Bargaining in buying a new car

terry0 · 31-10-2008 4:23am #1

Brand new to Boards. Would welcome advice, opinions and knowledge.
Have been driving a 2002 Punto 1.2 for a year. About 50 miles a week and a once monthly Dub/Galway round trip. 42,000 on the clock. Just failed N.C.T. on power steering( a very common problem I believe from various sources) and tracking. Got an estimate from garage on repairing same ~ E1,200. Garage also reckons timing belt will need replacing soonish, about E400.
And now the E10,000 Question(s) ! This is the amount I have in cash, maybe E12,000 if I raid the childs piggybank.
Q 1. Punto worth fixing ?
Q 2. New Mazda3 1.6, Skoda Fabia 1.4 (E14,800), Kia Rio 1.4 (E14,000), VW Fox 1.4 tdi (14,200) ????? any other suggestions ?

Should I expect to pay 10G CASH plus punto for any of the above or is that an unrealistic expectation ??

Many Thanks.

Cosmo K · 31-10-2008 7:36am

400 euro to replace the timing belt on a punto? Thats an expensive garage.

bazz26 · 31-10-2008 10:19am

Mmm... a tough one to call this. I cannot image a 02 Punto being worth anymore than €2500 imo so spending almost half that on repairing it doesn't make economic sense at all imo. BTW is that a main dealer price or an independant mechanic's?

If economically viable I would look at getting the steering sorted at a reasonable price, get it passed the NCT and try and sell it privately. Just price it right and allow for the timing belt if a potential buyer asks about it. Even if you only got €1500 for it at least you can still get a decent cash discount off of the new car for having no trade-in.

Regarding the new car, only driving 50 miles a week would rule out a diesel to be honest as you are not driving it enough for to pay for itself. I would also look at the Fiat Panda, Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo, all excellent city cars that are capable of frequent long journeys and excellent fuel economy.

terry0 · 31-10-2008 11:14am

Independent mechanic.
Dont want to go down the independent selling route, too many cars for sale out there, take away advertising costs, time, etc.
Will a garage not touch it as a trade in with its current problem ??
What about the cash price ?
Thanks for the further choices. want to get > than a 1.2 though, taking into account the monthly round trip.
O.K. not diesel.

Anan1 · 31-10-2008 11:44am

OP - At that kind of mileage i'd spend the few quid on repairing the Punto and keep it. Buying a new car now is even closer than it was before to throwing money away, especially if you're not using the car enough to make it a necessity.

cena · 31-10-2008 12:13pm

i got my punto timing belt and tensioner done for 120

EPM · 31-10-2008 12:58pm

Definitely shop around o the repair cost of the Punto. From what you're saying you do about 5-6k a year. It would be madness to consider a new car. If the Punto meets your needs why change it. Alternatively try trading in the Punto and maybe spending half your budget on something a little more modern if you have the itch to change?

DonJose · 31-10-2008 1:09pm

terry0 wrote: »

Q 2. New Mazda3 1.6, Skoda Fabia 1.4 (E14,800)

According to Mazda.ie the cheapest NEW Madza3 1.6 costs €20,995.

terry0 · 31-10-2008 1:09pm

EPM wrote: »

Definitely shop around o the repair cost of the Punto. From what you're saying you do about 5-6k a year. It would be madness to consider a new car. If the Punto meets your needs why change it. Alternatively try trading in the Punto and maybe spending half your budget on something a little more modern if you have the itch to change?

Your right EPM I do have the itch to change. Its like the money is burning a hole in my pocket. I've had 2 quotes on the p.s. both at ~ a grand.
Food for thought on my needs.

terry0 · 31-10-2008 1:16pm

Your right DonJose. Sorry, I'm square-eyed with numbers although the other prices I'm pretty sure are right. What about bargaining power with cash?

DonJose · 31-10-2008 1:47pm

Your best bet would be to sell the Punto then bargain with cash, the last thing a car dealer needs in this market is a trade in. I got a 10% discount in Jan 08 on a new Ford Galaxy, I contacted several Ford dealers and let them bid against themselves.

kluivert · 31-10-2008 2:13pm

Get yourself an Opel Astra 1.4 around the 2003 mark or Toyota Corrolla 1.4. Stop buying cheap unreliable cars like the Punto - horrible horrible cars.

The car will never let you down. Just make sure you change the oil every 10k miles.

The repair bill on the Punto seems way to high.

Again for someone who does 50 miles a week, I wouldnt bother spending 10k on a car TBH.

macroman · 31-10-2008 5:19pm

Price sounds way too steep for the Punto, even if inc. parts. Go to an independent mechanic and buy the parts yourself - assuming it's the electric unit on the column you can get it from a brakers easily, tracking is easy to do, and Timing Belt depending on engine is also a straight forward job - proving it's the 1.1 8v or 1.2. 8v, the 1.2 16v or 1.4 16v require the camshafts to be locked precisely, so the job would be a bit more labour intensive and slightly more expensive.

But I'd say if you're doing a lot of motorway miles, buy a sturdier car - Astra, Focus or Bora. No point buying new as depreciation within first two years will be astronomical, but there's a good second hand market out there for buyers at the moment.

Bargaining in buying a new car

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