Hi folks :) - mrsmonkei

[mrsmonkei]

Hi all!

Glad I stumbled over this site! My name is Erin and my husband and I have just bought a new Lancer ES auto in red, awaiting delivery. We thought we'd been ripped off as we have no experience buying new cars but our bank says we did okay at $19 500 driveaway. Who knows, the whole process is terrifying to me and I want it to be over..

We're still trying to figure out whether we should be going for the paint protection and window tinting that the dealer is trying to sell us for another $1100 (she originally said $1600 till we said no!) or if it's not worth it. We intend on keeping the car for a long time as my husband will inherit it from me when we buy again. Any ideas?

Please feel free to tell me if I'm being ripped off before I make the wrong decision

Looking forward to "meeting" you all!

[Alileighju]

Hey Erin, welcome to club CJ!

Congratulations on your purchase!

I think you could have gone slightly lower for an ES (maybe 18000) but you certainly weren't ripped off.

Also, don't bother with the dealer's offer for tint and paint protection. You can get tints done for your whole car for about $300. Some places even package paint protection with tints.

It also comes down to if you believe in the paint protection. Our lancers have pretty thin paint which comes apparent with almost everyone getting chips and scratches.

And since you stated you will be keeping the car for a long time, chips and damage will eventually occur regardless if you get the paint protection or not.

Hope I haven't discouraged you too much, the lancer is a fantastic car!

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask!

Ali.

[aspir3]

Welcome to the club Erin.

Tint and paint protection is a great idea but generally are more expensive from the dealers. The dealers push them to increase their profit margins.

Tint can normally be fitted cheaper if you pay cash and go to a small reputable shop rather then a large franchise like Tint-a-car.

Paint protector is a great idea and a must IMHO to maintain your paint as long as possible. It needs to be applied approximately every 12 months. This depends on environment conditions. Paint protector is quite cheap to purchase. You can buy it from any automotive shop like Repco or supercheap etc. The cost is the labour to apply it on your car. To do it properly can take 3-4 hours. This is done by hand. I do not recommend to get your dealer to do it as they use a electric buffer machine to remove it and usually get some young lad on minimum wage with no experience to do it. Doing it yourself does take a little time but trust me it is very satisfying doing on your very shiny brand new Lancer on a nice day.

[13EZY]

Welcome to the Club

[kakar0t]

Welcome to the club Erin. Tint and paint protection is a great idea but generally are more expensive from the dealers. The dealers push them to increase their profit margins. Tint can normally be fitted cheaper if you pay cash and go to a small reputable shop rather then a large franchise like Tint-a-car. Paint protector is a great idea and a must IMHO to maintain your paint as long as possible. It needs to be applied approximately every 12 months. This depends on environment conditions. Paint protector is quite cheap to purchase. You can buy it from any automotive shop like Repco or supercheap etc. The cost is the labour to apply it on your car. To do it properly can take 3-4 hours. This is done by hand. I do not recommend to get your dealer to do it as they use a electric buffer machine to remove it and usually get some young lad on minimum wage with no experience to do it. Doing it yourself does take a little time but trust me it is very satisfying doing on your very shiny brand new Lancer on a nice day.

Is Turtle Wax a good form of "paint protector"?

[aspir3]

The best paint protectors are made of polymer. I use Gelson.

Stick with brands like Maguiars and Auotglm and you cant go wrong.

[Fitter]

Welcome to the club

I got my windows tinted at tint a car in Brisbane $200 for 4 doors and rear window.

[mrsmonkei]

Thank you so much for the warm welcome, I love it here already, I can see that there's a wealth of information between you all!

K (hubby) and I decided not to go for the dealer tint/protect package and I'm really glad we made the right decision there! Will look into other options once we have the car.

Ali - I had a feeling we could have gone lower but very glad we weren't ripped off - thanks heaps.
K was the Lancer lover who convinced me to buy, I was heading towards something Toyotaish . I'm sure it's not going to disappoint, the test drive was gorgeous.

Should be picking it up by the end of this week - getting excited!

Thanks again everyone, I'm going to enjoy lurking around these parts

[ofey]

Welcome Erin,
Hope you can come out and meet us at a meet soon.

On top of paint protection, might I recommend Nu Finish's polish which is an excellent product.

Today is the last day of a sale @ Autobarn where you can pick up:

Nu Finish Wash & Polish Pack
Car Wash 473ml + Polish 473ml
Price = A$17.99

Considering that each bottle is usually A$11.99, it's a bargain.
The wash is nothing to crow about but the polish really impresses.

[DORA_ANNE]

Welcome To ClubCJ Erin ..... And Enjoy your stay here & your new Lancer

[lena91]

Welcome Erin

[Corzza2]

Welcome to the forums!!

[mrsmonkei]

Well I picked up our gorgeous Lancer on thursday and have spent hours already driving to nowhere for the fun of it...and the rain has been a little crazy lately, so the car is already less than shiny looking. Off to wander around here for cleaning product advice
Hope you've all had a fantastic weekend!