Tips on buying a new car UPDATE 11/02/09 The car is fixed!

[gemmybear83]

We have been having problems with Henry's car for a while now and have had enough of it so are planning on doing a part exchange for a new car (given there are many deals to be had since no one is buying cars at the moment).

Do you have any tips? The last car we bought was in a private sale and this will be the first time buying from a dealer.

 

[Goofyish]

Unless you really want a brand new car I would look at nearly new ones. You will get practically a new car but not lose a fortune when you drive it out the show room

 

[emily1982]

We went to Ford and looked at the new Fiestas just before xmas, but they offered hardly anything on my car and even the guy himself said it is the wrong time.

 

[gemmybear83]

Unless you really want a brand new car I would look at nearly new ones. You will get practically a new car but not lose a fortune when you drive it out the show room

Were going to do this too - its just I know from friends that car shrowrooms are doing a few deals at the moment on new ones

We went to Ford and looked at the new Fiestas just before xmas, but they offered hardly anything on my car and even the guy himself said it is the wrong time.

Maybe it is - but we need a new one The way I look at it is we are getting less but will be paying less than we would have been last year!

I doubt you can sell any car privately at the moment so part exchange is the only way to sell it, as garages cant sell the stock they have.

 

[Cochise]

Not the right time to buy a car? Only in the heads of dealership staff maybe who dont seem to realise there are issues about. I think you need to be ready that you wont get alot for your old vehicle but with money behind you the nearly new market should and right into prestige cars up to 5 years old are a treat to look at with their values falling. I have seen 03 plate BMW diesels by us for £6k with decent mileage. 53 plate Beetles for less than £5k...

 

[emily1982]

Not the right time to buy a car? Only in the heads of dealership staff maybe who dont seem to realise there are issues about. I think you need to be ready that you wont get alot for your old vehicle but with money behind you the nearly new market should and right into prestige cars up to 5 years old are a treat to look at with their values falling. I have seen 03 plate BMW diesels by us for £6k with decent mileage. 53 plate Beetles for less than £5k...

Not when your loosing £6000 on your current car its not. As you said though you have too, maybe look online first and see what the deals are, when we went on it helped knowing the stuff first.

 

[tennisfan]

Thats the down side to lower new car prices, the used car market suffers too. Dealers are also reluctant to take stock as many are struggling to sell what they have already.

I agree with what Tim stated, buy nearly new not brand new. That car has lost a lot of the deprecition already.

Also some manufacturers stockpile so be careful if you are buying brand new. It maybe register in 09 but it could have been made in 07/08 meaning it has been sitting around for along time but the dealer still charges a lot of money.

 

[Lizzybear]

I would recommend checking out nearly new cars aswell. My dad just got an 08 plate Audi for a bargain price and this was from a dealer.. I think it was an ex test drive model or something like that, looks brand new though

 

[gemmybear83]

Thanks for your tips everyone, going to look at both new and nearly new cars, although there are not a lot of "nearly cars" around as people arent selling/part exchanging at the moment because they will be losing a lot of value

Our car is worth nearly nothing - so it cant go down much further

 

[tennisfan]

Thanks for your tips everyone, going to look at both new and nearly new cars, although there are not a lot of "nearly cars" around as people arent selling/part exchanging at the moment because they will be losing a lot of value

Our course is worth nearly nothing - so it cant go down much further

Try the dealers to see if they are selling ex demonstrators. They are nearly new & usually a lot cheaper then if you bought it brand new

 

[aaronandterri]

aaron want to get a new jag, were going to swap my car for dads and was going to px that, he has a 04 plate rover75, top of range all the gadgets leather seats etc, and they offered part ex of 1300, oh my thats a rip off, were not going to bother now.

 

[tennisfan]

aaron want to get a new jag, were going to swap my car for dads and was going to px that, he has a 04 plate rover75, top of range all the gadgets leather seats etc, and they offered part ex of 1300, oh my thats a rip off, were not going to bother now.

Thats partly because Rover doesn't exist anymore. If you think thats bad Jags are just as bad on deprecition. My friends dad bought one brand new a few years back at the cost of about £30K less then a year later he was offered £12K to px

 

[Lisash]

The dealers are doing some great deals on new cars at the moment if you'll take one now before the 09 plates come out in March. I was planning on having my new one then but have just had a new Mini and saved £70 a month taking it now rather than waiting for the new reg to come out

 

[gemmybear83]

We have gone for a fiat bravo T-Jet dynamic (ex demonstration one), from our local garage - their price could not be beaten and they have offered £500 more for our current focus than we thought we would get

Henry is going to go back tomorrow and see if he can get some better alloys on it before buying it

 

[natalielongstaff]

We have gone for a fiat bravo T-Jet dynamic (ex demonstration one), from our local garage - their price could not be beaten and they have offered £500 more for our current focus than we thought we would get

Henry is going to go back tomorrow and see if he can get some better alloys on it before buying it

good luck

 

[Minniespal]

Well done

 

[gemmybear83]

Well we took a fiat bravo for a test drive (the one we would be getting had not arrived yet)... and it broke down!! Bad omen or what???

Henry just walked out of the shrowroom - how on earth could you buy a car that broke down during your test drive!

So it back to drawing board! At least we have not spent any money yet!

 

[tennisfan]

I bet the car dealer isn't happy the car broke down. Something else will come up

 

[gemmybear83]

Just a quick and positive update - our car is fixed!!!

We decided to take the car to Ford, for a last ditch attempt to get it fixed (it has been to 3 garages already!) and it worked!!

They charged a fortune but I dont care we have a car again!

 

[tennisfan]

Great news Gemma