Great ‘salespeople, tell us the best time to haggle’ Hunt

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  • mrflib
    mrflib Posts: 11
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I've bought a number of cars - new and second hand - and thankfully I've never been able to get a lower price or heard of a lower price once I've parted with my cash. In my opinion, the key point is preparation - a couple of steps I follow are below, with a couple of tips I know have worked well for me in the past.

    • Know what you want. Don't leave it at knowing just what car you want - know what specification and optional extras you want/need and you can use this to your advantage. You don't want to be surprised when you're in front of the sales person. It makes it easier to be assertive and can give you a bargaining chip.
    :T
    • Research the car you're buying inside out. Know everything there is to know about your car - read reviews, comments and common complaints. Remember, dealers have to learn about a whole suite of cars - not just the one you're interested in. If you know more about the car you want than the dealer, it gives you a position of leverage.
    The number of times I've caught dealers fudging the facts to help a sale is staggering. One even resorted to out-right lying. If you catch a salesperson in the act and point it out then I've noticed them seem to feel like they're losing the deal and tend to act accordingly to get things back on track. This can mean a better price/thrown in extras.
    :T
    • Timing is everything. As mentioned in previous posts, car sales is traditionally commission based. Get your quotes in towards the end of the month/quarter (explained below), and make the purchase in the last couple of days. You'll be staggered how effective walking away from a dealer at this time will be - the majority are desperate for the sale.
    :T
    • Price research. Start with the obvious online retailers - Car Giant, Drive the Deal etc. - to get a feel for the prices they offer. Then look on the manufacturer's website for a price list. Many car types have dedicated communities that can really help you out with pricing. MX-5 (my current car) has a number of sites, everyone is there to help each other out with things such a purchasing. If someone got a good deal somewhere, you can be sure the information will be posted.
    With this information in hand, I go to dealers directly by phone. I've always begun with "What's the best price you can offer me on a (for example) Mazda MX-5 2.0 Option Pack?". Take the persons name and note down the price. Need be quote any deals you know that dealer has done in the past, and ask if they can at least match it. You're not trying to get a discount off of the asking price, almost anyone could do that, you're trying to get a discount off of the discounted price.
    Once you have a number of prices, pick some of the highest, quote to them the lowest minus 5% and ask them to match it - after all, you really want to buy the car from *their* dealership - not somewhere else! You'll get a number of rejections, but hopefully you'll end up with a few dealers playing ball.
    It's all about playing the dealer's off of each other - but you don't want to go too far so they tell you to sod off. When you feel you're getting to that point, back off and thank them. That's your best phone price.
    At this point I take my top two dealers in terms of price and thank them for their time. I tell the more expensive that unfortunately I've found a better deal and won't be following up my enquiry. This is their last chance to beat it - and if they do - repeat the process with the other dealer.
    Key point - never limit yourself to local dealers - phone all over the country. It was cheaper for me to fly from London to Blackpool and drive a new car back than it was to get one from Essex (where I live). Southport has an excellent Mazda dealer by the way!
    :T
    • Final price negotiation is done face to face. You've done a lot of price negotiation already, so the dealer will be less inclined to shave more off - but it can be done! Starting with extras:
    "So I assume it comes with the floor mats, road tax and a full tank of petrol?"
    It's very uncomfortable for the salesperson to say no to this - especially at month/quarter end. They have done in the past mind, stating that the price is so good that they just couldn't.
    "I'm spending £15,000 on a car and you won't throw in a tank of petrol and some tax?"
    Dealer still being stubborn? Remember those optional extras you decided you wanted at the start of the process? Now's the time to bring them up.
    "If I take the leather seats/extended warranty, will you throw in the mats, tax and fuel?"
    Sounds reasonable - as if you were giving up something to get something back - obviously you know you're not as you were going to get those optional extras anyway, but the dealer didn't know that.
    Once you've got all the extras you want, the dealer will want to talk about finance deals. This may or may not be something you need - obviously it may be cheaper to take a loan out somewhere else, and pay the dealership in cash.
    If you have the cash, I always play along as if I were going to get the finance, get a final price, and then right at the end take that price and state I'm going to pay in cash instead. Finance funded purchases often have a lower capital price for the car as the salesperson makes money from flogging you the loan. I've never been told that a price is only relevant if I take the finance - that's something that always surprises me.
    Remember, if you're not happy you can always walk away or make the motions as if you're about to walk away.
    :T
    Just a quick note - something that can save you THOUSANDS at the correct time of year (month/quarter end) is purchasing a pre-sold car. To meet targets, dealerships often buy their own cars to make their figures look good. It's always worth asking if they have any of these floating about as they are sooooo much cheaper than buying normally. Why so cheap? Well, technically the car is second hand - but it will have 0 miles on the clock and come with all normal warranties. With research and negotiating on a pre-sold car I purchased a £18,500 Mazda for £14,500 - oh, and with the extras!
    :T


    Something completely different - more for mainstream retail purchases. Let's use the example of buying a new Playstation 3. You're going to find it tough to get a discount buying just one, but if you know your mates are looking for one too, go alone and try the following:

    "How much for one?"

    ok...


