 | Home > Puma (Tdci) > Buy new or nearly new? |
 
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| Froogle-Yorkshireman Member Since: 10 Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 349  
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Having just wrestled with a similar dilemma on whether to buy new or nearly new I would recommend the new route. As the nearly news hold their price you will struggle to get a hot deal and with new you get all the warranty etc.
The secret is to find a dealer who is keen to do business and willing to discount a new one heavily to get the sale towards the incentives they have with Land Rover UK. Be prepared to travel a little for the right dealer and you will find a great deal on new. If you want to PM me I will point you towards the contact at the dealer I recently dealt with - I got top service and a great discount. I played 6 dealers off each other and went with the one that felt right for customer service and would match the best deal. Make sure you work out what you want in terms of extras before you start negotiating including things like GAP, SupaGuard etc. so everything is in the deal and you get the benefit of the negotiating strength you have before you commit. There are definitely deals to be done and don't let anyone tell you different as it is still tough out there in terms of the economy. On another point why don't you get the local dealer to lend you one for 24hrs to make sure you are happy with all the little idiosyncrasies of running a Defender. As you will read on this forum, if you like it then you will love it. I hope that helps. Proud owner 110 Utility XS Ex RR Sport HST V8 Ex Td5 90 |
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15th Aug 2010 8:44pm |
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| Parsley Member Since: 15 Aug 2010 Location: Sussex/Hampshire Posts: 10 
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Thanks Froogle,
I'd kinda worked out that time and travel will prove beneficial in finding what I want and as this will be a major purchase it goes without saying it will need careful planning. As a cash buyer I know I have that to bargain with, but nearly new prices do seem to vary a lot from the alright, to just below (or even above!) list. GAP and SupaGuard?? Never heard of them! (And I've been doing my research!). Excellent idea on the loan car, videos and forums are a far cry from the real thing. I might talk to Harwoods during the week at least to establish contact, my mum got her disco and a rover 25 from them so I could use that angle  they are pretty up market though with hardly any defenders on show, if any.
also they might baulk at the points on my licence 
My reasons for wanting a defender are pretty valid, I know a lot of other vehicles would fulfil the same role easily and perhaps more comfortably, but, well, it's personal! I'm in no hurry. |
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15th Aug 2010 9:13pm |
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| 110SEB Member Since: 29 Jan 2009 Location: Essex, England Posts: 1444 
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Welcome parsley
 It sounds as though your new toy would be a fitting tribute to your Ma and will be a great tool/toy as well. I agree with yorkie (above) about new v old. Barter on a new one and relax while you're in warranty.
I know what you mean about your local dealership - mine too sell few Defenders, tending to sell RRs and RRsports to city bankers flashing their bonuses. Their Defender ignorance might work to your advantage - see what they say. For the purposes of fixing / servicing and warranty work though a Defender savvy mechanic is worth his (or her) weight in gold to avoid the most often heard service Dept comment on here: "Your Defender leaks/squeeks/groans/[add any fault or concern here]? It's a Defender - they all do it." Don't be put off by problems - the warranty is your safety net. On my way between Essex and Dieppe last week, I saw about 3 Audis less than 5 years old on the hard shoulders with hazard flashing and the occupants on the verge. It's automotive karma: we love our Defenders and they reward us. I look forward to hearing about your purchase and seeing some pics |
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15th Aug 2010 9:47pm |
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| Froogle-Yorkshireman Member Since: 10 Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 349
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GAP is an insurance you take out that bridges the GAP between what your insurer pays out and the original invoice value. So say you pay £25k for a new car and in 2yrs 6mths time it is written off or stolen (and not found) then you insurer will give you market value for the car - for the sake of an example let's say the car is worth 70% of what you paid for it, that would mean £17,500 from your insurer. If you have GAP then the GAP policy would pay-out the other £7,500 to take you back to the original invoice amount. I hope that makes sense. Considering that these Defenders do get nicked a lot then I think personally it is well worth doing. One point to note though the GAP will only cover the original invoice value so if down the years you stick loads of goodies onto your truck those elements won't be covered under GAP. That said if you stick snorkels, steering guards, rubber mats etc. etc. at factory build / dealer fit then these would be covered under the GAP so your total investment would be covered. Make sure you get Return To Original Invoice Gap and check the length of cover - normally 3 or 4 years.
