Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sat 7 Mar 2020 23:02

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Miniman777

Decided to buy a new car. After test drives and playing on the manufacturers configurator, got a build price + OTR costs.

Local dealer, while appearing ‘helpful’ is also being evasive in some ways (especially on discount, saying manufacturer frowns on it, etc), less than transparent but also trying to get me to upspec ‘as they can discount’ to greater degree. Yeah..... They claim to have a car which has been built (so they say), and in a compound somewhere but has options I just don’t need. It’s the usual clever patter and pressure to sign and buy before end of month, but I never make snap judgements and can wait - months if necessary.

Using Carwow, another franchised dealer has offered an OTR price £3250 of ‘my spec car’ than ‘best’ price of nearer franchised dealer, which I’ve worked hard to haggle even £1300 off. So much for struggling for sales. There’s a further £750 PCP discount but I didn’t want PCP but would take it and pay off within 14 days.

Tempted to visit the Carwow dealer, so have any other forum members bought though a Carwow recommended dealer or did they pit them against local dealer to get a better price? Any problems using Carwow in general? Drive the deal don’t list the marque I want.

Thanks

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Sat 7 Mar 2020 23:30

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Avant

I tend to pit their price against a local dealer. Volvo V60 - the dealer matched it (£7,000 off list) but hat was a car that had been in production for some years. More recently (SWMBO's and my Audis) the local dealers couldn't get down to the Carwow price but near enough to make it not worthwhile going to the Carwow best price from a dealer 150 miles away.

Daughter's recent order for a Skoda Fabia - I used the What Car quote (they don't specify a dealer) which her local dealer matched.

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 05:48

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Wee Willie Winkie

Yes. I bought a new car in July 2017 using Carwow. A greater discount than I'd managed with the dealer I'd been to, and conveniently closer to home too.

Process was very simple. The dealer explained the Carwow price was based on volume; he claimed they make very little from each sale, but it all contributes to volume bonuses from the manufacturer.

Edited by DieselBoy on 08/03/2020 at 05:49

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 06:09

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Will deBeast

I got a price from carwow, and also a value for my old car.

I visited the dealer near work, who happened to have the right model as their showroom car. I gave the figures to the salesman and said I'm here to do a deal. If you can match these figures I'll sign now.

He went off to talk to his management. The purchase price was agreed pretty quickly. It took him a little phoning around to get my part exchange underwritten. The deal was done in about an hour.

I too paid off the PCP, so paid a few days interest, but kept the manufacturer contribution. I was open to the dealer that I would be doing so.

Had the local dealer not matched the deal, I would have proceeded with carwow.

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 08:52

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Dag Hammar

I used Carwow with great success to buy a brand new car with my wife. Obtained the prices, I believe they give you six to pick from. The cheapest one was much too distant to be practical and fortunately the next cheapest ( approx £220 dearer ) was local.
So, from my + wife’s experience I would recommend Carwow. And no, I have no connection whatsoever with the company although I enjoy Matt’s car reviews on YouTube.

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 09:06

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - daveyjp

Don't forget there are other online brokers such as drivethedeal, so it is a good idea to get quotes from both.

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 09:29

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - RickyBoy

I did exactly as Will deB, but without trade-in and no PCP as I paid cash. This was 4-years ago. Still running the motor (Hyundai) but will look to change at the end of this year/the 5-year warranty. Will doubtless repeat the process again then? I found that the last week in December was a very good time 'to cut a deal'!

Also followed the same process 2-years ago on an Audi. We have a glass-palace dealership 10-mins from home but I ended up buying 75-miles away as the price was right. This time there was a trade-in, and a scrappage vehicle, but again I paid cash for the balance/shortfall.

So, yes, get your precise figures (in print-out/screendump as proof) from CarWow then contact three franchised dealers to present them to see who bites!...

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 16:08

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Miniman777

Thanks for some very interesting replies. Been to Carwow dealer today and so easy to deal with. No pressure, no evasiveness, no arm twisting for GAP/Autoglym add-ons to bump up price, just simple, honest dealing but above all, transparency. Deal pending now - one the local dealer can’t/won’t get within £2k of.

Edited by Miniman777 on 08/03/2020 at 16:09

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 17:21

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - RickyBoy

Forgot to say...

The Hyundai was bought from a non-CarWow featured dealership, but he undercut the best price I had obtained from CW - just - was fairly local and a good communicator, so I was happy to do business with him.

The Audi WAS supplied by a Car-Wow featured dealership although I understand that they no longer have a relationship with them!

All the best in your pursuit...

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Sun 8 Mar 2020 17:42

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - thunderbird

Never used a broker but I would say that will probably change when we buy the next car.

When we bought the Pulsar I was ready to go via a broker but the dealer kept lowering his price daily (1/4 end approaching) until with a combination of offers (free servicing, test drive bonus, existing owner bonus - interesting one that since we did not own a Nissan at the time but had in the late 80's) the invoice price just matched the broker.

When we bought the last 2 Ford Focus they were both run out models the dealer was keen to shift thus both came with very big discounts.

Last month we had a Volvo XC40 on a 3 day test (direct form Volvo) and really liked it. Went to see local dealer who assured us that no discounts were available. Remarkably a couple of brokers are offering about 10% off (£3000 approx) which is too much to ignore.

But to me it is never the price quoted or the PX offered but the price to change that is important. That is the cash leaving my bank and its that that really matters and not how the dealer does the maths.

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Tue 10 Mar 2020 09:42

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - ExA35Owner

Used Carwow successfully a couple of years ago as a bargaining chip - got an offer from my local dealer which was pretty close to Carwow, so closed the deal with the dealer.

