With the plethora of on-line dealers such as Virgin, jamjar, drivethedeal etc.etc., has anybody out there had any experience with them.
I have been offered an 8% discount on a vehicle (dealer won't budge at the moment) and on the face of it, everything seems ok. But ...... is there something lurking once I click on the "Order this vehicle now" button ??
If anyone out there has bought on-line I would be interested in their comments, good and bad.
Thanks / JD
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I have a car on order from Virgin (gasps expected from the Backroom) but it is one in 'stock'. Most reports of any problems with them seem to be due to production delays of imports, which they have no control over and won't affect me anyway.
I don't mind buying CDs, insurance, etc online but with a big car purchase I wanted to ask them a few questions. They, along with the others in your list, also have a phone number. The salespeople on the phone were helpful so I placed the deposit by phone.
I requested delivery sometime in March, to get the 03 reg, but they aren't been able to give an exact date until I pay in full. I trust a big name company enough to part with my money a couple of weeks before getting a car but would have been less confident with a smaller importer. Their service so far has been fine, answering calls helpfully and always returning e-mails.
The only minor point about Virgin is that their quoted savings are against the UK on the road price including 12 months VED, while their cars only include 6 months tax. Only about £70 difference, so not that significant given the saving on my car.
Buying from the brokers linked to from HJ's deals pages (e.g. drivethedeal, ukcarbroker) seems quite safe. They only seem to want a £500 credit card deposit, so you are protected the Consumer Credit Act. Any further communication is then between you and the supplying UK dealer i.e. the same as if you bought at your local dealer.
James
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What's the vehicle you're after JD? If it is a UK sourced vehicle from a broker, and you pay the deposit by credit card, the risk is absolutely minimal as you will deal with a UK franchised dealer at the end of the transaction. If it is for an import, I wouldn't bother for an 8% discount.
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A pal of mine bought a Citroen Saxo from jamjar....no probs whatsoever, he collected it himself and saved a further £100.
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Thanks Laurie
I'll keep this in mind if I order from Jamjar..
JD
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David,
I'm after a Nissan X-Trail 2.2 Sport. Dealers are telling me there are no discounts because they are in short supply.
Jamjar have offered one with 8% discount from a UK franchised dealer - not an import - so I guess this will pose no problem.
The only query is with delivery as jamjar can't give me a delivery time yet.
I suppose I could give the dealer a 'take-it-or-leave-it' offer if he can match this discount. If he can, he can have the order (and my px), if not then I can sell privately and order from jamjar.
Thanks for your input anyhow
JD
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James,
Thanks for your reply
I get the impression Virgin, drivethedeal, Jamjar are pretty good and do what they say.
I just wonder what the local dealer will say when I ask him to match the jamjar price (8% discount).
JD
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I expect the dealer could say similar things to one that spoke to my mum after she tried to compare broker prices recently.
A dealer may say the cars are parallel imports, or the prices are not fully on the road, excluding taxes, full warranty, manufacturer offers etc, when these are generally not true (for UK broker supplied cars).
Many brokers can offer these prices since the dealers get bonuses for reaching volume targets. The local dealer may not get these bonuses. However, it does give some scope for haggling.
My mum took the local dealer route, eventually getting a price between the broker and RRP. She thought it was worth paying more to have a local point of contact if things go wrong and possibly better service or discounts when having the car serviced.
I went for the non-dealer route because the purchase price savings couldn't be matched elsewhere.
James
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