How to buy a car

littlemisslettings

Ok a few questions from a first time car buyer....

I am off to Toyota tomorrow to buy a used Aygo. I have done my research on prices etc... and have a budget (I am a cash purchaser). what i want to know is:

1. How do i make sure i get the best price from the salesman? (My budget is a bit lower than the usual asking price)
2. At what point do i pay - when a deal is struck or when the car is ready for collection?
3. how long is it normally before you can drive the car away?
4. what documents will i need to provide?

Sorry if the questions seem a bit simple! If you need any other info, let me know! Thanks

Premier_2

1. Don't tell the salesman your budget. Or if you do, tell him one lower than what you actually can afford.

2. Personally I prefer to pay for a car when it is ready to take away, although some dealers may ask for a deposit. Don't pay for it in total until it's ready to drive away. The issue with a deposit is that (a) the dealer might go bust in the meantime (unlikely, but possible) and (b) if the car is not ready to drive way today, it needs work, work which you may not be totally saisfied with.

3. Is it brand new? 2-5 days typically assuming the car is in stock. Second hand, the car is probably ready to drive away today but possibly won't be taxed. For the dealer to tax the car, you'll need to provide valid insurance for the car. It might then take a couple of days for the dealer to get some tax for you. If it's a recent trade in you've spotted, and not yet prepared, possibly up to 5 days to prepare the vehicle.

4. Other than the cash, possibly nothing. Some form of identification may be required depending on the purchase value when paying in cash (money laundering regs). Insurance if car needs to be taxed.

TonyMMM

1 - depends how good a negotiator you are , and how much confidence you have. Key to getting a good deal is to not be the first to mention a price. e.g. If the car is up for £7,000 and you say that is too high - the salesman will say something like "how much were you thinking of ?" as soon as you answer that question you have set the lowest price and the only way is up .... get him to name a price by saying something like "well what's the best you can do ?" and once he gives a figure the only way he can go is down. The trouble is that this technique is taught to all the salesman as well !!

2 - Normally they will expect a deposit when you agree the deal and balance to be paid on collection.

3 - depends on the deal you strike ...if you want the car serviced/mot'd/taxed you may have to give them a few days to sort it out.

4 - they will probably just want something to prove name/address (utility bill or driving licence maybe) ...ring them and ask ?

BYALPHAINDIA

Coming from experience alot of the dealers prefer you to do credit rather than cash.

I think they know that if your paying in cash then they cannot make any interest etc on the deal?

vikingaero

The bottom of the range Aygo's are showing as around £400 off list price from brokers. The mid range to top of the range spec cars are going for between £500-£1k off.

Easiest way to haggle is to take in a print out from Drive The Deal/Broadspeed etc and see if the dealer will match it.

kev_min

My good ladies last experience was simple, drove into dealers 'just looking' and drove out the same day in a new (to her) car, but they did have a weeks free insurance deal running! Quite annoying really as I am sure I could have got a slightly better deal....

as to your questions..

1. How do i make sure i get the best price from the salesman? Do your home work- look around at the price for similar cars, be picky on everything - if the tyres are worn ask for a discount, any dents -the same. even if you dont get anything off the price push for a FREE full service before you take delivery.

2. At what point do i pay - when a deal is struck or when the car is ready for collection? Its usual to pay just a deposit to secure the deal and the rest on collection.
3. how long is it normally before you can drive the car away? see above, anything from same day to a week!
4. what documents will i need to provide? Some form of ID, and usually proof of insurance prior to collection.

maninthestreet

Never tell them how much you want to pay per month for a car.

Steve_66_2

It sounds to me like you will be paying outright for a used Aygo - if you're taking finance, that's a whole different ball game.

You've found the car and you've done your research so have a figure in mind that you're happy to pay and stick to that. Don't be afraid to walk away because they are plenty of other cars to choose from.

I'd advise you think carefully before paying hundreds of pounds for a paintwork and upholstery protection system that the salesman will 'assume' you want because everyone takes it (yeah right). In my opinion they are a waste of money.

Smile and be nice to the salesman as a 'littlemiss' charm will go a long way.

It's an exciting day, so enjoy it!

Jedilibrarian

When I bought my first car a year ago, I thought I would die from the akwardness of haggling with the salesman! I'd advise to stick to your budget, it's easy to feel pressured into taking whatever deal they offer, don't reply straight away, let the silence sit there for a bit, then say "I was hoping for a better deal" or similar, they might say they need to speak the manager or whatever-let them! Also if they really really won't budget on price (you need to understand they want to make a bit of profit too-ideally both you and salesperson walk away happy!), ask what they can throw in for free, I got 6 months Road tax included, you could also ask for MOT/Service, mats etc depending on how old the car is.

Also I thought they might try to take advantage of a single women on her own who obviously knew very little about cars, so I took my boyfriend and his dad with me as back up when negotiating and for a second opinion on the cars. So you might want to think about taking someone with you.

I'm sure they asked to see my driver's licence. And obviously your insurance if they are taxing. I picked mine up after about a week (it didn't suit me to get earlier plus I had to arrange insurance).

Good luck

PS just to add that I paid a deposit that day and the full amount when I picked up. Also if you don't mind about having a perfect car then you might want to look at ones that most people aren't interested in, in my case I hadn't settled on a mkae/model yet and thought about a burgendy Corsa, the salesman was desperate to sell to me as everyone else thought the colour was ugly! He actually said to me 'Forget about the price on the car'! So you might consider unusal colours or upholstery etc. Just a thought.