Can you recommend a "keen" saleman?

Folk,
I have a 1.2 Dynamic - bought two years ago on the Fiat 0% interest deal.

It's a long story of the usual irrational behaviour of our womenfolk, but basically, the Mrs has taken to driving the Panda instead of my company Volvo. So, I'm now driving the Volvo instead of the Panda.

That's cool - but she has decided she doesn't like the colour of the Panda (don't ask). So, to restore domestic harmony, it would be handy if I could replace it for something that is less likely to clash with her nail varnish or something....

I note that Fiat are currently doing a 4 year 0% finance deal on the Panda - so I would ideally like to part-ex the inappropriately coloured model for one that is a more acceptable hue - paying off the old loan in the process and getting a new 4 year 0% deal.

I don't know if it's just me, but I seem to have difficulty these days finding a dealer that is even interested in selling me a car (last week, a gaggle of salemen in the local Toyota dealer couldn't be bothered to look up from the football) so a deal that's slightly more complex may present more of a challenge.....

Can anybody recommend a keen salesman/woman in the Southwest (I think it needs to be fairly local to me - because they will want to see the part-ex car first) who would be up to the job?

Thanks,
Creamola.

at least your mrs changed her mind after you already had it a while, mrs t took 3 go's during ordering!!!

dunno about southwest, if prepared to go a little further ABB at thames slough was very very very patient and helpful with mrs t, and extremely trusting (he gave us the keys to the demo car, and let us go off on our own without so much as a "i'll come along too")

I can't recommend a dealer, but I can sympathise about 'can't be arsed' dealers.
Last year I walked out of a Merc dealer after going there with cash to buy a new C230 Sport Compressor. The salesmen were talking about golf and it was obvious that a women going in there was only going to ask stupid questions about 'shopping capacity' and other trivia. I bought the Panda from Seward in Havant (not in the South-West), and got immediate service just by going up to a Panda in the showroom and sitting in it. (The other way is to phone up and make an appointment with a Sales Person first.)
Reminds me of the two BMW dealers I walked out of for being ignored when trying to buy a new bike a couple of years ago. Can they afford to lose so many customers? So it seems.

There's that story about a young Micheal Caine who wanted to buy a Rolls Royce with his first big film cheque. He strolled into a dealer, pointed at a Roller and asked "How much is that one?" The dealer took one look at him and told him to get lost. So he went down the road to another Roller dealer, bought a new one for cash, and then parked it outside the first dealer, making 'V' signs at them . A moral there for all dealers. You don't know who is walking in your shop............

Thanks to both turboned and pandissimo for the tips.

I finally got round to getting a quote from the dealer I bought the original (turquoise) car from - Pewsham Garages, Chippenham.

Their quote was as follows:

1. An offer of £4,000 part ex for my Sept 2004 Dynamic 1.2 with 5,500 miles.

AND

2. A new factory build Dynamic 1.2 with Metalic and Aircon for £6695 (list is £7870)

OR

3. A new factory build Metalic Eleganza 1.2 for £7195 (list is £8520)

This is all without the current 0% finance over 4 years offer.

If I want to take the 0% finance, the Part ex price of £4000 would be the same, but the new car price would be list, but with metalic thrown in.

What do you reckon? I'm inclined not to go for the Eleganza or the 0% finance, but is £6695 for a metalic Dynamic aircon pretty good?

Pretty good deal for that Eleganza, I'd say. The list difference is £1350, but in this deal it would be only £500.

Now it's true you do get the (manual?) aircon on the dynamic, so the "list difference" would actually be less, but still, the Eleganza is the better deal and I would go for that. (I went for the Eleganza myself.)

don't forget to have locking fuel cap, foggys and mats. i think further back in this section it's been mentioned fiat are charging extra for the priviledge of a locking cap,

list on the eleganza has gone up?! was £8095 in mar 2004, £295 for the met paint which we got thrown in free with the 0%, if you're going intrest free, and they want this new list price, i'd say get the goodies loaded in too.

squeeze till the pips squeak!! (to paraphrase dennis healey)

Doesn't the Eleganza come with a locking fuel cap?

Not any more...

In 2005, they decided that we should all pay for the privelege of having an extra key to carry... If you want the key to match the ignition, that will be an extra £275 or so (Ha-Ha) to replace all the locks and re-code the ignition. At the dealerships they talk a load of rubbish about how secure the fuel system is and how it is not possible to siphon off your fuel. Personally I'd be more concerned with what can be added to your fuel, e.g. petrol into diesel... which would immobilise your car. If the fuel flap locked with the rest of the doors, it would be much better...

Well, I am indebted to turboned for the comments about the fog lights and mats.

I called today and said I would do a deal if they threw in the fog lights - I hadn't even thought about using Fogs as a way of getting a better deal until turboned mentioned it. This gave the response that they couldn't - because that would be a factory order. The deal offered to me is using the dealer discount to purchase a car already built and on it's way to the UK - and has to be registered before 31st March.

It turns out, that the only Silver Dynamic with aircon that is available before 31st March has a factory option of split/sliding rear seats. The option price is £200 - but they agreed to go half and throw in mats.

So, the final deal that I have agreed - is Dynamic, aircon, metalic, sliding rear seats and mats for £6795 (List: £8070 plus whatever mats cost).

Oh - and I have already got the locking petrol cap - which I'll remember to keep!

We decided against the Eleganza in the end - simply because it's another 500 quid (I'm trying to keep the price down) and because it has low profile tyres. We live in a country area with narrow single lane roads and it's not unusual to have to drive close to the verge when a car is coming the other way. Verges seem (at least round here) to be full of bricks and all sorts....

On our other car - Volvo V70 with low profiles - I am not joking when I say that I have to replace a front tyre, on average, once every 3 months due to some sort of blowout or tyre bulge where we have hit something nasty at the roadside. Luckily, the Volvo is a company car, so I don't pay for the tyres - like I would have to with the Panda!