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Ordering Regrets

9K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  aggie2347 
#1 ·
I'm five weeks in to the 'long wait' and I'm having regrets over the vfm we are getting with the spec we have ordered, is anyone else is in the same boat? :?

We've ordered the following:

Xcellence, 1.4 TSI, Rodium Grey, RRP £27,115
19" Machined Alloys (standard performance alloys are too shiny with too many spokes imo)
Xcellence Pack,includes Park Assist, Top View Camera, Electronic Tailgate with Keyless Entry
Double Boot Floor

Compare that with the car that In hindsight I wish we had ordered (which includes the options I consider must haves from the above spec as well as some options that frankly I could live without):

SE-Technology, 1.4 TSI, Jungle Green, RRP £25,820
Standard Alloys (nice enough on the SE-Tech imo)
Rear Tints (A must have Imo)
Rear View Camera
Double Boot Floor
Advanced Ambient Lighting
Convenience Pack (aka, The Lazy Pack)
Electric Tailgate with Keyless Entry
Heated Windscreen

If we had gone for the latter we could have added the Panoramic roof or Sportline Styling kit for around the same price tag as what we're getting now and I think I'd value them more :cry:
I guess the moral of this story is to play with the Seat car configurator as much as possible before placing your order to make sure you are 100% sure you're getting the car you want and not letting the dealer push you towards paying for a load of options you're not bothered about :oops:
 
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#2 ·
Ahhhh, buyer's remorse! I'd long ago forgotten about that :)

Originally I was looking at the SE Tech last year but really wanted the 1.4TSi engine that was only available (early on) with the XCellence, so I resigned myself to being fleeced :) In a lot of ways I didn't really want the Kessy stuff or the leather seats either, but then you get the other goodies and factor in the fact that XCellence is only about £1k more if you pick the same 1.4TSi engine and I don't mind so much. Although then I went and added the XCellence pack with the electronic boot when I wasn't even considering Kessy for crying out loud!

What really did it for me though is after ordering I found this place and started looking at what else seems to be popular - with sudden pangs of guilt that I want for things like the Advanced Assist Pack (loads more sense if you have the DSG!) solely to get the rear cross alert (neighbours race round the garages) and that I didn't get a heated windscreen or ACC. I keep having to remind myself that in the 12 years I've had of owning my own car that I have had to de-ice the windscreen exactly zero times (so point of heated windscreen for me...?). AND... most driving is pootling around town or A-road commutes at stupid o'clock in the morning so ACC not exactly worth it either.

Do I feel guilty about going for a higher spec? Yeah, but then again it's a treat :) More fool me for looking early I suppose and letting Seat manipulate me. I played around with the configurator a lot and found that once I added the features I wanted there wasn't too much in it and I do like my gadgets! (Engineers, always a sucker for gadgets that do something cool which you use once and then forget about).

My question to you therefore is, did you really let the dealer push you into it or were you tempted in the first place? My boss said to me that he always found that each car he bought he had to go one-up on. Basically you buy a spec of car for some reason and next time round that kit level turns into 'must-have' (even though really it doesn't, you feel like you're missing out is all). All of a sudden those crafty manufacturers set the spec levels so you have to get that one higher spec. to get that one must-have but not really essential feature. They're in the business of selling you stuff so of course they will!

Don't feel guilty, you're buying an brilliant spec with lots of gadgets and if the press are to be believed probably the most popular trim option too.
 
#3 ·
Uggzy I'm with you on the wheels. My 18s are a different VW design and I already had them. I've tucked away the originals so that my son doesn't have any insurance lift when he insures it. It also gives me time to fit some 19s I have.

My only regret is not thinking more seriously about a First Edition when they were available BUT they weren't in the colour I've gone for and did have some kit that's probably superfluous for me. I hold no value in a motorised tailgate and have one as standard on another car.

I probably wouldn't have got the same deal on a First Edition and whilst I would have been happy with the colour choice I've still not seen a photo of a UK one. It's also a bit too "fancy" for a 22 year old 5 years down the line.

Convinced myself I've made the right insurance-friendly choice.
 
#4 ·
Uggzy2014 said:
I'm five weeks in to the 'long wait' and I'm having regrets over the vfm we are getting with the spec we have ordered, is anyone else is in the same boat? :?
Reading your post I'm asking is really to do with value4money? because you've changed the whole spec. The price difference is £1300. Any extras you order are worthless in monitary terms so to add so many extras to bring an SE-T up to near Xcellence spec is a little crazy if anyone is considering vfm. An Xcellence will always be worth more than an SE-T, no matter how many extras you add to it.

