Advice On Stock Cars

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J14

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This is my first post so be gentle.:)

I have been offered a stock a3 sportback cod s tronic from a dealer. The extra's on the car were metallic paint,comfort pack and sd nav.

This isn't quite the spec I was looking for, but did get me interested. What would be considered a good price for an unregistered stock car? Should it be price you could get from a broker for a same spec new build or should the price be closer to a pre registered used car?

If any member has any experience buying a stock car or opinion i would appreciate the feedback.

Thanks
J14
 
I bought a new stock 184 A3 last November, all I know is I got what I thought was a great deal, as I was trading in I'm not sure what it was reduced by. But one huge benefit is that you don't have that six or seven month wait.
 
My dad has just put deposit down on a Sport 2.0 TDI (150) manual that was due in to stock this week and managed to get £1,500 discount . Options were comfort pack, metallic paint, SD nav and hold assist. Think car was £25k odd list. The deal was if you put a deposit down today you get it with that discount or wait 6 months for a factory built one with that same discount.

That was the best deal he could get around our local dealers - very little stock about so choices limited. He was lucky the dealer had one coming in as he wouldn't wait that long for a factory build!
 
If there's a stock car out there loaded with options you will not use, don't be paying much for them. There is a huge mark-up in options, yet they add very little to the used price (some add none, , the more substantial ones may add 20% of RRP if you're lucky). To grab a stock car with £3k options on you wouldn't have specced yourself, chasing a £1500 discount and not having to wait for your desired spec model to be built is no saving at all. Consider the month you're buying in and whether the car is already registered also. Better deals to be done in the quiet months smack in the middle of 2 plates, or buying a pre-regstered car just before the new plate is out, effectively making it look 6 months old within a matter of weeks.
 
Really does depend on the model and relative age/spec. an S3 wouldn't really attract a big discount as they fly off the forecourt as there are few around still, especially S3 Saloons which are the best ones ;)
 
Joetidman: They might be scarce, but i'd be loathed to pay RRP or close to it on £3-4k of options I didn't want, just to jump the queue for a stock car. I avoid options as much as I can because they offer such poor value for money if you change your car regularly. £4k worth of options can add a third to your monthly repayments as a result of them holding very little of their value. If you want magnetic ride and 19" wheels, you'd be better off getting a saloon with them being part of the standard model spec, as they'd probably only add £400 to a Sportback or 3 door's part-ex value.
 
monkeyhanger said:
Joetidman: They might be scarce, but i'd be loathed to pay RRP or close to it on £3-4k of options I didn't want, just to jump the queue for a stock car. I avoid options as much as I can because they offer such poor value for money if you change your car regularly. £4k worth of options can add a third to your monthly repayments as a result of them holding very little of their value. If you want magnetic ride and 19" wheels, you'd be better off getting a saloon with them being part of the standard model spec, as they'd probably only add £400 to a Sportback or 3 door's part-ex value.
Click to expand...

I've learnt life is too short to worry about used values - especially with PCP finance. It's only money I guess. If your happy with the monthly payments and you are getting the car you want I don't really see an issue.

There are many, many people who will have bought there S3 / A3 with no discount. My dealer especially is quite bullish at the moment where they have 6 month waiting lists for cars. Why discount something that's in such high demand? Sure I can find a broker etc - but some people just don't live their life like that trying to beat the best price out of people. I think a lot of people have got discounts through a mix of right time right place with a particular salesman's performance against target, sales kickbacks and loyalty for buying cars from them previously.

If you can't wait, getting one out of stock means compromise and yes that compromise will generally mean some kind of discount where the dealer will want to shift the car quickly. Or the dealer can be bullish and even refuse to discount an in stock car - all because of the 6 month wait again......
 
