Buying Leon FR...any last words?

TheDean

TheDean

TheDean

Soldato
Joined
3 Oct 2004
Posts
5,020
Location
North East
Well,

Went for my first test drive in an '07 plate on Saturday, and really enjoyed it. All went well, ride was firm as expected, and the power was really there. I am moving up from a '97 1.4 Corsa Breeze (the 'breeze' indicates the sunroof!)
I am going for the second test drive today, and, assuming no issues, expect to finalise negotiations and complete the sale.

I'm looking for hints/tips/tricks on negotiating really. There are no issues with the car's history I can see. It has a full service history and only 22kish on the clock. Hubs/Disc's look a little rusty, which I think detracts from the look a little...it has been noted as an issue on the seatcupra.com forums. Would it be acceptable to ask them to be treated with anti rust paint or something?

The book price of the FR is £10,880; the book price of my trade in ('05 VW Beetle) is £4,200. After the first test drive, I was offered £4,500 trade in, 6 months tax, 12month (parts & labour) warrenty, full MOT and next full (major) service free (approx £240).

They are asking £10,995 for the FR.
 
What about the paint work; are there any dinks or dents you can use to negotiate the price down? Might be worth checking exhaust for signs of rust too...
 
redeye_uk said:
What about the paint work; are there any dinks or dents you can use to negotiate the price down? Might be worth checking exhaust for signs of rust too...
Click to expand...

The exhaust does have slight rusting...and there are a couple of scratches which my Mrs noticed last week. Work on those to drive price down? I'm not bothered about repairing them myself (as I didn't even notice them) but I guss I could argue it would be £200+ to have properly repaired?!
 
Watch out for leaky seals between the inside of the front doors and the windows. Water can pool in the bottom of the doors, since the drain holes are blocked when doors are closed.

If you wind the windows down then up again you can end up with very wet windows on the inside. I'm not sure how you'd check it, but if it's been out in the rain recently then that'd be a good start. There was a dealer procedure to address the problem, issued by Seat a couple of years back, but only a handful of dealers were ever aware of it.
 
Cheers Jono...thinking about a stage 1 remap as well. Someone mentioned it would be sensible to replace the diverter valve. Good idea?
 
If its from a Seat dealer (I assume it is, feels like it is from your post lol) then I doubt there's much room for haggling.

The best way to do it in my experience is to be a jammy git throughout your stay, but not so much as to be annoying. Don't wait until the 'end' to start your haggling, consistently drop hints on what needs doing and bits you might want be it tax/whatever. Know in your head all the sums, know what your car is worth and what you want to pay for the Leon, don't let him discounting the car a bit but leaving the PX alone (or vice versa) confuse the number in your head.
Start LOW, even if you feel a dick saying it and the guy thinks your a joke it still starts you off with more room to manoeuvre. Stay calm the whole time, try your best not to get emotional in anyway be it excited or anxious, your trying to be as scientific about it as you can be.
Remember its not just about the price, tax/warranty etc. are up for grabs aswell. If he offers you an extended warranty at 'cost', go along with it for a bit and then drop it and subtract its 'cost' from your current price and see what he says.
Once you feel you've got everything you can out of the deal, or if you think he's umming and aahing enough to just about take it, offer your hand! This is killer in my experience because they're probably not going to leave you hanging and it usually ends up finalizing the deal nicely. If its not going to happen though, don't worry about it, there are plenty of Leon FR's out there!

Sorry for the rambling.
 
Cheers for the help Chris - got it tied up last night, and felt I got a solid deal. I overheard him say in the back room "please boss, I need this sale!". Poor lad can't of got a massive amount of profit. Probably could have saved £500, maybe even £700 if I had gone private, but the tax, warrenty, and free major service were enough to sway me to the dealer. They also said they would get rid of rust on hubs, and repaint, and sort slight rusting on exhaust. Will post pics when I get it all polished
 
Skii said:
Leaky seals is a Mk1 issue isn't it ? I wasn't aware the Mk2 was affected?
Click to expand...

It was both. The fix was a replacement seal, but to get at them you have to take the door handle off or something stupid like that. Thankfully mine never needed doing.
 
Jono said:
It was both. The fix was a replacement seal, but to get at them you have to take the door handle off or something stupid like that. Thankfully mine never needed doing.
Click to expand...

I've had to re-seal the doors on my 99 Toledo. Very common issue with VAGs as the seal they used is: biodegradable and made from recycled materials :D Therefore, when in contact with water it will eventually break down. It's not a massive ball-ache, and can be solved with one or two tubes of bathroom sealant and a tool kit.
 
Quick question about insurance...didn't want to start another thread.

My insurance for my Corsa expires 4th September
My insurance for my FR begins 21st August

New insurers for FR have sent me the insurance certificate so I may tax it, and have requested 1Yrs NCB certificate. I have spoken to Corsa insurers, and they will send that out once the policy expires. Will my FR insurers kick off? Is this Ok?
 
I always have to provide proof of NCB and the new insurer usually gives me 2 weeks notice before I start getting the "We will charge you £XXXX.XX extra unless we hear form you" letters. At which point I phone then up and get them to phone my old insurer and do it all for me :D

If they start asking just fob them off/say it's in the post/get them to call old insurer until you have it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom