Hi monkey hanger
Yes this deal was from Benfield Silverlink. But I did go to Pulmanfor a test drive as Benfield had sold their demonstrator. They made Px offer of £1300 with a promise of more off the list price.
Back at Benfield the offer was £12500 quickly raised to £13000. Asked for a cost to change of £13000 and got it. They didn't want me going back to Pulmans I guess.
Yes my car is fairly standard, manual no leather etc but no dings scrapes and unmarked alloys.
I must say thanks to Benfield for an excellent again deal again as it was 4 years ago on the current car.
Maybe they changed their attitudes more recently, but I placed my order with Pulman last Good Friday (days after the order books for GTI/GTD opened) after Benfield Silverlink gave me very short shrift the same day and I witnessed a disgustingly low p/x offer on a very gullible pensioner’s Toyota Yaris against a new UP (they were in the “queue” before me). When the salesman got up to get them a cup of coffee mid-negotiations, I nipped in and suggested that they were getting low-balled on the p/x (£2700 for a mint condition 4 year old Yaris, not particularly high spec, but should have been worth £4000 of anyone’s money) and they should shop around. I said I was heading to Pulman after hearing Silverlink’s offer and they asked if they could follow me up.
We had our discussion and it was RRP, no freebies and a low p/x value or nothing. I did ask them if it was the best they could do, as I was going to Pulman to see what they could offer and wouldn’t be back if their offer was head and shoulders better than Benfield’s. The sales manager at Silverlink just shrugged and said “we’ll see you later”. I went to Pulman, got a far better deal on the new car and p/x value for the Scirocco, signed there and then. The pensioners got £4200 for their Yaris against an UP, free servicing and a few other freebies.
2 weeks later I was in Silverlink to get my Scirocco serviced and the salesman made a beeline for me. I humoured him to see if he had a better offer. He didn’t, so I told him I’d gone to Pulman and gave details of the deal I got. He asked how much he could offer for me to cancel with Pulman. What a sleaze-ball. I go there for servicing/warranty as they are very close to me in North Shields, but I always shop around, and for the last 2 cars I have gone to Pulman. The one before that I was at Benfield Scotswood Road as they were more open to a haggle than Silverlink were.
