Any one used "Drive the deal" etc to order their new car?

[t955daytona]

Hi all,
I'm looking to order a 2.0 TDI S Line Sportback for my wife this week. With Tech Pack, Comfort Pack, Interior Lighting and B&O the RRP is £28550 in Daytona Pearl. Drive the deal are quoting around £26000. I am obviously going into my local dealers to see what they can do but otherwise has anyone used a broker and if so was the deal painless? What sort of discounts have people negotiated? By looking through the current threads it appears most have been company car orders, Not private purchases.

Regards Craig

 

[s33nyboy12]

Do it yourself and be cheeky I did and worked for me. I had Nottingham Audi eating out the palm of my hand. But I did e- mail them in on better quotes from other companies , one was a broker. It's a new model they need the sales figures on them. I have been told Stoke Audi are about the best dealer to deal with. Good luck !

Sean

 

[MattyW19]

I used Drive the Deal to order my car due to all the dealerships in the area wouldn't budge a penny!

I saved over £2000 on my new A3 and the service was brilliant. They were in touch the very next day putting me in touch with the dealer. The dealer was 150 miles away and they were excellent over the phone - I kept ringing them but they were efficent and kept telling me where the car was.

I was actually quoted a 9 month waiting list from them and my local dealerships.. I received the car in 5-6 months! They treat the sale as more of a 'fleet' sale so you don't get that personal touch when picking the car up as much, but hey I saved over £2,000 and I got an A3 over the Volkswagen Scirocco!

If you have over a £1,000 of options they did require a £1,000 deposit! At the time the car was priced at 19,100 but the price increased to 20,350 due to Audi put there prices up So they phoned me during signing (they posted the invoice out to me to sign with 19,100) and said it has risen to 20,350. However, he was very appologetic, and said he's done everything he can and will do it for £20,000 - I think I was unlucky to be honest as the RRP did rise!

They rung me when my car was due to be picked up, and I said the date I wanted and they were fine by that! Expect to be picking the car up from around the Gloucester area If you have any quieres give me a PM

 

[ChrisJL]

Do it yourself and be cheeky I did and worked for me. I had Nottingham Audi eating out the palm of my hand. But I did e- mail them in on better quotes from other companies , one was a broker. It's a new model they need the sales figures on them. I have been told Stoke Audi are about the best dealer to deal with. Good luck !

Sean

Stoke really the best to deal with? I'm not sure about their customer service but pricing difference for part ex of A1 to A3 was 1500 less for my vehicle against a new A3. So I went another Audi dealership instead. Would be better if I could go there tbh I'm not far from it!

 

[hittchy]

I think I'll be using Drive The Deal for my order. My local dealers can't get anywhere near their price, and I'm happy to travel the length of the country to save £2,500.

Just consider, the same price you'll get offered at resale time so it makes sense to save as much as possible and minimise your loss. All the feedback on various forums seems to be really positive.

 

[PjDali]

I think I'll be using Drive The Deal for my order. My local dealers can't get anywhere near their price, and I'm happy to travel the length of the country to save £2,500.

Just consider, the same price you'll get offered at resale time so it makes sense to save as much as possible and minimise your loss. All the feedback on various forums seems to be really positive.

Would be amazed if you got £2500 off the new model. for that kinda saving I'd travel the length of the country no probs

I know some hefty discounts were going for 8P models as the 8V was launching but that would be an awesome saving off a new A3. I thought getting circa £1000 discount was decent when I ordered my A3 SB.

 

[danA3T]

Hi Craig,

I used drive the deal when I bought my A3 - cant recommend them high enough, really decent people, good service. I must admit, their old school website put me off at first, but after getting them on the phone and using the credit card for the deposit, I decided it was worth the risk for a 5% discount off list (my local stealer wouldn't come close).