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Tue 10 Mar 2020 10:51

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - thunderbird

no arm twisting for GAP/Autoglym add-ons to bump up price

Interesting one that. When we bought the Fabia in late November the salesman told us it was now a legal requirement to include all those add on in the final price and only after he had explained the implications of refusing them and we had signed a disclaimer confirming that we understood how stupid we were not paying an extra £800 almost for bits that would be costing the dealer virtually nothing could he remove them.

So what difference did it make to the car no spending that money. We bought GAP for about £100 off the internet, the car came polished and is still beading water nicely, I will polish it myself come spring. But the best bit was mats. When we collected the car in there were a set of genuine Skoda mats that when I checked the brochure were actually standard on that spec.

What a load of robbers.

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Tue 10 Mar 2020 12:35

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - daveyjp

Toyota have been pulling that trick for years. Include lots of insurances on the negotiated price and it p'd me off so much we went to drivethedeal.

There is no legal requirement to up-sell insurances. If they are mentioned at all they have to give you all the facts on what is being offered. Of course by including them in the pricing they are mentioned and an up-sell can begin.

If someone is borrowing heavily and could be in a negative equity situation GAP is probably a wise thing at least to remove possibility of someone totaling a car and then going back to the dealer and complaining they weren't aware of GAP which could have covered their loss. However there should also be information that there are other providers who may offer it cheaper.

If someone is paying cash and tells the sales staff from the outset they have no interest in any up-sell insurances that should be the end of the matter.

Edited by daveyjp on 10/03/2020 at 12:38

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Tue 10 Mar 2020 16:07

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Maxime.

I bought a car via carwow a couple of weeks ago, told salesman as arranging Gap insurance myself, took the manufacturers £4.5k contribution 0%pcp , local dealer couldn't or wouldn't match, travelled to opposite side of london, no stress, all done via the carwow site, messaging and zero problems.

would i reccomend. yes.

Edited by maxime on 10/03/2020 at 16:10

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Tue 10 Mar 2020 17:32

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Miniman777

Some great info here, thanks for the opinions which has helped.

FWIW, the Carwow dealer was appalled at how a well-known UK dealership had worked the hard sell on me. Firstly the salesman with moderate charm, then the finance manager taking over to negotiate the price he wanted me to pay, a kind of 'good cop, bad cop' routine to beat me into submission. Unfortunately for them, I am a stubborn old so and so...

The finance guy even tried to tell me the manufacturer "would not allow them to discount", even for volume sales (which they do have), that they had to get approval to go below a certain price etc, etc, they weren't struggling to sell cars, that was their best price, totally disbelieving I'd been offered 11% discount and so on. Total hogwash. He's been trained to negotiate to his figure, the public haven't been trained in negotiation.

But it was the pressure to shake hands (ugh, the thought!) there and then for a car I didn't really want, was £3k more than I had planned to spend and as I later found out, wasn't even in their group stock!! It was bordering on a con job, as I could have said yes, and then found out the holding dealer wouldnt sell to them. It would have made good film of how not to fall for the dealer charms when buying a car. I was so angry with my treatment as. customer - I've 2 cars serviced at this location - I wasn't going to waste my time showing them the Carwow offer. Their arrogance didn't deserve it.

The paperwork produced for an OTR price included GAP insurance and the Autoglym which bumped the price up by £1193. Do their customers have MUG stamped on their forehead? Moreover, if you have comprehensive insurance, most companies replace a written off with a new car in the first 12 months, so you dont need GAP in year 1. By law, there needs to be at least two days between the date you are given the cost (with details of the policy cover) and the day you buy the GAP insurance. This is to allow people have time to check the prices elsewhere and aren't bullied into buying by the dealers, but in my case it was a fine line.

So down at the Carwow dealer, he didn't push GAP, gave me an OTR price excluding GAP/Autoglym) that was a staggering £4,075 (11%) less than the other dealer's starting price after what was some really mild negotiation. He also added Autoglym FOC.

Dealer 1 had the opportunity to close the deal but by not shifting on price (for whatever reason) saw me walk out of the door and give £30k's worth of business to a rival.

Why are some dealers so arrogant, bordering on beligerent, when it comes to negotiating sales, especially when the customer has done their research? Car dealers really need to change their attitude.

While I cant name names - more's the pity - I'd recommend anyone contemplating a new car to at least explore Carwow. There's another part of the story, but that's for a time post delivery.

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Thu 12 Mar 2020 09:49

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - I'm a Pane

"If someone is paying cash and tells the sales staff from the outset they have no interest in any up-sell insurances that should be the end of the matter."

If you are looking to buy from an FCA regulated dealer then this is, I'm afraid, simply not true.

They have to disclose they are regulated, and assess your demands and needs - you may not want anything extra and may think you know everything about these products. Many other buyers may not. And in any case if you are looking to keep your car for several years why wouldn't you want to be informed of ways to safeguard your purchase?

The dealer SHOULD be giving you all the relevant information so you can make an informed decision. Where many dealers fall down is the continued pressure after this to try to get you to purchase.

But to simply not have the discussion is not an option legally.

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Thu 12 Mar 2020 16:14

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - catsdad

I understand the need to satisfy regs but does that extend to Autoglym etc? The dealer I bought from last year had a spiel that rolled up the polish and fabric protection etc into the regulated items as if it were part of the requirement.

As I only have to go through this rigmarole every five or so years I just zone out and think about the deal on the table and what to press for next.

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Thu 12 Mar 2020 16:45

Any - Anyone bought new using Carwow - Old.Roverboy

I bought the new Kia (nothing to report SLO76) via carwow.

very simple, didn't visit dealer before collection. said i had already an offer for Gap insurance, and of course impossible to sell extras when the car was sitting there ready to be collected. Signed everything electronically, paid and left.

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