I wanna buy a new car - how to haggle?

[Hey Dude]

Well, not me, I'm helping the old man waste my inheritance...

He wants to buy a new car.

Without going into the make or model what is the bottom-line for car salesman both in terms of price generally and extras?

I've never bought a new car before so any help would be very much appreciated.

I have been browsing www.broadspeed.com (http://www.broadspeed.com) to get an idea of haggling price - but what else can I do to help this old man who I love dearly treating himself as he retires?

MTIA

Duder

[SomeBozo]

Up until I was 21, I used to have a summer job (and weekend sometimes) selling cars at a local dealership.

The dealership was a main dealer (selling new or nearly new cars) and I had the "Trade-in" corner. ie if someone traded in a good car (crap old ones got sent away) we would clean it up and sell it.

So tips.

The first thing to do is go along to a few dealerships and find a few cars he likes (don't just pick one). On this visit refuse all help from the salesman "Just looking thanks" will do the trick.

Once he has shortlisted a few cars its on to step 2. Is dad a cash buyer? Or on credit? Or trade-in plus cash?

1) If he has a trade-in, the best thing to do is what we called "the reverse sell". We hated it.

A customer would come in and say "How much for my part-ex? against that car".

Whatever figure he comes back with, grimace, pull a face and say "OMG, screw that." But what you now have is a "cost to swap".

Next say, "I'll sell my privatley, whats the best deal for cash?"

You then have another price.

Your aim is to get the PART-EX value he gave you first, off the "price for cash". Thats the deal.

The approach differs consierdably if your just cash or wanting finance, so let me know?

Bozo

[TiTheRev]

^^^ That's some good advice. To add to that though, I would say, don't forget the economical climate we are in. The dealership I work at now is suffering badly with low sales, so YOU will be in the driving seat (no pun intended) with regards to haggling for a good deal. They will be looking to make any sale rather than none, so dont feel bad pestering him for discount, and if needed just walk away and come back later, it will show you want to buy but not at full price.

[Nile]

Hello Hey Dude

I'll move your thread to the 'Motoring & Public Transport' board.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

Regards

Nile

[Hintza]

New new or second hand new?

Assuming new new first thing to do if above is find out Which cars target price. That will give you and indication.

Then check online at honestjohn he has some of the best offers around.

Recvently launched models will probably still be relatively expensive as will small low emissions cars. Bigger cars you should be able to haggle very hard.

Also compare what your chosen car will cost on a lease as an alternative idea.


Come back with your shortlist of cars and those of us that are bored can have a look :).

[Hey Dude]

Thanks for the advice so far.

The old boy deffo wants a new car - cash or possibly 0% finance deal.

Aside from the price what sort of optional extras can be thrown in in this climate e.g. 5 minutes with Charlize Theron for the dedicated son ;)

Duder

[Clive Woody]

Have a look at the WhatCar website

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/

They list a target price for every car, which gives you the price you should be able to haggle down to.

Some advice here on buying a car

http://www.whatcar.com/advice.aspx

And some advice on how to haggle

http://www.whatcar.com/advice-special-report.aspx?NA=217156&EL=3141773

Lots of dealers do 0% finance, but on selected models and selected trim levels. Check out the manufacturers main website to see what deals are available.

:D

[maniac886]

Thanks for the advice so far.

The old boy deffo wants a new car - cash or possibly 0% finance deal.

Aside from the price what sort of optional extras can be thrown in in this climate e.g. 5 minutes with Charlize Theron for the dedicated son ;)

Duder


If you ever find a deal like that let my know which dealer you got it from!:rotfl: :rotfl:

[Chris Hinds]

Use Drive The Deal too... if he's looking for a premium brand car you can get a lot off Audi/Jaguar/Land Rover cars at present.

Also, from past experience working at a dealer, expect a minimum of 6% off the car and the closer it is to a "mass market" car, the more you should expect e.g.

Audi A4 3.0TDI - expect about 6% off really, it's a premium model
Audi A4 2.0TDI - take off 10% they get bonuses for moving the mainstream model.