Point to note, don't they deliver it for you as well In the discounted price? They offered to deliver mine, except I was using the government scrappage scheme so I had to 'present' my old motor to the dealer, so couldn't take them up on the offer. Bet then again, how better to get acquainted with a new car than a couple of hours on the road

Funnily enough, a few months later, my local steeler came crawling on the phone asking if I was still looking for a car, stating they'd do the deal I wanted. It was quite satisfying to tell him I was in the new car, and I queried whether he was a little off his target for the month.

Hope that helps.

 

[ChrisJL]

Not to sound really non trusting with this method.... but whats the catch?? How do they achieve such discounts and how much money are they making from this with such discounts?

 

[slade777]

Orangewheels do the same type of thing. I'm currently looking at buying very soon and also seem to think where's the catch!?! How is it possible. When I spoke to orangewheels they hinted the car would come from Staffordshire way!

 

[sebtomato]

I think they get discounts because of the volume of car they purchased. When I got my last A3 as a company car, the leasing company achieved 17% discount from Audi (I got a copy of the invoice), and there is no way a private buyer would get anywhere near that, particularly on the model I was getting (A3 2.0 TDI sport S-tronic).

 

[Vertigo1]

One issue you will get is that it won't necessarily be supplied from a local dealer, as said above. I get this with lease cars as they have their preferred dealers.

This means that, unless you're prepared to travel to pick the car up, they'll deliver it and this usually means someone driving your car to you, possibly for hundreds of miles. If you're bothered about that and how the driver may treat the car when it's so new, this might be an issue.

I don't mind so much as it's a company car but, if it were my own cash, there's no way I'd trust a delivery driver to treat it with respect regards running in periods and so on, so would always travel to collect it or pay for it to be delivered on a transporter.

 

[PjDali]

One issue you will get is that it won't necessarily be supplied from a local dealer, as said above. I get this with lease cars as they have their preferred dealers.

This means that, unless you're prepared to travel to pick the car up, they'll deliver it and this usually means someone driving your car to you, possibly for hundreds of miles. If you're bothered about that and how the driver may treat the car when it's so new, this might be an issue.

I don't mind so much as it's a company car but, if it were my own cash, there's no way I'd trust a delivery driver to treat it with respect regards running in periods and so on, so would always travel to collect it or pay for it to be delivered on a transporter.

A woman I work with was talking about a new car her husband got delivered on a low loader a year or so back and he was far from happy taking delivery. The car was really filthy and when it was unloaded he found a number small scratches. Seemingly he'd never opt for delivery like that again.........He'll go pick the car up from the selling dealer next time.

No idea how much money he saved but the car can be given a good clean easy enough and a polish\wax, but I guess if you were to save circa £2500 on a new car, seems a no brainer to me........rather that dosh was in my account rather than someone else's.

 

[sebtomato]

When I got my last new car, it was delivered by an Audi dealer about 10 miles away, and the dashboard had been scratched, stain on the ceiling and small scratch on the side. Therefore, ordering from a main dealer does not prevent this, and I don't think it was done during delivery but probably while preparing the car. Needless to say, they had to fix all of those things.

 

[Vertigo1]

Mine arrived with two pieces of damage, both of which would have been very costly to fix. Not much I can do as it's a lease car, aside from letting them know about it, but had it been my own money I'd have hit the roof and demanded it was fixed immediately, irrespective of cost, and a loaner provided in the interim.

 

[PjDali]

Must admit I love it when going to pick up a new car. Edinburgh Audi were terrific when I picked up my current A3 back in March 2010.

The car was waiting shining like a new pin and waiting for me in the purpose built handover bay and it made the whole experience that bit more special. Salesman gave me time to have a good look round the car to make sure I was 100% happy, after usual talk through of controls etc before we headed off. Easily the best experience I've had with any car dealerships. Only thing missing says my wife was a bouquet of flowers (she said)

 

[Vertigo1]

My delivery driver tried to do the whole "show you the controls and how things work" routine but he quickly realised I knew more about Audis than he ever would so just left me to it

 

[hittchy]

Would be amazed if you got £2500 off the new model. for that kinda saving I'd travel the length of the country no probs

I know some hefty discounts were going for 8P models as the 8V was launching but that would be an awesome saving off a new A3. I thought getting circa £1000 discount was decent when I ordered my A3 SB.