For £1300 the Xcellence comes with everything your upgraded SE-T has - and more! Leather on it's own would account for that £1300, but then add on the extra bit's n bobs. Where's your winter pack? (heated seats, heated washer jets, headlight wash) Where's your gloss trim (IMO std black plastic makes the car look basic) etc.

TBH your post sounds like it has nothing to do with vfm, more like you bought the wrong car. As for letting the dealer push you - that sounds like trying to put the blame on others!

BTW - talking of VFM - when you say you've ordered your car RRP £27,115 - it took me less than 30secs to spec that car up on a broker website ( I used Drive the Deal, there may well be better deals found elsewhere) and it comes to £25,539. If you're talking value for money, why did you pay £1600 more than you could have? Why didn't you shop around different dealers or when talking to your current dealer, mention that you can buy the car for £1600 less elsewhere and ask what's the best deal they can offer? It certainly isn't rocket science, in fact I'm willing to bet most people would have done that.
 
#5 ·
I originally ordered the 1.4TSI SE Tech in Rhodium Grey with the heated screen and sound/spare. I later convinced myself into the Xcellence with the same spec because the monthly payment only increased by £17. I didn't want or need all the other driver assist stuff as I don't even use Cruise Control on my current car and I can still park. I thought about the panoramic roof but the cost was too much. The only nagging regret I had / have (depends on the day!) was whether I should have kept with the SE Tech with the same spec but added the DSG. I actually enjoy a manual car when it's well set up, but occasionally enjoy being lazy. Maybe when my contract comes up, and I'm three years nearer to retirement, I'll add the DSG.

I really like the Samoa Orange but worried about the novelty value wearing thin too quickly. It still niggles me I didn't go for it. There is, however, a huge wait right now for these.

Still think I prefer the SE Tech wheels over the Performance. They will look good with the grey but will be a pain in the backside to keep clean.

So, shopping around, my 1.4TSI Xcellence in Rhodium Grey with heated screen and Sound / Spare come in at £ 24,217. That's the base price of £24,440 plus £575 for paint, plus £160 for screen, plus £330 for sound/spare, less £500 for test drive, less £538 through CarWow, and less £250 on-line voucher.

I can't see another car out there that looks so good, has the space, and can be spec'd to this level for that price.
 
#6 ·
Golfmk56 said:
Reading your post I'm asking is really to do with value4money? because you've changed the whole spec. The price difference is £1300. Any extras you order are worthless in monitary terms so to add so many extras to bring an SE-T up to near Xcellence spec is a little crazy if anyone is considering vfm. An Xcellence will always be worth more than an SE-T, no matter how many extras you add to it.
Yes ordering the wrong spec level car is the topic here, hence the title 'Ordering Regrets'. The latter spec level is cheaper so yes I would say I would have gotten better vfm, desired spec for less money= better Vfm... ;)
I'm not interested in what the car is worth, only in what it is going to cost me, are you suggesting the SE-Tech is going to be worthless at resale? :lol:

Golfmk56 said:
For £1300 the Xcellence comes with everything your upgraded SE-T has - and more! Leather on it's own would account for that £1300, but then add on the extra bit's n bobs. Where's your winter pack? (heated seats, heated washer jets, headlight wash) Where's your gloss trim (IMO std black plastic makes the car look basic) etc.
Actually it doesn't. The heated windscreen is not included with the Xcellence... and just because it comes with 'more' doesn't mean I want those extras or particularly want to pay for them. As for the Gloss trim... I think you will find a lot of us don't like the cheap looking finger print magnet piano black gloss trim, give me glare free matt interiors any day!

