[Jay N]

Hi all,

For anyone one the scheme for a while, or even experienced in buying cars before COVID – How available would you say cars were?

I know and appreciate things are rather messy with all sorts of COVID related supply and demand issues – But I was just interested to see what the general experience has been.

There’s a good amount of cars to choose from, especially if you’ve got some means of getting an advance payment done.

I’ve just gone through our first application, for what will be our first car,  with my wife whom I care for and we really needed to find a dealership as close as posse and a car as quick as possible – A lot of upcoming surgeries and appointments the other end of the county, etc.

Our local Vauxhall dealer is less than a mile away and though we were looking at the Crossland initially, it would be a factory order which we can’t wait for ideally – So we went with the Mokka (Which is lovely) but had the lend £999 for the AP from a family member to do it – As it was the only one we tested that my wife could get in and out of well and was actually available.

what’s the deal, usually? Is there normally, forgetting COVID, a toss up between costs, models, suitability and ultimately availability or is it usually better?

I’m just interested to know what might be the scenario in 3 years time. If I have wait 6 months for a car, can you do such a thing as apply for it early so you get at it at the end of the lease of your current one?

Topic

[MB5]

I’ve had something like 7 cars through the scheme. Every car company is different, but in my experience, a 10-12 week wait for a new build is normal absent special circumstances like COVID. Odd things like the car having a mid-life refresh might change that. You can be lucky if there is a stock car in the country and get it in about 2 weeks, but that’s often not viable if you choose to have any options fitted. You can only apply 3 months before the end of your lease, when Motability write to you, but there is the option to extend your existing lease if your new car won’t be ready in time – Motability is generally very helpful on this kind of thing. That being so, assuming you have no urgent need, you can usually choose whatever you prefer if you’re prepared to wait.

[Intranicity]

Nothing to add to MB5’s answer. I’d say it’s just about the perfect answer to your question. Covid has made the scheme very different to the way things normally run. Hope you enjoy the Mokka

Previous Motability Cars
2006 - 2009 Skoda Superb VR6 2.0tdi
2009 - 2012 Citroen C5 2.0tdi VTR Nav
2012 - 2015 Nissan Qashqai 1.5dci tekna
2015 - 2018 Ford Kuga 2.0tdi Titanium X
2018 - 2021 BMW 220d X drive 2 Series Active Luxury
2021 - 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric Premium SE
2023 - Hyundai Kona Electric Ultimate

[Jay N]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Thank you. I didn’t really have any clue about what the norm was during the application process, COVID or not, so was just wondering how much it all has been affected.</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>I certainly consider myself pretty lucky that we’ve found a suitable car available -and hopefully ready to collect in the next two weeks. Even if it wasn’t necessarily our first choice and we had to pay extra for it (Though extra quality of life features are worth it anyway, I suppose)</p>

[Glos Guy]

Personally, I would always have a really good look around and get the absolute best car for your needs rather than go for the first car that seems OK. Dealership location shouldn’t really be a consideration. Most dealers will collect your car from home for servicing and deliver it back again (or supply a courtesy car if you prefer), even if you are some distance from them (we are 20 miles away and it’s never been a problem).  All our Motability cars have been factory orders as we always add options to get the perfect spec for us and want to choose our ideal colour exterior and interior. We have usually had to wait 3 to 4 months for the car – all pre covid. Once you have your first Motability car, delivery lead times become less of an issue as you keep your existing car until the new one is ready.

If you are new to Motability and if Advance Payments aren’t too much of a restricting factor, it’s worth keeping in mind that the better value is often to be had at the upper end of the market of what we are allowed to choose from. For example, a £20k car with a zero AP may seem like a good deal, but you might be able to get one that, if you were a retail customer, would cost you almost twice as much, for just a few thousand pounds AP. You sacrifice the same approx £10k in benefits over the 3 years, regardless of what you order so, for me, £10k outlay for a £20k car is nowhere near such a good deal as say £13k (£10k benefits plus £3k AP) for a £35k one.

[Jay N]

@glos guy

Thanks for that, appreciate it and it certainly makes sense.

For our first time applying through the scheme here, timing has been the priority. We’ve never had a car before so don’t even have any previous experiences of the car buying world at all. In retrospect, we left it a little late until we are absolutely desperate for a car to alleviate travel issues-  But were lucky enough on this occasion to find a car we definitely like, and suits well enough and is available in the next couple of weeks in a spec we are fine with. Again, really we would have wanted a zero AP option but, again, being lucky enough to borrow the £999 upfront was another blessing.

next time, and hopefully far beyond COVID times, I will definitely look into the whole thing a lot further and look further afield for the best deal for our needs.
Though I still really do feel very chuffed with the car we are getting.

thanks!

[Glos Guy]

JayN – no problem at all. You will find this forum to be a great source of information and you are doing the right thing by asking. I am delighted to hear that you are so pleased with your choice. That’s all that matters. The Motability scheme is an excellent option for those who fund the whole car buying world a bit overwhelming (which it is). It really is ‘worry free motoring’ with all of the running costs taken care of, other than fuel. So, even if the car experiences problems (which hopefully it won’t) or, in time, needs things such as tyres replacing, you will have no unexpected bills. It’s a shame that you’ve had to borrow the money for the AP but you will get a £600 Good Condition Bonus when you hand the car back at the end of the 3 years, which will help you next time around. Enjoy your new car!

[ChrisK]

Jay N wrote:

next time, and hopefully far beyond COVID times, I will definitely look into the whole thing a lot further and look further afield for the best deal for our needs. Though I still really do feel very chuffed with the car we are getting. thanks!

Hi Jay N

Just to add on top of the good advice from Glos Guy you will learn more as time goes by, heaven knows, I’m still learning after 4 Motability cars and only a few months away from ordering again.

Some of my problems are I can’t test drive cars because they need adaption to do so but after many hours thumbing through brochures, YouTube video’s and coming to this forum you can get by and armed with all the information a visit to a dealer and viewing a car and finding the things folk don’t talk about like boot lengths for instance will put you on the right tracks.

That said I agree with you when your a virgin Motability customer there’s a lot to take on board and getting mobile again is the high priority but like myself you will find over the coming few years with your new car where you need to make changes to the car you have to make things easier next time around.

Get your car and enjoy your freedom it will bring you and yours.

[Author]

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