Placed the order today. I was going to order through through 'Drive the Deal' but one of the dealers I've bought from previously came within a few hundred pounds so I gave them the order. They've always given me superb service.

'Drive the Deal' just put you in touch with the cheapest dealer they have on their books. Car sales are generally made up of 'front end' margin which dealers usually use to discount the car. They also get 'back end' margin from bonuses if they hit specific targets. If a particular dealer is close to a bigger target, it makes sense for them to heavily discount and undercut rivals to boost their unit sales. This is where 'Drive the Deal' and other internet brokers come in.

In my experience, most dealers tell you they don't have that much 'profit' in the car. What they usually mean is they don't have it in the 'front end' margin.

 

[hittchy]

Not to sound really non trusting with this method.... but whats the catch?? How do they achieve such discounts and how much money are they making from this with such discounts?

They're probably making zero profit in the car, but the unit sales are boosting bonuses they get on hitting unit sales targets. Most dealers won't even attempt to match broker prices.

 

[hittchy]

I think they get discounts because of the volume of car they purchased. When I got my last A3 as a company car, the leasing company achieved 17% discount from Audi (I got a copy of the invoice), and there is no way a private buyer would get anywhere near that, particularly on the model I was getting (A3 2.0 TDI sport S-tronic).

That is a good discount, particularly in that sector.

It sometimes also depends where a car is in its lifecycle. Have a look on 'Drive the Deal' at the discounts available on an Audi A7 at the moment (18%+). The Mark 6 Golf recently had about 20%. Mercedes C250CDi AMG Sport Plus at 17% off.

 

[sebtomato]

Well, I got my A3 end of 2008 (made to order, not stock), and it was one of the first received in the UK with the new face lift, so nowhere near a car at the end of its cycle. The waiting list was about 6 months, so not a shortage of orders either (particularly at the beginning of a facelift, when many people hold off on their orders, and with a TDI engine). A private seller would probably have received no discount or a few hundred pounds.

My point is that it was not a discount due to end of life model (quite the opposite), but just because the lease company could buy very large numbers of cars. I think the order was placed directly with Audi UK, and then car received by one of the local dealers.

 

[hittchy]

As I said, it was a very good discount.

I was also pointing out (separately) that timing in the car's life cycle can pay dividends if you're looking for a bargain.

As for a private seller receiving no discount (or very little), I'd have to disagree there. I've always managed to get good discounts fairly easily. The salesman's job after all is to get as much cash out of us as possible. Unless the car has seriously restricted supply (which Audi seem to be avoiding now, even on models like the RS3 where they increased the production run) I'd be looking for a discount.

In early 2008, I bought a new Audi S3 which had not long been launched. Dealers back then had restricted allocations on 'S' and 'RS' cars, so were more reluctant to cut a deal. At the time, brokers and lease companies that I approached couldn't get discounts. However, a morning ringing around a few dealers secured 5% on the car.

Maybe I've been very lucky, but I enjoy the sport. I've had two lease cars myself, and each time I saw the invoice I was convinced I could have beaten the price. However, it may well be that the lease companies get a further 'kick-back' from the manufacturer after the sale, because I couldn't have beaten the total cost of ownership over the lease period.

 

[deci]

I've gotten close to £2k off my A3. Private sale, Audi Belfast. Great service and communication.

 

[sebtomato]

That's indeed a good discount for an Audi that has just been released. Maybe they are struggling to sell those (either because of the recession or because of the car price or new shape/interior).
To be honest, I have seen none on the road or parked so far (and my daily commute is 70 miles in dense traffic). I have seen one on a trailer being delivered.

 

[alfiejts]

I used Autobytel when I bought my A5, although they're not showing any discount on the A3 at the moment.....

I can recommend them. I submitted an enquiry online and the first contact back was direct from a salesman at a nearby Audi dealership. Got a very good part exchange price and did the deal over the phone. Was treated just like any other retail customer, including giving me the usual "special treatment" for a 1st September collection....

