GOLDMAN 555

I'm just about to go off and buy a new car

I'm very very crap at negotiating and I was wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks when buying a new car to get around the salesperson's protestations on what a bargain the car is?

Example: you say I hate silver even though secretly you want a silver car?

paulr

1.Silence is great for getting them to say things they otherwise might not say.

2.Whats important is to get the car you want,not the best "deal".

B9GLY

none other than choose a price you want to pay and be prepared to walk away! if you do the salesman may well call you back and you get your deal! there is plenty of choice!!!!

Bug Eyed Peas

Offer what YOU want to pay, without taking the mickey.
If said salesman declines, walk. Don`t seem overeager either cos he`ll use that to his advantage, thus you getting skanked.
Oh and try and blag as many freebies as you can, like mats, flaps, servicing as you can.

Baby Scuff

If its a new car, they will have specific discounts they are able to work in and will have to 'agree with manager' (be careful of all the overprices car care stuff they will try to add on like diamondbrite.

If its a second hand car offer what you are willing to pay (or below) and be prepared to walk, My last car I offered £800 below asking, it was refused so I went to walk, I didn't even get out of the office before it was accepted.

Huw Jorgan

If you've got a part ex, get a business card from another garage, write the figure you want for the car on the back of it. Make sure the card is on the passenger seat when the guy gives yours the once over. He won't be able to resist taking a look, he may also assume this is the figure you have been quoted by another dealer.

Dazza01

Ask the salemans man what his best CASH price would be then say ok, now how much will you knock off for my p/ex

pslewis

This 'I'll have to talk to the manager' is utter bollox .......

If I know there is no deal doing I will say something like, "Oh, Sorry, I thought I was talking to a Sales Executive!" "Could I possibly have the proper Salesman - the one who can actually do a deal?"

Another good one is to go in and say you want a used car/new car .... ask if the person you are talking to has the power to close a deal or are they simply the 'ShowRoom Assistant?' ....... priceless watching them squirm ...

Then always remember that YOU have a Higher Authority - the Wife!! "I'll have to consult the wife" - as you walk out does wonders for your offer!

I love doing it - sadly the car I want is a little bit rare, only 250 ever made and they know a buyer will 'happen along' .................... but cars like the Impreza are common now. The unloved Forester and Legacy's - great cars though they are - don't get many buyers secondhand so you can nail them to the wall on price!

bobsabuilder

Couple of months back I was in the market to buy a brand spanking new Nissan Navara (~£20K) and went to my local dealer for a test drive which confirmed I deffo wanted one.
Had decided I wanted an Outlaw in Metallic Black so it was just a question of price. I had gone armed with a print out from "What Car" website with their "target price" on it and I also found another Nissan Dealer via the internet based in Macclesfield that was quoting around £2500 under list price.

Salesman knew I was up for signing there and then but wouldn't drop his price more than £1k off list.
He even rang the What Car telephone number 'cos it said they'd find a local supplier at the target price if I couldn't get the deal. It was great seeing him squerming when What Car promptly confirmed their target price and supplied the telephone number to contact a dealer willing to sell at that price!

In the end I bought it over the phone from Macclesfield (Moss Rose Motors) who:
A)Supplied the exact model I wanted in 7 days from ordering.
B)Offered the same trade in price for my old motor without even viewing it.
C)Supplied the VERY LATEST spec vehicle which with lower emissions was £60 cheaper to tax so gave me the £60 back when I was expecting the "older" model.

So I got the vehicle I wanted, saved £2500 off list price and got the part ex price I wanted!

At the end of the day, be prepared to walk out of the showroom without a car. You can always buy a car another day, its only the saleman thats losing a sale.

Well pleased.

scoobyboy

but then maybe the salesman would want to speak to the organ grinder and not the monkey in the first place! then watch as all the freebies dissappear out the window as the other half gets totally confused about the ppp or the dccd and you end up paying for a pink sti with flowers all over it.

Dazza01

pmsl, good answer

pslewis

WOULD heve been a good answer - IF the wife really was the higher authority!!

What the Higher Authority is used for is to remove the awkwardness from oneself and onto another (thats why the dealer goes to talk to the manager, same principle in operation) it enables you to be detached from the haggling see? Easier to backtrack and say that you have spoken to the wife and she has come round (then its not you backing down, its the invisible wife!)

What MUST be remembered always is that MONEY can be used anywhere - the car on the forecourt cannot move anywhere unless a deal is done!

Money ALWAYS is KING!

Daft Lad

If you tried that on me I'd ask you, in that case, why you have come all this way to look at what you already knew was a silver car

Shark Man

Never fall for their trick:

"Some guy was interested it in today/yesturday" and is taking it for a testdrive/paying a deposit later/tomorrow".

It's NEVER true. Very easy to fall for if your after a particularly rare/sought after car..and the dealer knows it. Remember, there will always be another car as good, or even better somewhere else or some other time, no matter how rare.