[fatbelly]

Hi Duder

Have a look at this site

http://www.carpricechecker.co.uk/

[SarahJG]

Try these guys, they are brilliant, They saved me £1250 on the car I was buying and that was on top of the deal that I had negotiated. I think their standard fee is 20% of what they save you, and if they don't save you, you dont pay. If you don't like haggling these guys do it all for you.
Also my brothers boss hired them to negotiate an insurance claim for him and they got an extra £6000 from them.
www.hagglingforyou.co.uk (http://www.hagglingforyou.co.uk) and email getadeal@hagglingforyou.co.uk
I hope this is helpfull to you.
SarahJG:j

[Road_Hog]

Having worked in sales management and attended many negociating skills courses and listened to some good advice and a load of crap, here comes my advice.

Generally you have to be a confident person to negociate, you've either got a high self esteem/self image or you haven't and no amount of training/encouragement/advice is going to change that, it will only hone your skills if you have it. If you don't have it, it's best to get someone who can negociate.

Knowledge is power, if you know the market, the vehicles and the price, you will be in a far more commanding position. Also know your payment options and set some limits that you will not budge on, such as your part-ex price.

Treat the salesman as a human being with respect and not someone to win a battle with or get one over on. The majority of people respond well to someone who is pleasant to them.

Use timing well, if you've been in and seen the vehicle you want, but haven't quite got to the price (bearing in mind, you don't have a god given right to purchase a 10K car for 5K) you want then go back late on a Friday afternoon, at the end of the month and say something like, Richard (made up name of salesman) I really want the car, I'm here to do a deal, I don't want to leave today without a car, but you just need to move a little on the price, I've got my cheque book open in fron of me, let's get it done.

Some things to consider, if he doesn't budge, maybe he doesn't have anymore margin, no point in selling a car that you make no money on, or your earn zero commission on. Take in to account we're in a recession (fuel price/car tax) and many dealers will already have removed margin out of the price. If you can't get the price down any further, look for something that is important to you but low cost to the dealer, free service/MOT etc.

And remember, sometimes there are some stupid spivs/bad salesman/rip off merchants, that just don't care or are inept.

[nordberg]

Hi,

Further to this....

We're going to look at a used car tomorrow. We have an old banger of a trade in which, in all honesty, is probably not worth much. It's mechanically sound and has 11 months MOT on it, but that's about all it's got going for it.

The car we're interested in is up at £4500. On paper, at least, it looks great and the exact model we're looking for. The price is very good also, but I NEVER pay asking price for anything when haggling is an option. So, I figure if I follow the advice above, I should ask him to give me the cost to change. I reckon this will be £4250 if he's in a good mood. I'll then tell him that I think our banger is worth more than £250 and that I'll sell it on eBay - it has a full (well almost) MOT after all. So I ask him what his best cash price is. Lets say he replies with £4400.

Are you saying that I should push for a selling price of £4150 based on the figures above?

[petshopgirlemma]

I bought a car from new last year - got prices from different dealerships and played them off against each other. Worth seeing what extras they'll throw in too eg protection packs, emergency kits etc.

One dealer offered to fill the car up with petrol for me if I bought it from their branch which was only a few miles further away. The way petrol prices are going this year that'd be a good thing to ask for!

[SomeBozo]

Are you saying that I should push for a selling price of £4150 based on the figures above?

Yes.

Bozo

[nordberg]

Couldn't get him to go any lower than £4300.

The car books at £3950 trade and £5225 retail so I think it's a fair price. Just need the missus to give it her approval as it's going to be her car.

[in51der]

Well, not me, I'm helping the old man waste my inheritance...

He wants to buy a new car.

Without going into the make or model what is the bottom-line for car salesman both in terms of price generally and extras?

I've never bought a new car before so any help would be very much appreciated.

I have been browsing www.broadspeed.com (http://www.broadspeed.com) to get an idea of haggling price - but what else can I do to help this old man who I love dearly treating himself as he retires?

MTIA

Duder

Watch out for the "tricks of the trade"....
http://www.motor-trade-insider.com/index.php/2008/09/moder-car-salesman-and-the-power-of-silence/

[SomeBozo]

Couldn't get him to go any lower than £4300.

The car books at £3950 trade and £5225 retail so I think it's a fair price. Just need the missus to give it her approval as it's going to be her car.

I still think thats too high in the current climate.

Ring him and say all you can raise is £4100. Tell him to ring you back if he's interested.

I'll wager you get the call. No way he will lose a £4000+ sale for the sake of £200 notes.

Bozo