[Lee Dalton]

Good news from Pentagon today, apparently my ampera is arriving with them next week
Just got to wait for dvla to send me the new V5 for my current car, having put the personalised plate back on retention.

So this time next week, I should be the proud owner of a white ampera

 

[Richard Gledhill]

Mine is STILL in progress at Drive Vauxhall, 6 weeks after I placed the deposit! Seems I'm waiting for a brand new one from Vauxhall, rather than one of the batch that Pentagon bought some months back. Hopefully should pick it up the week after Easter.
Great news Lee, looking forward to hearing how you get on!
Richard

 

[Lee Dalton]

Wow 6 weeks and still waiting, I don't feel so bad waiting 3 weeks for mine now!
I can't really fathom why they don't have loads pre-built, it's not like there are that many options you can add !

 

[h8ten]

They have to ship them from the states and it is a 'shipfull' they bring over at a time for Europe.

 

[Lee Dalton]

But then you see hundreds and thousands of cars parked at places like Bristol docks, you just imagine that there is always a supply of relatively standard spec cars available at reasonably short notice....

 

[Lee Dalton]

That's interesting to know. I must choose unpopular cars I think 5 weeks is the longest I waited, and that was for the Volvo that I currently have. Everything else has been available from dealer stock almost immediately....

Have to admit to being far more excited about the Ampera than any of the previous cars though

 

[Richard Gledhill]

Ah, that's nothing! Back in 1999 I waited 5 and a half MONTHS for my Impreza Turbo to arrive! All being well I should get my Ampera next Wednesday or thereabouts, so only a week or so more to go...
Did you see that on YouTube, in the Official Vauxhall stream, there are about 20 Ampera videos on there, including the complete DVD you get when you get the car? Makes for interesting viewing!

 

[h8ten]

[QUOTE="... including the complete DVD you get when you get the car? Makes for interesting viewing![/QUOTE]
Another thing missing from my car when I collected it.

 

[Richard Gledhill]

Might be they don't supply it any more, I don't know (as I don't have my car yet ) It just mentioned in the first section that it was a DVD supplied with the car, but the videos are a couple of years old now. They're actually a very useful guide to the various charging regimes and plug types, as well as some of the controls on the car itself.

 

[Lee Dalton]

I had looked at a fair few Ampera videos on YouTube, might actually have to look again.
I am impressed that you waited 5 and a half months for a car, that is proper dedication !

Looks like we might be collecting at similar times. Is yours a pentagon car too ?

 

[Richard Gledhill]

Nope, mine's coming from Drive Vauxhall in Leicester. It's a brand new staight-off-the-Vauxhall-production-and-fettling-line-at-Luton car, not part of the batch Pentagon bought a while back.

 

[Lee Dalton]

I didn't know if they had blagged one from pentagon as you had been waiting so long !

 

[Lee Dalton]

Have a firm date now, whilst I wait for DVLA to send the docs for my current car to revert back to its non personalised plate. So will be picking up the Ampera on Friday 25th

 

[Richard Gledhill]

I collect mine on Wednesday

 

[Derekosb]

I feel really bad Lee as I got my car 3 weeks ago and it has sat outside my house for the last 2 weeks whilst I was on holiday. I only drove it for 6 days.

Had you beaten me to the punch you would have been driving mine for the last 3 weeks and I would be due to pick yours up shortly.

Anyway, really looking forward to driving mine again tomorrow once I get home. Been driving a Ford Fusion for 2 weeks in the USA and averaged 27.9 mpg (albeit US gallons). Average price per gallon was about $3.50 so only $50 dollars to fill the tank but it still annoyed me.

I only saw 2 Volts and one Leaf the whole 2 weeks.

Sitting Iin Boston Airport killing time waiting for our flight at the moment and enjoying the free wifi to catch up.
Derek

 

[Lee Dalton]

That's okay Derek, I won't hold it against you
If I had bothered to test drive mine and order it even a few days earlier I probably would have had it by now.
It's not a big issue, as it meant I could post my retention docs to dvla rather than having to queue up in the local office

Cannot wait for Friday to arrive though

 

[Stuart Cameron]

Hi,
A question about buying an Ampera, I noticed on Vauxhall's main site that the Ampera isn't included in any of the Vauxhall finance deals. I contacted Vauxhall and they said I would have to go to my Ampera specialist (Wimbledon). Were you able to get a finance package? I was hoping to get a PCP with about £2000 down as deposit, the government grant and about 5% Vauxhall Partners either that or the 5 year 0% deal. Is this realistic or possible? Is it similar to what you have done? What sort of monthly payments are you looking at (sorry for all the questions).
Cheers,
Stuart

 

[Lee Dalton]

I don't know about the finance options, as mine is a company car which we are paying cash for. Sorry. I think that Derek did his on a quasi pcp deal, and I think he put the details in one of his earlier posts if you have a search.

 

[Stuart Cameron]

I don't know about the finance options, as mine is a company car which we are paying cash for. Sorry. I think that Derek did his on a quasi pcp deal, and I think he put the details in one of his earlier posts if you have a search.

Thanks Lee, I found Derek's posts and it looks quite hopeful for a PCP or similar.

I also found some references to a 3 day test drive which seemed quite disappointing. I think the idea of the car is great but maybe its not quite the finished package?
The bag thingy between the back seats is an extra and it doesn't with the rear centre armrest ? The rear parcel shelf trampoline thingy, Im starting to sway back towards plan A and the Leaf.

Cheers,
Stuart

 

[Lee Dalton]

It's definitely worth a test drive if you are uncertain. It drives really nicely and is actually a decent size.
The thing that swung me to the ampera rather than a full on electric only car was the need to the short notice long journeys for work, with maybe 300-400 miles in a day. With a leaf that would be too painful, the ampera will let me just get in and drive.
I think the 3 day test drive is fairly easy to arrange if you are in the right part of the country. More rural area's seem to struggle a bit more with organising it.
Personally this is the first car I have test driven for 10 years, nobody makes a bad car anymore, so I but them based on the spec and reviews. The only reason I took the ampera out is because I needed to take my current car up for a trade in appraisal. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered testing this one either