Tips for negotiating with car dealers

Jonesya

Do some research on the model your buying and see if there's any major services/work due.

When I bought my first car it was 2k miles off a cam-belt change so whilst I didn't get anything off the price (it was already reasonable), I haggled the cam-belt change into the deal which saved me a few hundred quid. Plus from their side, a lot of servicing cost is labour, if they slot the work into a quiet period then the additional cost to them is minimal.

whatmichaelsays

The biggest thing is to remember that there is always a deal to be done, be it with this seller or another garage. Very few cars are unique and the used car market is highly competitive. Don't get "lovestuck" with the car you're buying as it will make it harder to walk away. Salesmen are clever people and they will spot it if you look like you want the car more than you want the deal.

The other thing is to be polite with the dealer, share some banter with him/her and be reasonable. If you get the dealers back up or go in with a "that's my price and I'm not budging"; he'll be less inclined to want to do business with you. You are negotiating, not demanding.

Robert_Jones

Katie-Kat-Kins wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Just looking for some advice on how to get the best deal when buying a used car from a dealer. I've chosen the car so purely looking for tips on getting the best price, and how much of a discount to ask for etc.

The asking price is £6k, give or take. It is an older car and not the make that the dealer specialises in.

Thanks for reading!

Be strong, decide how much you are prepared to pay and when push comes to shove say this is my best offer and walk away if it's not accepted - if you don't you lose!

emmell

What is the make and model of the car and have you done your research on how much other dealers are asking for the same car.
I bought a new car in May (delivered June) and I wouldn't say that particular dealer was quiet (Audi), I had to wait for a salesman because they were all busy, when he got my paperwork out that showed my p/x appraisal, it was among quite a few other appraisals he had done that day/week, the salesmen were swapping about to escort people on test drives. It was that busy my hubby learned to help himself to coffee.
Most of my negotiating is done over the phone, but not before I've been to the dealer, expressed an interest, had a test drive and done some 'basic' negotiating, walked away (making sure they know how interested I am), then wait for the phone to ring because it will if you don't go in with a stupid offer. You can always make a stupid offer over the phone and negotiate up from there and tell them when you arrive at a price that suits you both you will go in and sign on the dotted line.
ML.