Having thought I'd worked out all the possible permutations with my local Toyota dealer regarding buying off him or ukcarbroker. I was swinging towards the brokers for obvious price reasons, what my dealer is now saying is concerning me.
He is now telling me that if I buy from ukcarbroker.co.uk I won't be getting a car that is first registered in the UK. He's saying that whilst a lot of cars are built to uk spec outside of UK their cars are not first registered in the UK and this will show up on an HPI when I go to sell it later and effect it's value massively!!??
Is this true? Are there really ANY difference between this broker's vehicles and what I'll get from my dealer that should concern me?
Cheers,
Steve.
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I have no experience at all to advice you on that but that sounds like a big porky. Hold on before you buy from the dealer! Surely the broker registers it in england...
I know someone with superior knowledge will come along soon...
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swifty,
I cannot speak for ukcarbroker but I bought a car through www.broker4cars.co.uk
This was a site often mentioned by HJ but not recently for some reason. ??
The car was UK sourced, UK spec and the whole transaction, apart from the intitial quote was direct with a UK dealer from his normal supply. Full UK and pan European warranty incl AA etc etc.
A commission is paid by the dealer to the broker.
The only slight downside was that replies were sometimes a bit slow coming from the broker due to volume of work and him moving premises at the time.
However every bit of info that www.broker4cars.co.uk was absolutely correct, the car arrived on time, to spec, and the dealer was switched on too.
Saved on the purchase price compared to the local dimwit "take it or leave it" mob AND got a higher spec.
Would I do it again? Yepp you bet. If you want any more detailed info OK to mail.
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Gen/Swifty, It goes a bit deeper than simply registering the car in the UK, but I suspect your instincts are correct in suggesting the telling of porkies.
If a buyer buys a Toyota as, what is generally referred to as, an 'import', then that would normally mean buying from, say, France,Belgium, Holland or Ireland. This would be either as an individual purchase direct from the European dealer, or via a broker. There are dozens of these brokers and this procedure is the subject of vast amounts of correspondence, both on this site and elsewhere.
However some brokers deal only in UK supplies vehicles and these vehicles come via UK sources (usually main dealers) and are often cheaper than UK main dealers. If you buy a UK car from such a broker there is no difference in the spec. or paperwork. If you buy an 'import', they *may* be difference in spec. and there will be very little difference in the paperwork ( often just an absence of English printed Service Manual).
If,in this instance, the car is UK supplied, the dealer is incorrect and is, naturally enough, trying to put you off.
Check which of the above options apply in your case and then return to the main dealer and try to get him to budge - if not, use the broker and then just use the dealer for servicing. The service manager won't mind as he gets paid for whatever he does, but expect a dirty look from the salesman, who just lost his commision!
KB.
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The salesman is just an idiot and trying to scare you into buying his car.If that is the best he can do he really should look for another way to earn a living.Pathetic!
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"The salesman is just an idiot and trying to scare you into buying his car.If that is the best he can do he really should look for another way to earn a living.Pathetic!"
have you never heard of F.U.D. ?
Powerful technique used correctly.
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I agree with the other messages here.
Ukcarbroker would arrange to get the car from another (or even the same) Toyota dealer in the UK - absolutely no difference whatsoever.
Your local dealer may not get the same volume bonuses as the dealer used by ukcarbroker so may not be able to pass the savings onto you.
The only issue with buying from a broker could be if things go wrong with the car. In most cases, the dealer would use the manufacturer's warranty so there would be no difference. In the rare case of having to use the Sale & Supply of Goods Act the contract is between you and the supplying dealer, which may mean going to another part of the country to demand a replacement.
James
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Lets be clear about how these brokers work in sourcing UK cars.
They arrange with specific dealers that they are considered as "fleet" buyers on the basis of the number of vehicles they buy.
That allows the dealer to quote you from the "fleet" discounted price list and still make profit for himself and pay a commission to the broker.