To save my fingers you can read about supaguard at this link http://www.supagard.co.uk/ The dealers have loads of margin in both GAP and SupaGuard so you should be able to drive a good deal if you include them both. I agree with 110SEB about finding a decent mechanic - strangely (or maybe not so strangely) I have found that dealers who are hot on sales are crap on service and vice versa - now on my third LR I buy from a different dealer each time and have a good local one (that see loads of Defenders) for my service, yet they can never get to the deal when I buy. The fact that your local dealer sells more RR's than Defenders could play to your advantage - The dealers have targets for each model type so you may find they will offer you a cracking deal just to shift a unit. Proud owner 110 Utility XS Ex RR Sport HST V8 Ex Td5 90 |
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15th Aug 2010 10:18pm |
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| Parsley Member Since: 15 Aug 2010 Location: Sussex/Hampshire Posts: 10
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The points come off my licence in september thinking about it so that road test should be an actual reality
It's partly a tribute to my dear mum but also will become a workhorse as I am in the process of re-imagining my future and considering new paths. Whichever dealer can talk sensibly to me on a level and not treat me like some kind of land rover nut will get my money and custom.
There is a great journey ahead, and boy am I excited! ...Bringing it back down to earth, it sounds pretty weird buying from one dealer and getting any warranty work and servicing done at another. I'd rather find the complete package but I guess life is never that easy! |
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15th Aug 2010 10:23pm |
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| Cannonball Member Since: 19 Jun 2009 Location: Co Laois Posts: 150  
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Agree with Froogle. Sales fine on my 2008 110 but service atrocious. Went to a different dealer to get numerous warranty and other issues resolved. The original service manager maintained that they couldn't find anything out of the ordinary and they were all like that! New dealer couldn't believe how bad it was!
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16th Aug 2010 10:51am |
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| mse Member Since: 06 Apr 2008 Location: UK Posts: 5028 
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Nearly new or new - depends on how nearly new. With all the discount and the deal i got a significant amount off getting a pre registered (1 month) one - i didnt choose the colour but for the Thousands saved and the extras i got - no contest.
Just a note on GAP insurance, really check it - its not always worthwhile and ive not seen one (in the 4 new cars we have brought in the last 2/3yrs) that covers you outside of the first year (which most insurance companies do) also if its not your fault and you can prove the loan - most insurance can be persuaded to pay the loan value. You can always get tyre insurance and everything else - this is where the dealer makes a killing. Their supaguard is overpriced, for the same we find other dealers do it - but i had lifeshine, done by a local (fantastic guy) for 60% less than the dealer. Different times of year, area and sales targets will change the motivation of the dealer. Oh and no other car avaliable comes close to the range of capabilities of a defender. Mike |
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16th Aug 2010 6:28pm |
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| bob neville Member Since: 30 Apr 2009 Location: Marbella Posts: 3247  
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Parsley
If you want a dealer who treats you as a person try my dealer - Yeovil LR - not a million miles from Hampshire. Try Kieran (sales manager) or Peter Kingswell (dealer principal) as a first point of contact. Tell them Bob Neville put you in contact and they will sort you out a very nice Reliant Robin 
Bob PS very good after sales as well - I think they know all the common faults now after sorting mine out |
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16th Aug 2010 6:38pm |
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| Froogle-Yorkshireman Member Since: 10 Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 349
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The GAP that MSE is talking about is Finance GAP and you definitely don't want that. As said before in my previous post RTI GAP (Return To Invoice Gap) is what you want to consider. This will bridge the GAP between the total on your invoice and the amount that the motor insurance company pays out in the event of total loss. It has nothing to do with the loan value and is not attached to the finance you may owe. So with RTI GAP if you suffered a total loss after 2.5yrs then you would get the full value of your original purchase invoice not just the current book value of the vehicle. RTI Gap will cover you for the full 3 or 4 years depending on provider whereas the motor insurers normally only offer a new replacement for the first 12 months from original registration. The one exception being NFU Insurance who offer new replacement for 24 months from first registration.
GAP and SupaGuard do have high markups on them so it is sensible to have them in your early negotiations rather than getting caught once the dealer knows you are in love with your truck. The other thing to bare in mind is that the dealers do need to make some margin somewhere. So if they get a little margin out of GAP, SupaGuard, Finance, Accessories etc. then they are more likely to throw bigger discounts at the chunk of metal. They are managed on hitting KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) which all the sundry items fall into so if you give them scope to hit several different KPI's then they will probably work harder to do a deal with you. Salesmen get a hard press in my opinion. Like all aspects of life you find some good and some bad. Find a good one and you will be onto a winner. I have bought 3 land rovers in the last 4 years, each one long distance and over the phone, once I had established a rapport with a good salesman. I have just done a cracking deal with Guy Salmon in Stockport on my new 110 Utility XS with a sales guy called Paul Arnold who was very switched on. He gave me his personal mobile number and was brilliant throughout the deal. He even sent me pictures by MMS as they fitted each of the extras, chequer plate, snorkel etc. so I could see my truck taking shape, that really added to the excitement before picking my new truck up. He has phoned me twice since to make sure I am happy. For me that's real service. I can't sing his praises enough. Proud owner 110 Utility XS Ex RR Sport HST V8 Ex Td5 90 |
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16th Aug 2010 8:17pm |
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| eutek Member Since: 03 Mar 2009 Location: High Wycombe Posts: 586
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I bought a "nearly new" 09 Defender last year, with under 5k miles on the clock. I wanted it to be under warranty, as things go wrong, however the "finance minister" wouldn't go for getting one brand new.
I'm glad I got one with the warranty remaining, as there have been some parts replaced. Nothing that caused me to break down on the roadside, but I'm glad they were repaired. I initially wanted to get one from new, but the treatment I got from the dealers was pretty poor. One place down in Battersea treated me like I was going to steal the car, it was really humiliating. Others were indifferent and made no real attempt to secure me as a customer. Since I got the truck, I've had a bit of mix luck with service. Turns out that the place I was trying to avoid, based on some negative reviews, was actually the best of the bunch. I think persistence is the key... and not taking the common "they all do that" line. Aside from some minor niggles, I have no complaints with the 110. I wish it were a bit simpler mechanically (ie no ems), but we live in a computer age so there is naught I can do about that. |
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17th Aug 2010 11:05am |
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| K9F Member Since: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 9610 
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Due to a possible imminent change of lifestyle/job I knew that my local dealership in Bournemouth namely Westover has a green 09 110 XS in with 13,000 miles on the clock. I was momentarily hooked. However what ensued persuaded me to buy a trailer if need be or deal with anyone but them.....
I walked in and apart from somebody at parts was the only other customer. Visible employees outnumbered customers by at least five to one in the glass fronted offices on view (not including workshop or parts personnel) Five minutes or so later wandering aimlessly about the receptionist nonchalantly asked me what I wanted "Er bag of chips no salt or vinegar!" For some reason sprung to the forefront of my mind.... Not a good start I thought!!! Salesman approaches after being telephoned to attend, with no handshake offered I offered him my palm and was met with a cold and weak wet kipper in response! What ensued was a curt exchange of views whereupon he skidaddled off without looking closely at my vehicle and returned with a paltry offer that switched off my interestometer straight away..... I politely stated that there was absolutely no point in further discussion, took the weak, wet kipper gave it a cursory shake and took my leave. He was left mumbling something about that being a starting figure.... A word of caution to anyone I may be interested in buying a vehicle off of....treat me with politeness and respect as I do you....Do not take the p155 or poke the bear....K9 doesn't like it and in today's climate can you afford to turn someone away with a bucket load of cash? These really are a dealer to avoid until they have had an attitude transplant.... Avoid Westover Land Rover drive to Salisbury (don't know anything about them) or Swindon (highly recommended) instead! Bob I may even look to see what Yeovil have! If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!
Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!! |
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17th Aug 2010 1:21pm |
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| Ninetenths Member Since: 26 Mar 2009 Location: Sarf Lundun Posts: 161
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They used to be v v good  Went down hill rapidly after they were taken over. I gave up on them when I asked if there were any updates on the mapping for my Defender, they kept banging on about checking the sat nav!!!   Use Quadratech for all servicing now, far cheaper and much more experienced. Pimped black '07 Puma
Equally Pimped Black Pick up Truck Rollin deep |
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17th Aug 2010 1:28pm |
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| niglyn Member Since: 12 Jun 2009 Location: Surrey Posts: 82
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A dealer 'pre registered' is fine. I bought a new pre registered for about 2k less than their best brand new price. It had 19 miles on it and one month since registration. I also had the choice of the dealers demo car, just used by the salesmen to & from work for even more money off. It was 6 months older and had more miles. The other advantage, I drove it off within a few days, no long delivery date.
Be very careful of buying nearly new. Many of them are ex- LR experience or demo models that have had a very hard life. They all get a full sort out at the LR factory and look new, but when you have a closer look without rose-tinted specs you may find all sorts of horrors, chassis full of mud, under seat boxes full of mud, little dings that have been touched up. If you go for a 1 year old off a dealers forecourt, have a real good look over it first, but personally I would stay well clear of them. |
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18th Aug 2010 1:13pm |
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| eutek Member Since: 03 Mar 2009 Location: High Wycombe Posts: 586
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Sorry to slightly hijack the thread, but is there any way of finding out more about a Defender's previous life? For example, mine was registered with Land Rover Fleet services and had around 4.5K miles on the clock when I bought it. I'd be curious to know where it was/what it was being used for before I got it.
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18th Aug 2010 1:38pm |
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