Main Dealer Purchase - how is the market?
Discussion
Evening folks.
Planning on picking up a car for my parents (cheaper here). Looking at a £15k 57/08 plate purchase (Avantgarde E-Class)
So, how is the market. Is cash king (will be a cash purchase). What short of discount should I be looking to get - if any.
Yes, I know it is finger in the air stuff but it is some time since I crossed the threshold of a main dealer.
Oh, do the big dealer groups have montly targets and will walking in at the last day of September give leverage?
Planning on picking up a car for my parents (cheaper here). Looking at a £15k 57/08 plate purchase (Avantgarde E-Class)
So, how is the market. Is cash king (will be a cash purchase). What short of discount should I be looking to get - if any.
Yes, I know it is finger in the air stuff but it is some time since I crossed the threshold of a main dealer.
Oh, do the big dealer groups have montly targets and will walking in at the last day of September give leverage?
Irish said:
Evening folks.
Planning on picking up a car for my parents (cheaper here). Looking at a £15k 57/08 plate purchase (Avantgarde E-Class)
So, how is the market. Is cash king (will be a cash purchase). What short of discount should I be looking to get - if any.
Yes, I know it is finger in the air stuff but it is some time since I crossed the threshold of a main dealer.
Oh, do the big dealer groups have montly targets and will walking in at the last day of September give leverage?
the last day of the month would probably be to late to get the deal your best bet if you have seen a car go in and speak with a salesman and ask them what deal they could do.they might not knock much off first but they might give you a ring a week later and say if we can get the price near to what you want would you do the deal.mb direct always seem up for a deal.Planning on picking up a car for my parents (cheaper here). Looking at a £15k 57/08 plate purchase (Avantgarde E-Class)
So, how is the market. Is cash king (will be a cash purchase). What short of discount should I be looking to get - if any.
Yes, I know it is finger in the air stuff but it is some time since I crossed the threshold of a main dealer.
Oh, do the big dealer groups have montly targets and will walking in at the last day of September give leverage?
Irish said:
Planning on picking up a car for my parents (cheaper here). Looking at a £15k 57/08 plate purchase (Avantgarde E-Class)
Typical, just agreed a deal yesterday and am trading in my very nice 2008 E Class Avantgarde this week, would have gladly taken £15k!I found that discounts available varied wildly from dealer to dealer, I've got IMO a pretty low trade-in offer, but I'd called various dealers around the country and it is still the best of the lot, by miles. That said, I'm getting a stonking great deal on my new car, they wouldn't budge on sticker price, but it was the lowest priced in the country already, again by miles, so a degree of realism is required - you won't necessarily get a huge discount if the car is already very well priced.
In short, look at lots of cars, if there's quite a few around at roughly the same price then phone about a few of them as all of the dealers will have different margins, and may or may not have exceeded their target for this quarter already.
It seems a funny market right now, but having no trade in should put you in a great position as the feeling I got is that most dealers wanted to sell me a car, but not take mine on their books in return, most suggested I sell privately.
amg master said:
mb direct always seem up for a deal.
Not as much as they were a couple of years back. I was dealing with a chap at their Manchester branch who was trying to source a car in the spec I wanted and he repeatedly dropped into conversation that the cars were already priced to go and whilst he'd try to get me a discount it would be in the few hundreds at best, not thousands.yellowbentines said:
amg master said:
mb direct always seem up for a deal.
Not as much as they were a couple of years back. I was dealing with a chap at their Manchester branch who was trying to source a car in the spec I wanted and he repeatedly dropped into conversation that the cars were already priced to go and whilst he'd try to get me a discount it would be in the few hundreds at best, not thousands.
. plus we got the extra 1 year warranty so nearly 4 years in total.there dont seem to be to many out there with leather and command auto for less than 20k now.yellowbentines said:
Not as much as they were a couple of years back. I was dealing with a chap at their Manchester branch who was trying to source a car in the spec I wanted and he repeatedly dropped into conversation that the cars were already priced to go and whilst he'd try to get me a discount it would be in the few hundreds at best, not thousands.
They do move the cars through very fast so they know what they're worth and, to be honest, that approach 'looking for a car in the spec you want' is never going to get you a deal as they'll feel they have you over a barrel if they find the right car.Deva Link said:
that approach 'looking for a car in the spec you want' is never going to get you a deal as they'll feel they have you over a barrel if they find the right car.
True, but I called MB direct about a specific car, it had just been sold, so I was then called back every couple of days offering me other cars that I didn't want - usually cars I know they'd be wanting rid of, bright red Mercs with petrol engines, no COMAND, no leather etc! The sales exec seemed a bit puzzled why I kept saying no so I had no option but to tell him I wanted a very specific spec, I did say I'd consider moving on spec if he could move on price which is when I got the chat about all of their cars being very well priced to sell already.
The way I looked at it was that if I wasn't getting a great deal I may as well hold out for a very good spec - which is what I did just this week through another dealer!
yellowbentines said:
True, but I called MB direct about a specific car, it had just been sold, so I was then called back every couple of days offering me other cars that I didn't want - usually cars I know they'd be wanting rid of, bright red Mercs with petrol engines, no COMAND, no leather etc!
Ah! That's exactly what happened to me - except I bought the red one. 
I'd gone for a C220 but that had just sold so the sales guy steered me towards a burgundy C270 which was an ex-MB management car so very well equipped. I've always chosen red or blue for company cars in the past so the red didn't bother me, but I told the salesman it did. The car has light grey leather which I much prefer to the more usual black. I also said I didn't really want the C270 due to extra insurance, servicing and lower MPG (none of those are true - it's just the same a C220 but sounds nicer).
I got probably the only deal I've ever had buying a car where I felt totally happy about it afterwards.
Used market is on its arse, however, dealers are still full of stock that they paid far too much for, give it another month and we will see some serious deals coming through.
They will have to do something as the contract hire deals are bordering on rude at the minute, so they need to have some incentive to buy a used car.
They will have to do something as the contract hire deals are bordering on rude at the minute, so they need to have some incentive to buy a used car.
amg master said:
i was talking to 2 mercedes benz dealers today and both said they have had one of the best september's ever 4 new and used.
they were saying that they cannot get enough new cars.
OK, I notice MB's because I've got one, but I've done two trips to the South East this week and the number of new MBs I've seen is staggering.they were saying that they cannot get enough new cars.
The other car I noticed a lot of, which stands out from previous models due to its striking rear lights, is the new Focus.
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