[Closed] Any tips for haggling on car prices

You either thinks it’s worth the money or be prepared to walk away ultimately.

Start at the value you think is realistic

Buy one of the cars which is further away and get it delivered ?

Unless you have seen at least one of the others In the flesh you don't really know where it's priced.

But my top tip for haggling on a used car would be to get a time machine and go back about 8 -10 years.

Internet coupled with the current increased demand for used cars means you'll be incredibly lucky to get anywhere close to 15% off a sticker price on a used car. They would have to really hate the car being on their forecourt.

Go through their ritual of test drive, kicking tyres, sevice history, interior condition, pulling out the dipstick, hands and knees for the tiniest sign of rust/damage/driveshaft boot cracks/leaks underside and you can usually find a few things then make an offer. If it's accepted great, if the next price they propose is acceptable, good. If not ask for a piece of paper, write your offer and phone number on it, be really thankful for all their help and walk away. They might not get back with the price you want but there's a good chance they get back with a better price.

Comparing with other cars is not the way to go, this is the one you want, pay what you think it's worth or leave it.

Any ideas how long it’s been sat for? You probably don’t have much wiggle room unless you can find something wrong after crawling over it or it’s been in stock for a long time with no signs of moving.

It’s not really about haggling anymore. It’s more about making an offer and being willing to walk away.

Ring them up or go there in person. Tell them you are a serious buyer for that model but the car is outside your budget, and your max price is ‘X’ and you won’t be moving on it. ask them if there is any point coming down to see the car or going for a test drive etc. That way both parties know where the other one stands and you don’t waste each other’s time.

Be clear up front if you want to part ex and/or get finance. As that will impact their interest in negotiating. If you are part exing then it is unlikely you’ll get discount

seen one I like but IMO it’s about £1k overpriced.

Offer them what you think it's worth. They may make a counter offer or refuse. If you think it's worth what they say it's worth, buy it. Otherwise, don't buy it.

The phone is not the way to go IME, if you're good humoured, use a bit of subtle flattery and the salesperson likes you they are more likely to drop to the level they can. I always go with Madame, one of us plays the role of being reticent while the other is enthusiastic. Last time around Madame spent her time complaining about the heavy, dark, Germanic interior (French car). Every salesman knows that any bloke who can't get a discount on a car is going to be regarded as a complete dick by his lady friend.

Offer half what they’ve advertised it for.
Tell them to hold out their hand.
Job done.

Based on an extensive course of watching Wheeler Dealers.

Theres only a handful for sale in the country

That's your problem right there.
Supply/demand.

Ignore all the bullshit it comes down to three behaviours;

a) Do you're research and understand what you're buying and its value.

b) The sales person needs to feel he/she's made a profit

c) You need to feel you've made a saving

There's no walking away from any of these rules.  There may be a compromise to b or c, so if you've compromised on c make sure you've understood a.

A lot of people make the mistake of letting their ego get in the way of allowing a sales person achieving their profit, but they won't sell to you if you take the piss as they aren't making any money.   Negotiation then is about reaching that middle ground where you are both happy.

So we managed to get £50 a month off a PCP deal a couple of months ago on a used car.
We visited the dealer, done the usual. Haggled, kicked the tyres etc.
Advised that we were also looking at another car and would make a decision later. But asked for their best price, and said that was not good enough. So we left.

We waited until 20 mins before closing and called them, said for a deal we will pay X, and no more. In all honesty it was a cheeky bid.
They accepted.

Don’t be afraid to throw in that bid, as even those cars at the lower price a biddable.

Ignore all the bullshit it comes down to three behaviours;

a) Do you’re research and understand what you’re buying and its value.

b) The sales person needs to feel he/she’s made a profit

c) You need to feel you’ve made a saving

There’s no walking away from any of these rules. There may be a compromise to b or c, so if you’ve compromised on c make sure you’ve understood a.

A lot of people make the mistake of letting their ego get in the way of allowing a sales person achieving their profit, but they won’t sell to you if you take the piss as they aren’t making any money. Negotiation then is about reaching that middle ground where you are both happy.

This ^^^^^^^^^

Make your offer and walk away. Simples

I few polite words you can get money off quicker than you can earn it for sure. I bought a car a few months back and got a few hundred off about 10% I think.

Might sound off but you know when Sacha Baron Cohen does Borat or Ali G it looks improvised but he's thought and planned what to say in advance. They say x I'll say y sort of thing. Have a think how conversation may go before hand.

Don't go straight in with how about x? Don't beg, be polite, say it with a smile. I find it better to get them to discount it for you. (The ... is where you stop talking and let them do the work while you do the thinking)

'What are you willing to let it go for?'
...
to get a feel for how much might be reasonable from the dealer. Then go deeper.
'I could do x'
...
You've probably gone too far so they'll protest
'How much could you give?'
...
In your case if there's a cheaper alternative
'There's one at x but I would prefer this if I can get the price right, anything more you can do?'

