Seat Ibiza - dealership support - maintenance

Hi all,

currently looking at a Seat Ibiza 2nd hand - in very good condition (VW engine).

Only thing - I've heard there are no dealerships in SA anymore.

Does it matter?

The car has a 3 year warrantee.

My question is - bearing in mind that there are no specialised dealers and auto service stations for this car, would its resale value drop due to its lack of presence in the SA market?

Which one? I used to sell them... awesome cars...

They no longer sell them (hence no more dealers) but they are still supported by vw sa afaik.

google found this:

http://www.cartoday.com/content/news/singlepage.asp?in=9312

VWSA on Friday announced that it would contact individual Seat owners to assure them of “continued comprehensive after-sales support… by dealerships that currently service Seat vehicles. All warranties, service plans and roadside assistance relevant to the Seat brand in South Africa will be honoured”.

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I would still be careful buying one, they don't really have any incentive to treat you well because there is no brand or model name to protect seeing as the vehicle is no longer sold here...

Gnome said:

I would still be careful buying one, they don't really have any incentive to treat you well because there is no brand or model name to protect seeing as the vehicle is no longer sold here...

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Sorry, I disagree...VWSA has undertaken to carry on supporting them, ansd a mate has just extended his warranty on his one, because he likes it so much that he wants to keep it for another few years.

It is no skin off a VW Dealership's nose to work on a VW with a slightly different body...as long as somebody pays for it, they couldn't give a continental what the car is called!!

They are protecting their own names in the long run...screw the brand name!

Fazda & Gnome, unfortunately the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Yes, VW will support the car, but only through a limited number of dealers (about 10, nationwide). They will do what's necessary to keep them on the road, but they do cut corners - as an example, VWSA will no longer order/import new accessories for the cars (bodykits/factory carpets/etc.). However, mechanically they are essentially VWs so no big worries there.

With regards to value retention - the drop has already happened. SEAT-owners, at the time of the withdrawal, lost R1,000s. But, considering what you would now pay for a 2nd-hand SEAT, it shouldn't depreciate much faster than any other car - you're starting from an artificially low base.

Like with some French/Italian imports, I would hazard that getting something like a replacement body panel or headlight could be a big PITA, but mechanically there's nothing to be concerned about. Oh, and anyone thinking that diesels can't go into hot hatches, try and take a 118kW TDI Ibiza for a spin if the opportunity arises.