[Craig]

Title says it all really, my ford dealership is asking me to pay for my options as a deposit.

Topic

[vinalspin]

Depends how much they are, some dealers want a deposit on extras as a sign of commitment as some Mota customers have been known to order a car with lots of extras and then cancel last minute.

So long as you get it in writing that it is a returnable deposit and no towards the AP it’s up to you if you want to pay for them up front.

I added a £200 option pack to my last order and left the £200 deposit with a receipt showing what it was for and it was refundable.

[Susan]

Every dealership is different in what they ask for up front. Some want the entire AP and options, some are happy for you to pay 48hrs before handover. It’s completely up to them, not Motability.

If paying up front is an issue, if possible you could try a different ford dealership. It’s one of the first questions I ask when contacting a dealership these days as we were caught off guard when we chose a Mini, they wanted it all upfront but we couldn’t afford it. We had to save up before we could go back and order.

 

[John Newton]

When I ordered my Mercedes back in July when I mentioned deposits he seemed offended and said they don’t do such things, so that was me told.

[matt]

i orded a bmw from marshels with £2250 of extras and they never asked for any money

[Wigwam]

I would say no, it’s not normal. We’ve had three motability cars of three different makes from three dealers and have not been asked for any money up front.  I would refuse.

Perhaps the dealer has a cashflow problem…

[Brian]

I’ve been with Motability for 30 years, never been asked for any money before changeover day even when I’ve specced upgrades.

[Zoe]

I ordered a BMW and was asked for £1000 deposit and all my car’s before I had to pay the AP on ordering where I actually thought that was the process until I found this forum a few months ago before ordering my new car. Thankfully I found the forum as I got money off the extras as I didn’t even know that I could ask for that. Every dealership is different which is clear from this forum, so go to another dealer if you don’t want to pay it.

[Sadness]

Go through another dealer, if they want money upfront. – Either way, you can refund they say, so why not be accommodating and just say pay the AP on the day of hand over is what I would say.

Personally never been asked for money upfront before hand over. Always paid in full on handover day.

[BionicRusty]

Motability’s website says the following but this is regarding the AP.
“Your Motability dealer will require the Advance Payment to be paid in full on the day you collect your new car. If the Advance Payment for your chosen car is substantial, your dealer may ask for a deposit to be paid once your application has been accepted.”

https://www.motability.co.uk/contact/faqs/when-do-i-need-to-pay-the-advance-payment

Regarding car options, it says the same in that the cost needs to be paid before or on the day of pick up.

https://www.motability.co.uk/about/how-the-scheme-works/payment-and-cost-for-cars/

I am waiting for my second car on the scheme and they are opposite ends of the spectrum regarding deposits. The first, a BMW, needed no deposit at all and that was with over £2,500 of extras added.
My new car, a Volvo, needed £1,000 deposit before they would place the order.

I’ve read that it can even be different between dealerships so my advice would be to always ask upfront when looking.

? I will be remembered for nothing but had great fun doing it ?

[Olpk]

Depends on the dealer.

Just got a new VW with a ap and extras total of £5.5k and didnt pay anything until after I accepted the car and gave my pin

[Andy]

vinalspin wrote:

Depends how much they are, some dealers want a deposit on extras as a sign of commitment as some Mota customers have been known to order a car with lots of extras and then cancel last minute. So long as you get it in writing that it is a returnable deposit and no towards the AP it’s up to you if you want to pay for them up front. I added a £200 option pack to my last order and left the £200 deposit with a receipt showing what it was for and it was refundable.

Pretty much this. We paid a refundable deposit of £285, which was the price of the options on our new car.

[Azzy]

I had always been told by various dealers that extras always had to be paid for upfront otherwise they wouldn’t order it, some changed either minds and some didn’t.

Pop into the same dealership but in a different group and see what they say.

[Author]

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