How to haggle buying a second hand car

first78

Okay, so I am in desperate need of a car as mine is in Need or repairs that will cost more than the car itself.

I've looked on auto trader and have seen some cars at private dealerships. What I want to ask is do I accept the price cars are marked at, or is there room for negotiation? Is there is how do I go about getting the proscenium down?

I'm looking to spend a max of £3500, I'm happy to part ex my current car (according to webuyany car it's worth £145) and at best I have £100 deposit.

Any advice is greatly appreciated...really need to sort a car this weekend as my current car has no breakpads on the near side and needs to go. Also I'm a female and don't want to be ripped off when purchasing a car. Thanks.

Stoke

There's always room for negotiation.

arcon5

Not all dealers will negotiate on price. With price wars online many dealers are putting cars up at the lowest price they'll take so get higher in search results.

The idea is you look around for similar cars and see where their market value is and if the dealer you like is higher try to bring it down to that.

But don't just expect dealers to reduce the price simply because your stood in front of them.

tacpot12

Agree with Stoke; it is always possible to negotiate on a second hand car.

The advertised price is the absolutely maximum the dealer is expecting to get. Most Dealers will reduce the price by upto 10% relatively easily if you justify the lower offer. There is no perfect second hand car, so you just need to find the basis on which to reduce the price; things to look for include damage to the bodywork, imminent service, gaps in service history, worn tyres or brakes, unpopular colours, unpopulated specifications etc.

Pay particular attention to whether the cambelt has been changed yet and if so what evidence is there
that it was changed. For £3500, you will be buying a car at an age and mileage where the cambelt change might be imminent. The change might cost £400, and I would always want to have the cambelt changed after purchase, unless there is very clear evidence of the change in the form of the service book and the invoice for the work, from a reputable garage. Any element lacking makes the car worth £400 less to me.

The dealer may argue that all this was described in the advert, but you just need to explain that the car isn't worth X to you. It is worth Y, and Y is your offer. Let them sweat over whether it is enough.

I would definitely start with an offer of about 15% lower than the advertised price, and don't offer more than 90% of the advertised price unless you have identified (as per Arcon5's advice) that the dealer is advertising it at the lowest retail price possible. Just walk away if they won't lower the price to something that is within a few percent of the lowest retail price possible for that car.

You are likely to end up buying a bad car, if you buy in a rush. Try to take a disciplined approach to selecting and rejecting cars that are not suitable. Have you identified the make, model and specification of car you want to buy? If so, have you researched any specific problems that that model has? This will also help identify possible reason to negotiate the price down.

foxy-stoat

first78 wrote: »

Any advice is greatly appreciated...really need to sort a car this weekend as my current car has no breakpads on the near side and needs to go. Also I'm a female and don't want to be ripped off when purchasing a car. Thanks.

What car is it?

Brake pads and disc replacement for all 4 corners will not be very expensive, £200-£250 in parts max.

loskie

1: dont part ex your car. Sell privately via free ads, gumtree etc.
2: For your budget consider buying from a private seller you will get much more value for money.
3: If you do buy from a trader don't believe a word they tel you.Get any points addressed BEFORE handing money over,
4: If you are not happy walk away from the deal. There are thousands of cars for sale.
5: Don't be set on one particular model of car keep your options open, unfashionable cars = better value.

Stoke

arcon5 wrote: »

Not all dealers will negotiate on price. With price wars online many dealers are putting cars up at the lowest price they'll take so get higher in search results.

The idea is you look around for similar cars and see where their market value is and if the dealer you like is higher try to bring it down to that.

But don't just expect dealers to reduce the price simply because your stood in front of them.

Why? if you're stood in front of them with x thousand pounds in cash, they will absolutely jump at dropping the price for you. Every day it doesn't sell, is another day it sits on your forecourt, depreciating in value and taking up room.

Even the most non-negotiable dealer will take less than his asking price, trust me. Just flash the cash in front of their face, and tell them you're going elsewhere.

first78

foxy-stoat wrote: »

What car is it?

Brake pads and disc replacement for all 4 corners will not be very expensive, £200-£250 in parts max.

I have a Honda Jazz. Last time I had this problem with the break pads there was also an issue with the calliper, it's going to cost more to repair than the car is worth

Rain_Shadow

first78 wrote: »

I have a Honda Jazz. Last time I had this problem with the break pads there was also an issue with the calliper, it's going to cost more to repair than the car is worth

That a repair will cost more than the value of the car doesn't necessarily make the repair uneconomical.


It may well be the cheapest way to get a decent reliable car again.

tonyh66

whats cheaper: £400 on repairs or £3500 on a used car which may need work doing before its next MOT. If your short of cash get the car you have repaired.

tykesi

first78 wrote: »

I have a Honda Jazz. Last time I had this problem with the break pads there was also an issue with the calliper, it's going to cost more to repair than the car is worth

Pretty sure the £3500 you're going to spend on a 'new' car is more than the Jazz is worth as well.

Weird logic.