Haggling at a Dealership

Money_saving_Martyn

The car is only worth what someone will pay for it, that's how all prices are set in a market economy.

If they believe they can sell it at the higher price, asking for a £5k reduction will not get you anywhere. They could just say "You go find the same car for £5k less if you want".

On the other hand, if a rival has a similar car (similar age, condition etc) for a cheaper price, you have good grounds for haggling. After all, they'd rather take your money than let a rival do it!

Go armed with print outs galore of similar cars that are cheaper and see if they budge..... if not - buy one of the other cars!

Hope this helps. Also consider other makes and models!!

Shimrod

Have you tried doing a national search on the BMW used car website for the same model? You can find some quite big regional variations on the prices of cars - for example, the bigger engined 3 series cars often seem to be cheaper around London that the North West. If the car is too far away from you to travel, your local BMW dealer may be able to get the car transferred - although in this situation you would be expected to buy the car as long as it is as described and would probably have to put down a deposit. If it is a popular model though, the holding dealership may not release the car.

You also need to decide how much you want the backup of the a main dealership - you will get a BMW 12 month warranty and MOT insurance. Any problems with the car and it's hassle free to get it fixed - only you can decide how much that peace of mind is worth to you - but it is likely you will pay more for the car than you would at a car supermarket.

motorguy

harveybobbles wrote: »

i'd wait a month or so as the prices will drop more dramatically with the launch of the new one.

I dont think the price of a six year old car is going to be impacted that significantly by the launch of a new one.

motorguy

Just did a national search on the BMW site and the cheapest 03 3.0i SE's are around £13995.

I would think if you were getting it for £13K ish you'd be doing well.

Nice car by the way - we've an 07 z4 3.0Si Coupe...

GiveItBack

I'd have a look on autotrader and check within a reasonable distance of your place. They have private and dealers there. Expect higher prices from dealers than private, but it should give you a good idea.
Prices in my area are generally higher than elsewhere. (I travelled to buy my last car, as the range at my price was much bigger elsewhere)