a credit card so you have some protection.

giraffe69

Carwow direct you towards a dealer or dealers. If you go this route check offers allow for part exchange(many do) if that is what you want.
Make sure you have written down the exact specs of the car you want. It will help stiffen your resolve if they start to pressure you. I think it is quite common to get offered a car which they already have in stock. The benefit for you is you don't have to wait and also the cars often have the odd extra which in practice they don't charge for.

claire07

Many thanks for the helpful replies. I realise a new car isn't very moneysaving but I know very little about cars and I just want the peace of mind.


I will narrow down exactly the specs I want and make sure I pay the deposit with a credit card.


I'll start a new thread asking for advice when I have a few potential candidates!

almillar

Surely the modern day equivalent of the old Ka, is the new Ka?
Carwow is great for getting good prices out of dealers, and you can pin them down to the particular spec you want. You'll also get offers for cars in stock that will save on delivery times.

BananaRepublic

What I did was go to a couple of local dealers and ask if they would match online brokers. They said yes but only if I bought before the end of March, when they get their sales bonus. At this time of year they may have pre-registered cars and they might match the online brokers. Okay, you get an off the shelf car, and you don't get to choose options, but it's basically new albeit technically second hand. If they say no, go to another branch, or a totally separate dealership and try again. I found VW good, but with Audi I couldn't even get to talk to sales staff and the showroom was full of ever so trendy youngish people!!!!

Another point, when I bought I was told to take out PCP with VW. That gave an automatic £500 discount. After collecting the car, I paid off the PCP within the week i.e. ASAP. The contract allows you to pay it off whenever you like with no penalty, you just pay the interest acrued if any. I kept the £500 discount so the total discount was about £2000 on a £16,500 car before discount.

You often see nearly new cars for sale at the dealers which were demonstrators, but they are sold for the same price as a new car from an online broker, sometimes more!

I still have my 2012 VW UP which I am selling. I recommend this car, as well as the Skoda Citigo, very good mpg, nice perky engine, much much much quieter and more powerful than the Ka, but the Ka is a fun car to drive.

BananaRepublic

almillar wrote: »

Surely the modern day equivalent of the old Ka, is the new Ka?
Carwow is great for getting good prices out of dealers, and you can pin them down to the particular spec you want. You'll also get offers for cars in stock that will save on delivery times.

Totally different car, it's basically the Fiat 500 with all of the joie de vivre removed!

System

claire07 wrote: »

Many thanks for the helpful replies. I realise a new car isn't very moneysaving but I know very little about cars and I just want the peace of mind.

Absolutely nothing wrong with getting a new car if you want a new one, even a brand spanking new one fresh off the assembly line. Its when people con themselves into believing they're wanting to do it to save money that's the problem because you never ever do. The first owner of my Mondeo lost £16k in the two years he owned it. You could take my old car it replaced, blow the engine up, seize the gearbox, throw it off a cliff, drag it back up again, completely rebuild it, replace the engine and gearbox and put it on the road for half what that guy lost in depreciation.

Woodsy

Hi, you lose sooo much money on a new car which I guess isn't a factor when you are keeping it permanently but I would advise looking at a 1 or 2 year old car for big savings. These car typically may have only done 5-10k miles, perhaps still under warranty etc.
Good luck.

claire07

Many thanks for all the advice and suggestions.


I thought I would start by going to a Hyundai dealer and was eventually offered £1500 off as a discount/scrappage deal if I bought an i10. I'm also thinking of going to Motorpoint for a look at other options.


I am interested in either Hyundai i10, Skoda Citigo or Suzuki Celerio and would be interested in which people would choose.

Alisha2008

I agree with Woodsy, even to keep it a new car is a waste of money. 1-2 year old are as good as new. I've had a couple of Hyundai Atos in Spain for more than 10 years (equivalent to i10 I believe) and they've been brillant (for what they are, just a little city car).