Golfmk56 said:
TBH your post sounds like it has nothing to do with vfm, more like you bought the wrong car. As for letting the dealer push you - that sounds like trying to put the blame on others!
At the time of ordering we were unaware that the Xcellence kit could be cherry picked and added to the SE-Tech, we simply told the dealer we wanted the same spec we have with our current Leon FR and were told we'd need to order Xcellence, that turned out to be untrue. Should we have researched the options more before hand? Absolutely! Is it our fault? Partly, but then we only went in to have a replacement part fitted to our Leon, not to order a new car! :roll:

Golfmk56 said:
BTW - talking of VFM - when you say you've ordered your car RRP £27,115 - it took me less than 30secs to spec that car up on a broker website ( I used Drive the Deal, there may well be better deals found elsewhere) and it comes to £25,539. If you're talking value for money, why did you pay £1600 more than you could have? Why didn't you shop around different dealers or when talking to your current dealer, mention that you can buy the car for £1600 less elsewhere and ask what's the best deal they can offer? It certainly isn't rocket science, in fact I'm willing to bet most people would have done that.
I well aware that there are better deals to be had through brokers, sadly on this occasion I couldn't convince the Mrs to go down that route, I would imagine the SE-Tech would still have been cheaper than Xcellence anyway, swings and roundabouts.
 
#7 ·
tobydog said:
I originally ordered the 1.4TSI SE Tech in Rhodium Grey with the heated screen and sound/spare. I later convinced myself into the Xcellence with the same spec because the monthly payment only increased by £17. I didn't want or need all the other driver assist stuff as I don't even use Cruise Control on my current car and I can still park. I thought about the panoramic roof but the cost was too much. The only nagging regret I had / have (depends on the day!) was whether I should have kept with the SE Tech with the same spec but added the DSG. I actually enjoy a manual car when it's well set up, but occasionally enjoy being lazy. Maybe when my contract comes up, and I'm three years nearer to retirement, I'll add the DSG.

I really like the Samoa Orange but worried about the novelty value wearing thin too quickly. It still niggles me I didn't go for it. There is, however, a huge wait right now for these.

Still think I prefer the SE Tech wheels over the Performance. They will look good with the grey but will be a pain in the backside to keep clean.

So, shopping around, my 1.4TSI Xcellence in Rhodium Grey with heated screen and Sound / Spare come in at £ 24,217. That's the base price of £24,440 plus £575 for paint, plus £160 for screen, plus £330 for sound/spare, less £500 for test drive, less £538 through CarWow, and less £250 on-line voucher.

I can't see another car out there that looks so good, has the space, and can be spec'd to this level for that price.
£17 extra Is still a fair dent on a monthly budget, especially if like me you prefer the Se-Tech wheels over the bazillion spoked performance alloys. I'm with you on the drive assists, I can see why older drivers go for them, but I enjoy driving, have no problems parking manually and never use the cruise control on my Leon so why waste the money? I'm kind of interested in DSG, but again, I enjoy driving and part of that is being able to shift manually, besides I have heard horror stories about repair costs for DSG's when they go wrong.

If it had been available on the 1.4 TSI in UK, I would have gone with the 4drive option, since I think if a car looks off-roady it should do off-road, sadly the 2.0 Engine is well out of my price range so didn't even have to debate that one! :)
 
#8 ·
£17 per month is 56p per day. That's less than the price of a bar of Dairy Milk. So, if I give up the chocolate, the car is paid for and the leather sport seat will be a far better fit :lol: .
 
#9 ·
tobydog said:
£17 per month is 56p per day. That's less than the price of a bar of Dairy Milk. So, if I give up the chocolate, the car is paid for and the leather sport seat will be a far better fit :lol: .
Ah but will you actually give up the chocolate? Sounds like a dangerous gamble to me :shock:

For me £17 a month is exactly the cost of my gym membership, giving that up could have disasterous consequences! :lol:
 
#10 ·
Would you need the gym membership if you gave up the chocolate? :lol:

If it had been possible to get the 2.0 TDI 190 engine with a manual gearbox I would definitely have gone with that, but SEAT in their infinite wisdom made the most powerful engine option only available with DSG and the next engine down (the 150 diesel) was rough as old boots and not grunty enough (IMHO) by comparison. I think it's very likely we will change the car again before its (extended) warranty expires - I'd rather pay an ongoing reasonable cost for peace of mind these days, instead of hanging onto the kit forever and taking the hit when something expensive breaks. (I've had e.g. a top-end engine rebuild on my old E21 BMW after a cam belt failed, most of the sports suspension on my 325 was replaced due to age related wear, and best of all was a new exchange engine for the same car after it cracked a cylinder head at 121K - cost £4500!)

