Used car buying advice needed

HelenH1961

We are wanting to sell our 14 month old Honda CRV and buy a Honda Jazz or Fiesta instead, about 2 years old. We have been to Swansway Honda and Evans Halshaw and both have offered us slightly less than the Parkers guide for trade in, we also had Auto Glm inside and out but that doesn't seem to add anything to the value. We had tests drives and wanted to negotiate a price on the replacement car but both refused to reduce the price at all. Even when we said if we could reach an agreement we would buy today they let us walk away. Is this the new way cars are sold these days or are we doing something wrong?

motorguy

Its pretty much the new norm.

The view of the motor trade is that unless their cars are keenly priced in the first place (and thus appear at the top of the listings, cheapest first, on autotrader, etc) then the phone doesnt ring.

So prices tend to be very sharp, with little or no room for maneuvre. There are of course exceptions to that, but you tend to find its on cars wrongly priced in the first place, or "old" stock the dealer wants to move on.

My son went looking for a 2010 Clio RS200 and we sourced a couple of low miles examples at competitive prices (even across the whole of the UK they were among the cheapest). I expected to be able to get £500 easy off by playing them against each other, but one knocked £95 off and the other just £45 off - and likewise we did walk away and they let us. We did go back and buy our preferred one though but at no further discount.

I guess find the keenest priced car in the first place and push for whatever discount you can - £100 off a £12,000 car is better than £1,000 off the same car priced elsewhere at £12,995.

And likewise, looking at it from the dealers perspective why should they give away £,£££s of profit when their car is maybe one of the cheapest out there already?

motorguy

Also, these days the salesmen plug the exact miles and condition in to a computer and it pops up with the CAP and Glasses guide exact valuations. Theres none of the old fumbling about in a guide from his back pocket (and maybe a month or two out of date) and adding a bit on for leather interior and taking a bit off for early book.

So the salesman has little to work with - the price of the car for sale is pretty much fixed, and the value of your trade in is fixed also.

HelenH1961

I see what you are saying, it's a difficult one!

Hoof_Hearted

Sell your car privately and you should get more.

knightstyle

We had the same thing selling a Juke, less than 3 years old, below average miles but offered at least £1k less than Parkers trade in buy three garages, Sold it easily on Autotrader for £2k more. When we went to buy the replacement they said they would have given us the Parkers price!
So first step is haggle hard then if no joy sell on Autotrader. Be careful, do not meet at a half way point and get cash.

HelenH1961

Having paid for the enhanced version of the parkers guide we see the garages are actually offering £2k less than parkers guide. We have decided to buy the Fiesta we have seen, which is also being sold at less than the parkers price for a franchise, but see if we can sell it privately before we pick up the replacement car.

tykesi

Just out of interest, why did you think Auto Glym (assuming that's what you meant) would 'add value'?

BeenThroughItAll

tykesi wrote: »

Just out of interest, why did you think Auto Glym (assuming that's what you meant) would 'add value'?

Probably just because that's what the [strike]salesman[/strike] con artist who sold them the car told them.

motorguy

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Probably just because that's what the [strike]salesman[/strike] con artist who sold them the car told them.

Did he?

I've never seen it sold as an adding value product.

BeenThroughItAll

motorguy wrote: »

Did he?

I've never seen it sold as an adding value product.

I've heard salespeople telling people that it will enhance resale value. I've had salespeople tell ME that.