Haggling with Dealers?

Citius · 06-08-09, 05:11

I'm sure that you guys have bought a few cars off the lot. I was wondering if you had any tips on how to haggle with used car salesman?

Some tips that I've heard:
-Point out everything that is wrong with the car (scratches, chips).
-Don't show any emotion towards the car.
-Start with a low offer.
-Most dealers will come down $1000 off the initial price.
-Silence is golden. Don't break silence with useless chatter.

Do you guys have any other tips? I'm looking at buying a car from a used car dealer this week and I could use any advice.

Also, what are some good places to find out how much a vehicle is worth? I read somewhere that Kelley Blue Book is kind of biased towards dealers. I've looked into NADA and Edmunds.

SpoiledMan · 06-08-09, 05:13

Shop online via Edmunds. You can get the deal done without leaving home. Make them compete against each other. Once the deal is done, all you'll need to do is go to see and inspect the car and paperwork.

SpoiledMan · 06-08-09, 05:14

Oh yeah, take your time. When they don't hear from you for a couple days they usually start to look for you.

wagonproject · 06-08-09, 05:19

I love haggling with dealers. My family or friends ask me to go when there buying a car.

- if your going to trade a car in, get the lowest price first you can on the car before you even tell them your going to trade a car in
- start low like you mentioned. Its a back in forth game between you and the sales manager or whomever is in charge.
- don't like the numbers, get up and leave!!
- they will throw numbers at you that are WAY LOW as you walk away, keep walking.
- tell them you just started looking and they are your first stop
- If they only come down $1000 like you said I would walk, there's plenty of dealership that will take more off with some back and forth games.

Xtreme-Klean · 06-08-09, 05:40

I work for NADAguides.com.
If you happen to know the dealership name and the following info on the car I can get you the aprox price the dealership is willing to sell the car.

I will need the vin#, year, make, model, options, and condition.
I feel NADAguides is more precise because we get our pricing from local real world price (AutoTrader price).

Jakerooni · 06-08-09, 05:51

Walk in there knowing full well it's a buyers market right now.

Don;t tell them about any discounts or trade in's until you get the very lowest price possible on the car you want. Keep changing the subject everytime try to bring it up too soon. (and they will)

If they want you to buy all the extras tell them no thanks.

Don't waffle around from car to car. Know which car you want before you even get there. Be stuck on that car and that car alone. Because once he has to deal with you knowing you're not interested in any other "Gem of a deal" on the lot the talks get more serious and the deals start to happen.

XRL · 06-08-09, 06:19

Save yourself the hassle and go through the internet department. They'll be the guys giving you the better pricing and trade ins and such, because they are more high volume, and so typically are more concerned with selling it than getting top dollar.

HappyWax · 06-08-09, 06:26

I say avoid used car dealers all together.

I used to sell for Ducati & BMW and frankly- I've seen enough to say I will never EVER buy off of a dealer again.

Here is the thing, all the above talk is fine and dandy- but the bottom line is that a dealer will not sell unless they are making money. period. -and you're playing their game on their home turf and there are a million tricks...

Get a loan through a local credit union and find a car that is being sold privately you would be surprised at how much MORE car you can get for your money.

And yes, it's a buyers market for privately sold cars -I just looked at a low mileage 2000 Civic Si -normally these cars sell pretty quick when listed- Apparently, I was the first person to show up and the car was on Autotrader for a month.

The crappy 3 month warranty (or even the 3 year warranty) a dealer will throw in is not worth it. I heard of several 3rd party warranty companies not following through with claims.

A privately owned car with receipts of maintenance work (and or that is still under factory warranty) is your best bet for a decent car.

OR...

critical_level2 · 06-08-09, 06:32

I will agree with the others.

Another trick I use:
Bring a friend, wife, husband, etc. If you have a friend who is a mechanic, even better. Have them play Devil's advocate. So some interest, but at the same time have them bring up all sorts of reasons why you shouldn't buy it or go somewhere else. Don't let them get to over the top though. This has helped me and my friends get the price we were looking for or sometimes even lower.

Most importantly, always be ready to walk away. There are millions of cars out there for the picking.

HappyWax · 06-08-09, 06:38

I found this video helpful -its on competitive bidding, it works pretty well if you're going the dealer route

YouTube - 4.1.5 Rob Gruhl - How to Buy a New Car - Ignite Seattle 2007

Citius · 06-09-09, 06:43

All these tips sound good. Thanks guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xtreme-Klean

I work for NADAguides.com.
If you happen to know the dealership name and the following info on the car I can get you the aprox price the dealership is willing to sell the car.

I sent you a PM.

bufferbarry · 06-09-09, 07:33

YouTube - What Your Car Dealer Doesn't Want You To Know
here is something for ya