Buying AUC

[bod71]

Hi all, im looking to buy a 1 to 2 year old 330e in the next couple of weeks. Im from ireland and will be inporting car back with me, the plan is to pick the car and fly out on a friday and get the ferry back from holyhead. As regards main dealer prices will they budge on price?, would you recommend synter or stratsone to deal with. Thanks.

[Smuler]

bod71 said:

Hi all, im looking to buy a 1 to 2 year old 330e in the next couple of weeks. Im from ireland and will be inporting car back with me, the plan is to pick the car and fly out on a friday and get the ferry back from holyhead. As regards main dealer prices will they budge on price?, would you recommend synter or stratsone to deal with. Thanks.

I'd say your best chance for the best discount is if the car you like has been on sale a while and / or there isn't another interested customer. In essence if they are keen for a sale, they'll discount.
In my opinion the only reason you won't get a discount is if it's a rare, sought after car.

I have deal with Sytner Coventy (used) and Sytner Swansea (new), very good experiences.
I've never dealt with Stratstone but I have heard they tend to price stock cheaper to minimize negotiations / discount. I'm sure that'll be self evident when you benchmark prices.

[Driver101]

You have to take each car on its own merits. I wouldn't assume that because it's a AUC it will be in top condition and everything as it should be.

In contrast to above Sytner Coventry were nothing more than a bunch of crooks when I've dealt with them.

There is always bargaining to be done. I'd imagine coming up to the new plates in March they'll need to move current stock before more trade ins come in.

[bod71]

Thanks. Ive noticed synter seem to be a bit more expensive alright, just waiting for the right colour/spec to come along.

[Phateuk]

Before flying out i'd check you can drive away same day. From experience they usually need a day or two to prep the car for sale.

Slightly different scenario but I arranged to see a car a few years ago (called on weds, to view on sat), drove down ~100 miles to find out on the day they weren't going to sell it due to requiring too much work to pass the AUC criteria

[Driver101]

Phateuk said:

Before flying out i'd check you can drive away same day. From experience they usually need a day or two to prep the car for sale.

Slightly different scenario but I arranged to see a car a few years ago (called on weds, to view on sat), drove down ~100 miles to find out on the day they weren't going to sell it due to requiring too much work to pass the AUC criteria

That must have been a proper dud.

[iSore]

I sold cars at Stratstone, and sold two or three to Ireland. Deal done on the phone/net, car gets taken away on a truck etc.

I dealt with Sytner Coventry when they were Godfrey Hall. Jesus...................

[bod71]

Would they hold a car for a week if I put deposit down fri or sat and fly out following fri?

[va1o]

bod71 said:

Would they hold a car for a week if I put deposit down fri or sat and fly out following fri?

Can't see why not, usually they're not fussed as long as you collect it within the month you've placed the deposit (i.e. February)

But clearly if you don't collect you'll lose the car and your deposit!

[iSore]

va1o said:

But clearly if you don't collect you'll lose the car and your deposit!

Not so. It used to drive me mad giving grippers back on cars that were 'sold', but weren't. You pretty much have to give deposits back - you shouldn't have to really but........

[Phateuk]

Driver101 said:

Phateuk said:

Before flying out i'd check you can drive away same day. From experience they usually need a day or two to prep the car for sale.

Slightly different scenario but I arranged to see a car a few years ago (called on weds, to view on sat), drove down ~100 miles to find out on the day they weren't going to sell it due to requiring too much work to pass the AUC criteria

That must have been a proper dud.

Was something to do with the wiring loom - I never checked, but assume it would've shown up on autotrader from a local dealer a few weeks later as bmw said they would just send it to auction.

[C0ffin D0dger]

When I bought my 535D they really wouldn't move much at all on the price, but the price offered was cheaper than a comparable car from other places, it had all the options I wanted and low mileage. Just had to accept it in the end otherwise I could have been searching for ever for something to come close.

What happened after putting down the deposit really wasn't the greatest but we got there in the end. Would make me thing twice about using a Cooper / Inchcape dealer again though.

[Muzzer79]

I bought a 1 year old 5 series from Bowker BMW in Preston back in August

• Price - they were happy to negotiate a little if you took their finance which was a fairly standard, if unattractive offer. If you bought using your own finance/cash, the price movement was very little.

Don't go in expecting to do a Mike Brewer and chopping thousands off the price, unless it's an undesirable colour/spec/etc, even then it should have been priced accordingly.

• They were happy to take a deposit and hold the car - they held mine for over 3 weeks with a £250 deposit IIRC.

• Very easy to deal with - they sent a video of the car and answered any and all questions I had.

• I made it clear what I was expecting and that I would not be happy if the car was not up to scratch. They replied (as all the AUC dealers I dealt with) that there was no point in embellishing anything as if I was in any way unhappy when I saw the car, the sale wouldn't go through and it'd waste their time aswell as mine.

• I couldn't pay and drive away the same day unless I paid in cash. I paid by bank transfer, which they recommended doing 48 hours before collection. It was made clear, in writing, that if I was not satisfied in any way on arrival to collect the car, they would refund me in full.

• Painless collection process, collected me from the station, did the paperwork, taxed the car, waved me on my way.

They key is to get all the info you need before committing unseen - they are your eyes and ears, so ask them to do what you would do on an inspection and feedback in writing. Get the full spec off them and make sure you're happy with it.

If it's a sub 12-month old car, it should be virtually indistinguishable from new - I know mine certainly was.

[bod71]

Yeah kinda hoping for 2018 shadow edition with pro nav, folding mirrors, heated seats with black leather in mineral grey, but time not on my side with brexit looming.

[bod71]

Hi, op here, I rang dealer today about a car I was interested in, he said they can’t sell a car to a customer that doesn’t have a uk address, I have family in London can I use theirs, how would that work? Thanks.

[jjr1]

bod71 said:

Hi, op here, I rang dealer today about a car I was interested in, he said they can’t sell a car to a customer that doesn’t have a uk address, I have family in London can I use theirs, how would that work? Thanks.

Is he pulling your leg?

Ask to speak to his manager or just another salesman

[Muzzer79]

bod71 said:

Hi, op here, I rang dealer today about a car I was interested in, he said they can’t sell a car to a customer that doesn’t have a uk address, I have family in London can I use theirs, how would that work? Thanks.

They re nervous about a payment scam from a foreign buyer.

If you’re buying on finance, it may also be an issue there if you’re a non-uk resident, but I don’t know if there’d be a resolution through BMW in Ireland?

In any case, it can’t be a super-rare occurrence for a buyer from Ireland to buy a car in the UK so speak to the dealer on the phone again and ask what your options are.

[bod71]

Yeah , it’s very popular here and has been for the past couple of years with the weak sterling, in 2018 uk imports outsold new car sales at over 100,000. I haven’t heard of people having issues with buying of bmw.