DrivetheDeal was showing the same price (well £10 cheaper) but they kept passing my details to their local "pet" dealer but no one ever rang me from there to take it further. Gave up in the end and went with Autobytel....

 

[aoleks]

Old topic, I know, but I have a question. My old B8 broke down and I was looking at repairing (or having it repaired), but then I found out about the diesel scrappage scheme that gives you up to £8000 for your old diesel if you buy a brand new car. I would've never considered a brand new car, but with a massive discount like that...

Now I'm not looking for special stuff, basic A4 in a standard color, ultra TDI engine (150hp), maybe heated seats, bluetooth and cruise control, otherwise standard. Base model without options works out at £30470, but DTD quotes me around £24500...

That's 6000 less anyway. Any catch?

 

[TYb]

Old topic, I know, but I have a question. My old B8 broke down and I was looking at repairing (or having it repaired), but then I found out about the diesel scrappage scheme that gives you up to £8000 for your old diesel if you buy a brand new car. I would've never considered a brand new car, but with a massive discount like that...

Now I'm not looking for special stuff, basic A4 in a standard color, ultra TDI engine (150hp), maybe heated seats, bluetooth and cruise control, otherwise standard. Base model without options works out at £30470, but DTD quotes me around £24500...

That's 6000 less anyway. Any catch?

A friend used them for a polo gti and had no issues, sure plenty on here will have so hopefully they can give you some advice.

 

[B5NUT]

That's 6000 less anyway. Any catch?

Yes you will lose the £3,150 Centre Deposit Contribution, so you are in affect only getting £2,850. I'm sure a B8 would be worth more than that. Also the scrappage scheme requires the car to be drive able.

 

[davemk]

Unless you're specifically looking for an Audi, BMW are offering p/x value, plus £2k scrappage and dealer deposit. Better APR on some models too.

 

[BMB - 77]

I used Drive the Deal for my S3 and my discount was huge but I was lucky in that I ordered in Feb 2016 and then Audi closed the order books and then honoured my order at the original price for the facelift. I adjusted the spec as the facelift had standard spec that I was paying for on the prefacelift. I got a brilliant deal. I can't recommend them highly enough. I elected not to have them deliver the car to my home as was part of the deal and I picked it up from Dundee Audi myself and had a brilliant drive back home in it.
Only issue I had was the dealer wasn't as helpful as he should have been as they were basically making nothing from my individual sale but had to get the volume of cars out the door to receive there bonus from Audi which is a significant amount of money to them. I will use them again when it's time to change.

 

[GSB]

I used Drive the Deal for my S3 and my discount was huge but I was lucky in that I ordered in Feb 2016 and then Audi closed the order books and then honoured my order at the original price for the facelift. I adjusted the spec as the facelift had standard spec that I was paying for on the prefacelift. I got a brilliant deal. I can't recommend them highly enough. I elected not to have them deliver the car to my home as was part of the deal and I picked it up from Dundee Audi myself and had a brilliant drive back home in it.
Only issue I had was the dealer wasn't as helpful as he should have been as they were basically making nothing from my individual sale but had to get the volume of cars out the door to receive there bonus from Audi which is a significant amount of money to them. I will use them again when it's time to change.

I did exactly the same thing... just over 17% off. Dealer (slough Audi) were very helpful.

 

[Pganders]

I am due to change also and would be tempted by the savings to go down this route. Distance to the supplying dealer would not be a big issue as it could be an excuse for a short break.

However one niggling concern is any subsequent warranty issues, if the supplying dealer was some distance away necessitating taking the car to my local dealer who would not have supplied the car.

Has anybody that has bought this way experienced problems getting warranty work done by another dealer?

 

[GSB]

I am due to change also and would be tempted by the savings to go down this route. Distance to the supplying dealer would not be a big issue as it could be an excuse for a short break.

However one niggling concern is any subsequent warranty issues, if the supplying dealer was some distance away necessitating taking the car to my local dealer who would not have supplied the car.

