Buying a used car, haggling tips please.

Hi all,

Buying a used car from a garage, can I have any haggling tips?

[Scoobs]

Tell them what you want to pay for it and try and find a middle ground. Anything goes mate.

[Wideboy]

Garages are plebs. They'll start telling you they can't budge on the price but will throw stuff in like extended warranty ect (its all worthless).

Just be firm, after haggling say stuff like "I'll give you xxxx cash and take it right now". Most of the time they have a big mark up.

And don't let them try to be your friend. I was dealing with a particularly slimey one on Monday, the sump was leaking like a siv which I pointed out and he still wouldn't give up as I was walking away.

[Dipper]

Don't seem too interested, start with a low offer and work towards a middle ground, you can always walk away if it's too much, there's plenty of other cars out there...

[pegasus]

Originally Posted by SUPERSTARDJ01

Hi all,

Buying a used car from a garage, can I have any haggling tips?

Okay, how to get one over on the car lot sales team, the following is a very aggresive form of negotiation thuggery, but will get you the result you want if you have the balls to go ahead with it:

1) is the car available on finance? if so good!
2) try and spot the office junior/newest member of the team, the one who is trying to make their first big sale.
3) tell him you are interested in this car, ask him "can you offer finance?" hopefully the answer is "yes!"
4) ask him to draft a quotation for the car taking it over the longest finance period available.

now this is the interesting part, the sales team make more commision on finance products than they do on the car, so to offset and hide the extorionate rate of APR they will reduce the price of the car.

5) ask him to show you in real money terms the cost of the car and the cost of the finance.

6) now haggle the real cost of the car, telling him that with the finance package it is just not worth it.

7) he will go to the showroom manager who will offer a discount, knowing that they can retrieve the cost on commision based on the finance package.

keep haggling until they will not reduce it any more, when it reaches an amount you are happy with, then accept the deal , again ask for the amount in writing, that is Cash cost of car, and Finance cost!!

9) Accept the cash cost and say "thats great i'll take it but forget the finance i'll pay cash!"

Good luck

Take the finance and pay it off within the 14 day cooling off period without penalty?

[GoatMasterUK]

You'll get a call from the sales manager letting you know that 'you're not welcome here any longer' ... my boss did it with his old BMW..

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[DJ123]

Originally Posted by punkyp

Take the finance and pay it off within the 14 day cooling off period without penalty?

you still get stung for their fees of starting the agreement and when finishing it too.

Most important, be prepared to walk away if the deal isn't what you want, salesmen can smell a sale, once they have you they won't shift on the deal.

I've not purchased stuff before purely cos I didn't like the sales staff even though deal was good.

Whats your budget,cash or finance ,trade-in or direct purchase?
most secondhand cars have a big mark up,especially from a brand dealership as they will be top dollar, independent, the car will be cheaper but you get what you pay for. Have a proper test drive,not just round the block, and a full inspection by somebody who is competent before parting with your money from an independent dealer. HPI check.
I would be looking for at 10% minimum for cash ,possibly even more,but the main thing is be prepared to walk away. Leave your phone number and tell them to think about it. Its a buyers market at the moment with all the deals on new vehicles.