I've been driving Audi A4s for the last 20 years. I like them because they're good on fuel and generally have nice handling, though the last one (2009 113PS) seems to be a step downwards in that respect. I don't drive so much these days, but when I do, I'm normally carrying stuff, like my bicycle, R/C airplanes, stuff for my boat and runs to the tip. I had a bit of cash in the bank, so decided to treat myself to a new vehicle. After a lot of deliberation, I decided that a small van would be a good idea. After looking at a few, I found out that other vans, like the Vauxhall and Citroen are rebadged Peugeots and many of the other vans use the Peugeot engine, so I thought I might as well get the real thing and went to a Peugeot garage on 29th July.
That date is significant. The 31st July is the end of the year and the dealers have massive incentives to shift as many vehicles as they can before 1st August, so I was able to negotiate a good deal. From the list price I got discounts of 30% + 10% + 2% + plywood lining for nothing, which was about £8,300 saving on the list price. I guess nobody pays the list price and I've no idea whether it's just a made up figure. Last time I bought a new car, I got 13.5% discount and I know that was a good deal. I had good bargaining power because I said I wanted the economy basic low-power version, but they only had the top of the range high power version in stock, so he said he could do it at the same price as the basic one. That was the starting point of the negotiation. I showed my dissatisfaction with that option even though I didn't really care. I just didn't want to pay for it.
Anyway, I love this vehicle. It has so many advantages over my Audi Avant. My first journey was around 500 miles of mainly motorway driving, but involved at least two hours of driving in very heavy city traffic. I averaged 60 mpg for that trip. I'm starting to suffer from arthritis, so my stiff neck makes it a struggle to get in a normal car. I can't get in the back of a typical 4-door car, but getting into this van is like walking in to a room. The door is massive and goes very high. Being the top of the range Asphalt version, it has all the gadgets and gizmos that you get in modern cars including a camera in the near-side mirror to see at an angle when I'm reversing off my drive, Little things like that can be very useful. The ride is very smooth and the suspension very good - maybe a little on the soft side for really enthusiastic driving, but good enough to make rapid progress when you need to. It's really quiet too, just like a luxury car. Service interval is 20,000 miles or 2 years.
I have had my last Audi for about 4 years and never really became attached to it. I really liked the one before from the day I bought it. I love this van already. It's perfect for what I want. Happy days!
Moral of the story. If you're going to buy a new vehicle, start your negotiation in the last few days of July.
That date is significant. The 31st July is the end of the year and the dealers have massive incentives to shift as many vehicles as they can before 1st August, so I was able to negotiate a good deal. From the list price I got discounts of 30% + 10% + 2% + plywood lining for nothing, which was about £8,300 saving on the list price. I guess nobody pays the list price and I've no idea whether it's just a made up figure. Last time I bought a new car, I got 13.5% discount and I know that was a good deal. I had good bargaining power because I said I wanted the economy basic low-power version, but they only had the top of the range high power version in stock, so he said he could do it at the same price as the basic one. That was the starting point of the negotiation. I showed my dissatisfaction with that option even though I didn't really care. I just didn't want to pay for it.
Anyway, I love this vehicle. It has so many advantages over my Audi Avant. My first journey was around 500 miles of mainly motorway driving, but involved at least two hours of driving in very heavy city traffic. I averaged 60 mpg for that trip. I'm starting to suffer from arthritis, so my stiff neck makes it a struggle to get in a normal car. I can't get in the back of a typical 4-door car, but getting into this van is like walking in to a room. The door is massive and goes very high. Being the top of the range Asphalt version, it has all the gadgets and gizmos that you get in modern cars including a camera in the near-side mirror to see at an angle when I'm reversing off my drive, Little things like that can be very useful. The ride is very smooth and the suspension very good - maybe a little on the soft side for really enthusiastic driving, but good enough to make rapid progress when you need to. It's really quiet too, just like a luxury car. Service interval is 20,000 miles or 2 years.
I have had my last Audi for about 4 years and never really became attached to it. I really liked the one before from the day I bought it. I love this van already. It's perfect for what I want. Happy days!
Moral of the story. If you're going to buy a new vehicle, start your negotiation in the last few days of July.
