Buying New Car Advice

Man007

Hi

First time posting in this forum but been reading it a lot lately and would appreciate some advice.

I'm planning on changing my car and have €20-€28k to spend, I was originally thinking of a used Audi, BMW but would need to go down the years so I think there is better value in moving away from a premium brand and buying new.

The question is I'm looking to get a top spec model of whatever I buy but if the price difference is say €5k between base model and top will this value be lost when I try to sell it as in will people pay a premium for a used car with better spec or do they usually just look at the model and year.

Also since this will be the first time I've bought a new car what can I push the dealer on in regards to price or throwing extra's in what would be the usual things people would ask a dealer to include FOC.

Cheers

bmc58

Man007 wrote: »

Hi

First time posting in this forum but been reading it a lot lately and would appreciate some advice.

I'm planning on changing my car and have €20-€28k to spend, I was originally thinking of a used Audi, BMW but would need to go down the years so I think there is better value in moving away from a premium brand and buying new.

The question is I'm looking to get a top spec model of whatever I buy but if the price difference is say €5k between base model and top will this value be lost when I try to sell it as in will people pay a premium for a used car with better spec or do they usually just look at the model and year.

Also since this will be the first time I've bought a new car what can I push the dealer on in regards to price or throwing extra's in what would be the usual things people would ask a dealer to include FOC.

Cheers

If you have cash in your hand you hold all the aces.Push him for all you can.He/she will not want a cash customer walking out of the showroom to some other garage.


Free Road tax,free Service go for things like those.A proper spare tyre is another thing you could look for.

MuppetCheck

The higher spec model will be worth a little more come resale and be easier to sell but a nice chunk of the money will be down the drain. But you do get to have the nicer car so there is some value there to you if you want the spec.

What I aim for is mats, mud flaps, tank of fuel, a service or two. But it all depends on the car you're looking at. If it's a car in demand you might not get as much off/freebies.

cowboyjoe

We bought a new Opel insignia for 25k last year 132- brand new. Was going to buy a second hand Audi (test drove quite a few) for 25-28k but got a huge spec insignia for less; diesel, Bluetooth phone/mp3 speaker, Eco stop start drive, 5 yr warranty, sat nav, 18" alloys incl.

Basically we would not have gotten a premium brand with that level of extras for that money. Dealer was willing to haggle, gave us 3k for our 03 Audi and was sound and decent to deal with. I'm glad we paid a little extra for bigger spec as it makes driving a pleasure.

I advise looking at Mazda, Opel, seat, skoda. Quality cars, better spec for a good bit less. Residual value would definitely be better with a better spec car for same brands. We would have paid more for second hand car with a bigger spec than a base model car.

Hope this helps.
+1 on cash buyer holding all the aces, - dealer wants your business; we argued a bit and got 3 months road tax too

Man007 wrote: »

Hi

First time posting in this forum but been reading it a lot lately and would appreciate some advice.

I'm planning on changing my car and have €20-€28k to spend, I was originally thinking of a used Audi, BMW but would need to go down the years so I think there is better value in moving away from a premium brand and buying new.

The question is I'm looking to get a top spec model of whatever I buy but if the price difference is say €5k between base model and top will this value be lost when I try to sell it as in will people pay a premium for a used car with better spec or do they usually just look at the model and year.

Also since this will be the first time I've bought a new car what can I push the dealer on in regards to price or throwing extra's in what would be the usual things people would ask a dealer to include FOC.

Cheers

Man007

bmc58 wrote: »

If you have cash in your hand you hold all the aces.

Sorry I should clarify thats my budget I don't have the whole lot in cash.

cowboyjoe wrote:

I advise looking at Mazda, Opel, seat, skoda

I had a look at Mazda's last weekend and was impressed with the spec for the money. It's nice to have a premium brand car but think I'm being swayed by the value.

I must take a look at the Insignia

fmcg_scribe

There are advantages to owning a car from new but unless the car is really good at holding its value you will pay for it in terms of depreciation, irrespective of the spec.

Consider buying a nearly new car instead.

Owning and running a car does come to residuals, reliability, and running costs.

Even if you spec a new car carefully (say, leather, attractive alloys, and attractive interior and exterior colours), you might still lose out in 3 or 4 years time if you bought the "wrong" brand, the "wrong" model, the "wrong" engine size, the "wrong" trim level" - or even the "wrong" type of car.

Suggest you focus your search on reliable brands (say, Kia, Lexus, Toyota, Honda, and Skoda), 4cyl engines, and saloon or SUV body styles.

I'm the first to say that your choice of car can be a very personal decision but if the car that you plan to buy is going to your main or only means of transport, you need to let your head overrule your heart.

Man007

fmcg_scribe wrote: »

Consider buying a nearly new car instead.

I was originally thinking of a Pre Reg or 1 year old but when I went to the dealer the pre reg worked out more expensive as they offer 3k discount on New and a better APR.

Out of Interest does anyone know which manufacturer offer the lowst APR at the moment if you get finance from them

fmcg_scribe

Man007 wrote: »

I was originally thinking of a Pre Reg or 1 year old but when I went to the dealer the pre reg worked out more expensive as they offer 3k discount on New and a better APR.

Out of Interest does anyone know which manufacturer offer the lowst APR at the moment if you get finance from them

Interesting. Perhaps the discounts on pre-reg cars in Ireland are a lot less than in the UK where discounts of up to 30% are not unknown although UK buyers might have to use car brokers to get the best deals. Might be a good idea to visit a few dealers for the brand you're interested in to see if there are any good deals for pre-reg cars. That said, the point about high depreciation on a new car still stands.