General Any good deals out there?

[Paul A H]

Couple of points:


1. You saw a 'Canadian' in a black shirt/white tie combination and yet didn't think to take a pic and then share on here? Seriously?


2. I have no idea how all this PCP stuff works but how would it compare to say:


a) Joining the British cycling club (or whichever other scheme) and getting the 20% off 'OTR' price
b) Trading your car in at the dealer and they pay off the finance
c) Going to your high-street bank and taking a loan with them for say 3.3% APR these days


Mesmerising.


Now I shall go to YouTube and watch Terry Hall in a Specials video to sate my thirst for the black/white combo.

a) That would appear to be the best way of getting the privilege discount - assuming you are using FCA to finance your purchase. Of course it should be possible to haggle the equivalent discount without joining the cycling thingy or becoming a copper
b) That was the plan. Unfortunately there was not quite enough equity in the car and we weren't desperate to trade in in any case.
c) That would work if we intended to purchase the car outright. In this case, however, the repayments on a loan of £9k at 3.3% would equal around £200 per month. The final deal we were offered amounted to a small deposit of £400 and a monthly repayment of about £132. Of course, if we purchased the car outright then we could cash in on the residual value when we decided to trade in, but £200 a month is a bit of a stretch for us as I'm the sole breadwinner in the household.

One other thing to consider; if you intend to make a cash purchase you'll find the level of discount available will drop considerably. There is often as much profit in the finance package as there is in the car. The smart thing to do is to take the finance package in order to leverage maximum discount and then pay it off within the 14 day cooling off period. I've done that before and saved £30 a month on repayments.

 

[JTD_Liam]

Sounds like you've had a bit of a giggle along the way (with the Canadian with a wardrobe malfunction) even if the experience wasn't exactly top-drawer! I've narrowly avoided the pleasure of a Canadian or American in the showroom a couple of years ago, thank God. Can't be doing with all that cheesy cr*p when I'm spending thousands of pounds - just cut to the chase!

It sounds like you've made your mind up now & given the Panda Easy only has 4k on the clock I'd lean towards agreeing with your decision, but I would endorse CarWow. I'm soon to collect a new Alfa Giulietta from a local dealer which I negotiated the deal on through CarWow. The discounts were between £2750 (effectively just Alfa's standard Q1 PCP deal) & £6000 off (£3250 on top of the standard £2750 offer), but I managed to get a further discount off a car which the dealer already had in stock which meant they reduced the list price by £5500 & then paid £3750 towards the PCP deposit (effectively £2750 standard Q1 contribution, plus £1000 Loyalty discount) meaning the total discount is over £9000. I just have to find £750.

I too was dissappointed (almost annoyed) that 3 years into a 4 year PCP, my MiTo had £2k negative equity, despite me doing thousands less miles than I said I would do. However, one of the dealers (the one I'm now buying from) advised that as I've paid over half the finance, I can voluntarily terminate the agreement at no cost, which I've done. This would be an option open to all Fiat finance customers in the same situation I presume, and might be industry-wide. This gets rid of the negative equity worry and allows you to start again. It'll leave a 'footprint' on your credit file, but won't negatively affect you, I'm told.

You probably already know, but in addition, if you present your V5 for the current car, you'd qualify for a further Loyalty discount on any Fiat, Alfa, Jeep or Abarth vehicle. I think it's a flat £1000 across the board - that's what I got

Overall I'd thoroughly recommend CarWow - they just remove the painful haggling & leave you to get on with buying the car. The dealer service I've received has been great, so it's not like you get treated second-rate because of getting a big discount.

 

[Goudrons]

Liam makes a good point in regards to voluntary termination.
You can do this if you have paid off over half, just hand it back, but not everyone gets away scott free!

Dealers have been known to make this very difficult and have tried to charge heavily to repair minor damage and wear if they think they can get away with it.

I've know some that have been or tried to have been charged for the repairs of small stone chips on bonnets and new tyres becaue the fronts are worn more than the rears.

The dealers and finance companies have tried hard to get this voluntary termination cause removed, but the regulatory bodies have so far resisted.


In regards to depreciation, it's not linear, which is why you get negative equity.

Basically (very basically) a car will lose a percentage of value over the years, but as each year the value reduces, so does the value of this percentage.
It's the same percentage but of a ever reducing figure.

ie, if a £10000 car depreciates at 20% a year, that's £2000 in year one, £1600 in year two, £1280 in year three and so on.

