Help! Buying first high end car, where to start?
Discussion
Hi all,
First post but long time lurker. In need on some advice and help with some first world problems
So business is doing great and I’m finally in a position to buy a dream car. At the moment I have a few a want to go and test drive which include AMG GT, 911, f-type SVR, F430 and a vantage.
I’m new to high end cars so will take my time narrowing down my search and choice but want to enjoy the process. The car will be parked on the street in London. It’s a quiet crescent so feel fine about doing so, but it does put me off going for something like an F430, Mclaren or even Lambo as I don’t want the extra super car attention that they would get.
I will be looking for lower mileage and depending on which model, nearly new.
Anyway... here is my problem... where do I start and how do I go about buying..!?
I don’t feel confident at all about the buying process and don’t want to get ripped off my some reckless dealers.
Should I stick to main dealer approved used route..? What are the pros and cons of this?
What about going to higher end ‘prestige’ dealers? They will have a wider range of models to test drive but will they be more difficult to negotiate or deal with than main dealers?
I’m based in north west london, any recommendation on dealers to go see would be fantastic.
Thanks all and looking forward to getting some direction on this.
Cheers
First post but long time lurker. In need on some advice and help with some first world problems
So business is doing great and I’m finally in a position to buy a dream car. At the moment I have a few a want to go and test drive which include AMG GT, 911, f-type SVR, F430 and a vantage.
I’m new to high end cars so will take my time narrowing down my search and choice but want to enjoy the process. The car will be parked on the street in London. It’s a quiet crescent so feel fine about doing so, but it does put me off going for something like an F430, Mclaren or even Lambo as I don’t want the extra super car attention that they would get.
I will be looking for lower mileage and depending on which model, nearly new.
Anyway... here is my problem... where do I start and how do I go about buying..!?
I don’t feel confident at all about the buying process and don’t want to get ripped off my some reckless dealers.
Should I stick to main dealer approved used route..? What are the pros and cons of this?
What about going to higher end ‘prestige’ dealers? They will have a wider range of models to test drive but will they be more difficult to negotiate or deal with than main dealers?
I’m based in north west london, any recommendation on dealers to go see would be fantastic.
Thanks all and looking forward to getting some direction on this.
Cheers
I think a lot of it comes down to how long you intend to keep the car for. With those sorts of vehicles a main dealer service history is useful while they're newish and hence relatively mainstream, but once they start to fall into the "modern classic" type of status where the next buyer is likely to be a knowledgeable enthusiast, the better known independents carry at least as much weight as main dealers.
Main dealers give you a certain guarantee of minimum standards, but the best specialists are every bit as good as the best main dealers and consequently far better than the worst. I think (this might depend on the manufacturer) you'll also find with a manufacturer backed warranty on an "approved" car, you can get it fixed at any main dealer where an independent dealer will probably want to fix the car themselves, which could be an advantage if you go far out of your way to buy the right car.
In terms of which car, drive them all and try and speak to some owners of them all to get an idea of running costs. If you intend to move the car on in the foreseeable future, some idea of residuals would be important too given that its likely to be the biggest differentiator in total cost of ownership between the cars. For example I wouldn't expect a 911's residuals (unless it's a GT3RS or similar) to be anywhere near an F430s.
Main dealers give you a certain guarantee of minimum standards, but the best specialists are every bit as good as the best main dealers and consequently far better than the worst. I think (this might depend on the manufacturer) you'll also find with a manufacturer backed warranty on an "approved" car, you can get it fixed at any main dealer where an independent dealer will probably want to fix the car themselves, which could be an advantage if you go far out of your way to buy the right car.
In terms of which car, drive them all and try and speak to some owners of them all to get an idea of running costs. If you intend to move the car on in the foreseeable future, some idea of residuals would be important too given that its likely to be the biggest differentiator in total cost of ownership between the cars. For example I wouldn't expect a 911's residuals (unless it's a GT3RS or similar) to be anywhere near an F430s.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 16th June 11:21
Newc said:
Save yourself some legwork. You're going to decide to buy a 911, and from a main dealer. Get on the Porsche used car locator, and tinker with the options, then go to OPC Cambridge or Dick Lovett.
911 is actually lowest down on the list, but that all may change after I’ve had a chance to test drive and research some more.Trouble is round here there are soo many 911’s.
Thanks for the recommendation
You've listed quite different cars - an F430 is a very different thing to a Vantage. What kind of car do you actually want - sports or GT?
You mention that you don't want the attention that a Ferrari / McLaren / Lambo would attract (even though you listed an F430 as one of the options) - it's worth bearing in mind that colour makes a massive difference to how much attention some of these cars attract. My red 348 got a huge amount of attention everywhere I went. When I replaced it with a 360, I didn't want red, because I wanted less attention - I chose a much more neutral colour. It still gets noticed, but it only gets very slightly more attention than my AM Vantage.
Obviously, we all like different things and you'll need to try yourself but from your list :
911 : I've had a couple, last one was a 996 turbo. Very very fast, very very dull. A good daily driver, but for me - not a fun car.
Vantage : I have a 4.3 V8 - not a particularly quick car, although part of this is the linear way it delivers power - the speedo suggests it's not as slow as it feels. 4.7 should be better, V12 should be a whole lot better. Not a sports car in my opinion - same kind of car as the 911 really. Mine replaced the 996 turbo and although it's much slower, I haven't regretted it at all in the 4 years I've owned it.
