delcbr

basically iam thinking of getting a golf gt tdi 170
motorpoint are selling them cheaper than wolkswagen with 18"alloys and sr and centre arm rest.
i phoned up my nearest vw branch they said their imports and only come with 2 year factory warranty
any ideas pros and cons?

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

The imports do only have 2 years, and will also be worth approximately 15-20% less than a UK car when you sell/px UNLESS whoever buys it doesn't realise it's an import (in my experience, the V5 and the "malta" stamp in the service book usually give it away. . . .)

At the end of the day, they are cheap, and there's pro's and cons. Insurance can be dearer, and in the event of a payout it'll be less than you expect (although thats true of most insurance in fairness)

Spec can be different (More likely inferior, or maybe even better? . . )

GT-sport's in uk come with leather at the moment? does this import?

AND it is really a second-hand car (you will be second owner) even though it will have done less than 100 miles.

The only advantage is price. . . . But they are cheap!

I'm NOT saying don't buy one, just weigh up the pro's and cons, and make the decision if the saving in money terms is better than the perceived downsides. . . .

A lot of people are"stuck" with going back to places like motorpoint, because they are the only people who will want an import back . . . .

if you'd like me to do you a price for a UK car, PM me. I'm in north west near manchester.

PaulC72

con 1 year less warrenty
con some dealers frown upon servicing imports
con not sure how warrenty issuse are dealt with best check
con will sell for a cheaper amount as import

pro warrentys available online
pro you WILL find a garage to service it
pro save 000's on purchase cost

Basically if you plan on keeping it 3+ years then its all pro's IMHO.

Just check out what happens if you have a problem etc and all should be ok.

jonc

I bought a Clio 172 several years ago from Motorpoint in Derby. It was an import from Holland. As it was sourced from the EU, it came with 3 years warrenty (confirmed with a letter I requested from Renault UK)

I had no problems with dealers servicing it, dealerships still make money servicing cars where ever they are sourced!

I had the center section of my exhaust replaced under warrenty by a dealership, so no problems with warrenty either.

Bought the Clio for £12500K OTR saving over £2000. Had all the usual UK spec except a CAT1 alarm. Had a CAT1 alarm fitted in the price (CAT1 alarm not fitted on imports). Sold the car (private sale) two and half years later for £8900, so didn't depreciate as much compared to a UK car. UK cars were selling for around £9k at the time I sold my import.

Only con for me was that the sticker price of the car £12000 was non-negotiable.

lozgti

Remember when these Supermarkets were first starting out.

Went to look at a certain car which had a few odd things needing doing to it and tried to haggle.

Bloke just told us to 'pick another one'

paulg1979

iTrader: (1)

All dealers will service imports. They have to.

I bought a Clio from Trade Sales a few years back and still got good money for it when I sold it.

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

Obviously, Renault are different then. VW is just 2 years on an import, it even tells you that in the UK brochures.

Prime example of differing spec (although it's not a huge thing)

jonc

I think its pretty much standard that car manufacturers offer a 2 year factory pan-European warrenty, and UK add an extra 1 year dealership warrenty. I wrote to Renault UK to see if my Euro import was eligible for a years Dealership warrenty. They comfirmed with a letter that it would be covered, so it may be worth contacting VW UK to see if the car would also receive a years dealership warranty on top of the 2 year pan european warranty.

There may be differences in spec since its from another country, and you may even gain more than a UK spec, but obviously you need to decide whether these differences are acceptable. But these differences will be off set buy the big savings to be had from a uk dealership.

The other option would be to approach a UK dealership and see what they can offer. Sometimes, the UK dealerships are prepared to do good deals to get sales where savings would be minimal compared to a car supermarket, especially given the current economic climate.

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

I work for VW so trust me when I say that this is not the case.

I mentioned that earlier.

Current euro strength means that imports aren't that much cheaper anymore when you take into account that it's a pre-owned car and that it'll be worth less when you come to "move" it on.


I've already offered my services earlier in the thread

TBH I think you did well with selling on your Clio as it was a "niche" model, whereas a GT-Sport is a little more run-of-the mill

DCI Gene Hunt

...needing to find a really big trolley?

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

And the real bugger is trying to get them through the checkout