Private vs Franchise Prices & Logic

[T5R+]

When buying a 2-3 year old (eg) £20- 40K car anticipate spending approximately 10% less with a private sale over franchised - as MB; offer a warranty, prepare to an accepted standard, include a years breakdown, 30 day exchange if change mind and even 7 days insurance plus "peace of mind".

Curious if others think this way also?

 

[c63k]

Personally I think the differential is worth it when buying from a franchised dealer, IF you're buying something high-end. The extra peace of mind, extended warranty (2 years for used AMGs at the moment), and the other features you mentioned are hard to discount. All of this assumes it is reasonably priced versus the market though, and goes out the window if the franchised dealer prices are excessively beyond the private market values.

 

[grober]

Depends on how risk averse you are?? If we are talking Mercedes Benz here--- todays cars are extremely complex bits of kit- something goes wrong the " local garage down the road" isn't going to be able to fix it without the right diagnostic equipment. Straight forward replacement of a component may still require the new part to be coded to the car so the car's systems can recognise it. Even 5 years ago I might have advocated a different approach but today buying a relatively new model outwith the MERCEDES system is a higher risk strategy than it once was. That not to say the Mercedes franchised dealer network doesn't have its black sheep also. :fail As always caveat emptor.

 

[KennyN]

All my previous car purchases have been private but I went to the MB for my CLS as it was my first Mercedes and it was the most (£18.5k) i have ever spent on a car.

Private was a no go as i had no way of checking the car properly (diagnostics) and getting an independent inspection would just have added to the overall cost of the transaction and i didnt fancy handing over a wad of cash to a stranger and having no comeback once i drove the car away.

Non franchised was an option but a three year old low mileage (18k) CLS Grand Grand with the bells and whistles that i wanted were rarer than rocking horse poo at least they were north of the border when i was looking and i wasnt prepared to trek the entire country looking for a car as spare time due to full time employment was in short supply.

I may have paid around £1.5k ish more with the dealer but i had a few teething issues that were repaired with no issues under their warranty , i had breakdown recovery , the car was exactly the one i wanted , it was 6 miles from home , they took my Saab Aero (with a noisy diff) without question and gave me three times what WBAC were offering so for me it was a no brainer.

Just my 2p worth.

Kenny

 

[DavidL]

Sounds like a sensible option and they made it easy which is also worth something.
I bought my 996 turbo privately and then put a new clutch in. Something, I would add, that didn't come up in the inspection I had at a very respected independent porsche place. I was not pleased.
So I'd only use inspections to steer me clear of a complete dog as you are still on your own at the end.
I'd aim more towards a trade sale on expensive and complex cars these days as at least you have some comeback and help.

 

[paneraiseeker]

If the car is less than 3 yrs old with full MB history then i don't see what the problem is buying private....

 

[KennyN]

If the car is less than 3 yrs old with full MB history then i don't see what the problem is buying private....

Providing the deal "feels" right and all the paperwork ties up 100% then there is no problem , but for some the saving in cost over the MD would not be worth any potential grief should it go pear shaped. There is a very limited amount of private purchasers that have the equipment or model specific knowledge to check a modern car properly and having it done by by independent garage would soon close the saving gap.

There is a lot to be said for driving in to a garage handing over a set of keys and driving away with a new car.

Kenny

 

[gIzzE]

Is it a 10% saving?

My thoughts on this is so....

When looking around, for example currently been looking at W166 MLs, I am finding 2012/13 cars from Mercedes at the £29-39k price point, however, there have then been 2102 cars at indy garages for £24k and even got close to pulling the trigger on a 2014 ML at £29500 with an indy dealer.

There is more like a 20-30% premium at Mercedes dealers.

Is this worth it?
No.
Why?
The tier 1 approved used car warranty is crap, and when we are talking about 2 year old cars it still has a years warranty anyway.

I would rather by a 2 year old car privately than buy a 3-4 year old one from Mercedes with their crap warranty.

Also, the 30 day exchange is rubbish imho, I tried to use it with me E350, all they would offer was other cars in the group stock, and this time with no discount, so although I got £4k off my original purchase I would have had to put £4k into something as good or more if I wanted something else.

Private sellers? Most are asking more than indy dealers as far as I can see.

7 day insurance? Oooh, look I saved £15!!

Buy the newest, best specced and lowest mileage, nicest condition car you can find in your budget I say.



Also, I know if I have had a dog of a car, I would never sell it privately, I would always trade it to get shot of it, which to me makes buying from a private seller a big plus for me, just a shame most are asking top dollar.

 

[John]

When buying a 2-3 year old (eg) £20- 40K car anticipate spending approximately 10% less with a private sale over franchised - as MB; offer a warranty, wash it and tick some boxes on a form, include a years breakdown, 30 day exchange if change mind and even 7 days insurance plus "peace of mind".

Curious if others think this way also?

Slightly more accurate now...