Dealers slashing prices on Octavias

[Damo105]

It seems some dealers are cutting the guts out of prices on Octavias at the moment. Victorian dealers in particular.

There's currently a new MY11 RS DSG TSI on carsales at 33,800 driveaway, and a new demo MY12 118TSI DSG hatch at 27,990 driveaway.

it doesn't do much for resale values. The 'myth' about skoda resale values is starting to become a reality.

[wai]

It might just be that VW has ordered that all MY11 vehicles need to be sold no matter what.

Demo vehicles have taken their first hit of depreciation, and the stamp duty is different for new as opposed to used (which is what demo vehicles are classed as).

[PassatB6]

A sure sign the new model is just around the corner.

Just saw a 90 Tsi brand new MY12 for $19,985 http://www.carsales.com.au/bncis/det...ck&sort=~Price

[SAMMA]

There's currently a new MY11 RS DSG TSI on carsales at 33,800 driveaway ..."

Yeah I just picked up a MY11 RS DSG TSI with 1800km on it for $34,900 driveaway in Vic. Pretty happy with that price as I don't plan on selling it anytime soon.

I'm sure PassatB6 is right - the new model mustn't be far away the way they are discounting the MY12 's out the door - 118 DSG TSI's optioned up going for low 30's driveaway down here.

[Mysticality]

Wow... And I thought I got a bargain!!
TDI Manual for $42k driveaway!

[K1W1]

For the last three or four years Skoda has always discounted heavily around the September period and run a bonus product promotion during February. I guess it's something to do with their corporate reporting periods. Nothing new this year.

[woofy]

Yep same with most import car companies, this is the time new MY are appearing so they try and clear out the past years stock before EOY, the deals will quite often change month to month as well. I bought mine in Nov and it had free onroads at the time, plus with some persuading VAG kicked in some extra money as it was still early days for Skoda in 2008.

[Damo105]

Today I spoke to a mate who's a car wholesaler, he made a few calls to see if the trade wanted my car. He couldn't find anyone interested because it's a manual, and the Skoda dealer he spoke to said he'd price it at $18k wholesale, but he's not interested in it.

This is an MY11 RS wagon barely 18 months old in as new condition! So as far as I can tell, not even the Skoda dealers are interested in touching used Skodas. So much for supporting their brand.

I think we have to accept that used Skodas aren't worth a cracker.

[K1W1]

He couldn't find anyone interested because it's a manual,

So as far as I can tell, not even the Skoda dealers are interested in touching used Skodas.

No the reason is because as you said it's manual. The market for us manual drivers is very small and dealers are reluctant to buy ANY manual car these days. Same thing applies to BMWs, Audis, Holdens Hyundais or Mazdas. If you want to drive manual you have to accept that your vehicle will be difficult to sell and probably will not retain it's value anything like an equivalent auto.

[bobski]

No the reason is because as you said it's manual. The market for us manual drivers is very small and dealers are reluctant to buy ANY manual car these days. Same thing applies to BMWs, Audis, Holdens Hyundais or Mazdas. If you want to drive manual you have to accept that your vehicle will be difficult to sell and probably will not retain it's value anything like an equivalent auto.

I find that extraordinary, I would have thought there was a good chunk of the market still wanting a manual. But I suppose in the vRS part of the market, its mainly middle aged men (and wives who want an auto) making the purchase.

I was thinking about selling the vRS mid next year... will obviously need to do it before the time of year where dealers cut the arse out of the prices.

[K1W1]

I find that extraordinary, I would have thought there was a good chunk of the market still wanting a manual.

Way less than 20% of passenger cars are manuals these days I'm told. Manuals are now only really sold in any numbers in sports or performance type models of vehicles. The problem of course is that it's then assumed that those vehicles are "thrashed" by their owners.

[donweather]

Trust me, manuals are extremely difficult to come by. I got the last manual RS wagon in Race Blue in the Country. And I had only a choice of 2 manuals (race blue or Candy white) in the country to choose from. So I would go as to say that manuals are less than 5%.

But in saying that, there's a greater percentage (more than the above 5% I mean) of drivers who want manuals instead of DSGs, so I would think that whilst you've got a limited market for resale, there is still a decent % of manual preferences so I'm not too concerned about resale.

Given some question marks (myths?) of the DSG reliability outside of warranty, I actually think you may have a better chance of selling a manual past the warranty period.

[K1W1]

Trust me, manuals are extremely difficult to come by.

They are difficult to come by because dealers don't order them because they invariably can't sell them.

Given some question marks (myths?) of the DSG reliability outside of warranty, I actually think you may have a better chance of selling a manual past the warranty period.

When cars are outside the warranty period they just become second hand cars no more no less. They are not purchased by any sort of enthusiast they are purchased by somebody with $x to spend who is looking for a feature set like a wagon or a blue hatchback. A massive percentage of those buyers wouldn't know what a DSG gearbox is and much less don't care. It's auto or it's manual and they want one or the other mostly auto.
I'm speaking here from the perspective of somebody who has sold thousands (literally) of used cars in several countries. Used car buyers have a completely different mind set to new car buyers.

[woofy]

We were given a pretty awful trade in price on our Mazda 6 last year solely because it was manual, and people who buy Mazda 6s want autos even if the manual gearbox was heaps better and 6 spd compared to the old 5 spd they kept on in the 6.

The RS might be a tad different as manuals were the norm to begin with and the DSGs came in later and still have a negative connotation. I suspect the used car reports will sway people to avoid DSGs in the short term in a few years until VAG do something about them, so you might find the manuals will be sought after in the used market. Or the auto mindset around now might still mean people will not know jack all about DSGs....it's definitely hit resales at the moment though, our 323 3 yrs earlier was a manual and sold so fast it wasn't funny.

We never actually listed our 6 up for private sale so that could have been an entirely different experience and amount paid really but I wasn't in the mood to deal with the tools that turn up. The people who buy from used car yards fullstop are already sheeple.

[Tezzwokka]

I'm finding the same with my '09 RS DSG. I was looking to trade up to a new Passat diesel or Golf GTD which are a similar price, but the trade in value is ridiculous for my car. Just being out of warranty is a killer.

I eventually decided that it will take a long, long time to make up the fuel savings even with diesel so I'll just drive it until it drops by the look of it. No major problems so far at 75k km apart from having to replace the intake manifold which appears to be a common problem due to the variable intake valve leaking.

Still can't go past that turbo rush though....