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Pulp: Used values are directly related to PCP monthly payments or lease monthly payments if you're not buying yourself outright and considering the depreciation as your cost. If I can have a great car for £400 a month (whether it be depreciation costs after buying outright, or PCP, lease costs etc) with a 4-6 month wait and my current car was perfectly adequate, Or I can have the same car now with a snazzy big screen Sat Nav, Better audio equipment and maybe a few other things I wasn't particularly fussed about or wouldn't have specced, for £550 a month, i'd be waiting. We all have a price that we're willing to pay for a car, and for me, that's about £400 a month. When you can have a £32k car for £400 a month and the £35k one costs £550 a month because the £3k extras add £150 a month (due to them retaining almost nothing of their cost, they don't seem very good value to me if they're not essential or desirable to the purchaser.

i will always look around for a good deal. If I can get 90% of the 10% discount by staying local then I will, to save me going across the country for my new car. Someone will always be able to give 10% off a car if you time it right, but you might just need to go 300 miles to get it. If a car is already in stock and doesn't have a buyer, i'll maybe take it if there's a good deal to be done.

I totally agree that a right time, right place situation is the best way to get discount, but you might need to pass on a few cars or wait a month or so to get it. Patience is a virtue.
 
Fair point monkeyhanger.

Interesting thing about in stock cars is sometimes they can't shift them even with a discount!

I know a dealer near me that has a 3 door black S3 s-tronic with lots of spec - Super sport seats, LED headlights, tech pack etc and s-line alloys. It's now been there since February. It might go with the change in number plate but I know they were offering a really good deal on it recently £38k list I think and think they were happy to let it go for £34k.

Salesman said they couldn't shift it because it was 3 door, the colour and wrong alloys. So spec can really put people off it seems.....
 
Pulp84 said:
Fair point monkeyhanger.

Interesting thing about in stock cars is sometimes they can't shift them even with a discount!

I know a dealer near me that has a 3 door black S3 s-tronic with lots of spec - Super sport seats, LED headlights, tech pack etc and s-line alloys. It's now been there since February. It might go with the change in number plate but I know they were offering a really good deal on it recently £38k list I think and think they were happy to let it go for £34k.

Salesman said they couldn't shift it because it was 3 door, the colour and wrong alloys. So spec can really put people off it seems.....
Click to expand...


Are 3 doors and black (flat or pearl/metallic?) really that unpopular? I prefer the look of the 3 door to the Sportback, but not to the Saloon. I'd want more than £4k off that car if it's a pre-registered 14 plate, with 63 on it's way in a few days, I'd be wanting £10k off it if it's a late 63 plate registration. Someone will get a good deal on that.
 
I think the issue with this car I was referring to was it looked very ordinary. Its been in the showroom unregistered all this time so guess £4k was fair....

Yep, my salesman said to me many times 3 doors are harder to shift. Think its 80% Sportbacks to 20 % 3 Doors in sales split. Might look better but people seem to value those extra doors.
 
90% of the S3's on the Audi's used car section have white leather interiors, I bet it's that reason why those cars aren't being sold.
If I could find one which has black leather seats I would compromise on other small little things.

Silly question but is stock cars one's which have been built but not sold? Why do dealers have stock cars? Customer cancellations?
 
Not sure about all dealers but the one I use seem to always have a constant amount of cars ordered with fairly modest spec in popular colours coming through all the time.

My old man had choice of s-line or sport 2.0 TDI SB (manual or s-tronic) in silver, glacier white or Daytona - that was six cars all coming in at the same time at our local dealer. All with comfort pack, SD nav, hold assist and upgraded alloys. Saved him waiting 6 months and he was happy with the spec.

Guess they take a punt on what people might want at short notice?
 
I thought you couldn't leave the car unregistered indefinitely, I thought they had 3 months to register them, which is why sometimes they end up with pre-registered models unintentionally. With dealers getting volume discount incentives, I suppose it makes sense for them to use their allocation, even if they have to fill it with stock that they have to discount a little to shift. My VW dealer of preference for my last 3 cars claims that without incentives/targets met, there is only 5% margin in the car, volume sales targets can add another 10% and an excellence rating for new customer survey satisfaction can add up to another 15%. Seems then that (assuming all VAG dealerships worth the same way), they're not exactly cutting their right arm off to give you 10% discount if the customers are happy and they are shifting volume.
 
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