    "How much for two?"

    ...

    "How much for three?"

    Take a calculator and be dividing the price right in front of their nose - you expect a discount! Salespeople feel obligated to lower the price every time you add a new unit on this way - to a limit, of course. Works wonders.
    :T
    Total Debt 31.05.2010: £4,500
    Overdraft: £1,700
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    Debt free target date: 31.12.2010
    Current Debt 11/12/10: £150
  • Djeon
    Djeon Posts: 1 Newbie
    Hi there,

    1st time I've posted although been a "lurker" for a while.
    I'm the Business Centre Manager at a major car dealership (dealing with B2B sales)
    Certainly in our dealership it would be towards the end of the quarter (if targets have not been met) - We (and I think most main dealers) get kickbacks on volume of units sold/registered - Do remember though that for the sale to count the car must be registered by the end of the quarter not just sold. So if its a brand new car make sure you know the lead time of the vehicle before you decide when to go haggle, if its a short supply car you will stand much less chanbce of really moving the price anyway.
  • anitalg
    anitalg Posts: 72 Forumite
    I work for an independant mobile phone shop. Targets are monthly, so the end of the month it can go either way - if you havnt hit target you can get a great deal, but if the shop has hit target its no different to the rest of the month! Usually this only applies to contract phones, the margin on pay as you go phones is minial so usually you cant get much of a discount on those. Best advice I can give you is be really really friendly and nice and a little bit cheeky - I always give a better deal to people I get on with and have a chat with.
    If you cant get rental discount on your contract - go for cashback, or free accessories. Do check first what comes with the phone tho - Ive known multi national chains make a big thing out of giving you a memory card when it comes in the box as standard!
  • atr3dot14 wrote: »
    I'm not sure if it is still the case but about 10 years ago the major housebuilders set targets for their regional offices in terms of number of houses sold. These were usually counted end of June and December.]

    I can confirm this! We bought a new house (completing before end of December, which I assume was their year-end) and we made an offer, it was acceped and we ended up getting £40,000 off! Ker-chinnnngggg! Thankyouverymuchdocallagain hahah
    Mmmmmmmmmm...... bargains.......!
  • muzzarooney
    muzzarooney Posts: 12 Forumite
    Any suggestions on new kitchens? :confused:
  • I'm moving into a flat and require washing machine, cooker and fridgefreezer, how should I go about getting these as cheap as possible?
  • Terry_D
    Terry_D Posts: 63 Forumite
    Whenever I have bought a new car I always get the latest Car Price guide from the newsagent. Dealers use their "secret" Glasses Guide but the numbers are pretty much the same. I take the guide with me and make sure the salesperson sees it - they always comment something like "I see you've done your research then". I bought my wife a new (2nd hand) car in May. I used "Parkers Car Guide". If you know the reg. and the mileage of the car you are interested in, you can send a text to Parkers with this info. and comes back within seconds giving you confirmation of the car's details and the different prices, dealer, part ex etc. I showed the salesman this on my phone so he new what price I was looking for. Without any haggling he offered me a full tank of petrol (worth about £60 at the moment) 12 months warranty, 12 months MOT, and Paint/Leather protection which meant he got his price and I got a good deal - a win/win situation. :beer:

    The text costs £3 from memory but well worth it when you are spending thousands.
  • Does anyone know how to get cheaper Sky and when is the bes time to get it?
  • A few years ago my brother was looking to buy a new Volvo estate, In looking around he also looked at a Mazda 6 something or other. He decided to go with the Volvo but then got a call from the Mazda salesman asking him to call in as he could offer him a good deal.
    It was at the end of their period and they were due to take delivery of a double transporter load of new cars the next day. If he could reach the sales target before then, the company would get a £20,000+ discount on the trailer load, He got a brand new £15,000 Mazda for £6000.
    He soon found that he didn't like it & traded it in for the Volvo but got more that he paid as a trade-in. - timing is everything
  • Sarah88
    Sarah88 Posts: 1 Newbie
    In response to Cheap Sky, their current offer is only £16/month for sky plus! And you can take advantage of their free broadband and home phone once you're a sky customer so you save loads of money in comarison to getting them all seperately!
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