Car Sales People

eva11

Today i went to a Fiat Showroom to part exchange my car for a new Fiat Multipla. Within a few minutes my friend and myself felt very uncomfortable with the chap that was dealing with us, he was on a very hard sales drive and was asking a lot of questions about myself that weren't relevant ie personal ones. I know its nice to strike up a good conversations but he was just over the top. Anyway I told him another Fiat dealership had offered me £6400 for my part exchange(in true moneysaving style they had only offered £6k) whereas he could only offer me £5k and commented that the other dealer couldn't be making a profit. He then asked me for their business card so that he could phone them and clarify that it was £6400 that they were definately going to offer me, I explained that I didnt have it. He then said he would get the phone book and through his 50 questions he managed to get out of me what the companies name was and where they were based. He then said he could get the other dealers phone number and I could phone from his office to clarify the price. I was starting to get fed up with his behaviour and politely told him that I would not be buying a car from him. When I returned home I phone the other dealer and told him he would get the sale if he upped his price a couple of hundred. I explained the Parkers price was £6800 for the part exchanged. But he said that £6k was his limit and didn't offer to speak to his manager about upping the price.

My big questions is would a dealer phone another dealership to check up/clarify their part exchange price?? ie would he call my bluff!!
And would the other dealer disclose this information?
I just feel that this chap that I dealt with today, was creepy enough to do something like that.

Thanks in advance

blue_haddock

If you don't like the salesman your speaking to do exactly what you did and walk away.

As for your car being worth £6800 according to parkers - it's worth what someone will pay for it and so if the top bid you get is £6000 then that is actually what it's worth. The parkers guide is not a trade price guide and is often unrealistic with it's prices, remember a guide book is exactly that - a guide.

Do not get too carried away with the PX price - it's the cost to change you need to look at.

rdwarr

It's best not to put yourself in a position where creepy salesmen can "call your bluff". They are trained professionals who are experts on body language etc. If you hadn't lied about the other trade-in offer then the guy would have been welcome to ring them and may even have tried to beat it. He may have sensed you weren't being entirely honest and tried to take advantage of your discomfort.
Let's face it - a car dealer will try and sell you a car and will do a deal if he possibly can. But there's always a better offer around the corner

Charlton_Taz

Don't buy a car at the beginning of the month!!...yours chance of a good discount are reduced according to this article I read on the what car website:

http://www.whatcar.com/news-special-report.aspx?NA=220329

golly99

Also maybe use the free glasses guide price check on Vauxhall.co.uk (value my car under one of the menus). That's the guide the trade use so might give you a more accurate price than Parkers.

Keep looking if you don't feel right, another one will come along (I'm doing the same myself).

rdwarr

If you're being offered a fair trade-in the salesman will not have a problem showing you the value in Glass's guide. They are often bound by that.