A roof with a panoramic view
It would seem, what difference does it make - to buy a car with a fixed set of equipment or to supplement the basic equipment individually? The second option is even more convenient - you can choose the options as you wish. In a fixed configuration, there is always something missing, but on the contrary, you have to pay for something unnecessary. The only thing is that each option, if ordered separately, is significantly more expensive than when it is included in the finished package or in a fixed package of options. In Europe, both approaches are practiced. Local firms operate on a “retail” basis, while Japanese and Korean firms operate on a “wholesale” basis.
But in Europe the ratio of exchange rates has little effect on the value of goods. The yen and the dollar can soar and fall as much as the euro, but at the same time in Germany the price ratio for Golf and Mazda-3 remains approximately the same. In Russia, the relationship between the exchange rate and commodity prices is direct. So it turns out that the Mazda-3-1.6-Touring for 666, 000 rubles. - This is a self-equipped car, and the Golf-1, 6-Trendline for 603, 000 is a launch pad that no one needs in this form. In a more or less acceptable configuration for the buyer, Golf-1.6 costs 700–710 thousand rubles.
Realizing that you won’t make much money with such prices, Europeans began to practice a “wholesale” scheme in Russia. Mercedes-Benz and BMW have developed fixed configurations, which you can’t step back a step. Most other companies, in particular Audi, have found a more reasonable compromise by including in the basic package the most popular options (thereby lowering their cost) and simultaneously reducing the number of custom ones. And even the most “persistent” companies, such as Volkswagen, Skoda and Opel, with the beginning of Russian assembly, some of their models began to offer packages of equipment that were attractive at a price.
How to choose additional equipment so that the price of the car is not too high? Let's leave expensive luxury and business models alone - buyers of such cars will pay as much as they see fit. Consider more affordable cars up to and including the middle class. In addition to the general rules, we give for example some of the most popular options, the cost of which can vary significantly. How much should they cost to be ordered?
Take only the necessary
This is the first and most important rule. Remember: additional equipment depreciates much faster than the base car. Therefore, the money spent on equipment beyond the necessary, can be considered buried in the ground. And let it not bother you that the car will not be any common things. Of course, a car without an automatic transmission, air conditioning, heated front seats and power mirrors will later be more difficult to sell (or have to offer a substantial discount), but such excesses as alloy wheels, leather interior (for affordable models) and excessively expensive acoustics, It is unlikely that they will force the second buyer to open their wallet wider. Five years ago, due to exchange rate differences in currencies, there was an unwritten rule: European cars cost 15–20% more than Japanese cars. Today, not everything is so simple, and yet if you decide on a "European", you must choose custom equipment for it very carefully.
Packages are profitable
For many European models, option packages are offered in which each position is significantly (up to 70%) cheaper than ordered separately. The choice of additional equipment must begin with the study of the composition and calculation of the cost of packages. An example of the beneficial use of packages you can find in the price list of "Opel-Meriva". The Angioj package, which contains alloy wheels, climate control, alarm and an on-board computer, costs 25, 000 rubles. While individually the options would cost 46% more - 36, 500 rubles.
Often, packages are beneficial even if you do not need some of the things they contain. For example, for the Insignia 2.0 CDTI, instead of buying options at retail, you can order the generous Business Edition package for 103, 000 rubles, which has a leather interior, electric driver's seat, bi-xenon adaptive headlights, navigation, parking sensors, pressure sensors in tires, metallic color and some more seemingly unnecessary little things. At first glance, it seems that you can limit yourself to the less expensive Driver packages (45, 000 rubles) or Cosmo Plus (80, 000 rubles), and select from a Business Edition a couple of positions, without overpaying for excesses. But with this approach, you save 25, 000-50, 000 rubles. (on the scale of the prices of Insignia it’s quite a bit), and you get less equipment for 100, 000–130, 000 rubles. It turns out that it’s more profitable to take the most expensive “Business Edition” - even with some excesses.
What is expensive and what is not very
The general level of prices for additional equipment for a particular car is easiest to determine in comparison with its closest competitors. For example, among the German golf models, the Focus and Astra class generally look significantly cheaper than the Golf. Having fluently studied the price lists for these machines, it is not difficult to come to such a conclusion. However, be careful. In the list of custom equipment for each of them you can find both unexpectedly cheap and unreasonably expensive positions. Therefore, the degree of utility of each must be correlated with its price.
For example, the simplest air conditioning for the Golf costs just crazy money - 42, 810 rubles. A 2-zone climate control - only 6 690 rubles. expensive. Of course, by the standards of the golf class it is also expensive. But if you really choose between them, it’s better to overpay for the “climate”. But the tire pressure sensor (albeit a simple, indirect measurement, via ABS) for the same "Golf" for 1, 740 rubles. - just a gift. For such money, you can order it without hesitation.
Another example. Having run through the list of generally inexpensive Astra equipment, you stumble upon a rear parking sensor for 12, 000 rubles. Why should we pay 12, 000 for four Astra sensors, when eight sensors on both bumpers of the more prestigious Insignia cost 16 thousand?
Automatic transmission
Modern large cities accumulate traffic jams on an increasing basis, and therefore, over the past five years, the demand for cars with automatic transmission has been steadily growing. It got to the point that, for example, Mercedes-Benz almost stopped supplying passenger cars with a manual gearbox to Russia. So, it may well turn out that the money saved on the gearbox can play a trick on subsequent resale in three years - for example, finding a buyer for Honda Jazz or Volkswagen Golf with a manual gearbox is very difficult, even substantial discount.
Automatic gearbox
How much is?
