Haggling tips

[MothershipG]

I'm in the market for a secondhand car, compact MPV or similar, and I have £7,000-£10,000 to spend and an X-reg Scenic to trade in.

Anyone got any tips on how to squeeze the best deal out of a dealer?

My FIL is a master haggler and has made many a shop keeper weep. His tips that I've leads are 1 know the value of what you're buying. Check out prices for that make model around your area. 2 know what you are willing to pay. If the seller wants more walk away. Start low. Many Brits don't like talking about money, but go for it.
For cars tip from DH check that the mileage is what they claim. Don't trust them have a look yourself. Ask about history. Was it ever used as a taxi. If you're female, take a male friend or family member. Even if you pay and do all the talking a lot of men assume that women don't know anything about cars and they'll up the price.
Good luck.

If the vehicle would be more desirable with extras, try asking them at the last minute - after they have come down to the price you are willing to pay, but before you agree to pay it. DH did this with our last car 'hmm, well we like it, but we'd like it better if it had parking sensors. Can you do it for that price, but with parking sensors?' And they did! I think we paid £30 to cover the labour time for the mechanic and that was all
(I have to admit I sat there cringing, couldn't believe he pulled it off - they had already previously quoted us £300 as the price to buy the sensors).

Prep:

1. Know what you want in the car (essential), what is a nice-to-have, what doesn't matter to you and what is a turn-off: e.g. leather interior, parking sensors, air con, climate control, reversing camera, sun roof - whatever. Make a list.
2. As mentioned, what are you willing to pay (and how - cash/part ex/finance/lease/hire purchase). It sounds obvious, but research adverts to check that what you listed in point 1 is affordable from point 2.
3. From your research, see if the price is reasonable, for mileage, age, extras etc.

At the dealer:

1. The dealer wants you to think this is the best car ever, and the only one you should look at; you need to make the dealer think this is car number 7 out of 30 that you are going to view (be a bit careful - if they don't think you're serious they won't pay much attention to you).
2. Find what you can use for haggling points:

- missing features (whether on your list or not - if on your 'essential' list can you get them included like the poster said above; if not on your list, make the dealer think you might 'settle' for this lower-spec car) - when is a service next due, are tyres getting low and need replacing soon - get these included in the sale or get the price knocked down

1. A lot of a dealers margins are in extras - GAP insurance, paint protection, all sorts of warranties - just like PPI on credit cards/loans. Understand what they're trying to sell you (more research before you go) and what you do and don't need - don't let them slip things on the bill that you don't want on there. Also watch out for 'admin fees' they put on at the end of a sale.
2. When agreeing a sale, get everything in writing, what they're going to do (service, MOT etc) or include (new mats, full tank of fuel, 6/12 months tax).

There's probably more, I'll post more if I remember.

This is great! All interesting stuff, keep them coming!

Be prepared to walk away and say that you'll think about it ("it's still a little more than I would want to pay without satnav/aircon/extended warranty. I'll need to go away and see what I can do...")

It's also helpful if you have another car in mind or can work between a couple of different dealerships and play them off against each other!

I visited a few garages today and it's been interesting to see the different approaches of the sales staff, even at this early stage.

I'm after a compact MPV so now I've ruled out the Nissan Note and the Toyota one, Citroen are still in the running and now I need to see Ford, Skoda, Hyundai and Renault, have I missed anything good? There is almost too much choice!

Call them and ask questions before you visit, including what they'd accept for the car. Get some of the negotiation done before you go in.

When you're in there, look for things you weren't told about. Does the car have cheap tyres fitted - some brand you've never heard of, for example. is there only a week's road tax left, etc?

Also, buy in December - it's a terrible month for dealers.

Call them and ask questions before you visit, including what they'd accept for the car. Get some of the negotiation done before you go in.

As per another thread, dealers often won't give you a lot of their time over the phone, as they get lots of phonecalls that amount to no sales. If you're trying to beat them down on price before you've even seen the car, they'll figure you're just going to be a pain in the arse.

On a side note, I hate the "what's the lowest you'll take?" angle - like I'm going to tell you that anyway. It's the quickest way to spot a dreamer.

When you're in there, look for things you weren't told about. Does the car have cheap tyres fitted - some brand you've never heard of, for example. is there only a week's road tax left, etc?

That all depends on what tyre brands you've heard of; I'm sure many people haven't heard of Vredestein and Kumho, but it doesn't mean they're no good.

Dealers will often send the tax off for a refund, so there's usually none at all while it's in the showroom.