To ask for your tips on knocking down a second hand car salesman

[GunpowderGelatine]

I want to start off by saying I'm a reasonably intelligent woman who isn't usually backwards in coming forwards. But I am a sucker for sales people and utterly crap at negotiations. It wouldn't surprise me at all if I tried to negotiate and ended up paying more for the ticket price of something sales people also intimidate me unlike any other, I don't know why!

Anyway, I'm off to test drive a car I've fallen in love with tomorrow, I met the salesman today (nice chap, but he's very salesman-y, if you took all the salesmen in the world and created a median salesman in a machine, it would be this man). I looked in the car, and providing it runs well I really want to buy it. It's about £500 more than I want to pay (it's £11k) and I want to knock him down a bit. How do I even approach this, and when? What words do i used? Any tips on knocking him down would be much appreciated

Acquire a massive old Volvo. Turn off the headlamps. Foot to the metal. Aim straight and shut yer eyes.

Agree with PPs - he must think you're prepared to walk away.
I left without purchasing my most recent car just before dealership closed for the evening - had a phone call 10am next morning offering a large discount.

Lowtide - 10% at least? That is the biggest load of rot I have read in months. Every customer can see every used car in the country on Autotrader so the margins are skinny to make the car stand out from the dozens of identical cars around.

OP - be also aware that if theres not enough in the deal for the garage, they will walk away too. I did that to a customer this morning who wanted money off a car that was the cheapest around - so much so that he was ringing from 200 miles away.

I go in looking very innocent and start off by being vaguely interested, but not sure. Let them convince me I need a new car.

So last car we got around 1k off. We started with them asking 7K, I offered 4k, and we discussed it from there. I knew I'd have to move a lot. Start lower than you want.

But they also paid the year road tax, new tyres all round, replacement number plate (one was cracked) a couple of places which were scuffed they sorted, replacement windscreen wipers, replacement brake pads on the front (backs were like new, I checked) and a replacement handle on one of the seats, which was missing.
I regret not asking for replacement spark plugs (as we ended up replacing them within the year) and would ask for that too next time.

I did also ask for a full tank of petrol, but they stuck at that point.

What I did was was interested, but not over enthusiastic. They knew we were talking to other garages which isn't a bad thing to drop in.

Started by test driving. Asked lots of questions about what things were for etc. Give them the idea you don't know too much. Then look over the car. I'd ask things like "have the tyres been fully checked, this one looks a bit low on tread" and they'd respond with "we can replace all the tyres for you." Commented that the back brake pads were good, had they changed them and they offered to change the front ones as I went to look (I think they knew they were low)

Then we went in to talk and I was all "why was that apparently identical car over there cheaper? Can you bring this one down to that?" (other car was 4k) They then said not that far, what was I thinking around.
I stuck on about 5.5k for ages and said we'd have to think about it as that was more than we wanted to pay, and they then suggested if we paid more they could do things like the tax bill. They also upped the amount they'd pay for our car (which was only ready for scrap so not worth anything), so although we ended up paying 6k we got other things off.

It did take quite a long time. You need to be prepared to chat about nothing, have a drink, discuss other things.
Dh was a mix between totally embarrassed and in admiration. He hates negotiating.

Let him talk. Let him run out of stuff to say whilst nodding along. State I will pay £x. Let him talk again. State like broken record that you're not going to pay window price when you can purchase outright. Let him talk again. State your price again (coming up a bit from a low ball start if needs be) and say you'll sign now.

I got £500 off that way and it was only a five grand car! Good luck.

Be prepared to walk away.

When I saw a car I secretly desperately wanted, I marched in and said: "I'll pay £6k for it and not a penny more, so if you can't sell it, here's my details. Please call me, and if I haven't bought something else already I'll come and take it off your hands".

He called within the hour and accepted my price.

It was a lovely car! I did exactly the same many years later - different garage but same results.

Gunpowder
I work for a car dealership, people come in with £1000s in cash, i really wouldnt be surprised if they have 10k stowed under the bed.
Cash isnt good anyway, they get commission for selling finance. agreements. There is no advantage for them to take a cash sale over finance, unless they are dodgy anyway.

Indeed. Those who come in saying "cash, no part exchange" think they're going to get a better deal. We buy any car's advertising clearly works...its a shame that it puts the customer in a worse situation though.

