bobn3

HI all,

I have come for the vast knowledge on thus site :-) I opeinly admit I cant deal with car dealer/sales people.

I also end up paying the asking price, Can anyone help with advice on how to get a good deal?

Please help

fitzscoob

Be willing to walk away, and dont be affraid to let the sales person know.

There are loads of places willing to sell you a car, be aware of that.

[Davey]

Have *****.. As above be willing to leave your number and walk away..

Also set yourself a limit and a target.

The limit will be how much your willing to spend and the target will be the minimum spec/condition your willing to buy.

HOWY

I used to get a price off the internet and then ask the dealer if he could match it. With Scoobies the teactic would probably to ask how close they can get to an importers/supermarket price! THey will tell you they can't match it but they might drop theirs a bit (assuming you want to buy from a dealer!)

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

1) Know thy role: You are the consumer, you need them considerably less than they need you.
2) Know thy market. Do research on the prices offered by various sources on your car (including other dealers): you must compare like for like though in terms of spec. Make it clear you know what a good price on these cars is and that if you're going to be asked to pay more they'd better be some kind of incentive.
3) Know thy enemy: It's the extras where saleman really make their money and where they have a ot of flexibility. They might not give as much on the price as you'd like, but they might do you a cracking finance deal, better price on your PX or throw in goodies for free. If you've decided on the model, stick with it. A dealer getting you to look at higher spec models etc are all ways of tugging on your heartstings to pay more than you'd planned and to throw all your preparation into disarray so they can pull your trousers down.
4) Know thy finance: ALWAYS shop for deals on finance before you go to the dealer. Look at internet banking (usually the best deal on loans) as well as high street loans. Go to the dealer armed with the best deals on the amount you'd like to borrow to cover the car and make them beat it. When presented with facts and figures don't be bamboozled out of a good deal by being lured in with promises of low monthly repayments. ALWAYS find out what the APR is NOT just the flat rate Get a quote that includes the total cost of the credit i.e. here's how much the car costs here's what you will have PAID at the end of the credit agreement.
5) Don't cave if the dealers uses phrases like he'll have to talk to his manager to approve an offer you've made etc.... If he does talk to him, it'll be about golf!
6) Never accept deals where they say it only applies if you buy now! Leave your number and walk away to shop around.
7) Don't talk about deals on a test drive, you're busy concentrating on the road, not the conversation.
8) NEVER tell the dealer how much you have to spend! If they ask, tell them that it depends on the deal they do you and wink.
9) Be firm, but always plesant and friendly, dealers DO respond to it and are usually much firmer with hard ***** than the nice ones; it disarms them and puts them off their game.
10) Enjoy it! They expect you to haggle: only a mug pays the price on the sticker! :-)

Ns04

bobn3

Thank you all for all that really good advice. I feel much more confedent to do a deal now.

I have done the research on the net for the cars price and now I'll check on the loans.

again thanks :-)

Suresh

It is difficult though. I would say good research is key and if you're not getting a deal that matches what you have seen in the market and that you are happy with then don't accept the dealer offer.

My Dutch dealer experience from 2004 -
I went to a Subaru dealer 80miles from home one evening to look at a 2yr old Forester with 20k miles at around the purchase price in mind after searching autotrader. I was trading-in a Classic Impreza had a good idea of the 2nd hand price from an enthusiasts website listing private sales and also from the asking price on dealer websites.

I walked away 3 hours later after buying a fully-equipped brand new Forester of the model I wanted in the colour I wanted, with Navigation, for 2k more than the second-hand price I was originally prepared to pay (new Forester was surplus stock). The trade-in on my classic was eventually 3k more than I was expecting and about the same as the asking price on dealer sites.

So I ended up a grand better off than I expected and got a brand new car rather than a second hand one. There wasn't really any haggling as his offer was so much better than I expected.

I told a work mate of mine the story and he traded in his classic and got a new blob impreza there a couple of months later and also got an excellent deal.

Did I pay too much? Could I have got a better deal if I had haggled hard? To be honest I don't really care, as my expectations were massively exceeded. He even threw in a first-aid kit, bulb kit, fire extinguisher, warning triangle and Subaru umbrella upon delivery!

No surprises as to where I will be getting my next Forester from, even though 'Subaru Bornerbroek' is quite far away!

Suresh

chris singleton

As above, be prepared to walk away - I did when buying a car for the Mrs as they said they couldn't do the deal I wanted. The sales guy actually came running out of the building to stop us driving out of the car park and finally accepted the deal I wanted

If you walk away and they let you, they're probably not prepared to do a better deal.

Once you've agreed on the price, then try and get some extras thrown in, mats, tank of petrol, etc

bobn3

Again thanks everyone!

Best place to get info this :-)