Tips for haggling with used car salesmen?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I'm thinking about getting a new (used or nearly new) car, and given the current climate in the car business I know they are desparate to get rid of them so I'm thinking I could knock some money off the asking price- but how???????????

Anyone know of any tips? Ta!

Supposedly it's better to buy towards the end of the month when sales targets have to be met.

Ask if that is their best price. Dh got them down as low as he could and then they upgraded the spec so essentially it was the next model up.

Look at the same make/model of car but with a different dealer and trade one off against the other.

I've just bought a new car. There are some great deals out there, but not on all cars. For instance at Mazda, you can get a great deal on a 6, MX5 or RX7 - but not the 3 which is selling well as people are downsizing to small, efficient cars if they can. Estates tend to be less discounted than saloons too as there aren't quite as many.

I think the thing is to decide on a budget, and then tell them that - be firm and see if they can come down to it. Check the What Car guide price for approx what you should get to. Be prepared to walk away if you don't get the deal you want - for instance, push them on price until they tell you that it is the lowest they can go, and then ask for something extra - like gap insurance on a newish car.

Disagree -- under no circs should you start out by telling them how much money you have to spend, otherwise that is what you will end up spending.

They will try like crazy to get this information from you, but you should come over all vague -- 'it depends on what you have to offer' etc. Imply that you've had lots of other good offers from private sellers or other dealers, and you're just trying to see if they can match it. Once they've made you a best offer, then you can name your maximum budget, which should be at least £500 less than the amount on offer. Once you've agreed on a price (but before you sign) you should ask for as many of the following as possible (a) a years's MOT (b) a full tank of petrol (c) upgrading of any minor snags with the car, eg. new floor mats, complete valet etc.

I didn't do this myself, btw, I haven't got the chutzpah. My BIL, who is a serious-level banker-type did it for me. I just and learned.

Well we went to the showroom today and bought a car! It's a Mazda5 which is fab and has a HUGE boot for the forthcoming double buggy escapades in the summer. I did all the haggling and managed to get it for £400 less than the asking price (which in itself was £6k less than the list price) plus a years road tax and some car mats Oh and £20 worth of petrol woooooo!

Very excited!