Private Fleet

Dazzler · **June 24, 2010, 22:26:22**

I am going to try "Private Fleet" for my i45 purchase (waiting to test drive an i45 Active Manual first which comes out next month) I know a couple of our members including Mel in WA used them.. Any feedback folks? (any traps??)

Paolo5 · **Reply #1: June 25, 2010, 08:25:30**

Hi Dazzler,

This is my experience with this group:-
I tried to go with Private Fleet for the ordering of my SLX. The guy who was assigned to me (his title was "buying manager") was really friendly but quite inept when the crunch came. In spite of me giving him specifics regarding the SLX model, he sought quotes for an SX model. I didn't know this until the paperwork came through and I had already started to order accessories for it. He was most apologetic about it but most incompetent also. He wasn't aware of the problem until I pointed it out to him.

The quotes that he got back for the SX were higher than the current Hyundai specials for the SX at the time. This was his day to day job, yet he didn't realize that Hyundai's price schedule was a "drive away, no more to pay" arrangement even though I had told him about that fact beforehand.

I ended up getting $1000 off the special price by just looking around.

Good luck... you have nothing to lose.

2i30s · **Reply #2: June 25, 2010, 10:28:50**

Quote from: Paolo5 on June 25, 2010, 08:25:30

Hi Dazzler,

This is my experience with this group:-
I tried to go with Private Fleet for the ordering of my SLX. The guy who was assigned to me (his title was "buying manager") was really friendly but quite inept when the crunch came. In spite of me giving him specifics regarding the SLX model, he sought quotes for an SX model. I didn't know this until the paperwork came through and I had already started to order accessories for it. He was most apologetic about it but most incompetent also. He wasn't aware of the problem until I pointed it out to him.

The quotes that he got back for the SX were higher than the current Hyundai specials for the SX at the time. This was his day to day job, yet he didn't realize that Hyundai's price schedule was a "drive away, no more to pay" arrangement even though I had told him about that fact beforehand.

I ended up getting $1000 off the special price by just looking around.

Good luck... you have nothing to lose.

sounds like he may have been trying to take advantage of you.

2i30s · **Reply #3: June 25, 2010, 10:33:04**

Quote from: Dazzler on June 24, 2010, 22:26:22

I am going to try "Private Fleet" for my i45 purchase (waiting to test drive an i45 Active Manual first which comes out next month) I know a couple of our members including Mel in WA used them.. Any feedback folks? (any traps??)

is private fleet like a lease company,or they find a good purchase price for you.?

Paolo5 · **Reply #4: June 25, 2010, 11:08:16**

They try to find a good purchase price for you.

Dazzler · **Reply #5: June 25, 2010, 11:15:53**

Thanks for the heads up Paolo!.. People in that line of work need to know the industry inside out... I do a lot of research about most things of interest to me and will be giving them well defined guidelines as to exactly what I want.. If their responses aren't sharp I will walk away.

Our member "Mel" in WA was pleased with the deal they negotiated for her.. I guess it may depend on which person you get assigned to your case..

2i30s · **Reply #6: June 25, 2010, 11:22:23**

sounds a bit like a car yard salesman,some are in the know and some just dont know.

agentr31 · **Reply #7: June 25, 2010, 11:30:23**

sounds dodgy... i bet if you showed cash you could get a better price straight up

Dazzler · **Reply #8: June 25, 2010, 11:39:02**

According to "Chris" the guy from Private Fleet who contacted me said they contact most of the dealers around Australia (basically put my purchase out to Tender) and if I want to trade they do they same thing..(highest offer for my trade)

There is a one of lifetime membership fee of A$165 if they find a deal you are happy with and the car is delivered to your door with a full tank of fuel....I'll keep you posted (Nothing will happen for atleast a month though)

agentr31 · **Reply #9: June 25, 2010, 11:47:36**

nice! sounds like a good deal, but just remember "money talks, bull5h17 walks"

your not trading the i30 are you? *shakes fist in air* you better not be!

Dazzler · **Reply #10: June 25, 2010, 11:55:24**

Quote from: agentr31 on June 25, 2010, 11:47:36

nice! sounds like a good deal, but just remember "money talks, bull5h17 walks"

your not trading the i30 are you? *shakes fist in air* you better not be!

I have had my i30 for about 27 months and done over 65,000 kms I love it but the wife and I want something a bit bigger, quieter and more luxurious (we are well over 10 years older than you) I bought a Nissan Tiida sedan for the wife at the same time as the i30 and that has only done about 19,000 km in the same time, the wife is very happy with it and we would get a lot less for it than i30 if we sold or traded it so the i30 will have to go

if we end up buying an i45 (but will still come on here to talk to my friends regularly)

agentr31 · **Reply #11: June 25, 2010, 12:02:15**

i know how you feel about the "luxurious" thing! thats why i own the maxima, nothing like smacking it in D, sitting back in leather bound, climate controlled powerful luxuary!!

wow you have done quite a few km's in it! good to hear your not going yo abandon the i30 club!

2i30s · **Reply #12: June 25, 2010, 12:28:46**

dont bale on us dazz.