Peugeot 107 23, 000
Mazda 3 30, 000
Toyota Corolla 32, 000
Renault Logan / Sandero 34, 000
Chevrolet Cruze 34 500
Opel Astra 35, 000
Volkswagen Golf 64, 000
Volkswagen Passat 70, 000
Audi A1 71, 000
BMW X3 111 646
Signaling
There is an opinion that the factory security system cannot be compared with that which will be put in place by specialized firms. But, as a rule, the cost of installing such systems can reach 10% of the cost of the car, which not everyone can afford. Typically, newly-minted owners opt for the so-called stock, very common alarms, which with installation cost them 10, 000–20, 000 rubles. It is worth recalling once again that interference with the sophisticated electronics of modern cars that use multipurpose multiplex wiring instead of kilometers of wires can lead to permanent malfunctions of the alarm installed on the side. That is why we strongly recommend ordering a security system at the factory - there will definitely not be any problems with its warranty service, and you won’t have to worry about the car immediately after purchase.
How much is?
Chevrolet Cruze 4400
Opel Meriva 5000
Citroen-C5 12, 000
Volkswagen Passat 13, 800
Audi A1 16 116
BMW-X3 23, 315
Volkswagen Tuareg 24 930
Audi A4 24 960
BMW 3 Series 25 308
Mercedes-Benz A-Class 27 621
Metallic paint
It requires surcharges for almost all European models. The question is how much to pay? Amounts of 8, 000–12, 000 rubles for golf-class models and 12, 000–15, 000 rubles for the middle class are within reason. But when they offer to lay out 15, 430 rubles for a metallic for Golf, this is already perceived with less enthusiasm. After all, “metallic” does not make a car safer, more powerful or more comfortable. Therefore, if you are ready to give such money in addition, it is better to buy a more useful option for them, and to look at the base enamel for painting the body.
Metallic paint
How much is?
Chevrolet Lacetti 9400
Opel Astra 10, 000
Ford Focus 10, 000
Skoda Octavia 11, 400
Volkswagen Turan 12 350
Volkswagen Passat 18, 940
Volkswagen Tuareg 25, 760
Audi A3 34 350
Volvo, all models 39, 900
Audi A4 44 304
Air conditioning and climate control
When they are offered for a surcharge, air conditioning (see prices in the table) for models of classes C and D should cost 20, 000–25, 000 rubles, and climate control should cost 30, 000–35, 000 (or 40 percent more). Accordingly, if the air conditioner is in the database, it is reasonable to overpay no more than 15, 000 for the “climate”. When the difference in price is less (the same “Golf” has only 16%), it is more profitable to take the “climate”. In use, it is much more convenient than an air conditioner.
Climate control
How much is?
Opel Astra 15, 000
Renault Logan / Sandero 22, 000
Opel Corsa 25, 000
Citroen-C3 26, 000
Chevrolet Niva 29, 000
Ford Focus 29, 800
Volkswagen Polo 36 410
Citroen-Berlingo 41, 300
Volkswagen Golf 42, 810
BMW 1 Series 51 075
Leather interior
The attractiveness of the skin largely depends on its quality and on the number of additional options that may or may not be included in the price. If you are offered to pay, say, 50, 000–70, 000 for skin alone, this is one thing. And when this amount includes heating and electric seat adjustment, the picture is completely different. But for models of "golf" -class and lower leather interior in any case will be too expensive. It becomes more or less justified with respect to the cost of the base car starting from the business class.
How much is?
Opel Astra 35, 000
Opel Insignia 45, 000
Citroen-C5 70, 000
Audi A3 72, 558
Volkswagen Cirocco 74, 450
BMW 1 Series 82 949
SEAT-Leon 84 650
BMW 3 Series 95 788
Audi A4 99 372
Volkswagen Tuareg 129 500
Alloy wheels
Almost no real benefit from them. But when ordering a car for a loved one, many want to get beautiful wheels. And car companies like to speculate on this. Suppose 4 cast 15-inch wheels instead of steel of the same diameter cost an average of 20, 000–25, 000 rubles. That is, for the kind of money the car was on four wheels, it will remain on four. Only instead of steel they will be of light alloy.
But for the same money in the store you can buy four alloy wheels from well-known European companies (not Turkish, not Taiwanese). Regular rims with caps remain with you, and they can be used for winter tires. Considering that four steel wheels with caps cost 12, 000–15, 000, the overpayment for cast wheels of the same radius should not exceed 10, 000–15, 000. If instead of 15”steel wheels from the factory, cast 16” wheels are offered, you can give a maximum 25 000. Otherwise, it’s more profitable to buy non-original cast ones for regular stamped with caps.
Alloy wheels
How much is?
Opel Astra 12, 000
Renault Symbol 14 300
Citroen-C3 17, 000
Renault Megane / Fluence 17, 600
"SEAT-Leon" 18 990
Volkswagen Passat 21 210
SEAT-Ibiza 22, 790
Opel Insignia 26, 000
Volkswagen Turan 27, 320
BMW 1 Series 39 630
Parking sensors
For a large city, it is undoubtedly useful. And if you need parking sensors, and the factory price for two bumpers is within 20, 000 rubles, definitely order.
Of course, an unnamed Chinese or Taiwanese radar can be installed cheaper - five to seven thousand. But they work, as a rule, worse than regular ones. In particular, they are afraid of water and dirt. If you install on site a well-known parking sensors - for example, the company "Bosch" - it is unlikely to be cheaper than the factory.
Parking sensors
How much is?
Opel Meriva 14, 000
Opel Insignia 16, 000
Volkswagen Golf 17 110
Volvo S60 / XC60 29, 900
Volkswagen Tuareg 30, 280
Audi A1 33, 820
Audi A3 37 603
BMW-X3 37 826