You are happy with a full UK spec and sourced car at lower price than negotiated direct, and that your contract is between you and a dealer, not some "nefarious bod" on the internet. Plus you are not going to get the "ah but its an import" come trade in/warranty time as is not unknown.
Dealer happy that he is making a profit.
Broker happy with commission.
The only risk you take is that the dealer the broker has his arrangemnt with is less than professional. I know that if I were working on some of the small commissions these guys are I would make damn sure any dealer was a good switched on one, don't want many disgruntled customers knocking on the door, though law of averages says it must happen.
Of course it is not unknown that armed with the broker quote a matching discount can sometimes be negotiated direct with another dealer if that rows your boat.
Of course some folks are happy to take the imported route with potentially bigger savings, and of course bigger risks eg recent 8% shift in euro.
And some folks wouldn't touch a new motor and want to buy used at various conditions, ages and mileages. But we've been there before.
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He's saying that ... their cars are not first registered in the UK and this will show up on an HPI when I go to sell it later
It would show up on the V5 logbook, surely?? If the car was new at first registration this is noted on the logbook, also if it was owned (even for one day, like mine!) by a dealer first then this would also show.
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My V5 says new at first registration, but coming from Trade-Sales it said that the previous recorded keeper was Glade Rentals in Slough, they owned it for two days before it was transferred to my dad.
It's now in my name, so whilst it shows two previous keepers, Glade rentals have disappeared from the form and my dad is shown as having acquired the vehicle two days after it was registered.
I don't believe it was ever registered in Ireland.
Blue
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SWMBO got Toyota Yaris Verso from Trade-Sales and it also says new at first registration on 06 Sept. The previous owner being registered as Trade-Sales. Registered to my wife on 08 Sept.
It was sourced in Belgium and exactly to UK spec, with the addition of a fire extinguisher, including 3 year warranty. It is registered with Toyota UK and serviced by main Toyota agents who seem pleased to have the custom. There has been a worldwide recall for Versos to have the brake pipes changed and the letter recalling her car arrived from Belgium via Trade-Sales.
Apparently Versos are used by the Norwegian Post Office and some have experienced a build-up of ice inside the rear wheels which has chaffed and worn through the pipes.
The Toyota dealer tried the 'imports are worth less' routine when he(mistakenly) thought she was looking for another car.
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This might be a stupid question, but why do the brokers like Trade Sales register the cars in their name first?
Aren't they just making the car less attractive to buyers?
They haven't got the volume rebate reason for pre-registering like main dealers, so I really don't understand it.
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When registering a new car, an insurance certificate or covernote seems to be needed covering who the car will be registered to.
Somewhere like Trade Sales may want to make it easier for people who turn up on the day to buy on the same day, so have them pre-registered and ready to drive away.
This is a guess, so I can't be sure it's the case for TS.
James
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I suppose so... and they need an insurance certificate to tax it too. Presumably they tax and register them and shift them so quickly that they don't worry about losing money on the car tax.
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When registering a new car, an insurance certificate or covernote seems to be needed covering who the car will be registered to. Somewhere like Trade Sales may want to make it easier for people who turn up on the day to buy on the same day, so have them pre-registered and ready to drive away. This is a guess, so I can't be sure it's the case for TS. James
Based on my experience with TS 18 months ago, they do not pre-register cars. If they did, they would be left with hundreds of 'old reg' cars every 6 months when the reg no changes. But you're right about the insurance cover note. Because TS rely on quick and easy turnover, they don't want delays caused by people having to get a cover note and then having to post it to TS. So they register the cars in their name once they are sold.
During this period (about 2 days), the cars are taken to Maidenhead to be 'prepared' i.e. to be de-waxed and cleaned and the buyer collects the car from that site - several miles up the A4. After collection, the buyer fills in a V62 form to transfer ownership and obtain a V5. In the case of my son's Punto, this arrived showing the vehicle as a Toyota 2-Axle-Rigid-Body saloon!
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When you import a car in to the UK from Belgium/Holland Ireland etc. you have to register it within a couple of weeks. They obviously do it to have the stocks available for immediate delivery.
KB.
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