[Closed] Buying a used car from a dealer - hints & tips on getting the best deal

Tip- Why go to a dealer? Private sellers are just as gagging if not more so what with the 'R' costs etc!!

Go in & ask how much a week it's going to cost
His greed will then probably kick in

Keep asking how much a week, don't mention cash & don't come over as too intelligent, focus on getting him to reduce the windscreen price.
When you're all done & he's written down all the details - if it's a good price, tell him you'll take it, cash

uplink, good point. He'll be focusing on a killer APR% so will drop his profit slice on the car accordingly. Mind you, in the current climate they'd probably say no- cant do it/the price is only available if you do take finance.

If it has to be a main dealer- I'd be prepared to travel upto a 100miles. 100miles even to say £500 is worth it IMO and it'll give you alot more choice. Any mechanical problems can be covered by any main dealer under warranty then.

Don't walk in to the dealers giving the impression thats the only car you want, let them know you're prepared to walk away if you don't get the right deal. Find a similar car in another dealers and play the two of them off against each other - keep each dealer informed of the others offers. Push for free servicing, interest free credit (you're better off having the capital in your bank rather than theirs), upgrades (although not so relevant to a used car). Best of all know the market, how much the cars are going for, what finance is available, best time to buy from the dealer. Take in some sample prices from sales on the internet.

in the current climate they'd probably say no- cant do it/the price is only available if you do take finance.

Can't remember the wording exactly hora but the gist of it is - if they want to charge different prices for cash or credit, they must be upfront about it with notices etc. hence getting them to write it down before biting

Go for the kill at the end of the month for their sales figures.

Don't be too adversarial.

Just be matter of fact. Say you have this much cash, it's the best you can do.

Walk away if you have to but leave your phone number "in case he changes his mind".

My tip - buy a new one. We are getting ridiculous discounts off new cars just now. We are getting them cheaper new than what others are paying for a year old car.

A lot of the franchised dealers are much closer to folding than you'd think.

Don't be afraid to ask for discount. Get a good a price as you think, then say you'll sign the cheque if he/she throws in free warranty (or servicing or something).

And don't be afraid to walk away. It's not as if there's gonna be one Golf for sale.

and don't think for a minute that a warranty is any indication that a given fault will be repaired...
treat the car with the scepticism you would apply to one from a private seller, if not more, as at least you get to size up the vendor in a private sale.

[i]A lot of the franchised dealers are much closer to folding than you'd think.[/i]

Alot have and are currently folding. They wont stop taking deposits and balances as the sales staff even Dealer Principles dont know the exact situation so I'd personally put deposits down with a Credit card and if possible pay using a credit card. If the msg comes down from head office to close there will be a transporter (from the Finance co. or Manufacturer) round within a day collecting stock and you'll be in a long queue of creditors.

The best bit of advice I can give you is to keep it friendly, there is absolutely nothing worse than some ****t telling you what you will do for them, or walking straight in & demanding a discount because car dealers are fceked.
If you must tell white lies, then tell them that you have been told to look for a car now as the deals are just so great, but you only want to buy if you [u]feel[/u] your getting a great deal, other wise you'll keep your current car(which you were going to give to your brother or something).

Check when the next service is due, loads of motors get traded in just before that "big" cam belt service 😉

Keep it friendly, don't be afraid to walk away, always leave the deal open ended, if they want the sale they will get in touch.

Don't fall for the "let me check with my manager if he can do a better deal" all they are doing is having a coffee/piss/fag.

Don't bring your kids, moody Mrs, dog, or your car bore Dad, its not a nursery 😉

Try and get a testdrive on your own- you can hear/feel/ and think clearly on your own. With a salesman next to you you cant concentrate (or really rag the car).

Your two biggest weapons are price information and making sure the dealer knows he is competing against at least one other dealer.
1) Price information - go to the website of e.g. Autotrader, Parker's etc. Put in as close as you can to the spec of the car the dealer has for sale and note the trade-in price. This will tell you how much the dealer paid for it and therefore what his walkaway price is
2) As said, play dealers off, but keep each one informed
3) Agree with tip from Smee. If you have the money to be within 20% of the price of a new one, talk about it with the dealer

Buy a Vauxhall. So many of their franchised dealers are f***ed it's untrue - think about the mess the GMAC is in and work backwards from there. Should be some good prices available, but beware the points above about the effect of them folding....

I recently saw a vauxhall Vectra estate not even 1 year old. New price was £19k

Yours for £6.5k!

Now that's a good deal.

Zedsdead - Member

I recently saw a vauxhall Vectra estate not even 1 year old. New price was £19k

Yours for £6.5k!

[b]Now that's a good deal[/b].

True, but they're still rubbish.