If they give peanuts as part ex value for your current car, expect a huge sum off the list price. Don't be scared to give a stupidly low offer figure for the car, look at other similar cars in the mags/internet/parkers.co.uk and get a feel for the advertised prices and aim to undercut them.

druddle

Bought a car that is on a promotion in a dealer this week. We cant have the car till the end of Jan, but my wifes lease car goes back next Thursday. So I told the salesman it was no good and got up to leave. He instantly said they can lend us a car until the end of Jan (decent spec Fiesta) for no charge, we just have to insure it.

Told him the budget i had, and when he tried to go down the "so how much do you want to pay a month" route, i just said that xK is what i want to spend, end of, and I want that car". After 5 mins he was round to my way of thinking !!!

Dave

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

You can't really negotiate with a Dealer at all. They build in some discount to their screen price & if you do get a discount it's only what they built in anyway! Has anyone really negotiated more than £500 to £1000 off the sticker price of a car? They have to make their "margin" on every car so will more often than not let punters just walk away.

Oh & sticker price is not list price or RRP ... it's the price on the screen of the car for sale ie what they have offered it at.

On a more positive note my advice is to track down the cheapest advertised car then negotiate £500 off ... sorted.

TX.

pslewis

10% is always added to the screen price of a used car by a dealer ... I mentally knock 10% off as a starter.

It has been 10% since I was a boy and it seems that is how it will remain - never, ever, let a dealer try to tell you otherwise. A £10,000 sticker price means £9000 cash. A £500 Sticker Price means £450 cash.

Remember that and work the part exchange and balance around that central figure and you will win through every single time

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

I always leave the "pay cash" card 'til last, if you head down the "I need finance" route, they'll be more willing to discount the car as they'll see more profit on the back of the loan/HP deal coming their way. (Particularly if you don't react when they present a silly test the water APR of +29%).
You then change your mind (or use the 14 day cooling off period) and decide to pay cash instead, leaving the dealer smarting.

D

GCollier

If you're buying a new car check out http://www.drivethedeal.co.uk/

You can spec your exact make and model of car, right down to the last option, and then get an instant price quote for the best price that vehicle can be supplied from a UK main dealer.

This was the most competetive site I found when spec'ing our 335d and our local BMW dealer matched the price with no fuss.

Gary.

Daft Lad

Of course we do, no point working for free is there?

HankScorpio

So c'mon then, what was it and how good a deal did you get...?

GOLDMAN 555

GULP....

I am looking for a 911 or an E55 the people selling 911's are real weirdos they talk about them like they are going to go up in price

the e55's are easier

salsa-king

make sure you find out what APR they are charging you if you take finance with them, you might get a lot better loan from your own bank.

my wife got swept along with Sandicliffe in Nottm with their deal, once home she worked out the figures and it was almosy 17%apr!!! thy never told her/us what the apr rate was, all they asked is what we wanted to pay.. they came back with a monthly figure.. over 5yrs!!!!!

after getting pen and paper out at home Jo worked out their deal... rang her bank who offered 5.9% on the same borrowing.
it worked out £2 a month more than sandicliffe... but only over 4yrs instead of 5yrs!!! saving £1200!!!!!

she went back and told the finance manager and he thencame back and almost matched the banks APR % and also did it over 4yrs too!!
so she went with sandicliffe.

Now... how come they could do that!!!????

shows you that you have to have your eye open to what they are trying to get out of you.

On the day of signing.. she spotted that there was a £250 final settlement.. which was never mentioned!! she kicked up a fuss and has now got a free service out of them.


She filled in the 'are you happy' customer service forms.. mentioning that she was happy with ith sales man and service provided but was not happy with the way the finance was sold and explained!
a month after getting te car the sales man rang (the form wasn't sent back to the dealers address) asking if he could make things better with/for her!
I think they were sh#t~~~ themselves incase they got reported to the finacial services obusman.. or who ever regulates finance selling!!

but it goes to show you need to be aware of how they sell you things!


very happy with the car tho.
2004 Focus/Ghia TDci... fully loaded.

j3nks

Hi
Im a car salesman myself. The best thing to do is be nice and tell them everything you want. Tell him if the price is right, your buying today. dont mess about because if he thinks your not buying today you will NOT get the possible deal. A car salesman will let you walk if the deal cant be done!

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Let us in to some more secrets then ...

TX.

mad555

iTrader: (1)

Dont take the coffee!!!

CooperS

It's LAVA not Java aint it :-o takes the skin off your mouth

sti-04!!

If going for finance, multiply what your borrowing x 0.04 (lowest flat rate they offer), then multiply that amount by the term in years , add on what your borrowing. Divide that by the term but this time in months & hey presto you have worked out your monthly payment.

Tell them thats what you want to pay & no more

Boro

iTrader: (1)

Agreed, i sold cars for 8 years, if the salesman thinks your going away to think about it you wont get the best deal available and if/when you go back, you're then buying the car, rather than the salesman trying to sell you the car.

Check out broadspeed.com for some of the best deals on most new cars. Go armed with the best price you can get from a genuie dealer, make sure you havent been quoted for a pre-reg or an import, then ask them to beat the price (not match).

They will do their best or lose the deal.

Leslie

Never be frightened to say you will try somewhere else and walk away.

Les