Has anybody that has bought this way experienced problems getting warranty work done by another dealer?

Not a problem. Any Audi dealer will be able to help. I had this with my ACC system.

I also had it on a Toyota that I bought in Denmark. Had a new gearbox under warranty from a dealer in north London.

 

[aoleks]

I'm in a dilemma. Went for carwow eventually. I got £6000 off for scrapping the diesel and an additional £4520 from the dealer. I can get a brand new A4 2.0 TDI Ultra (150hp) with seat heating and lumbar support for just £20500... This is without negotiating, so I'll take the quote around and see what I can do. Regarding the scrappage, I was told by 2 dealers that it doesn't matter that my car is not driving, they put it on a trailer anyway (they pick it up at my address) and take it straight to the scrap, no one drives it! This means the money that would go towards the repairs, along with new tyres and some bushings can now go toward a deposit (£1500), so I can get the car for £19000...

The question is: would you do it? It's still a lot of money and I wasn't planning on buying anything, definitely not a brand new car, but this huge discount really got me thinking. I can save a lot over the next 3 years and have peace of mind, along with the car I always dreamed of having since it came out.

What shall I do?

 

[B5NUT]

If your happy just go for it.

 

[Bitzieee]

I used CarWow to get a competitive offer for my S3. Walked into the dealer and told them I work for Volkswagen I don't want all the crap I just want a quick and easy deal. Roadtested one, was happy so went in and showed him my config, he gave me a good offer, and I said I've had one off CarWow which is an even better deal. He came back and matched it. Paid my deposit, car was ordered, got the personal service from the salesman too. Came to my delivery and he said do you want me to show you everything or will you be insulted seeing as I know more about the car than him.

Got the car, made up with it. The salesmans now asked for my help at a cars and coffee event next month

Would use it again just makes it easier to get that deal you want

 

[kevpuk]

Have used DtD previously, and always also look at CarWow, but my shiny new S3 was an even better deal from dealer.

Previous car, Mercedes CLS 350 AMG Line, was bought via DtD in late 2014, little over 20% off list price and an enjoyable trip to Hull (from Bournemouth) to collect.....wife's XC60 was a CarWow quote which local dealer managed, eventually, to match in 2015.....I always start with these places to get a feel for what could be achieved on pricing and have to say that my personal dealings with DtD have always been great.

This time, managed an even better price from an Audi dealer than DtD, possibly helped by colleague recommending them having bought a Q3 and A6 Allroad in the last 6 months or so too.....either way, >£6k off list and car available within a few days worked for me

 

[Tom.H]

I used CarWow to get a competitive offer for my S3. Walked into the dealer and told them I work for Volkswagen I don't want all the **** I just want a quick and easy deal. Roadtested one, was happy so went in and showed him my config, he gave me a good offer, and I said I've had one off CarWow which is an even better deal. He came back and matched it. Paid my deposit, car was ordered, got the personal service from the salesman too. Came to my delivery and he said do you want me to show you everything or will you be insulted seeing as I know more about the car than him.

Got the car, made up with it. The salesmans now asked for my help at a cars and coffee event next month

Would use it again just makes it easier to get that deal you want

Same with me, been dealing with the business manager on sales for years from when she worked for VW. Went in for an extended test drive then went back showed her my config and carwow price which she matched even though theirs was lower initially. Ordered the car with no deposit then collected with some freebies including a £150 meal out, tank of fuel after using what was in the car already and a remote control R8 for the little one.

 

[Bitzieee]

Same with me, been dealing with the business manager on sales for years from when she worked for VW. Went in for an extended test drive then went back showed her my config and carwow price which she matched even though theirs was lower initially. Ordered the car with no deposit then collected with some freebies including a £150 meal out, tank of fuel after using what was in the car already and a remote control R8 for the little one.

Seems like you're playing the game very well! Keep up the goodwork!

 

[Tom.H]

What I meant by theirs was lower is that their discount was lower, didn't write that very well!