[im not saying dont update/upsize]

Dazzler · **Reply #13: June 25, 2010, 22:03:46**

Quote from: 2i30s on June 25, 2010, 12:28:46

dont bale on us dazz. [im not saying dont update/upsize]

Won't be doing that in a hurry..

Without taking anything away from i30dave i was the first one around to start spruiking the idea of an i30 club (on the caradvice forum) but Dave had the skills to get this club up and going while I was still talking about it...

MelWA · **Reply #14: June 26, 2010, 14:02:23**

I had no problem at all with Private Fleet. The guy I dealt with was called Gavin. As I mentioned in my post about Private Fleet, I got the car around $1000 cheaper than what the dealer "just over the Causeway" wanted plus delivery and a full tank of fuel. The only time you talk directly with the dealership is when they are arranging delivery of the car.

beerman · **Reply #15: June 27, 2010, 14:14:47**

Thought I would try this mob too.

Rang me a million times with various quotes from dealers when all I cared about was the final price.

Quoted me a final price above the website quoted price then tried to tell me that the dealers told him that was to get the buyers into the dealership and there wasn't any stock at that price. Backed away from that statement when I told him that was called 'bait' advertising and if they had told him that was what was going on, the ACCC would be very interested. Seems looking at the Hyundai website was too much effort for him

Rang me again and told me they were about to place an order on 8 hyundais and i could piggy back on the order. I agreed subject to the price being good. It wasn't and he got most upset when I told him it wasn't anywhere near that offered by the company quoting for my lease.

The lease mob forgot the cruise control and in the end I got a better deal with cruise than they offered without. Just by sitting down with the dealer and knowing what was a good price and being able to shake for a deal.

The lease mob then got onto their contact and played the whole 'how can our customer get a better deal than us' and got a few hundred more off.

Wouldn't use them for anything other than getting an idea as to price, but from my experience it wont be that good.

CCsPack · **Reply #16: June 27, 2010, 14:25:23**

When I bought my i30 back in Jan 2009 Gavin told me that exact story about the 8 car order. I guess now that it was BS!

MelWA · **Reply #17: June 27, 2010, 15:52:57**

I got all the extras I asked for on the car. The dealership that wouldn't budge on price (and wanted extra to deliver the car to me 1200km north of Perth - the going rate for that is upwards of $900) ended up being the dealership that supplied the car. I guess the salesman missed out on his commission

2i30s · **Reply #18: June 27, 2010, 21:51:11**

my hatch came from a yard somewhere in Perth,that's why i had to wait 3-4 weeks on shipping and pre delivery.i never got charged to freight it thousands of kms across the country.

Dazzler · **Reply #19: June 27, 2010, 22:31:21**

My problem is we only have one Hyundai dealer in Tasmania with four outlets so it is a bit (lot) harder to play one dealer against another for us down here...

If I can sell my CRDi privately on here or on some dedicated sales site it will help a lot...

2i30s · **Reply #20: June 27, 2010, 22:38:32**

you could email a couple of dealers on the mainland and rustle up a good deal? its not that dear to catch the ferry to Melbourne and back.

one of us could even be your chauffeur for a day.

Dazzler · **Reply #21: June 27, 2010, 22:45:46**

Quote from: 2i30s on June 27, 2010, 22:38:32

you could email a couple of dealers on the mainland and rustle up a good deal? its not that dear to catch the ferry to Melbourne and back. one of us could even be your chauffeur for a day.

Thanks Steve, May still do that (it was my plan A before I happened on Private fleet)

I trialled a few Melbourne dealers recently when shopping for Service parts but wasn't overly impressed (only one of the three even responded to my email!!!)

2i30s · **Reply #22: June 27, 2010, 22:58:32**

may i ask who it was.?

MRH130 · **Reply #23: June 27, 2010, 23:13:24**

Honestly Dazz, you won't get a better price from a place like that than you could get yourself if you bargain hard enough. Unless the sale is to a legitimate fleet, the manufacturer won't give them any special bonuses.

Manufacturers don't like these things for a few reasons - for one, they want you to collect the car from your local dealership and establish a relationship with them so that you feel comfortable going there for service and the like. Also, dealers are supposed to make the experience special for the customer and having some random person show up with a car they have driven (in some cases hundreds of km) to your house isn't really an exciting outcome. Also you have no opportunity to inspect the car before it arrives, registered in your name and with mileage already on it. Makes it pretty hard to refuse to take delivery of it if you spot a dodgy repair or something.

I also think it's a good idea to establish a relationship with the local dealer in case you need their help down the track. If anything goes wrong and the car is off the road you have virtually no chance of the local dealer elevating you in the repair queue or lending you another vehicle to drive if you bought the car somewhere else. They are required to do any warranty repairs but they won't make a special effort to look after you if you didn't buy the car there. Not to overplay that angle, but as someone who worked in dealerships it can really make a difference.

My advice would be by all means shop around and get a good price, then go to the local dealer and tell them you want that deal or you'll go elsewhere. 9 times out of 10 they'll do it for you, and if they won't it's usually because the other dealer has a car that they particularly want to get rid of so they're prepared to sell it at a loss to someone who doesn't live near them. I could tell you some horror stories...

Just my 2 cents.