Buying used car from main dealer - haggling?

firsttimebuyer2013

So I've got a budget of around £15k. When looking at cars of this price range, what would be a reasonable amount to expect the dealer to be haggled down on?

I've never been in this position before so really have no idea! :undecided

Thanks


Edit: So I looked at cars today, and the general price of the model I want is around the £16k mark give or take for mileage differences.

However, looking online at a Ford main dealer, there is one for sale at £13,500 with the upgraded touch screen that includes sat nav (this in itself isn't a deal breaker) but the price almost seems to good to be true. It's saying recently recuded from £16,200 which is a consistent price with what I've seen and with other cars they have in stock. So what's the catch? I can't see anything from the description. It's also 30miles away so a bit of a trek. I'm reluctant to phone up and ask why it's priced as it is incase that puts the price up! Would they do that? At the end of the day they'll know prices better than me, surely. Could it be it's just been sat around on the forecourt for too long?

straighttalker

It depends on a number of things:

Whether you have a trade in
How much margin they've got in the car they're selling
If you're taking finance with them
If the car is overpriced to start off with

There are a lot of other factors too.

Just have a look at comparable cars on Autotrader. Is the price reasonable compared to what the main dealer are asking?

forgotmyname

Depends if the £15k car is identical to ones that are selling for £13k everywhere else. If it is then at least £2000 off.

If its £15k when similar ones are selling for more elsewhere then maybe very little.

ShandyAndy_2

straighttalker wrote: »

It depends on a number of things:

Whether you have a trade in
How much margin they've got in the car they're selling
If you're taking finance with them
If the car is overpriced to start off with

There are a lot of other factors too.

Just have a look at comparable cars on Autotrader. Is the price reasonable compared to what the main dealer are asking?

+ 1 there are lots of variables.

Hintza

You will only know when you know the market, and that takes time and effort.

Amysdad70

I bought a car last weekend and picked it up today from a main dealer. The original price was £18k but we ended up at £14,100.

I used a number of factors in the discussion including similar car pricing. However, earlier in the discussion I said I did not want gap cover or paint protection. Now I know that these guys are targeted on this so I asked what was the best he could do if I took them. The cost of the car went down by more than the cost of the extras which is a win for both of us.

Just remember that they are people just trying to hit targets. As long as you are clear about what you want and are nice about it, you should reach a mutually agreeable conclusion. If not, don't be scared to walk away and try somewhere else.

At one point the in the discussions the trade in price of my old car was £500 less than offered by a rival. He said that they are just saying that to get you to their showroom, so I said it was worth the trip though if they would offer me more. Again we met in the middle.

Good Luck and have fun. I know I did.

dannyrst

You need to go in with an open mind. Don't fall in love with a car, or at least don't let them know that. Pick faults with it constantly. This way, you can haggle the price on the bits you don't like.

Always say that you really had your heart set on a different colour (that they don't have in stock). This is another reason to knock some money off to make you want that one. This can be applied to 3/5 door, auto/manual etc.

Check nearby for other cars that are similar age/mileage with more or less options. This way you can say that you're not paying an extra £2000 for x, y and z extras and you'd rather go to the other garage.

Never listen to a salesmans "I can only give you this offer if you buy now". Complete lie.

If a car has been for sale for 2 days, you will not get as much off as if it has been there for a month. Depending on the prestige of the car and how many others are around will also impact negotiation.

End of the day, go with a realistic price in mind of what you are willing to pay. If they don't meet it, walk away.

WellKnownSid

Timing is everything.

One way is to leave your details with a salesman you get on with who knows you've got money in your pocket but VERY high expectations of what you want... This can sometimes result in a win:win.

Friend of mine did this some months ago - and ended up with a cracking deal. The car itself had already been sold, the buyer subsequently failed finance but it was already at the end of the month and it was already down as a sale. Cue panicky salesman on the end of the phone... Are you still looking...

Got close to a grand off, the spec of car he wanted, plus a three year 'approved used' warranty, three years servicing and other stuff thrown in.

firsttimebuyer2013

So I looked at cars today, at the general price of the model I want is around the £16k mark give or take for mileage differences.

However, looking online at a Ford main dealer, there is one for sale at £13,500 with the upgraded touch screen that includes sat nav (this in itself isn't a deal breaker) but the price almost seems to good to be true. It's saying recently recuded from £16,200 which is a consistent price with what I've seen and with other cars they have in stock. So what's the catch? I can't see anything from the description. It's also 30miles away so a bit of a trek. I'm reluctant to phone up and ask why it's priced as it is incase that put the price up! Would they? At the end of the day they'll know prices better than me, surely. Could it be it's just been sat around on the forecourt for too long?

ballyblack

are you trading in or buying straight? This makes all the difference in the real price!

firsttimebuyer2013

I'm a cash buyer. How does this effect the price?