Obtaining a pricing base line?

[thyllacine]

Hi all.
I would like to replace the family second car. To that end I have recently driven the Polo 66TDI, Swift sport, Ford Fiesta (mid range) and the Kia Rio SLI.

For various reasons, I have all but eliminated the Ford and the Swift which currently leaves the Polo and Rio on the short list.

The problem I am faced with (and one that others on this Forum have no doubt faced) is trying to determine what the ‘base line’ is. Leaving the Rio aside, and by way of example, I was quoted $26,701 for the ‘VW Polo 1.6 Diesel Manual’. However, Redbook quote a price of $21, 490. With on roads adding about $3,000 that would make about mid to high $24K. Similarly, I can find a ‘drive away’ car for about $25K on Carsales. Likewise a drive away cost of about $25K can be found on Discount Cars. Finally, the price quoted on volkswagon.com is just over $26K ($26, 127.62 to be precise).

Now, I understand the price will vary depending on state taxes etc. But on some of these sites, the state you are enquiring from needs to be selected. No doubt pricing also changes a little over time. However… there does seem to be quite a bit of variation – about $2K.

Presumably the best ‘base line’ is the Volkswagen home page?

I have no problem haggling from there. In fact this site and whirlpool has proven very useful.

By the way – the variation for the Rio SLI is probably worse

Sorry for the long first post.

Cheers

[Transporter]

I found out that the best time to haggle is when writing the contract with the dealer.

[Acko1991]

You are better off in the 77TSI Manual mate....But that is my own personal opinion. I bought mine for 23900 drive away in western australia.

Chow!

[pologti18t]

You are better off in the 77TSI Manual mate....But that is my own personal opinion. I bought mine for 23900 drive away in western australia.

Chow!

Agreed... I don't think small diesel cars in Oz will have the same desirability as diesel SUVs etc. In other words, you won't get back the extra you pay for the 66TDI. Wheels COTY 2010 was the Polo... the weakest model in the range to them was the 66TDI.

[thyllacine]

Acko1991
You are better off in the 77TSI Manual mate

I am in a situation where I have a teenage daughter (and a son turning 13 this year). I will use my replacement car to initially teach them to drive. I may still have the car after they obtain there P's. For that reason, I have decided to go a manual and a non turbo petrol car. Therefore, the Turbo diesel meets my criteria.

I must say, the Rio SLi was a great drive also.

[readerr0r]

Because of the TSI's low kW rating, a P plater can drive it. You just have to do some paperwork to get them excluded.
Info is here: High-powered (performance) vehicle restriction (Department of Transport and Main Roads) (see the moderately-powered section)

It would be worth it, not just because the TSI is better but also because there much more of them in stock, so you can haggle more.

[gavs]

I will go against the trand here and reccomend the diesel. True, WCOTY had the diesel as the least performing in it's comparison, but RACV rated it best in it's category. When I drove the diesel, I loved the effortless torque that it had and for the small price premium, driving it sensibly and keeping it as long as you intend should see the extra costs recouped.

Edit: Sorry, i didnt answer the question properley, each dealership will have other cots for dealer delivery etc, but if you have the VW website cost as baseline, then when it gets to the negotiating stage, just ask where the extra costs come from. Also speak to several dealerships, not only metro but country dealerships as well. Many 6R owners have got awesome deals by going through a regional dealership and 9 times out of 10, you will generally get much better customer service also.

[thyllacine]

Well, I found out both the real cost of a TDI and also the scarcity. I got my lease company to get quotes on both the Kia RIO SLi and the Polo 66TDI, manual. I wanted leather and comfort for the Polo – but I understand there is not one in the country in that spec.
So…I got a quote for a 66TDI with after market leather (no comfort available), for $26.9K. That amounts to a very modest discount.

On the other hand the discount on the Kia was substantial.

I’ve gotta say, I thought it was strange that the fleet discount on the Polo was so modest. I may look at the 77TSI to see if I can obtain a more meaningful discount. If not, I’ll give VW a miss.

[Astro_Boy]

I find the best way to obtain a price baseline is to check out New Cars

IN that website you can get an idea exactly how much dealer delivery charge should be, and how much the options should be. I find the biggest variation between the dealers is the dealer delivery charge, and the cost for the options (ie, sun roof, or leather).

If you have a base price it is easier to bargain with them. This is important because I am a cooperate member (and eligible for discount) and unfortunately they never really give you a real price when you are a cooperate member.

[Tuning Dynamics]

For my 2 cents,
The polo is absolutely the better car, personally i would go the diesel and maybe look at tuning it if you feel the need for a bit more go.
However in terms of buying, also look at haggling late in the month when dealers are chasing targets.
Also be in a position where you can make them an offer on paper and be prepared to walk away and make them chase you if they want the business.
typically dealers will have 10% margin in the car. Sometimes depending on stocks there may be a further rebate from the importer on offer as well.