Import V Stealer v Nearly New v Supermarket

[CMC950]

Hey all, first post on here, but have read plenty, so thanks for all the tips.

Put simply, I am about to place an order for a 3dr Gti with DSG, Leather, 18" and a sunroof. Ordinarily that's a 24K car, but I've got 21. So whats the best solution in terms of the combination of risk, value, delivery times and residual values...

ps. I intend to keep the car for 3 years and sell privately at the end.

Options are:

1. Reduce the spec to 21 and order through VW

2. Buy a nearly new 1 owner from VW Used or other Dealer

3. Buy through Select (Importer) and save 3K... apparently

4. Buy from supermarket like motorpoint/motorprovider. Have to take what spec they've got but probably save 2K

Thanks in advance for your advice

[Simonl]

Select

[mu71rd]

i personally would choose select, because i did!

i think it's worth noting that they are not technically an importer. They are a broker (if my terminology is correct). They facilitate setting up a contract between yourself and VW Germany, and arrange delivery of it to the UK, for a small fee.

They are different to Euroimports and others in that they do not take the money from you - you pay VW directly.

[trentender]

If you have a part exchange then some stealers will increase the value to hide the lack of discount on the GTI.

It is well worth a try.

Candy White, build week 11 and can't sleep at night.......

[Snoopy]

Get the spec you want. Simple as that, if that meens import, import, if that meens asking Motorprovider or other supermarket if they can get the spec then ask.

[Rayza]

I would say Select

[CMC950]

No part exchange. Sold my MGF (truely rubbish car) already.

I've just obtained an online quote from Select and it does look attractive. The car to the spec I would want is 21.1K which is a saving of 3.4K. But, as per their claim that there is 'nothing different about this car to one you would buy from a UK dealer, not even the paperwork' is wrong isn't it? Select would be the 1st owner of the vehicle, I would be the 2nd and that will make it worth less when I come to sell?

[CMC950]

To Mu761rd

You actually bought from Select? Nice work. I couldn't find any evidence that anyone had done so successfully on the whole GTi forum! I read one long thread that appeared not to conclude of the car was delivered or not!!!

If you've documented your experiences elsewhere please point me in the direction, otherwise I'd really appreciate you explaining one or two facts such as - was the car registered new with you as 1st owner, just like buying from VW uk, is there anything in the paperwork or spec that would give-away the origins of the car to a buyer and c - how have VW reacted in terms of servicing?

Very much appreciated.

[mu71rd]

no, select just transport the car over to the UK. I am the first registered owner of my car.

What they are doing is not much different from ordering at a VW main dealer - they too place the order and arrange transport to the UK. It even comes from the same factory.

my car was guaranteed uk spec - the only thing you do lose out on is a year's VW UK warranty. But as VW UK's extra year is 3rd party really anyway, there's nothing to stop you buying an extra year from someone else yourself.

[mu71rd]

i did do a thread about it a while ago, which can be found here.

In answer to your questions:

1) i am the first registered owner, just like VW UK

2) I think the only thing that gives away the origins are original invoices (from VW Germany), and the dealer stamp in the manual - a german dealer. Even the chassis number states that it's the from the same factory as uk cars. There may be other things I don't know about tho.

3) I have no experience about the servicing, but from what I can work out, it should be no different than if you bought your car from somewhere that isn't local to you (which is happenign a lot with the limited GTIs available). It's a manufacturers warranty for the first two years, so any VW dealership in the UK will get the money just the same way as if it were a VW UK car. Only problem is if you get a tw@t dealing with you. But you can always try and find someone who isn't a tw@t.

ScottW also got his car from Select, and I think there are others on here who have placed orders with them.

AND...i got my bottle opener.

[CMC950]

Mate, thanks for that.

Well that sounds great. I guess my scepticism simply comes from the fact that this is a 'new' method of purchase. But I'm willing to go for it for free leather and DSG!

Nothing in the paperwork that affects the cars sell-on value at all? There must be something? If I buy a new GTi from a VW dealership I will get an invoice and stamp from that dealer - you must have a stamp from either the German Dealer or Select? But hey, a 3K saving more than offsets any additional depreciation due to the cars beginings, one would have thought!

I've now got two quotes, one from Select and one from Allbrandnew - which are about the same and both are quoting 12 weeks compared to local VW's 16. Result.

Final question, and at the risk of sounding pedantic, did you feel as though you were buying a new car, this way?