F430 : Buy this! My 360 is fabulous to drive, sounds amazing and literally puts a smile on my face. I've just had a rather unfortunate bill on mine, but still love it. Not sure I'd want one if I was driving around London - but as a fun car, I doubt you'd regret it.
You mention that you don't want the attention that a Ferrari / McLaren / Lambo would attract (even though you listed an F430 as one of the options) - it's worth bearing in mind that colour makes a massive difference to how much attention some of these cars attract. My red 348 got a huge amount of attention everywhere I went. When I replaced it with a 360, I didn't want red, because I wanted less attention - I chose a much more neutral colour. It still gets noticed, but it only gets very slightly more attention than my AM Vantage.
Obviously, we all like different things and you'll need to try yourself but from your list :
911 : I've had a couple, last one was a 996 turbo. Very very fast, very very dull. A good daily driver, but for me - not a fun car.
Vantage : I have a 4.3 V8 - not a particularly quick car, although part of this is the linear way it delivers power - the speedo suggests it's not as slow as it feels. 4.7 should be better, V12 should be a whole lot better. Not a sports car in my opinion - same kind of car as the 911 really. Mine replaced the 996 turbo and although it's much slower, I haven't regretted it at all in the 4 years I've owned it.
F430 : Buy this! My 360 is fabulous to drive, sounds amazing and literally puts a smile on my face. I've just had a rather unfortunate bill on mine, but still love it. Not sure I'd want one if I was driving around London - but as a fun car, I doubt you'd regret it.
james-witton said:
Also think about what reaction you will get from your mates when you tell them what you’ve bought.
Porsche.. no imagination
AMG... souped up taxi
Ferrari... flash tosser
Aston Martin.... cooool, a gentleman of exquisite taste indeed.
(I may be biased.)
Who buys a car based on what your mates will think..?!? Porsche.. no imagination
AMG... souped up taxi
Ferrari... flash tosser
Aston Martin.... cooool, a gentleman of exquisite taste indeed.
(I may be biased.)
davek_964 said:
You've listed quite different cars - an F430 is a very different thing to a Vantage. What kind of car do you actually want - sports or GT?
You mention that you don't want the attention that a Ferrari / McLaren / Lambo would attract (even though you listed an F430 as one of the options) - it's worth bearing in mind that colour makes a massive difference to how much attention some of these cars attract. My red 348 got a huge amount of attention everywhere I went. When I replaced it with a 360, I didn't want red, because I wanted less attention - I chose a much more neutral colour. It still gets noticed, but it only gets very slightly more attention than my AM Vantage.
Obviously, we all like different things and you'll need to try yourself but from your list :
911 : I've had a couple, last one was a 996 turbo. Very very fast, very very dull. A good daily driver, but for me - not a fun car.
Vantage : I have a 4.3 V8 - not a particularly quick car, although part of this is the linear way it delivers power - the speedo suggests it's not as slow as it feels. 4.7 should be better, V12 should be a whole lot better. Not a sports car in my opinion - same kind of car as the 911 really. Mine replaced the 996 turbo and although it's much slower, I haven't regretted it at all in the 4 years I've owned it.
F430 : Buy this! My 360 is fabulous to drive, sounds amazing and literally puts a smile on my face. I've just had a rather unfortunate bill on mine, but still love it. Not sure I'd want one if I was driving around London - but as a fun car, I doubt you'd regret it.
Thanks for this, really useful. I agree, it is a real mix of cars I've listed, mainly because I really don't know what I want and what I end of getting. They all look amazing, but need to get into them and test drive them all to see which comes out on top.You mention that you don't want the attention that a Ferrari / McLaren / Lambo would attract (even though you listed an F430 as one of the options) - it's worth bearing in mind that colour makes a massive difference to how much attention some of these cars attract. My red 348 got a huge amount of attention everywhere I went. When I replaced it with a 360, I didn't want red, because I wanted less attention - I chose a much more neutral colour. It still gets noticed, but it only gets very slightly more attention than my AM Vantage.
Obviously, we all like different things and you'll need to try yourself but from your list :
911 : I've had a couple, last one was a 996 turbo. Very very fast, very very dull. A good daily driver, but for me - not a fun car.
Vantage : I have a 4.3 V8 - not a particularly quick car, although part of this is the linear way it delivers power - the speedo suggests it's not as slow as it feels. 4.7 should be better, V12 should be a whole lot better. Not a sports car in my opinion - same kind of car as the 911 really. Mine replaced the 996 turbo and although it's much slower, I haven't regretted it at all in the 4 years I've owned it.
F430 : Buy this! My 360 is fabulous to drive, sounds amazing and literally puts a smile on my face. I've just had a rather unfortunate bill on mine, but still love it. Not sure I'd want one if I was driving around London - but as a fun car, I doubt you'd regret it.
Completely agree with colour and attention. Luckily I'm a huge fan of dark grey cars, so likely this is the colour I will go for. No reds or loud greens etc.
I think what it will come down to is which I prefer the driving experience of (as much as you can tell from a test drive) and whether I would be happy to park it on the street in London. The F-type, for example, I would have no problem parking on the street, and the 911 too. But... Ferrari..? Not sure I would park that on the street.
Thanks for the input...
What about where to buy..? Go main dealer route?
Olg said:
How come?
Income...
you will be well qualified and all negotations done prior to any test drives....I can imagine the conversation...
"you have six cars out of the ten I'm wanting to test drive at the moment and then I'm going to test drive a few more elsewhere as I don't know what I want"
"No problem sir I'll get all the valeted models out of the showroom,put some fuel in as I'm sure you'll want to give them a good blast won't you sir"
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff