What are the tricks of the trade to make sure I get the best deal I can?
I have this Arthur Daily idea of used car salemen so I'm very keen to go in with my eyes open.
Are there cars out there now which are real dogs or is it like bikes where it's actually hard to buy a "bad" one?
Anyone have any good probing questions I can ask the dealer?
Cheers.
From the word go, give them the impression that you'll be taking their finance
Ask them 'how much a week is this one' and keep your focus on getting the screen price down
I assume from that, they make a profit on the finance, will drop the screen price to secure the deal and then I drop a wad of cash at that screen price?
uplink - MemberFrom the word go, give them the impression that you'll be taking their finance
Ask them 'how much a week is this one' and keep your focus on getting the screen price down
Just curious Uplink, has this worked for you in the past & what sort of saving did you make?
In the middle of sorting out a used car for a relitive, who is looking to spend £15k, I only seem to get some movement on the ticket price, when I offer to walk away and think on it, they then tend to phone up with a better price?
http://www.negotiationtraining.com.au/articles/negotiate-car-deal/
My best advice is like all deals be prepared to walk away and wait for something better there are millions of cars out there. .
depends on the company and the sales person.
granted there are some rogues out there, but it is now a fairly professional industry. They are regulated by the FSA which helps a bit.
Things to bear in mind are:
how are you buying the car? Cash means you have saved up, not that you have a loan else where. personal loan? finance?
do you have a part ex?
what will make you feel you have had the best deal?
I used to come up against all the objections under the sun re: deal. At the end of the day, the only real important figure is the balance to change. IE, how much you have to give them for the car. have that set in your head, but be prepared to be educated as I'll put £1 to your 1p that (if you have a px) it wont be worth what you think.
Then look at the finance if you are having it. set a weekly / monthly budget. STICK TO IT! you WILL get offered add ons and listen to them - some of them may make sense.
Legally, they can't offer you a better deal for paying one way or the other, but be realistic. they'll make more commission on a finance deal than not.
Also, in terms of the best discounts, they will be offered on cars that they garage have had in stock for a longer time. bear in mind though that the screen price may well have already been reduced so further reductions are not viable.
Always better to try and get discount through accessories. If you want a towbar that'll cost you £500 - it won't cost them that so in real terms you get a better offer
hope it helps.
what care are you looking to buy? may still know people that could help...?
Also consider going to private sellers. I bought my last car from a private vendor, who admitted that it had had very little interest. As a result of that, and the AA used car inspection, I was able to get a bargain - around 15% off the blue book price. As said above, there are plenty of used cars around, so don't feel obliged to buy one.
The worst thing to do is be obliged to buy a car by a specific deadline.
The last but one car I bought (with Mrs Udder) was from a dealership. We got the finance hard sell from the saleswoman, were ushered through to the finance dude's office, and he tore up the form the saleswoman had filled in for us in front of us, saying she didn't know what she was doing, he could get us a better deal, yadda yadda yadda. We played along and at the last minute paid in cash. You'll get a lot of theatre - just sit tight, don't be swayed by it and get the deal that suits you. Extra points if you make the sales monkey go pale / cry / poo themselves.
Just curious Uplink, has this worked for you in the past & what sort of saving did you make?
I believe it has but it's hard to tell really
Further to morgs points, I'd screw the screen price down as far as possible and then work on any accessories etc. you may not get much or anything at all but worth trying
Then don't forget the mats or some fuel in the tank just before you sign on the line 
- take them right to the brink and then start having second thoughts 
My dealings have always been as a cash buyer without PX though
Yep, what Uplink says. Take them to the brink, then say you'll need to think about it. 
Thanks guys. We're looking for a reliable cheap running mile muncher (who isn't) and really don't mind having a dull unexciting bland car.
I've been looking at 5 or 6 yo Jap cars with 1.4 diesel engines. Budget up to about £5k
No part ex, this will be an additional car.
Wait until near the end of the month / quarter. Salemen are hungry to make their quota and can often be screwed down a little.
It's wise to decide exactly what car you want, what spec you want and how much you are prepared to pay for it. Then go and find a few and make some offers on ones you like. The biggest advantage you have is that there are thousands of cars out there of the type you want so take your time and always walk away if necessary. Dealers will always cost more, only you can decide if the alleged peace of mind is worth it.
Are you happy doing the searching - a friend of mine runs a sourcing business and he will find what you want and deliver it to your door if that appeals? He's trade so can access cars that have been part ex'd into main dealers etc. Let me know if you want more info.
Wait until near the end of the month / quarter. Salemen are hungry to make their quota and can often be screwed down a little.
Are there cars out there now which are real dogs or is it like bikes where it's actually hard to buy a "bad" one?
Yes. There are real dogs out there. In particular cars with non-obvious faults, or even deliberately hidden faults.
My advice would be:
1)Avoid petrol Nissans of that age for the potential, quite common (and very expensive - like £1000+ to fix) timing chain issue.
2)If you feel that the person selling the car is dodgy, then leave - it might well be a complete dog that they've tried to cover up faults in.
3)If you worry at all about anything to do with the car, then leave, again it might be a dog in disguise.
4)If anything comes up with the car on the test drive, and the dealer claims they will fix it, then leave, they might not actually do the fix, and might just cover up the fault. Not worth the risk.
5)If a dealer offers an MOT, just treat that as a saving of £50 or whatever on the car and a saving of the hassle of having to get an MOT done any time soon, MOTs done by people who are selling cars may not be a good indicator of the state of the car.
6)If a dealer claims they will do a 'full service' on the car, expect probably a wipe of the windscreen and maybe if you're lucky an oil change, don't expect anything like inspecting brakes, spotting/fixing obviously completely shot wheel bearings etc etc.
There are tons of cars out there - you are much better off buying a car that seems okay from someone who seems trustworthy, to minimise the risk of buying something dodgy. If they seem like dodgy second hand car dealers, then just walk away, totally not worth the risk.
Oh and if you're buying from a dealer, always google for 'dealer name' reviews before even looking at any cars. If there are any bad ones, then don't bother.
I'd just buy private. In reality I dont think you get anything more by buying direct from a deal and paying £100's more for the privalidge.
I wanted to try and find one from a nice little old lady who'd only ever driven to church in it. However, what I'm looking at seem to be few and far between. Not seen any privately.
Some of the auctions do independent pre-inspections. That's where half the dealers get their stuff anyway.
Failing that - go private and get an AA/DEKRA inspection.
For that kind of money and spec as you've outlined something like a Toyota Yaris D4 looks like a good choice.
when I was looking at S/H cars recently the finance thing seems to be a myth. very few dealers even offered it with most suggesting that if I went and arranged it myself I'd get a better deal.
This was on a budget of 6k, might be different on higher prices.
Onzadog - I wanted to try and find one from a nice little old lady who'd only ever driven to church in it.
Just bear in mind that a car that has not been regularly used (or just for short distances) can have as many problems as one with high mileage..
And that's why it's such a mine field!
What are the tricks of the trade to make sure I get the best deal I can
Errrr, don't buy from a dealer - always buy privately.
Used car dealers are flogging exactly the same cars as private sellers - just cars that have been traded in to main dealers which the used dealer has then picked up cheap through the auctions.
It may be a stereotype but I've never met a used car dealer who was completely honest. I'm sure there's some out there but most spin you the same old yarns time after time.
With a private sale you can meet the previous owner and cut out both the used car salesman's margin and bulls**t. You'll get a good idea from meeting and speaking to the previous owner how the car has been looked after - something you will never be able to tell from a used car dealer.
There is a perceived security with buying at a dealer. The reality is though that you're paying a lot extra for that security and sometimes the warranty offered won't even be worth the paper it's written on.
Save yourself that cash and buy privately. If worst case scenario the car you buy turns out to need work doing to it then the money you will have saved buying privately should be enough to cover the repairs. Likelyhood is it will be fine though and you'll be quids in.
If you know nothing about cars then take a friend with you who knows what to look for or download one of the Used Car Buyers guides of the internet.
Decide which model you want and look up the common faults to look out for and you won't go far wrong.
Cheers for the advice. We've a good idea of what make/model/engine we want. We're couldn't care less about trim level/extras/colour but we can't find any of them privately. Seems to suggest that owners like them and keep hold of them.
joolsburger - Member
http://www.negotiationtraining.com.au/articles/negotiate-car-deal/My best advice is like all deals be prepared to walk away and wait for something better there are millions of cars out there. .
This is the only thing you need to know..
Don't be too aggressive, I always show committment and then have second thoughts and start mentioning other cars I have seen for cheaper.. Handful of cash helps. Tell them it's all you have.
Handful of cash helps. Tell them it's all you have
not unless its the type of dealer you really don't want to be buying from...
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