Purchasing a C Class demonstrator

[Dutchie]

Afternoon everyone....looking for a little advice.

I'm considering buying a 2014 C Class 220 BlueTEC (AMG) that was a demonstrator in its previous life. I've not purchased a car for a while as I've been a company car driver for years. Am I likely to be able to negotiate on price with the main dealers? If so what sort of percentage discount should I be looking to obtain? I'm a cash buyer with no part ex. and the cars I'm looking at are between £27k and £30K. I know dealers will vary from location to location but it would be good to get some advice as like I say, I've been out the purchasing game for a while now!

Thanks.

 

[billy21]

Hello Dutchie,

It's worth bearing in mind that these cars are heavily discounted on many internet sites. For example, Drive the deal are showing an OTR price of £28,445 for a C CLASS DIESEL SALOON C220 BlueTEC AMG Line 4dr Auto. That's a discount of £6324 off the list price. So I would suggest that unless the dealer can improve on that level of discount you should walk away.

 

[SamW]

Hello Dutchie,

It's worth bearing in mind that these cars are heavily discounted on many internet sites. For example, Drive the deal are showing an OTR price of £28,445 for a C CLASS DIESEL SALOON C220 BlueTEC AMG Line 4dr Auto. That's a discount of £6324 off the list price. So I would suggest that unless the dealer can improve on that level of discount you should walk away.

Drive the deal strip every penny and then some out the deal - then sell the business to dealers that are struggling to hit their target... Matching it is unlikely but possible, I cant see bettering it happening.

Dealers have to have demos for 3 months prior to selling... they then recieve a write down from the manufacturer to sell the car at no profit or loss (the benefit is they've had the car for 3 months)

There is not an exact amount to expect off the price as most are advertised for what they owe, although some dealers may distress a bit more to out that car, and then register a new demo that counts towards their new car target.

If its just a used car that was 'once' a demo, just treat it like any other used car and do your best to haggle accordingly... Please bear in mind the used car dealer market doesnt turn much, if any, profit on an individual car basis - the income mainly hinges on volume bonuses upon hitting the target, so be sensible.

If it looks good value to you after searching up and down the country on the net, then it probably is.

 

[Dutchie]

Thanks for the info Billy. Great advice. I will definitely arm myself with prices of new cars from Drive the Deal, Orange Wheels, etc..

I'm also hoping that dealers would be looking to shift some stock over the next few weeks as March 1st is just around the corner.

 

[Giantvanman]

Don't mention you are a cash buyer as the discounts often dry up…..they make money by selling finance. Arrange finance and settle within the fourteen day cooling off period. The dealership is not always the best place to purchase a car, however. There are several sites that are not only cheaper (by a long way) but also have the vehicle in stock whereas the dealer may have to order it.
An ex-demonstrator is fine in itself but that has to be weighed against the savings from buying elsewhere or buying new. Things like warranties are not affected and all the add on policies (tyre/wheel/bodywork damage) can be bought separately from MB I believe and GAP insurance can be bought direct from an insurance company or MB of course. Just a few thoughts.

 

[Dutchie]

Drive the deal strip every penny and then some out the deal - then sell the business to dealers that are struggling to hit their target... Matching it is unlikely but possible, I cant see bettering it happening.

Dealers have to have demos for 3 months prior to selling... they then recieve a write down from the manufacturer to sell the car at no profit or loss (the benefit is they've had the car for 3 months)

There is not an exact amount to expect off the price as most are advertised for what they owe, although some dealers may distress a bit more to out that car, and then register a new demo that counts towards their new car target.

If its just a used car that was 'once' a demo, just treat it like any other used car and do your best to haggle accordingly... Please bear in mind the used car dealer market doesnt turn much, if any, profit on an individual car basis - the income mainly hinges on volume bonuses upon hitting the target, so be sensible.

If it looks good value to you after searching up and down the country on the net, then it probably is.

Thanks Sambo. Much appreciated.

 

[stevehg]

Hello Dutchie,

It's worth bearing in mind that these cars are heavily discounted on many internet sites. For example, Drive the deal are showing an OTR price of £28,445 for a C CLASS DIESEL SALOON C220 BlueTEC AMG Line 4dr Auto. That's a discount of £6324 off the list price. So I would suggest that unless the dealer can improve on that level of discount you should walk away.

I have not looked, but I suspect you will not find that many used cars below that value. The fact is that most people don't use the broker sites, so MB dealers sell the majority of new and used cars to private buyers at way above these prices.

Also, look at the prices on orange, dtd, carwow etc. closely, as they normally include an extra manufacturer discount for taking out finance. In your post above you said you didn't want/need any. So take this into account too.

I only say all of this, because if you follow the above advice you may be walking away a lot!

When I ordered via dtd, I was offered a number of new stock cars by the dealer at very competitive prices before placing my factory order. So if you're flexible on colours and spec this may be a good way to get a new car at a price lower than most used and available straight away.

cheers, Steve

 

[Westbarn1]

AS mentioned above, its definitely worth considering buying on finance, to get a better deal, this applies to approved used as well and then settling the finance straight away afterwards,
we did this recently, the finance people don't like it, but who cares as long as the price is right.

 

[Meldrew2]

… the finance people don't like it …

That's another good reason to do it, then.




.

 

[Giantvanman]

That's another good reason to do it, then.
.

They were disconcerted, incredulous and affronted when they called me. No, there is no problem; I just wanted to settle the finance early, said I.

 

[SamW]

As above, definitely take advantage of the finance as you'll get a deposit allowance on C class at the moment...

It's worth considering the fact that if everyone settled the finance, they'll no longer offer deposit allowances and everyone will suffer - so worth playing the game a little bit and let it run a few months at least

 

[Dutchie]

If I did go for a ex-demonstrator do you think its more likely I'll get a better deal before or after the new reg is released on March 1st? Dealers are going to want to shift 'old' stock but when do you think they'll most desperate for sales?

Thanks.

 

[Giantvanman]

Before. After that, they have a whole six months before the car 'becomes older' as it were, I would say.

 

[Nathant23]

Im not sure, New demos don't get registered till March. We will continue to drive ours until any road tax runs out if the demo is needed. However saying that, we did knock £3000 off a C saloon demo last week.