Now start details if there's anything else might be bothering you - the car I bought had 6 months MOT but with the extension than meant it had not been tested in 12 months. So I got them to MOT again ('It's £30 for an MOT I'm sure it'll pass' 'ok I'll pay you that to put it through' in the end I paid £50 and it did need something replacing so was up on that too)

FWIW the most expensive car I've ever bought the dealer wouldn't budge but it was mint and a fair price and I bought it anyway.

Make your offer and walk away. Simples

Unless you've offered more profit than the Sales person wants to make they'll be laughing at you as you walk out the door.

Yes its all a silly dance, but see my post above - I'm in sales - the silly dance is just about getting what you both want from the deal.   If you intended to renew cars  e.g on repeat PCP for example, it also helps to do this sensibly and build a relationship with this person.   Next time you go in they will see you as a serious buyer whose willing to do the best for both parties and will work with you with the boundaries that you both have.

Once both parties treat each other with professional respect it often works in their mutual favour*

*yes, there are always ****s on both sides

What he sez.   Work out what you are really happy to pay for it and what point you would be unhappy to lose it.  If you are sure of those numbers you will be happy. If you are unsure then work on that.

Just be prepared to walk

It’s also worth going in late in the month , better still, later in the year. I bought a car on 30 December once, they were chewing my hand off for a sale as no one else buys cars in December

Justification.

If you think its worth £1k less then make that offer BUT make sure you give them the justification as to why its worth £1k less.

Can't help thinking that elaborate negotiating strategies are a waste of time. The salesperson does this day in day out and you won't beat him at it. Only time I ever got money off was when I was genuinely ready to walk.

I don't know much about these things, but a salesman friend once told me that buying towards the end of the month works well. Everyone has targets they're supposed to reacher and if it's getting close to target day they tend to be a bit more eager to sell.

As others have said always be prepared to walk - don't emotionally invest in a particular car, don't feel like you've 'lost' if you don't get one you would have liked, just move on to the next model.

The last time I bought a car was 2014 so a while ago now. I had the luxury of 3 dealers near me all with the same model as a Pre-Reg that I knew they had targets to clear them all by the end of the month so was able to play them off against each other. I know you can't do that in your situation as there are so few available of what you want so bear that in mind, they have something you want that you can't easily get elsewhere.

Thanks all - well ended up buying a completely different car and managed to squeeze £100 off. Didn't help they had just dropped it by a grand to clear it for the month end but having searched the interwebs it was a good price for the car so I think we are all happy (except Mrs D who paid for it 😀 )

Everything Kryton says is right.

Remember, you are negotiating not haggling. Haggling is one step up from begging. To negotiate successfully, you need to be offering something in the acceptable range for the other party.

Have a read up about the cars, work out what you would think is an acceptable offer if you were in the salesman's shoes (bear in mind "putting a sale through and money in the till" is not an acceptable answer, there has to be an acceptable amount of profit in the deal for him), and then think about how that correlates with your target buy price. That space where these numbers overlap is what we call the zone of potential agreement.

Remember, you're not trying to **** him over, you're trying to negotiate a mutually acceptable deal. The "old style" combative negotiating styles are dead for buyer and seller in these modern Internet driven times.

Good luck 👍

I bought a car on 30 December once, they were chewing my hand off for a sale as no one else buys cars in December

conversely I once tried to buy a car over Christmas and wanted to test drive a brand new Honda Civic on New Year’s Eve and they said they wanted to finish early and could I come back in the new year. We went down the road to the Mazda dealership and bought a car from them instead.

Remember, you’re not trying to **** him over, you’re trying to negotiate a mutually acceptable deal.

Whenever I’ve bought a car I absolutely felt like the salesman would have been very happy to **** me over.

They’re in a position of power in that they know the market better than you, know the profit margins of the car/sales targets etc. As a customer you can only guess those things. Also, most people buy cars every few years, whereas the seller will sell several cars each month so they’re well versed in the art.

It’s not an enjoyable experience IME.

^the above arseing about is why I buy a car and then keep it for as long as possible!

When I lived in Morocco I found a government run souvenir shop where there was absolutely no haggling - perfect for hassle free tat buying.

Life's too short to be bartering around - what's the price? I'll have it! Paid, done, next.

Before Motorpoint existed, I used to go back nearly every day and keep haggling until the salesman developed a twitch 🙂.

When I bought the Doblo, the sales manager finally agreed to accept my offer if I went away and promised not to upset his salesman ever again.
It took a week, but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.

My last few experiences went as follows.

large car supermarket had a used car I wanted, priced well, I had no trade in and was a cash buyer. There was no shifting on price. I thought as I had no trade in there my be a bit of movement on price but was told no, sticker price is the price and they want trade ins as they need cars to sell! I bought it as it was priced well.

next car was new on pcp. Shopped around, not set on any make in particular, I was more cost focused. Was getting similar prices from various dealers but one was a fair bit cheaper and seemed way more interested in a deal compared to others. Went back (happy with the deal) but chanced an extra few quid off the monthly cost, throw in the service plan plus a free boot liner and I would sign...they agreed. I was surprised but happy to sign.

when it came to change I thought the current dealer would want to do a deal/keep a customer but they were not even in the ball park and not really interested in moving. Again I shopped around and found a dealer who was prepared to work with my budget [15% cheaper monthly cost compared to others), again threw in a few extras and got the sale.

my take is some people need the sale more than others (to hit target or what ever) so if you shop around and find that person there is a good deal to be had, but it does take a bit of work/research. Others seem less interested in a deal (selling lots of cars, hitting targets) so be prepared to walk. If you have your sights on a particular make/model this can be harder.

one sales man I had talked to about a certain car told me I would not be buying that car with my budget so I left without really getting down to brass tacks. He called me a few months later to see if was still looking for a car! I took great pleasure in telling him the car he said I could not afford in my budget was now sitting in my drive within my budget (about 20% less monthly cost than he wanted).