In terms of trim level and options, I'm very happy with the Xcellence - there are features I'm unlikely to use (lane assist being one of them) included on our car, but as a package it felt like decent VFM if one ignores the craziness inherent in spending >£30K on a set of wheels. But that's in perspective against similar models which cost significantly more for the same spec. To be honest we didn't need' a new car, it was very much a case of wanting a new car and being in the fortunate position of being able to spec up exactly what I/we wanted. Any regrets, as such, are down to inherent limitations on the available offering and are therefore part of the cost of entry to the Ateca club in my view.
 
#11 ·
PaulT00 said:
Would you need the gym membership if you gave up the chocolate? :lol:

If it had been possible to get the 2.0 TDI 190 engine with a manual gearbox I would definitely have gone with that, but SEAT in their infinite wisdom made the most powerful engine option only available with DSG and the next engine down (the 150 diesel) was rough as old boots and not grunty enough (IMHO) by comparison. I think it's very likely we will change the car again before its (extended) warranty expires - I'd rather pay an ongoing reasonable cost for peace of mind these days, instead of hanging onto the kit forever and taking the hit when something expensive breaks. (I've had e.g. a top-end engine rebuild on my old E21 BMW after a cam belt failed, most of the sports suspension on my 325 was replaced due to age related wear, and best of all was a new exchange engine for the same car after it cracked a cylinder head at 121K - cost £4500!)

In terms of trim level and options, I'm very happy with the Xcellence - there are features I'm unlikely to use (lane assist being one of them) included on our car, but as a package it felt like decent VFM if one ignores the craziness inherent in spending >£30K on a set of wheels. But that's in perspective against similar models which cost significantly more for the same spec. To be honest we didn't need' a new car, it was very much a case of wanting a new car and being in the fortunate position of being able to spec up exactly what I/we wanted. Any regrets, as such, are down to inherent limitations on the available offering and are therefore part of the cost of entry to the Ateca club in my view.
In my case it's not so much Chocolate as much as it is Coffee, and giving up Coffee when you're married with kids? You must be joking! :lol:

I agree someone at Seat certainly bungled the options list available for the UK market, and as for replacing cars before they brake, I'm with you on that, Cars need to be viewed the same way as mobile phones these days, as contract upgrades. Having said that I have grown very attached to my Leon, It's easily the best car I have driven up to this point and I will be very sad to let it go.
 
#12 ·
I am disabled and have managed to get the Seat Ateca Xcellence 1.4 Eco-TSI 150 PS 7-speed DSG-automatic Petrol Estate in Rodium Grey - what a mouthful! I intend buying the car at the end of the Motability tenure of 4 years (with an extended year), for I do not do a lot of miles (my Kuga Titanium X is 5 years old now and has only done 10K), so I decided to go the whole hog.
I have asked for the:-
Convenience Pack
Full Styling Pack in silver with red inserts
Interior Decorative Pack in Red
19" Machined wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric to reduce noise
Protection Pack - Mud flaps + boot liner
Double elevated floor
Rear Bumper aluminium anti-scuff protector strip, tailgate edging strip in silver + silver caps on door mirrors.
Electrically adjustable driver's seat
Fitted hoist for my mobility scooter (owing to long boot space of Ateca (1.8metres), being 30 cm longer than the Sportage and 45 cm longer than the Kuga with the back seats down)
Adaptive Cruise Control (I think it is part of a pack)
SEAT sound
Heated windscreen
Advanced Comfort & Driving Pack Plus2
- the whole shebang. (I have a panoramic sunroof in the Kuga, but have used it once, so decided not to include that)
I researched several vehicles before deciding on the Ateca, including the Tiguan, Kuga ST, Sportage, X1, C4 Picasso, HR-V and X-Trail, test-driving each of these models. The Ateca beat its rivals in style, practicality, safety features, performance (bar X1), comfort, interior quality (bar X1), boot height (for mobility scooter and hoist) and as a package. I am pleased that I have gone with it now and have no regrets on my choice.
The thing that really swung it though was that SEAT offered me £2K more for my car in PX than the nearest rival, £1.5K more than I paid for it 18 months ago. I get the Ateca with £7K back into my pocket. The Motability scheme pays for all servicing, road tax, insurance, breakdown cover for the full length of the contract (3 years + 1 year extension) and will replace the tyres when required. The garage, SEAT Bristol Street Motors, in Star City, Birmingham will also guarantee to collect my car and deliver it for each service. No brainer!
I am two weeks into the long wait and have been told it could be 14 weeks - is that so?