[AliJay]

As a past customer of Euro Imports (bought my MkV GTI from them - order mid September 05, delivered mid November 05), I have to say I found them a breath of fresh air when it comes to customer service & attention to detail. They're absolutely top rate on all counts and the prices they offer are very competitive as well.

If I were looking to buy another new car I'd use them again tomorrow without a moments hesitation.

[Simonl]

don't worry about a UK car being worth more come resale, UK dealers stuff you whatever.

[punas]

And when it does come to resale, the sting (if any) for being an import will be much smaller than what you saved up front. i.e. they may quote £500 less because it's an import, but who cares if you saved £2500 up front (for example).

[mu71rd]

a little word of warning...I had a GTI on order from Allbrandsnew myself, but then I started getting a little nervous that they couldn't be straight with me about the full uk spec. one sales person told me it wouldn't have an alarm, the other said it did. They never actually GUARANTEED it was full uk spec, even when I asked them to, and what they also don't tell you initially, is that the car is ordered from Malta, and I'm pretty sure it's not from the VW Germany factory.

Those things combined were enough for me to get worried, and place my order elsewhere.

I didn't have a problem with Euroimports, but it just happend that Shaun at Select was quicker to respond, and also cheaper.

[Simonl]

All EU cars come from Wolfsburg. Only cars in the southern hemisphere and the US come from elsewhere.

As for customer service, that's understandable - that would make me nervous too. Select sounded good from what i heard. Sean was always on the money

[mu71rd]

yes but cars for different countries have different specs. For example, all Euroimports' cars come with cruise control, because they're ordered through Denmark.

The Irish cars have no alarm.

I don't know what the exact deal with Maltese cars was, so I just played it safe.

[CMC950]

As I am begining to understand it, there is a clear distinction between a car importer and a broker.

Euroimports are importers - I think Allbrandnew are importers too. Sounds like they guarantee that the car has been built in Germany, but to which basic spec is uncertain. I assume that this changes from time to time as the importers search for the largest dealer discounts (taking into consideration exchange rates too) accross Europe.

Select appear to be on their own as being able to GUARANTEE that the car is from a German factory and built to UK spec. Literally Select are replacing the VW UK dealership in the equation, otherwise all else is the same.

Unless we've got a mole on here who actually works for Select, I'm convinced...

[Simonl]

whats select's URL, i've never even seen their website

[CMC950]

It's http://www.select-automotive.com/

They do seem to be the cheapest, but they have not got back to me yet - so the quote is still at the online application stage.

Also I am yet to find a decent What car/Top gear etc article anywhere that backs up what I have learned on this forum today.

I'm pretty sure I'll find something soon!

[stevie_d]

http://www.prestigeimporters.com/

Oh, who the hell have I posted then?

[mu71rd]

well i would understand if people were a little bored about me talkign about select, but really, I don't have any loyalty to them, other than recommending what I feel is a good service.

Also, my negative comments about Allbrandsnew were just based on my interpretation of what they told me. The cars certainly were ordered through Malta, but whether that means they UK spec or not I don't know. I just got a little nervous, and it was also tied in with me wanting to change my order to DSG, and Select at the time offered DSG very cheaply.

Euroimports also seem very good. I would add to your previous comment and say that Allbrandsnew are actually a car supermarket, and euroimports are importers.

I'd personally go with either Euroimports or Select, and as AliJay can recommend one, and I can recommend the other, you're probably in pretty safe hands.

What I would also say is that any of these options are better than going to the main dealers who, in my opinion, seem to be getting lazier and lazier as competition from others is getting stronger and stronger.

[mu71rd]

not sure who they are Stevie?! Don't know about having to put a deposit down before the order is confirmed with the manufacturer - that seems a bit tight.

[CMC950]

Fair shout. Your advice isn't boring at all!

If anyone has seen any WHAT IMPORT type articles on the net - from a car mag or anyone else for that matter, please put up the link. Cheers.

[nutkins]

Euroimports are basically the same as Select - except they buy the car on your behalf, with select all the money goes from you to the dealer directly. Select get there cars via a German dealer, and Euroimports via a Danish one. Both will guarantee UK Spec on their order forms. I cancelled a couple of orders with Euroimports purely because I couldn't decide on Spec (still haven't), but in all my dealings with them (Richard, I think he's more or less a one man band) they were superb. The main benefit with Select seems to be that the options are really cheap, the drawback that you have to do the transferring of money to the German dealer and the final price is subject to exchange rate changes, where as with Euroimports you just pay a deposit via credit card and the price is fixed. I would happily order from either of them and personally wouldn't dream of buying from a UK dealer considering the savings.