Buying used car from main dealer - advice please

BigTezza

Hi

I don't know if this is the right place to post this so apologies in advance.

I'll be looking to buy a used car from a main dealer in the next month or so. I'm considering Audi A3, VW Golf, Seat Leon Fr, Honda Civic and Hyundai i30. Including the trade-in on my existing car plus cash I'll have about £17500K to use. I'm looking for a car about a year old and less than 20K miles on it. Looking on Autotrader as a start I've set my upper limit to £18000 - too low/high or about right?

The last time I replaced my car I took bits of advice from MSE, did my research, rehearsed my patter and went to the dealerships feeling optimistic. Unfortunately I was met with sales guys who wouldn't budge much on price or add-ins at all. In fact, the guy at a Kia dealership treated me like I'd just wandered in with a dog on a string and asked him "Do you need yer forecourt tarmacin' Boss?". He offered book price for my car and would not budge one single £ on the remainder. I'd never met a sales guy like it in all my years, it was breathtaking! As advised here, I walked away. I did a lot of walking away in the end so began to question my approach and the tips I'd read.

So this time around I thought I'd offer up some specifics about what I'm looking for in the hope that someone out there can give me a few nuggets to restore my confidence in what should be an enjoyable process. So, a couple of initial questions.....

1. I've already made a couple of general calls to a few dealerships to ask if they have emailing lists for their stock. The first question I was asked by every one of them was "What's your budget?". Some people advise never to give that away, some say state a limit below what you're prepared to pay and I'm confused! So, with £15K cash and a nice little trade-in available, how would 'you' answer that question?

2. I commute 70 miles each day and will need to keep the car for 5-6 years so reliability and a decent warranty are quite high on my list. A 12 month old i30 would still have 4 years of their 5 year warranty left but for the others....does anyone have any tips on getting the dealerships to offer more than the usual 12 month cover?

3. If I'm faced again with sales guys who more or less refuse to haggle, should I keep walking away and maybe look to take a drive to a dealership out of my immediate area? Certainly, from Autotrader searches at least, dealerships around Bristol/Cardiff seem cheaper than those in my locality (Devon). Has anyone out there got any tips for making a stubborn sales person play ball or do you all walk away?

4. It may not be possible but I'll give it a go.....if you were in my shoes and looking at an 18 grand car with my budget, what kind of price/deal would you feel was a good'n?

Sorry if any of the above are dumb questions but I had to ask - I love car hunting but last time I did this I felt a bit miffed that it was so damned stressful compared to the success stories I keep reading about

Many thanks

alderpoint

Why from a main dealer? You'll get a lot more car for your money at one of the car supermarkets.

We recently got a 10-month old car at motorpoint for £2k less than exactly the same car at the main dealers. Whilst they don't negotiate, if you are realistic on what you want for your trade-in and tell the salesman what he needs to do to get the sale then who should be able to come to a mutual agreement.

And resist all attempts at selling you paint/interior protection, gap insurance, etc etc.

BigTezza

Thanks - that's one additional option to consider if I get nowhere with the local dealerships. The nearest one to me looks like Birmingham which is 180 miles away - I don't think there's anything similar in the south west unfortunately. I just thought 'local' would mean 'easier' - although after last time I could be wrong!

Cheers

bigjl

Car supermarkets also give bottom book on trade in.

The reason being is that most end up going straight to auction.

With your budget consider selling your car to any of the we buy it now people, get a quote from all of them not just one.

Then price up a brand new car with discount from DrivetheDeal, I did a check with CarWow and found the discounts to be variable and also some were as low as £20!

Put into DrivetheDeal every possible combination of car you need.

£18k could easily get you into a Brand New Prius.

I have also read less than favourable things about the Kia warranty in the later years come claim time.

A basic spec, with Nav, Civic is just over £16k brand new. Similar price for a Hybrid Auris. Toyotas come with A 5yr 100k miles warranty these days I believe. And the Hybrid drivetrain is extremely reliable. If you went for a Prius it would also have the advantage of great residuals as the Private Hire trade has huge demand for Prius which will likely continue for several more years.

If doing the miles you do and with the intention of keeping for 4 or 5 years I would go new every time.

Iceweasel

I've had my fingers burnt too often in the past with cars with hidden faults that showed up later and had hassle with independent dealers who have no real expert knowledge of the complexities (usually the electronics)of a specific model.

So I now only consider buying from a major main dealership with a good reputation.

My approach is to buy a 2 year old car with under 25K miles so have a years original warranty left. I then extend the warranty for the remainder of the time I own the car.

I therefore avoid the biggest depreciation drop and by trading in at around 5 years old for another 2 year old model I have predictable costs.

You can negotiate for a good deal on servicing too - but you have to do your sums to see how many services you would need during the time you have the car.