Nearly all the deals I've done have been as I've been walking out!

Dealers are hard faced and have seen it all before, you have to play just as hard. Always have a pool of vehicles to purchase from. Never set your heart on anything or you will pay over the odds and that's exactly how they want it!

Some are prepared to wait it out for a ripe plum duffer (there's one born everyday) to show up.

If it's exactly what your after and theres not many of them about and the condition is great then you will probably have to pay a near price.maybe offer them 500 less and ask for a service if it needs it.

As a customer you can only guess those things.

As I said, if you work with them politely and professionally they will work with you.   Just ask them straight - “I’d really like to achieve a discount but understand you need to make a profit, how can we work together to achieve both?

On new cars that have to be ordered I agree with you about needing to make a profit, Kryton. If there's not profit to be had there's no point doing the deal. However, on stuff on the forecourt a profit is optional on cars they'd rather not have. GM dealers get cars for free for three months (or they did in the 80s), at three months if they've still got two of a model that's not selling well they're going to have to pay for both and will almost certainly sell one at cost or even below if they are desperate for cash. They need to sell more than they need to make a profit.

Same second-hand, sometimes they make a mistake and buy soemthing they think will sell at a price and it won't, if you walk in and play it well they'll be happy for you to take it off their hands at no profit or a loss.

A really bad scenario for a dealer is a car that's been around for months and then a new model is announced.

Some people on this forum know the bike industry quite well, I used to be a dealer for Look and Specialized amongst others. I know what the margins are and the sales conditions for dealers. When dealers have clearouts on models over a year old you are paying cost price or very near to it. I like many used to drop my margin to a couple of percent on last year's models just to get rid. I am absolutely certain that the dealer lost money on the last bike I bought - he needed cash more than he needed to make a profit.

How long do some people take to buy a car with all this posturing.

As an hourly rate you are probably ****ing your self over to get 100 quid off

In today's world I don't even go to view cars I feel are over priced in the advert . Wasting my time wasting your time. And the majority of dealers know this and that's why sticker price is sticker price.

Get out of the history books

Something I noticed also was. Majority of the high sticker prices(on used cars) are at dealers willing to offer credit to all.... Ie the bright houses of the car world.another reason I didn't even go view.

* All of above applies to used cars. New/pre reg cars entirely different market.

* Of course I forget that somefolk do see this as sport/a hobby in its self rather than viewing a vehicle as a necessary evil and spending as little time as possible actually in car show rooms.

Three visits to save 1800e and get the colour of paint Madame wanted thrown in on the last new buy. 🙂

It was fun too, we joked, we teased, the dealer did so politely too. He sacrificed a bit of profit to get the sale.

Would you pay full price for a sofa at DFS, Trailrat.?

I don't buy second hand sofas at DFS.

As I said new cars are different I'm well aware the pricing structure on those is skewed towards massaging your ego so you buy a new one.

But the second hand market has to compete with the private market and with the wide ranging visibility of the internet.it won't stand huge markups like the days of old.

Last dealer car I bought was advertised online as the cheapest lowest milage car of that model/spec at the time. And even now the same model with the milage I have now is advertised in places 2k over what I paid....

I traveled some distance to view I showed up to make sure it was mechanically sound -not to peacock.

Make your offer and walk away. Simples

Unless you’ve offered more profit than the Sales person wants to make they’ll be laughing at you as you walk out the door.

This is my tactic. Last time we tried to buy a car at the dealer we were asked how much we wanted for our trade in, so I gave him a realistic figure for something that's going to be shipped out to auction...I could tell he was surprised we didn't push for more. But then when it came to the car (about £8k I think) he just wouldn't budge even though it was pricy. Did all the test drive, sat down and absolutely no movement. He knew we were a fair way from home and suspect he thought we'd do the deal. We knew the car wasn't ready to go that day anyway so it was irrelevant to us. The car was missing the parcel shelf and he was quoting RRP at me for a new one.

So I feigned loss of interest, £xxx too expensive, we are off to think about and would be back before closing in an hour.

Started driving home, an hour later he calls up, as soon as he realises we are 40 miles away and heading home, suddenly he can negotiate on the price and steal a parcel shelf out of another car on the forecourt. Still tried to screw us over on the tank of fuel, lied through his teeth about a well known issue with Honda clutches, and then failed to deal with a warranty clutch a few months later which meant to had to go via head office and another dealer to get it fixed. Goodwill of course, not the horrifically crap double platinum used car warranty that excludes things like *the whole electrical system*.