I live in Poland, Skoda is our nr.1 brand, lots of dealerships across the country (two in my city) make it easy to find a better deal - a buddy of mine bought his Superb on the other side of the country, and even with additional transport fee (~1k euro) it was cheaper than getting it here (hence my wondering about their profits)
and yeah, VW are pricey, they hardly offer any discounts claiming "they don't have to as the cars sell themselves anyway" (so do Skodas, but they give you 10% off just for entering the dealership).
despite there's no Lex dealer in my neck of the woods, RX and NX are kinda popular, BUT for me an SUV has to have that "cubic meter" boot space. RX is IMHO just another "suv-coupe-BS" like aforementioned Stelvio, BMW X6/X4, Merc GLC coupe, Ford Edge... if I were to get a full size SUV (euro full size, not US) I'd get a Q7. tons of space, drives like a charm, and feels like a two sizes smaller car when you set it up properly. not my price tag at the moment though..
Estate v SUV for carrying bikes inside
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I did the same as your friend although only about 200 miles to pick it up and it's actually quite close to my parents' house so I stayed there overnight.
Turned out the the Superb SEL Exec was cheaper than the SEL Octavia, and the superb is considerably better specced.
Does Poland have something like Carwow, or do you have to shop around yourself.
https://www.carwow.co.uk/how-it-works
"Once you‘ve chosen a car, we’ll send you offers from top-rated, approved dealers – both local and national. Choose the offer that’s best for you, based on price, location and dealer ratings from other carwow buyers. All our dealers are committed to giving you their best price up front, which means no need to haggle and no hidden costs. We save our buyers an average of £3,600 off RRP."
Turned out the the Superb SEL Exec was cheaper than the SEL Octavia, and the superb is considerably better specced.
Does Poland have something like Carwow, or do you have to shop around yourself.
https://www.carwow.co.uk/how-it-works
"Once you‘ve chosen a car, we’ll send you offers from top-rated, approved dealers – both local and national. Choose the offer that’s best for you, based on price, location and dealer ratings from other carwow buyers. All our dealers are committed to giving you their best price up front, which means no need to haggle and no hidden costs. We save our buyers an average of £3,600 off RRP."
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I agree the country, and therefore, dealer support is a definite factor.tymon_tm wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:09 pmI live in Poland, Skoda is our nr.1 brand, lots of dealerships across the country (two in my city) make it easy to find a better deal - a buddy of mine bought his Superb on the other side of the country, and even with additional transport fee (~1k euro) it was cheaper than getting it here (hence my wondering about their profits)
and yeah, VW are pricey, they hardly offer any discounts claiming "they don't have to as the cars sell themselves anyway" (so do Skodas, but they give you 10% off just for entering the dealership).
despite there's no Lex dealer in my neck of the woods, RX and NX are kinda popular, BUT for me an SUV has to have that "cubic meter" boot space. RX is IMHO just another "suv-coupe-BS" like aforementioned Stelvio, BMW X6/X4, Merc GLC coupe, Ford Edge... if I were to get a full size SUV (euro full size, not US) I'd get a Q7. tons of space, drives like a charm, and feels like a two sizes smaller car when you set it up properly. not my price tag at the moment though..
I further agree the Q7 ticks the boxes for practicality (7 seats), driver appeal, refinement and premium badging. We briefly considered it (over the XC90 and X5. We refused to even consider a Land Rover product). However, its dealer network, out-of-warranty servicing costs and electrical gremlins necessitating contstant dealer visits prevented us from doing so.
According to early reviews, the new Touareg (based on the same MLB platform as the Q7/Bentayga/Urus/Cayenne) is supposed to be excellent. Then again, that will depend on whether you consider car reviews to correspond with the reality of long-term real-world ownership.
I'm yet to be disappointed by the RX.
Best,
853guy
first time I see such a service, we've got lots of brokers though who offer deals *supposedly* even jedi master of negotiation can't get. the downside is - you gotta pay a downpayment (and not the usual 5-10%), wait significantly longer and you don't get to deal and meet the joint you'll be dealing with regarding servicing or (hopefuly not) warranty issues. besides it mostly works on brands that don't offer much discounts, like BMW or VW. Skodas, French and Japanese makes, you can pretty much DIY, as long as you don't suck at talking to people or don't have like sulfur-grade breathcoriordan wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:14 pmI did the same as your friend although only about 200 miles to pick it up and it's actually quite close to my parents' house so I stayed there overnight.
