Pre-registered cars

[BrilloPad]

'Pre-reg' cars now widespread in UK - BBC News

I did not even know what the term meant or it was possible.

The real scandal here is people who actually buy a new car who are fleeced relative to what people pay abroad.

[SueEllen]

People have been doing it for decades.

[_V_]

The BBC have found the cause

Experts have told the BBC that in the long term, the falling value of the pound could lead car manufacturers to ship fewer surplus cars to the UK.

Brexit wot dunnit.

[VectraMan]

So consumers get cheaper new cars? Not sure I see the problem.

[LondonManc]

So consumers get cheaper new cars? Not sure I see the problem.

Looks like Brexit is slowly unmasking rip-off Britain.

[BoredBloke]

I don't see the problem. Pre Reg cars are bought by the dealers to make up a shortfall in their targets and as a consumer you can get a hefty discount when compared to new. My car was pre registered. I got a good discount when compared to new and it was delivered with a couple of miles on the clock....the distance between the dealers compound and forecourt.

[Wilmslow]

'Pre-reg' cars now widespread in UK - BBC News

I did not even know what the term meant or it was possible.

The real scandal here is people who actually buy a new car who are fleeced relative to what people pay abroad.

I have bought four pre-registered cars - Punto, Fiesta, Focus and Giulietta. The former cars were when I was permie. The last one saved me around 6K from the list price. Mind you, the pretence of Alfa being a superior brand is pretty much blown these days so come to think of it I must have paid the going rate under the guise of pre-reg!

[bobspud]

'Pre-reg' cars now widespread in UK - BBC News

I did not even know what the term meant or it was possible.

The real scandal here is people who actually buy a new car who are fleeced relative to what people pay abroad.

How so? Everyone else in the world bar a few throw backs drive on the opposite side of the road to us. That means that the development of the car is spread over many more buyers. Changing the steering setup is more than a few tweaks. It used to be possible to buy right hand models really cheap and bring them over from Holland (had an MR2 that way) by stopping the ship at holland and unloading the car then putting it back and bringing it to England saved me 4k on a 20k car.... Thats not so easy anymore.

[CoolCat]

Been going on for years.

As have other things.

Some cars are sold to hire car firms at less than the hire firm can sell them for 6 months later, the makers do it just to keep the throughput going and keep their production lines busy.

Some cars are so unpopular they get dumped with mega cheap lease deals. Some are so unpopular even that doesn't shift them, Zoe is one at the moment.

Employees of car makers are often able to buy at massive discounts, and part ex for a new one with a similar massive discount etc. This in itself is a major way of keeping throughput of cars through the system.

And if you look at the 30% discount offered on, for instance, Jags to employees of other companies as part of discount deals you can see the list prices are fantasy.