Overhaulin'

Is it a good idea to buy a new car online?

I've come across a website that claims to sell brand new models (BMW etc) at a couple of thousand pounds less than the high street dealers in England. .. but are there any hassles with servicing etc?

Public Comments

1. I wouldn't do it...how do you know what it feels like to drive? Maybe a test drive would reveal something you don't like but you wont know until you already have made the purchase. There could also be hidden issues that the seller chose not to disclose that you could find on your own inspection. I would pay the extra and buy it local.
2. Not in getting it serviced but in getting blemishes and faults corrected before taking delivery, and faults and grey areas like excessive oil consumption, vibration, panel fit sorted. As a general rule buy a car from a showroom, the car that you see, not from a catalogue, my mate ordered one and they had changed the spec by the time it arrived, loads of bits had been deleted . He was not a happy bunny. Better still let someone else have the depreciation and buy at 2 years old. The opposite applies to motorbikes, get one in a crate and let no one else ride it, then you know if it has been dropped.
3. Urm, i wouldn't unless you can go see the car for yourself before you buy it online. They can be vague and/or misleading about the information they give. You need to ask yourself 'why are they selling them so cheap?'
4. its a risky job, unless u have Friend or colleagues that have gone through such sources, but on the contrary there are a lot of good site and very safe ones only thing is wheather the seller is safe to purchase from and true in what he says,if u really find good deals be sure to do a lot of questioning to see if its true, i recon going to a used/new car shops or showrooms is the best option, as u should have the 5 main aspects check: 1. Oil 2. Mil age 3. Engine(Interior and exhaust (to check exhaust use damp white cloth over exhaust to determine condition of car, its ability and potential)) 4. Fuel Capacity and mil age per liter! 5. Handling Remember these five! Enjoy Ur new car when u get it ! And drive safely!
5. It's a lot safer than buying a second hand car off the Internet. Make sure it is full UK spec as it varies country to country (e.g. a vehicle destined for sunny Spain won't want to start in a cold British winter). The manufacturer has to honour their usual warranty on it. As for servicing, any main dealer will welcome a new customer whether they bought the car there or not.
6. I don't think that would be a good idea because a description on a website can be very misleading. They could say it is vintage for example and it could be a old banger! etc
7. those website can negociate big discounts because they buy in bulk, its not all plain sailing tho expect a huuuuge wait for delivery!