Your monthly payments are linear, they're the same each month, so early in the deal you haven't paid anywhere near the depreciation.

Only when you start getting to the end of the deal have you caught up with the evening off of the depreciation and owe nothing but the GFV.

They seem to get it right more often than not and as you've no real trade in value from your current deal as a deposit, dealers offer these deposit contributions.

These contributions also help keep the values of their new cars up.

There's no real "money off" the invoiced price of the car, just a host of "deposit contributions" to the list price.

 

[AB100]

Hmm, keen to investigate this carwow phenomenon I decided to pop some details in and see who virtually stripped my nostril-lining with aftershave.


I went for a Lounge Twinair with extras:


Total RRP £12,320


WHO............................ Cash................. Finance
Sutton park Tamsworth... 11782............... 10382
Burrows Sheffield............12019.................10619


Pass.

 

[AB100]

Lounge Twinair

Total RRP £12,320


WHO............................ Cash................. Finance
Sutton park Tamsworth... 11782............... 10382
Burrows Sheffield............12019.................10619
Motor Village Croydon......12320.................10920
Ashington FIAT................10798..................9398

 

[babbo_umbro]

Not really looking but my 13-reg 4x4 TA has 44000 on the clock and I just wondered what a new replacement would sting me for - having received Fiat's "we want your Panda" letter.

Panda 4x4 TA with Metallic grey paint RRP 14945

Cash Finance
Cheshire Fiat 12340 10940
Sutton Park 14328 12928
Bristol Fiat 13476 12076
Chipping Sodbury 14878 13478
Fiat Stafford 14044 12644

 

[AB100]

Not really looking but my 13-reg 4x4 TA has 44000 on the clock and I just wondered what a new replacement would sting me for - having received Fiat's "we want your Panda" letter.

Panda 4x4 TA with Metallic grey paint RRP 14945

Cash Finance
Cheshire Fiat 12340 10940
Sutton Park 14328 12928
Bristol Fiat 13476 12076
Chipping Sodbury 14878 13478
Fiat Stafford 14044 12644

Looks like times are hard in Stafford, though their slender discounts might be playing a part. See if a few more roll in.


I'd be almost OK paying cash for the finance prices but as noted, Finance and trade-up is the dealer's friend.

No rush.

 

[Al D]

Do you want a new 4x4 for £10500? Dealer in posh bit of Cheshire, you're in Devon. £2500 only off if you have money under sofa cushions.

 

[JTD_Liam]

Lounge Twinair

Total RRP £12,320


WHO............................ Cash................. Finance
Sutton park Tamsworth... 11782............... 10382
Burrows Sheffield............12019.................10619
Motor Village Croydon......12320.................10920
Ashington FIAT................10798..................9398

Not really looking but my 13-reg 4x4 TA has 44000 on the clock and I just wondered what a new replacement would sting me for - having received Fiat's "we want your Panda" letter.

Panda 4x4 TA with Metallic grey paint RRP 14945

Cash Finance
Cheshire Fiat 12340 10940
Sutton Park 14328 12928
Bristol Fiat 13476 12076
Chipping Sodbury 14878 13478
Fiat Stafford 14044 12644

To be honest I expected a bit more money off the Panda, but the typical saving off a £20-odd thousand Alfa Giulietta is around £5k so to get £4k off a £15,000 Panda 4x4 seems alright to me. The £3k off a TwinAir Lounge isn't much to shout about given the fairly generous standard offers on the non-4x4 Panda range, but if you're within 100 miles of Ashington in the North East then it could be worth a whirl.

If you want a brand new car for £6k then it's either a Panda Pop or a Dacia - nobody wants to pay over the odds but end of the day, Fiat are here to make money, and they'd need to shift an awful lot of regular Panda's to turn a decent profit.

 

[AB100]

If you want a brand new car for £6k then it's either a Panda Pop or a Dacia - nobody wants to pay over the odds but end of the day, Fiat are here to make money, and they'd need to shift an awful lot of regular Panda's to turn a decent profit.

It's a fair assessment, though my argument is more about parity. The FIAT privilege/affinity scheme suggests 20% off the Panda's cash price, which is a very generous amount. Nobody's come close to that and the offer.


As for brand new - not fussed/precious and in no rush at the moment. It was an interesting exercise.

 

[gar074]

... having received Fiat's "we want your Panda" letter.

I didn't get one of those. Feeling left out now.

