Opinions needed.......

[waddler]

I'm toying with selling my ED30 its a '57 full UK spec import (Germany).  5 door, Silver, 10k and i'm the 1st owner from new (FVWSH).

I have Bluefin but mapped back to standard as the car drives better without it (in my opinion) so will throw that in.

Immaculate throughout.

Open to offers....

Let me know.

[ifti]

waddler - so you've removed the Blufin?? I want a standard car for now (blank canvas and all ), if so then PM me - Im interested

[ifti]

Is the warranty the only main drawback of an imported car - thefact that it only has 2 years rather then 3?

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Rain Sensor (Is this part of winter pack??)

These are standard fit on all GTIs/Ed30s/R32s - so why the fcuk do stealers have to list 'standard' equipment! 

The car was registered in June 2008 - so has a lot of its warranty left.

But when was it built?    And just how long does the warranty run till?

It is advertised at 4503 miles. Listed at £18,995

I rang the dealership today, and found out that the car has now done 10,000 miles.

The report the cnuts to their local Trading Standards - because this is a clear and absolute breach of advertising regulations.  Typical of Mann Egerton! 

I asked why, and was told it was a demo car. Only the salesman had driven it - no customers etc. though.

Reallly . . . . if no customers havn't driven it, then it aint a demonstrator. 

I asked if this increase in milleage affected the price, and he asked his manager and came back saying they couldnt lower the price any further. he said they are selling Golf's and not re-filling spaces, as they are hard to come by now.

A doubling of the stated mileage is CLEAR grounds for reducing price - period.  Just ask them to produce Glasses prices for both sets of mileage! 

He also offered me a 'chip' to 300hp for an extra £500 - which I probably wouldnt do just yet anyways (I didnt think dealers did this?)

What type of chip?  Because not all chips deliver what is advertised for the Ed30.  And if it begins with either 'S' or 'B', then £500 is a rip-off. 

Are Demo cars thrashed about?? Are they just used to take potential customers for a drive etc??

That is the $64,000 question?  Most demo cars are thrashed, but some may not be - but how would you honestly know?  I once bought a demo car, and subsequently found that it had been quite severly thrashed.  Furthermore, don't forget that car salesmen usually have fcuk all 'mechanical sympathy', and probably wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to correctly care for a car, and particularly one with a turbo.

I was considering offering him £16,500, and my car, in exchange for the ED30, and a full first service - do you think this is a good deal or not?

I don't comment on prices per-se, but but a good bargaining point would be a proper service included in the deal.  But you MUST make sure that you specify a full, proper service, as per the official service schedule - because many, MANY stealers pull a fast one - and will generally just do a 'used car inspection', but then stamp the service book to appear as a pukka service.

As always, 'caveat emptor'. 

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I've noticed it is a VAT qualifying vehicle. Surely that means it isn't an official UK model and is a personal import?

It would also mean a 2yr warranty instead of a 3 yr on wouldn't it?

Is that correct?    Never come across that before - but then I know sod all about VAT anyway!  :embarassed:

But if the OP wants to PM me the full VIN - then I can do an on-line look up to check the official status, along with any other non-genuine options which may be dealer fitted.

I wonder if it has the 2zone climate?

[Teutonic_Tamer]

my mate works at a dealership, he brings similar cars home till they sell just like you mention, he dont thrash it, he just uses it everyday, he dont really care about it though and also smokes in them etc, when i questioned this, he just said he didnt care as it wasnt his car.

This is exactly what Im concerned about, but then again, when purchasing a used vehicle, an you ever really be sure of how its been treated?!

But with a privately owned car, you can generally get a good indication of how the previous owner treated it.  When you go to view a private sale car - if they offer you first dibs on the test drive, just say 'no thanks, I'd rather you drove it first, then I'll take over the driving later' - that way, you get a good idea of how they treat it from cold.

But with a demo car, they arn't actually owned by ANYONE who drives them, and I would reckon that about 90% of demo cars never get treated properly.  That could mean driving hard from cold, not allowing the turbo to heat up or cool down correctly - as well as out and out thrashing (which they do get).

IMHO, demo cars are a much worse bet than a privately owned car.  And the only car worse than a demo, is an ex-rental car - 'cause we all know that Avis or Hertz rental cars are the fastest! 

I've noticed it is a VAT qualifying vehicle. Surely that means it isn't an official UK model and is a personal import?

It would also mean a 2yr warranty instead of a 3 yr on wouldn't it?

Hmmm, good point. I'll question him on that tomorrow and see what he says.....
Does that also mean you have to tell your insurance company its an import etc??

Yes, insurance companies will all want to know if it isnt a proper UK car, supplied from new through a UK franchised dealer.

If/when you view it, first, look at the service book, and make a note of who did the PDI.  Second, make a note of the full VIN, and PM it to me, and I will check the exact status of the car.

How else does an import differ from a UK spec??

Quite a few.

[ifti]

Thanks T_T - would the dealer give me the VIN number over the phone though??

I am swaying away from it a little after the stories Im hearing of Demo cars! If it was still around 4k miles, as advertised, it wouldnt bother me as much - but the car probably hasnt been 'run-in' or cared for very much if its a demo at 10k miles......shame, as it has everthing Im after TBH....

Nevertheless, as I said, if they wont budge on price and throw in a full service, I'll walk. I have plenty of time on my side at the mo. Then again, the dealer said he would be ringing me back this morning, but he hasnt so far.....Im not gona chase after him when it should be the other way round!

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Thanks T_T - would the dealer give me the VIN number over the phone though??

I dunno.  Some might, some might refuse - on the grounds of potentially cloning the car.  But you could give them some BS about trying to get an insurance quote, but feed them some speil about the insurance company not recognising the reg number (because they think it is an import), and they can only quote with a full VIN. 

I am swaying away from it a little after the stories Im hearing of Demo cars! If it was still around 4k miles, as advertised, it wouldnt bother me as much - but the car probably hasnt been 'run-in' or cared for very much if its a demo at 10k miles......shame, as it has everthing Im after TBH....

Nevertheless, as I said, if they wont budge on price and throw in a full service, I'll walk. I have plenty of time on my side at the mo. Then again, the dealer said he would be ringing me back this morning, but he hasnt so far.....Im not gona chase after him when it should be the other way round!

Yup, there are pleanty of other good cars out there.  You may have to wait a little longer, but it will be worth it in the long run.

[ifti]

Thats just it T_T - the fact that its a demo car probably means its been thrashed about and not cared for. I mean seriously, if someone gave you a car to 'look after', would you really drive it as though its one of your own?!
Feeling a bit gutted. Saw the ad - thought they would come down to around £18k at least, at at 4k miles I would have gone for it. Didnt know it was a demo car at 10k now!!

[illyun]

Ifti... I wouldn't touch a demo car - no way. I'm not saying that they are all bad but 95% of them most probably are.  Would you buy an ex-rental car... ? I reckon they are treated in the same way.  Buy private or a previously privately-owned car from a dealer.