I posted in the Back Room a couple of weeks ago with regard to buying from a Car Supermarket.
I've have taken the plunge, put the deposit down and am due to pick up the car on Friday.
Again I've had a bit of look through the archive in an attempt to find out what I need to consider before the day and what I need to do on the day.
I have got an insurance cover note winging it's way to me as I speak. I also know that on the day of collection I will have to go out and get the car taxed.
Can anyone advise me on how the actual buying/transfer of ownership process goes and anything else I need to be aware of on the day.
I was able to have a poke around the car I am buying when it was sat on the compound but I am going to give it another more thorough going over on Friday (make sure everything is working etc). But am I able to do this before I hand over the bankers draft?
Also, does anyone know if new Ford Focuses (or Foci!) come with locking wheel nuts as standard?
As usual any help/advice is much appreciated.
Phil
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Bought my Mondeo from Motorpoint and it could not have been easier. They taxed it for me and on the day when I picked it up I paid by debit card, easy.
On the subject of checking the car before completing the deal, it depends where it is stored awaiting your collection. Mine was in the public car park and it afforded me the opportunity to go over it externally before I paid for it. Internally and mechanically you would need to do that after the transaction and any faults you find reported before you left the site. I actually found a small dent in the middle of the rear bumper. When I pointed this out they agreed to send a dent specialist to my house at a later date.
As far as I am aware all new Fords with alloys c/w lock nuts.
You also need to be aware that if it is a "new" car you will not be the first name on the log book.
Overall, I found it a pleasant if very business like experience, i.e. none of the matiness stuff you get at the main dealers.
Nevertheless, my next car will, in all probability come from Motorpoint.
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Speaking personally - I would *NEVER* buy a car without fully inspecting it first. Insist to see it before paying.
Remember - You're doing them a favour by buying the car, not the other way round !!
Good luck however !
Steve
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How good a price did you get?
Did you save ££££££?
Nice to know, if you don't mind letting us in on your deal.
VB
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You must see the vehicle before buying, it's totally ridiculous not to. As the above post says, you are the buyer, you have control, you can walk away at anytime if you choose, don't forget this!
I am surpirsed that Supermarket sellers are not yet offering as good offers as main dealers. Peugeot in Sheffield are giving free insurance, tax and 4 yrs maintanace and what's more a friend of mine has already been back twice with tething probs to Peugeot and they were no problem at all.
all this for £180 a month for a 306, aint bad!!! methinks
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It just ain;t possible to see the vehicle before buying in many cases.
I didn't see the Fiesta, they sell so many cars that essentially, they can do what they want. If you walk away from the deal they honestly won;t care. They'll just sell it to someone else. They didn;t have enough Fiestas to keep up with demand when I bought mine...
Blue
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then quite simply i would'nt buy from them, no matter how good a deal they say they are offering. I'm not gonna buy a car i have'nt seen, test driven, checked etc...and i don't care what the chap in the suit tells me (it's top notch mate, not a scratch, don't worry) becasue i would worry, especially hearing this kind of thing!
If someone can honestly justify the point of these supermarket deals whereby you don't get to see what your gonna pay thousands for, then i'd like to hear it!!!! I'll stick to private trade and or foreign import which i orgainise my self. For example there are dozens of import/export garages in Belgium, you can even pick up a model that's more than a year old, that has been registered for a year, thus side stepping import duty on a new car!!!
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They must be doing something right judfing by the rate that cars were flying off the forecourt when I was at Trade-Sales.
The idea of the supermarket is it is straight forward, my nana would be able to buy from them, I couldn't see her going to organise a self-import.
Also, if when you see it the car turns out to be damaged, you simply turn around and demand your money back. No problem. Besides, they can fix simple problems on site, they did with my radio.
Would definately do it again.
Blue
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Martin,
"For example there are dozens of import/export garages in Belgium, you can even pick up a model that's more than a year old, that has been registered for a year, thus side stepping import duty on a new car!!! "
Can you explain the above please.
By 'import duty' do you mean VAT?
It used to be the ruling that both you (and the car you owned) had to live abroad for a year(later reduced to 6 months)to qualify to import the car without paying the taxes, and then there was a restricted period before you could sell it(unless you paid the tax) Sevicemen in Germany typically qualified for this concession. Are you saying this has changed?
C
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exactly, the VAT. I have to confess that i have researched importing a car from Belgium to the UK as a French resident, that is i live permantly in France. In this case, i was planning on getting a RHD from a place near Brugge (new) and keeping it as my car in France for a year or so until i returned to the UK. I would still have to import my car in the usual way if i wanted to get UK reg plates, but i would not be liable to pay the new car import tax nor be prohibited from selling the vehicle as a UK resident would be. This is at least how i understand it. www.DVLA.gov.co.uk seems to have a pretty comprehensive page all about this.
Yes, as a UK resident if you pop over to the continent and pick a new car up, then you have to pay the new car VAT when you enter the UK, that it if you want to be legal, insured, MOT'd etc, etc. But i still think that there are some bargains to be found by doing this. VW Golf's are massively cheaper in Belgium than the UK, even accounting for the VAT you would pay on top. But then, so are many things massively cheaper than in the UK, including food, accommadation etc etc, i could go on but wont!!!
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I've saved £2300 on the Ford list price for the car.
I'm getting a Focus 1.6 Zetec 3dr for £9599. Usual Zetec spec plus air-con and heated front windscreen. It has no ABS or traction control and has 5 miles on the clock.
The car has been sourced from a Ford main dealer down the road from where I work in Coventry. In an attempt to get their new registration bonus from Ford they have obviously had too many cars to sell themselves so shipped 6 of these Focuses off to this Car Supermarket in the East Midlands (I don't know whether I'm allowed to say their name!).
I'm am part-exing a 00W Fiesta 1.25 Zetec with 45k on the clock. They offered me £3200 for this. They would not move from this price. It is about £100-150 below book price for this car and mileage. Nor would they move on the Focus price.
As the 'new' car has already been registered I don't have to pay anything on top of the £9599 (ie. new car registration fee, number plates etc.). However they are valeting the car for £50!
I am taxing the car myself on the day. This should be £120.
Thanks for the advice. I'll let you all know how it goes next week.
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Also forgot to say as it is a 2003 03 UK car I will pick up the remainder of Ford's warranty.
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