 

[ambient white]

I didn't get one of those. Feeling left out now.

I am sorry you didn’t get your letter Gar.. So here is one just for you. Please insert your own details where appropriate.


"Qualifying Vehicle: 2015 Fiat Panda

PLEASE REVIEW THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY:
Chorley Group Blackpool needs your 2015 Fiat Panda!!! With used car sales doubling and used vehicle stock becoming harder and harder to come by, Chorley Group Blackpool has identified your 2015 Fiat Panda as a vehicle that is in high demand and would like to invite you to Upgrade Your Vehicle with this special one-time offer. This upgrade event is only available by invitation and is not available to the general public.

What does this mean for you?

Chorley Group Blackpool will make you an offer to part exchange your 2015 Fiat Panda on the purchase of any new 66 registration or used vehicle. All current sales incentives may be used in conjunction with this event. You qualify for all current offers including low rate PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) and finance rates from 0%. Also receive factory incentives up to £5000 on selected models.

Why take advantage of this upgrade?

We have selected you for this offer based on your vehicle ownership status. Our Dealer Principal has selected your file from our computer and based on the current fair market value of your part exchange and our calculations of typical EQUITY POSITIONS, you may qualify to exchange for less than you would have thought possible!

How does this work?

With an increased demand for quality used vehicles, Chorley Group Blackpool is offering higher part exchange amounts on all 2015 Fiat Pandas, to fill an immediate need for inventory for the used car programme. As you are a past customer we feel your vehicle may qualify. Simply call us or register at www.ChorleyBlackpoolEvent.com and schedule a time when you can come in and have your current car valued for the event. A visual inspection of your vehicle is required.

Why wait any longer for the vehicle of your dreams?

There has never been a better time to buy a new vehicle. As an added bonus we are offering a £400 savings voucher to be used when you upgrade to your new vehicle. Simply register at www.ChorleyBlackpoolEvent.com to automatically activate your voucher, print it off, and bring it into the dealership to participate.

If you would like any additional information, stop by today or call one of our sales professionals at 01253 400510 to schedule your appointment and vehicle appraisal."

I’m getting the same treatment as other on Fiat Forum. A number of text messages and emails promising me “incredible deals” on my 2015 Panda 4x4. Naturally I am still waiting for the deal to materialise, especially since they have not actually asked me what new car I would like, or indeed whether it would be another Fiat. NOTE. Their “incredible” offer extends only to a new 66 registered car to satisfy their end of February sales targets. This is highly unlikely to meet my need for the 17 registered together with the usual extras ordered with most new cars.

Are we as intelligent adults probably well versed and experience of car showrooms likely to fall for these fake sales and bogus offers? My previous three new cars have all been purchased through the Internet to so as avoid the trauma of the car showrooms where previous experiences led me to CarWow and then Orange Wheels and their painless buying experience.

 

[babbo_umbro]

Out of interest I got a quote from Evans Halshaw on the value of my 4x4 - 4x4 TA, 13-reg, 44400 miles, metallic green (though they didn't ask) - 4922 pounds. No idea if that's good or bad.

 

[Super Uwe]

Out of interest I got a quote from Evans Halshaw on the value of my 4x4 - 4x4 TA, 13-reg, 44400 miles, metallic green (though they didn't ask) - 4922 pounds. No idea if that's good or bad.

Seems about on the money if you ask me, possibly you could squeeze a couple of hundred quid more as always but I think it's a realistic trade-in price.

Just had a quick nose on Auto Trader and 13-ish plate TA 4x4's with your sort of mileage are around the £6,500 mark from a dealership.

The £1,500 or so difference in part exchange and forecourt price doesn't sound outrageous to me.

You could always try popping your details into webuyanycar and see what price they would be willing to pay in comparison.

 

[Al D]

Not sure what my TA 4x4 worth 13/63 in white with 16k. Have seen anything between £5100-£6600 quoted for mine trade in. Car worth more than that to me in some ways. Only wish I have is that it had the winter pack and that a major service was cheaper.

 

[varesecrazy]

Good info regarding specs..
As a used buyer.. cheers

 

[varesecrazy]

Back when I bought my punto
TWINAIR was a model..with mid.range spec


I take it by 2017..in the panda.. it was any trim level.. but with the £2k on top for 2 less cylinders.

I saw one with 'multiair' ...

How that happened.. no idea

Thoughts of 130bhp would be interesting though..


Still considering a low mile twinair.. but want make sure its not like a 126