Turned out the the Superb SEL Exec was cheaper than the SEL Octavia, and the superb is considerably better specced.
Does Poland have something like Carwow, or do you have to shop around yourself.
https://www.carwow.co.uk/how-it-works
"Once you‘ve chosen a car, we’ll send you offers from top-rated, approved dealers – both local and national. Choose the offer that’s best for you, based on price, location and dealer ratings from other carwow buyers. All our dealers are committed to giving you their best price up front, which means no need to haggle and no hidden costs. We save our buyers an average of £3,600 off RRP."
I don't know what's the deal with Superb, perhaps they're trying to steer clients towards that one from Kodiaq (ridiculously long waiting list here) and Octavia (businesses' fav car, possibly production can't keep up with demand). I also went in to Skoda to check on Kodiaq, was really loking forward for that one, price was right, specs were OK, ride was OK for an SUV too I guess, it was basically a done deal, just pick a color and sign an order... BUT the salesguy kept on talking about Superb like crazy, he ephasised the long wait on Kodiaq like he was trying to discourage me... finally I gave it up because there was no diesel in the 'sport' (or whatever it's called) trim, and - yes - a perspective of waiting more than half a year put me off.
servicing costs is what steered me away from the idea of getting a 2nd hand Q7, good deals can be found there though - same with current Touareg (smaller boot though) or Cayenne. a guy from an independent car service joint told me he'd eventually consider getting one of these with as basic trim as possible, without air suspension and electric-everything. but that really takes away most of the cars worth - IMHO 'naked' Q7 or Tuareg is just as stupid idea as a new Madone on Shimano Claris and 5$ tires.853guy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:09 pm
I agree the country, and therefore, dealer support is a definite factor.
I further agree the Q7 ticks the boxes for practicality (7 seats), driver appeal, refinement and premium badging. We briefly considered it (over the XC90 and X5. We refused to even consider a Land Rover product). However, its dealer network, out-of-warranty servicing costs and electrical gremlins necessitating contstant dealer visits prevented us from doing so.
According to early reviews, the new Touareg (based on the same MLB platform as the Q7/Bentayga/Urus/Cayenne) is supposed to be excellent. Then again, that will depend on whether you consider car reviews to correspond with the reality of long-term real-world ownership.
I'm yet to be disappointed by the RX.
Best,
853guy
as for the new Touareg, it has a full size tv screen planted on the dash, fully electronic display, etc. in my book it's a big no-no, I've seen mad people on the edge of sanity in the BMW service "lounge"
zone, whose 100k cars would return same failures over and over again, I've heard countless stories about Mercs' new E-class issues (same: fully electronic everything), so even if I were to spend like half a house worth of a sum on a car, the idea of becoming pals with mechanics isn't a tempting prospect - I'd rather have less 'features' but a bigger peace of mind 
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.
I did the same thing as your friend, but it was only a 200-mile trip for me. Luckily, it was pretty close to my parents’ place, so I stayed there overnight before driving it back. But if I’m being honest, I wish I’d just had it transported. When I picked up my last car, I used A-1 Auto Transport, and they made it super easy and stress-free.
Last edited by alanjob on Fri Oct 04, 2024 8:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Alan
My Bikes
My Bikes
853guy
[/quote]
servicing costs is what steered me away from the idea of getting a 2nd hand Q7, good deals can be found there though - same with current Touareg (smaller boot though) or Cayenne. a guy from an independent car service joint told me he'd eventually consider getting one of these with as basic trim as possible, without air suspension and electric-everything. but that really takes away most of the cars worth - IMHO 'naked' Q7 or Tuareg is just as stupid idea as a new Madone on Shimano Claris and 5$ tires.