@TheIcon
What are the margins on a second hand car? Really interested. I work in the second hand market and I mark things up and expect to give a 10% discount.
Overall I expect to make 20-30% profit. Often I make a lot less.

I compare all prices before I go so I already know if the car is worth it or not. Then I ring and say this car is on at x but I only have y, is it worth me coming? If they bite then I go and see the car but stick to my original budget. If I know the car is a bargain I don't bother to negotiate but I will ask for a tank of fuel!

It really depends on the car itself. I work for a main dealer and our average profit per unit is about £600. Bearing in mind that most of our cars are over £10000 and we've got quite a few over £30000.

Demonstrators and ex-courtesy cars are given financial support by the manufacturer so they're usually priced at what they owe. Anyone expecting hundreds off the screen price of a demo will be laughed out of the dealership.

I had one on Saturday who was looking at a £9000 car and he looked upset when I said there was no discount. I showed him the stock list and it "owed" us £8750. Out of the £250 left there was going to be a workshop charge, a valeting charge and my commission.

My advice to the OP is go in open minded. I tell my customers that buying and selling cars is made more complicated than it needs to be. There are only three things that will stop anyone buying a car. Wrong car, outside budget and dislike of a salesman. Everything is just a variant on those three. A good salesman will work with you to find the right car for you at your budget. If he can do that, then theres no reason you wouldn't buy it. Going in looking for a £20k car when you've got £10k is just wasting your own time. He/she is paid to be there and you're not.

Shit that’s some low margins. I didn’t know that. Interesting! Thanks

Which is why those advising the OP to go in thousands under screen price are doing her a disservice. She'll get boshed off by most salesmen by going in with that attitude. As I said earlier, cars are priced to sell and people will travel to buy cars so a couple of hundred might be all they can go.

Actually, a real word of advice. Ask how long they've had it in stock. Prices drop every week or so, so a car fresh into stock will have some margin and you'll get a deal on the price. A car that's been in stock for a couple of months will have been dropped repeatedly and will be up at what it owes (like the one in my last post) and there'll be no wriggle room at all.

@bruffin erm no it’s not. Your employer would have to register for money laundering supervision which they might not want to do if they regularly turn around ‘small cash deals’ that might not be reported entirely accurately but there’s nothing illegal about large sums of cash in of themselves.

Top tip for knocking down a car salesman - make sure the car is facing him and that there are no other people around that you don't want to knock over. Put your foot on the accelerator and drive towards him quite quickly but ensuring your [as the driver] safety, continue to drive forwards until you are certain he has been knocked down. Continue with your day.

These replies

Off to test drive the car now. I have my nonchalant face on, and Weetabix down my top. Hear me roar

I've just bought a car :-)

It was on the forecourt for 3450 and I got it for 3150

:-)

Go in low.
If you want to pay £10K then offer £9K.
He will soon know you want to meet in the middle and you can settle on £10K.
Be cheeky and flirty and you'll get the deal you want.

Had the same experience last time I bought a car. The guy was bordering on unbearable! In the end I just said 'look, I know your job is to sell, sell, sell - but the constant pitch is making me really uncomfortable. Can we just level with each other? I want to spend £x, can you sell me it for that? If not, I need to go elsewhere ASAP.' He knocked off a few fees (inexplicably it seems that everywhere will just knock off fees if you say you don't want to pay them / will go elsewhere) and I got it for the price I wanted.

Be prepared to walk away if he's not coming down in the price.

Shove hard and run.

Last time we bought a second hand cat the dealer would not give us any money off but did give us £1000 part ex price for a completely knackered car that had just failed its MOT.

That was a great deal for a second hand cat!

From industry experience we do not put 10% negotiation into a vehicle so much so most garages do a no negotiation policy now.

Be really nice and polite, most car dealers like nice polite people and hate nasty aggressive people. I give people discounts if they are really nice and I may give them more than I originally intended if they are nice.

If they are aggressive and start with, "well I have seen 10 cars the same as this for sale for £1000 - £2000 less than yours", (people say this all the time). I politely suggest they should go and buy one of those then, or tell me where they are for sale so that I can go and buy them. They invariably come back and buy my car for the price it is for sale for. There are not huge margins in car sales like some people like to think.