Negoatiating with a dealer on a used car - tips please

Amanda65

Hi all

Am trying to sort out a replacement car for DD1 for the one she wrote off 3 weeks ago.

I was told by some on here that we had been seen coming when we boought her last car - an S reg Clio - for £1700. Ideally we would like to buy another Clio, although are open to other makes / models but I wondered what tips you had for negotiating with traders ? If a car is advertised at around £1600 what would you realistically offer ? What should we take with us to back up our offer ? Is there anything we should be looking at to help with the negotiations ?

As you can probably tell, we are a little green at this, having usually paid very close to the asking price for cars so are no doubt a dealers dream customer :rolleyes:. Your advice would be very much appreciated - thanks

harveybobbles

Do your homework and see if its competetive on price. that's the only real way you will know what a car is worth.

The bloke down the road may knock you £500 off just for asking, but it could be £800 over priced. You'll be thinking you got a good deal, but he'll be the one laughing. All the way to the bank...

emmell

Look on autotrader to see what you can get for your money. A car may be offered for £1600 and be worth £1000 whereas another car may be offered at £1600 and be a bargain.
At that sort of price range I would go for the best car for the money (not necessarily the newest).
The auto trader gives you the opportunity to specify the car, the maximum price and the area you wish to search. Have a good look round, the first car you see should be a yardstick for viewing others and don't forget, you are not wasting anyones time by viewing cars for sale. If people had no viewers they would never sell cars.
ML.

Amanda65

Thanks to you both. We have been looking on Autrotrader (rather unsuccessfully as the good cars seem to be gone before we can get to see them :rolleyes:) nd the prices are similar to what we paid before but several people on a previous thread about the insurance settlement figure told me we were silly to have paid the dealers asking price (more or less) and that we should use it as a starting point.

harveybobbles wrote: »

Do your homework and see if its competetive on price. that's the only real way you will know what a car is worth.

The bloke down the road may knock you £500 off just for asking, but it could be £800 over priced. You'll be thinking you got a good deal, but he'll be the one laughing. All the way to the bank...

If all the cars on Autotrader etc. are a similar price, is there anywhere else you suggest we look at to find out if it's competitive ?

hothothot_3

try Ebay. dont buy the first thing you see / fall in love with. see what things tend to sell with in completed auctions and when it comes your time, narrow down a favourite and dont pay more than you feel is reasonable, there will always be more deals!

harveybobbles

Amanda65 wrote: »

If all the cars on Autotrader etc. are a similar price, is there anywhere else you suggest we look at to find out if it's competitive ?

ebay, gumtree, preloved, freeads, loot etc...

Anihilator

Whats your post code?

Post it and let posters see what they can find.

Tbh I would avoid a clio but if thats what she wants its her coffin and wallet

hothothot_3

im thinking an S reg Clio at 1700 seems pretty pricey. it would have to be something special to get that price. We are in a recession, people unloading cars to free up cash, and it is Christmas time too - you should expect alot of car for your money. Great time to buy IMHO.

rev_henry

Shouldn't she be buying her own cars now seeing as how she's old enough to drive and write her old one off?
On a more constructive note, you don't have to buy it the first time you see it. If the dealer won't accept your offer you can always leave your number and say 'X is my final offer, call if you change your mind', and if after a few weeks it hasn't sold the dealer will probably be begging you to buy it, as long as your offer's reasonable. Tbh, take EVERYTHING a secondhand car dealer says with a pinch of salt, and judge for yourself whether he/she is truthful.

Amanda65

Anihilator wrote: »

Whats your post code?

Post it and let posters see what they can find.

Tbh I would avoid a clio but if thats what she wants its her coffin and wallet

Postcode is KT - Kingston-upon-Thames area.

The reason for the Clio again is that the NCAP reports are very good for a small car, it has driver and passenger airbags and a lot of small cars don't and having seen her car on it's side in a ditch and DD walk out unharmed other than a few 'burns' to her arm from the airbags exploding she (and we) feel it's a very safe car .

Thanks for the offer

hothothot_3

rev_henry wrote: »

Tbh, take EVERYTHING a secondhand car dealer says with a pinch of salt, and judge for yourself whether he/she is truthful.

Remember if you are very interested in a model to do a HPI check to make sure it hasnt any bad history of being damaged in accidents or stolen etc.

Also a quick course on bodylanguage. Be wary of seller scratching his nose, rubbing his ear, avoiding eye contact, shuffling his feet.

There, you go, your all set.