as for the new Touareg, it has a full size tv screen planted on the dash, fully electronic display, etc. in my book it's a big no-no, I've seen mad people on the edge of sanity in the BMW service "lounge" zone, whose 100k cars would return same failures over and over again, I've heard countless stories about Mercs' new E-class issues (same: fully electronic everything), so even if I were to spend like half a house worth of a sum on a car, the idea of becoming pals with mechanics isn't a tempting prospect - I'd rather have less 'features' but a bigger peace of mind
[/quote]
Cars are horses for courses propositions...I agree with the indie car service guy. Air suspension is great, until it isn't, and then you are out $4K+. I bought a used Cayenne with standard suspension because I like the way it rides and handles, better in fact than the Q7 full air I test drove. As for all the electric everything, in my opinion they don't add anything to the driving experience. As long as you have Apple Car Play and good integrated NAV, you don't need anything else. The only true luxury is self driving, but the current systems are not good enough for me to fully put my faith in them. That and maybe a heads up display with thermal imaging.
[/quote]
servicing costs is what steered me away from the idea of getting a 2nd hand Q7, good deals can be found there though - same with current Touareg (smaller boot though) or Cayenne. a guy from an independent car service joint told me he'd eventually consider getting one of these with as basic trim as possible, without air suspension and electric-everything. but that really takes away most of the cars worth - IMHO 'naked' Q7 or Tuareg is just as stupid idea as a new Madone on Shimano Claris and 5$ tires.
as for the new Touareg, it has a full size tv screen planted on the dash, fully electronic display, etc. in my book it's a big no-no, I've seen mad people on the edge of sanity in the BMW service "lounge"
zone, whose 100k cars would return same failures over and over again, I've heard countless stories about Mercs' new E-class issues (same: fully electronic everything), so even if I were to spend like half a house worth of a sum on a car, the idea of becoming pals with mechanics isn't a tempting prospect - I'd rather have less 'features' but a bigger peace of mind [/quote]
Cars are horses for courses propositions...I agree with the indie car service guy. Air suspension is great, until it isn't, and then you are out $4K+. I bought a used Cayenne with standard suspension because I like the way it rides and handles, better in fact than the Q7 full air I test drove. As for all the electric everything, in my opinion they don't add anything to the driving experience. As long as you have Apple Car Play and good integrated NAV, you don't need anything else. The only true luxury is self driving, but the current systems are not good enough for me to fully put my faith in them. That and maybe a heads up display with thermal imaging.
since you've revived the old topic, there's a new kid in town for bike people - Mazda CX-60/80 (for us euro folks) or CX-whatever for Down Under, US etc. and what a car that is - AWD with a RWD architecture that feels like a machine not a computer, has one of the nicest interiors ever made, tons of regularly shaped space in the boot (the bigger/longer variant is crazy big although not sure if you can detach the 3rd row seats...) and a gorgeus 3.3L R6 diesel engine (the engine-gearbox combo is the best i've come across like ever) that hardly consumes any fuel yet is really nice to drive. and in full spec it costs like half of X5 or Velar!
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.
CX80 looks gorgeous but boot opening seems small and height inside not that high. At least compared to Renault Kangoo, Peugeot Rifter, VW Caddy etc. Sure, completely different type of cars, but in those I might fit my bike without the need to take out seatpost or lower the saddle (80cm saddle height). Almost surely not possible with this beautiful Mazda.
If you are talking about the US spec CX80/90, there's no way you are going to have a problem getting a bike with 80cm seat height inside unless you are trying to back it in straight up and down. I regularly stack two bikes on top of each other in the back of my car, using a moving blanket to keep them apart. Still leaves enough room that I can get some errands/shopping done when finished riding. Which is the whole reason for wanting a large enough car/SUV - I can carry the bikes securely, and leave the car unattended for short periods while getting errands done. Same for road tripping with the bikes.
I was able to fit a bike with seat left untouched to a Peugeot 308 hatchback... sans wheels of course ;D although it was tad higher inside than even most estates these days are. as far as Mazda goes i believe it;s perfectly capable. a bit smaller CX-5 has a trunk height of around 80cm.
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.
Yeah, what I meant was putting the bile in the car standing. So saddle height 80cm means a bit more than 1m of height all together probably. Not many cars that can take that. Berlingos and company, MB V class come to mind.