So for all other Ateca owners be prepared to be thrilled, if you are not already being so by the new Ateca - it turns eyes, but there are so few of them on the road.
 
#13 ·
Hi Welshman, greetings, I am constantly looking into this site, just to keep me in the loop actually, as I am into my 14th week of waiting for my Ateca.
Ive ordered the Excellence 1.4TSI ECO DSG Rhodium Grey with Park assist, Navigation system plus, Advanced & driving pack plus together with the double floor.My last notification was given as a guestimate of receiving it about mid September. So the wait goes on. If by chance it arrives earlier , then it will have to wait for the new reg issued in September as I am purchasing with cash and dont want to devalue it more than necessary for when I possibly move it on in a couple of years. Lets just hope it lives up to its reputation . Im part exchanging it for my Qashqai, which has been an excellent car with only 13000 miles after two and a half years from new.I am actually getting the Ateca through the Forces Discount scheme, with a good discount and have to go to neat Brighton to collect/exchange....Good luck with the wait?
 
#14 ·
Welshman said:
I am disabled and have managed to get the Seat Ateca Xcellence 1.4 Eco-TSI 150 PS 7-speed DSG-automatic Petrol Estate in Rodium Grey - what a mouthful!
Just a grey 1.4 Auto Xcel wil do for us :lol:

Welshman said:
I have asked for the:-
Convenience Pack
Xcellence already has that as std

Welshman said:
Fitted hoist for my mobility scooter (owing to long boot space of Ateca (1.8metres), being 30 cm longer than the Sportage and 45 cm longer than the Kuga with the back seats down)
- the whole shebang.
Really? I don't know how the hoist thing works but you may have missed out the most important thing of all - double boot floor. That 1.8m will have a large step in it otherwise.
Welshman said:
I researched several vehicles before deciding on the Ateca, including the Tiguan... The Ateca beat its rivals in style, practicality, safety features, performance (bar X1), comfort, interior quality (bar X1), boot height (for mobility scooter and hoist) and as a package. I am pleased that I have gone with it now and have no regrets on my choice.
Would be interested to hear the negatives on the Tiguan? It's basically the same car, better built, has the same power source and comes with a larger load area which I thought would benefit someone with your requirements? The only negatives I can think of are the car is built like a tank (ie the doors are heavier to close) and price!
 
#15 ·
The Tiguan is an expensive motor car and Motability only allow the Tiguan SE TDI SCR 2WD 2.0 7spd DSG 150PS, which has an advance payment of £2.72K. With the extras required to the same specs. as the Ateca, I would have needed to spend an extra £4.3K, equalling a total of £7.02K.
The Ateca Xcellence, with an advance payment of £2.75K with all the extras costing £3.1K meant that the total was £5.85K, a difference of £1.17K. Added to this VW would only give me £10.1K for my Kuga, but SEAT gave £12.3K, a difference of £2.2K. The Ateca isn't quite the size of a Tiguan - but then it's much more affordable. The AA say the Ateca is better value than the Tiguan and the Ateca appeals to the heart with great looks and a delightful driving experience. But it also works for the head, thanks to its excellent value, superb safety record and impressive fuel economy.
Overall, for basically the same package, the Tiguan was about £3.4K more expensive.

Added to this, the Tiguan's styling is rather bland in comparison to the Ateca, in my humble opinion and is becoming rather aged in looks. Most of the pundits too, give the Ateca 5*'s and it has won so many awards.
Best Crossover in UK Car of the Year Awards 2017
Car of the Year 2017 at Honest John
What Car's, best Compact SUV
Auto Express's SUV of the Year 2016 and 2017
Fleet News' Best Mid-Sized SUV
Best Buy Car of Europe in 2017 at AUTOBEST
Car Dealer's Power Car of the Year
Motability gave the car a 5* rating, a rare achievement.
5* ENCAP

and those are not the only ones.

£3.4K is a lot of money and in the comparisons with Sportage, Tiguan and even the new 3008, the Ateca wins on most counts. I am saying this after having had only a 15 minute test drive.

Welshman
 
#16 ·
Sounds like you've really done your homework welshman, though Golfmk56 makes a good point about the double boot floor, will a step in the boot floor be an issue for you?
 
#18 ·
Ah yes, I just reread your post and you did state "Double elevated floor", so all good!
 
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