Buying a used car - prices, haggling etc

stoopyftm

Hi,


Im about to buy a used car from a used car dealer for the first time and would like some advice on the best ways of haggling the price.


I'm paying cash and have no trade in - the car is advertised at 2k but I've checked on the autotrader valuation and it's 1.6k - does that mean it's overpriced?


Any advice appreciated, thanks.

foxy-stoat

If it was a private seller then maybe, but at this price level you shouldnt pay too much attention to these types of valuation calculators.

Also, you will probably be paying £2000 for a £1500 car if its at a dealer - your better off buying off a private seller than has owned the car for a few years.

As for haggling, good luck, you may get £100 or so knocked off.

CardinalWolsey

Don't expect to be able to negotiate much of a discount though. Most cars are now "priced to sell" - because its so easy to compare online, a dealer has to get you through the door, and price is about the only way they'll manage to do that. Which means you should also be wary of any attempts to cross-sell - warranties, insurance etc. It's much like air tickets now, where the base price is the absolute lowest they can go, but its a no-frills price. Anything else is an add on.

hollie.weimeraner

If you buy from a dealer make sure you pay a small deposit by credit card if you have one. That way you get s75 protection if it goes belly up shortly after buying.

CarolK

If you go to one of the new bespoke online used car companies they will source you a vehicle at trade price i.e. what the dealer buys the car for and then only charge you a 10% fee.

EdGasketTheSecond

CarolK wrote: »

If you go to one of the new bespoke online used car companies they will source you a vehicle at trade price i.e. what the dealer buys the car for and then only charge you a 10% fee.

How does that work then? Do you get a chance to drive the car? Do you have to pay the 10% if you decide not to buy?

Korkyb

If I had 2k to spend & no trade in I'd be looking to buy from a private seller. (much more bang for your buck).


If you have a tame mechanic or friend who knows about cars take them along when viewing. (as backup & to get their opinion).

john_white

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

How does that work then? Do you get a chance to drive the car? Do you have to pay the 10% if you decide not to buy?

Not when I did it.


I used a company that mainly buys at auction. They inspect the cars and give advice, and they charged a flat fee of about £400. This was saved though as you got the dealer rates for auction charges opposed to private buyer rates.


The fee was refunded if they couldn't get a car to the spec you wanted at the price you want to pay (but they also wouldn't take you on as a client if you wanted a near new Ferrari for £50).


Bought 3 cars like this. Saved a bit of cash, probably 1000-1500 on each after all fees.

troubleonline

CardinalWolsey wrote: »

Don't expect to be able to negotiate much of a discount though. Most cars are now "priced to sell" - because its so easy to compare online, a dealer has to get you through the door, and price is about the only way they'll manage to do that. Which means you should also be wary of any attempts to cross-sell - warranties, insurance etc. It's much like air tickets now, where the base price is the absolute lowest they can go, but its a no-frills price. Anything else is an add on.

I think that this is very true about dealerships pricing to sell (and the rationale about online comparisons makes sense).

I bought a car this week and struggled to get £300 discount on a £19k price. Initially they offered £250 and then after a push I got another £50 off!!

I did my research on haggling (and buying a used car) on here and other websites before I went looking. The fact that the car I went to see had sold before I got there and I asked if they had anything similar coming in (they were in fact prepping something slightly better that day so went back and test drove it a few hours later) meant I was trying to negotiate on something that hadn't even made it to the forecourt. These factors probably didn't help my cause or that I was not using their finance (I didnt have the gall to say I would use their finance to get a better price and then cancel after contract set). Though the car I went to see had been reduced by £1,300 according their website so I though I manage about £500 off. However all my research before closing the deal (and checking again since) points to the fact that the sale price was fair for a dealership.

(NB I also paid the deposit on credit card so got my section 75 protection :T and some avios)

CarolK

You only pay the 10% fee if you buy the car. The car is delivered directly to you with a 3 year repair and maintenance contract (discounted repairs, MOT's etc) and you get to drive it for 30 days under a money back guarantee scheme (you will also get a 6 months distance selling guarantee if you finance it).


You get them to search a database of over 250,000 cars and find the right one for you


PM me if you want more information- I can provide you with a list of companies that do this

john_white

CarolK wrote: »

You only pay the 10% fee if you buy the car. The car is delivered directly to you with a 3 year repair and maintenance contract (discounted repairs, MOT's etc) and you get to drive it for 30 days under a money back guarantee scheme (you will also get a 6 months distance selling guarantee if you finance it).


You get them to search a database of over 250,000 cars and find the right one for you


PM me if you want more information- I can provide you with a list of companies that do this

The only time I've heard of something similar to this is on scamming emails.


Whats the name of the company?