Taking front wheel off I can put my bike into a MB C class with room for three people (2/3 of second row folded). And with completely folded second row no problem to put it inside lying without unmounting wheels.
Taking front wheel off I can put my bike into a MB C class with room for three people (2/3 of second row folded). And with completely folded second row no problem to put it inside lying without unmounting wheels.
Looks like most in this forum are in a more luxury and driving-experience-centric world than me, but after almost buying a secondhand Octavia and then a new Dacia Duster, someone on a different cycling forum put me onto the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect.
My teenage boy-racer self is horrified that late-30s me is voluntarily driving a minivan when I don't even have any kids, but the car really is the pinnacle of practicality for an urban-dwelling amateur bicycle racer and outdoors enthusiast in Scotland. 7 seats is overkill for me but, without even removing anything, the second and third rows fold to give a continuous, flat, full-length rear deck. I do take front wheels off of bikes and fit them to a fork mount, but I'm pretty sure if I removed the third row of seats that would open up enough space for the whole bike to go in upright.
I see lots of people doing micro-camper conversions on these. That's not quite right for my needs, but I do routinely use the car instead of a tent - with one bike in the fork mount I have plenty of space to put my air mattress and sleeping bag next to it and still have space for a couple duffels, a small cooler, etc.
From an urban perspective, the roof is low enough for a standard multi-storey car park and it's not appreciably longer or wider than a big estate vehicle so street parking is neither easy nor difficult.
My 2015 model is still mostly Ford-built, but I think they're now almost entirely produced by VW, so it's just a down-market version of a Caddy Maxi. Means VW branding and interior are available if that's within budget, but even if you stick with Ford you're still getting a VW build.
Or for a slightly more utilitarian version, one cyclist friend has the transit van version of the same (Transit Connect with longer L2 wheelbase) that I think has a second row of seats and a window in the lone sliding side door but is otherwise a panel van. Pretty sure this means there's a lower, flatter deck in the cargo bay than the way mine is broken up by the easy-fold Tourneo seats. And I think he can remove that second row really easily to go full-panel-van when he wants too. Only major disadvantage compared to mine is he's got double doors instead of a tailgate at the back, so no inbuilt umbrella for getting dressed etc. Tailgate might be an option on a special-order for the panel van though...
Driving experience is somewhere between an estate car and a transit van. No thrills but perfectly capable and definitely more comfortable than a workie's van for long journeys. I'm sure I heard somewhere that the chassis for my generation of the car was the same as a Ford Focus and I think 'oversized-focus' is a pretty accurate summary of what it's like to drive. Interior of the 'cab' is nearly identical to that of an equivalent vintage Focus, so it's much more car than van-like. No idea what the current ones are like though.
--
Separate note re: purchase avenues -
I reluctantly bought from Cinch. Really wasn't my thing but I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere else. You have to buy the car sight-unseen and then they bring it to your door and you have 14 days to drive it and decide whether you want to keep it or cancel the sale and have them come back and take it away again. I don't even think they stick you with a cancellation or transport fee or anything if you pull the plug. If I were doing it again I'd probably have made an appointment to take it to my trusted mechanic for a once-over during the trial period, but even without that I can't imagine I'd have got any extra value by buying in person (unless it was a purchase direct from the previous owner). Fixed-price no-haggling suited my personality type but I understand why that's not for everyone.
My sister bought her last car from what seems like an equivalent operation in the USA. Can't recall the company name but she was pretty happy and would do it the same again - managed to get a very rare manual transmission version of a particular Subaru she really wanted.
That Ford was sold as Transit Connect in NA, but that model got discontinued in this market, as Ford wants to sell the miniature-pick-up Maverick. The Ford Connect is a great vehicle for outdoor sports enthusiasts, especially the long wheelbase version.
I drive Ford Edge company vehicle at the moment, but the company vehicle program is getting discontinued sometime soon, and replaced by some type of vehicle allowance. At that point I will be looking at getting some sort of van, minivan or a full size.
I drive Ford Edge company vehicle at the moment, but the company vehicle program is getting discontinued sometime soon, and replaced by some type of vehicle allowance. At that point I will be looking at getting some sort of van, minivan or a full size.