Yes, you could possibly get a similar car cheaper from an independent trader, but somewhere down the line you'll buy a car with problems that you'll have an expensive hassle with, and it 'ends in tears' with a slimmed down wallet.

sparrie2k

With that sort of money you could be looking at new...Seat Leon 1.4TSi FR can be got for <18k if you haggle, there's 3 years 0% finance and a £1k deposit contribution.

glentoran99

BigTezza wrote: »

Hi



1. I've already made a couple of general calls to a few dealerships to ask if they have emailing lists for their stock. The first question I was asked by every one of them was "What's your budget?". Some people advise never to give that away, some say state a limit below what you're prepared to pay and I'm confused! So, with £15K cash and a nice little trade-in available, how would 'you' answer that question?



You'll need to tell them a budget, no point them sending you a list of £500 cars if you want a high end model, I would tell them a range





2. I commute 70 miles each day and will need to keep the car for 5-6 years so reliability and a decent warranty are quite high on my list. A 12 month old i30 would still have 4 years of their 5 year warranty left but for the others....does anyone have any tips on getting the dealerships to offer more than the usual 12 month cover?


not likely but you can try

3. If I'm faced again with sales guys who more or less refuse to haggle, should I keep walking away and maybe look to take a drive to a dealership out of my immediate area? Certainly, from Autotrader searches at least, dealerships around Bristol/Cardiff seem cheaper than those in my locality (Devon). Has anyone out there got any tips for making a stubborn sales person play ball or do you all walk away?


You need to be serious and be prepared to walk away and do your research, my wife was brilliant at haggling, we went in with her car and they wanted it plus 2000 for the car we wanted, we settled on £150 and the car. Quite simply she wasn't playing any games, we knew what our car was worth and what we could get selling privately and just said no. they chased us with a new offer for days no point being unrealistic in your expectations, some of the main dealers here simply wont negotiate though, their angle is the price you see is the price you pay, the market it as being more honest

4. It may not be possible but I'll give it a go.....if you were in my shoes and looking at an 18 grand car with my budget, what kind of price/deal would you feel was a good'n?


if you want an 18 grand car its going to cost 18 grand

Sorry if any of the above are dumb questions but I had to ask - I love car hunting but last time I did this I felt a bit miffed that it was so damned stressful compared to the success stories I keep reading about

Many thanks

Quite simply decide how much you want to spend, and take it from there

alderpoint

bigjl wrote: »

Car supermarkets also give bottom book on trade in. The reason being is that most end up going straight to auction.

The actual trade-in price amount isn't important - it's the cost to change which you need to look at. No point going to a dealer who offers £500 more for your trade-in if the new vehicle is £1000 more expensive.

With your budget consider selling your car to any of the we buy it now people, get a quote from all of them not just one.

Agreed. I did exactly that and at motorpoint they gave me a higher amount.

bigjl

alderpoint wrote: »

The actual trade-in price amount isn't important - it's the cost to change which you need to look at. No point going to a dealer who offers £500 more for your trade-in if the new vehicle is £1000 more expensive.



Agreed. I did exactly that and at motorpoint they gave me a higher amount.

I can see your point but due to the lower cost of the car you are buying alongside the lower price of the trade in price the cost to change is usually pretty similar.

But I have had trade in prices from Car Supermarkets that were significantly less than the we buy it now price, in my experience with CarGiant they actually told the person trading in that their price would be on the low side and to consider selling privately.

gzoom

I've always bought our used cars from main dealers, as much as I like to trust private sellers for the sake of a few more £££ I rather have at least some from of legal protection should the thing fall apart the minute I drive it off the forecourt.

£18K is a decent budget, I personally don't see the point of not telling the dealer what your budget is. They must get tired of seeing time wasters, so why not be upfront with your budget.

For negotiation I make it clear from the start I expect some kind of discount off the sticker price, if there is no chance of any movement on price I don't even bother test driving the car. Why waste their time and your time if at the end you cannot agree on price.

Pay what you feel comfortable with, like I said at £18K I would be tempted to look at nicer cars than a Civic or i30. Nothing wrong with the Civic, I used one for a 80 mile commute daily for 18 months, but something nicer would have been good...We replaced our Civic with a Lexus IS300H hybrid, its on a different planet interms of refinement, and I notice used prices are now getting close to £18K

Finally, remember in any deal YOUR IN CHARGE. It's your hard earned money, and you should feel comfortable spending it any way you like. BUT do understand the dealers have to make a profit from somewhere, they have mouths to feed too, so as long as your happy with the price and they are happy, its all good

colino

The most important thing for you to do is settle on exactly what car you want, not a range as different cars have different price listing structures and different dealerships have very different approaches to TI.
As has been said, in real terms its the price to change that is leaving your pocket, that's real, not a flattering amount for your TI against an over-inflated screen price for the car of your desires.
Do the hard yards on the phone and online with the brokers and see who can supply via your nearest bona fide dealer. You don't want your car delivered on a trailer from 300 miles away from a dealer you won't be seeing again.
Most important thing if you want peace in your life, is don't tell a professional car salesman you have £18,000 clear burning a hole in you pocket. He would be sacked if he didn't then spend his energies upselling you into the £20k+ bracket.