... as I've just become a Volvo owner!
I needed a replacement car as the old merc is starting to play up at nearly 100,000 miles old. I didn't want to spend a lot so looked at used Insignia/Mondeo's as a decent company car. I was looking at spending around £12-15k, for that I wanted a 12 month old car with the right spec. Audi's and BMW - good cars whatever the drivers are like - would have to be a bit older.
After being let down by the local Vauxhall garage and a salesman who clearly doesn't know the difference between SOLD and FOR SALE (or black and red cars for that matter) I headed over to Kingston to look at Fords. Salesmen even worse.
Then I headed for Honda as I like the CR-V's for space but not much in the price range we wanted without high mileage.
As we walked past the Volvo garage I spotted a used S60 R-design on the forecourt at £17k so thought I'd have a look while there. Nice car, sporty design (sporty, volvo? who would have thought?) but a bit shy on the luxuries I wanted.
Salesman come out to speak to us and says he has some great deals inside. Right I thought, of course you do. But then he tells me that he can get me into a brand new S60 SE Lux for 30% off list.
List price on the car, a 2013 model with delivery miles only, with 95% of the options I wanted already fitted, the colour I prefer and leather/alloys etc, is £31k - a couple of hours and a test drive later and it's mine at .......
£21k
Apparently as a group the company bought 100 brand new assorted cars from Volvo, already built and specced cancelled orders; no choice in what they got but humungous discount to take them which they are passing on to get their registrations up.
Its only got the D3 engine, 2 litre, 134 bhp but £30 a year road tax and 60mpg!