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Okay so I need to get the best price on a used car, when's my best time to ask for their best price - as soon as it's posted up so they minimise forecourt losses? Or after it's been sat for a few weeks and they may want to get rid of it?
Any truth in the end of month / end of quarter salesperson bonus tactics?
Ta.
Any truth in the end of month / end of quarter salesperson bonus tactics?
Not anymore IME - they’ve definitely hardened their stance.
The price is the price.
Shortly after you've said "no thanks" and walked off, and they've chased you across the forecourt.
Shortly after you’ve said “no thanks” and walked off, and they’ve chased you across the forecourt.
pre covid yup , post covid not so much so .
No one is going to discount a car that’s just hit the forecourt surely. If it’s sat there for months then maybe. But then why did it sit there. Was it was over priced?
Same predicament here. My wife's 2000 plate E39 535i has munched it's VANOS and the best (only) quote I can get is £5k. Looking about at 15 plate decent stuff at around £14K, no deals, gone in 30 seconds.
Depends what you are buying and how much it is but you’re not likely to get more than a couple of hundred off a £20k car from a franchised main dealer. More likely to get a few extras like a tank of fuel or a free service. They all know you will put the reg of any used car into WBAC so they will price it accordingly.
Honest John’s motors - anything is possible.
No one is going to discount a car that’s just hit the forecourt surely.
Well that would be my initial thought but if they can flip it quickly it may save them some money was my other thought. Just trying to squeeze another £500 off a 14k car, every little would help.
I've watched similar cars in the past drop similar amounts over a month or so, just wondered what their reaction would be to someone ready to do a deal at the start.
Changed their modas operandi car dealers.
Cars make sod all. And have sod all profit wise in them. Moneys in gap, svc plans etc
Well that would be my initial thought but if they can flip it quickly it may save them some money was my other thought. Just trying to squeeze another £500 off a 14k car, every little would help.
Seller's market. Too little good stock caused by availability issues and long back logs during COVID and especially on EV's.
Getting discount has been getting harder for years. My supposition is that the Internet selling of cars and national delivery options were effectively allowing the market to get closer to true pricing.
It's harder to optimistically price against that because you're directly competing against more players including storage yard and deliver it models.
1998 would have been a good time to employ this tactic.
Mind you if the recent issues around EV insurance persist there might be some bargain EV's coming up if you can get the cover.
I've not been buying used cars that long, since about 2012 or so from dealers, it I've never been able to negotiate money off. The best I've been able to do is argue the toss over what my existing car is worth in part ex.
My best "deal" actually was taking a car worth £600 in part ex to the dealer and selling it privately for £1100 or so. But that was a faff.
I agree that the Internet has helped make pricing quite uniform and unlikely to be deviated from.
I know this is going to sound like I'm evangelising, but my best deal was an EV because the amount of money saved on fuel offset half the cost of the car. Insurance was cheap too..
How about 15k used vans?
It's still a buyer's market in the UK, as long as you're not too fussy. Really, it depends how much margin they have in the car. Buying used means they won't have you in for servicing over the next 3 yrs so the sale is done in isolation. Either bring a PX for them or accept finance - give them a way to make some of that money back.
Sales bonus is usually based on profit in the vehicle, not volume.
It is obviously not entirely scientific as it's predicated on an average vehicle but both Autotrader and HPI were showing similar data according to this piece from one of the better written (imo) industry magazines.
Well price has dropped by £400 already, probably not going to drop any further though - still a little over budget and my part-ex trade in value has dropped drastically possibly because my MOT is due next month.
Looking at another car, what is going on with this ad?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309182112618
Terrible photos, I mean if you're selling something for 13.5k then surely you put even the smallest amount of effort in??? Description also pretty poor. Worse still the price is about 2-3k over what it should be IMO compared to similar cars. Can't make up my mind if it's someone chancing their arm, or someone who hasn't checked the market prices and has based it on a similar age car but with 40k less miles. Either way I can't get my head around it, priced right it would be ideal for me but even then the photos feel like they are a big red flag, but should they be? Using it to travel to work in so not some old duffer who can't hold a camera straight. Frustrating.
Just remember that car dealers are professional sellers, and you are (probably) not a professional buyer. The price they've got the car for sale at is the amount (or very close to the amount) that they think they can get for it, and they think they can get that for it as it's their business to know that.
Worse still the price is about 2-3k over what it should be IMO compared to similar cars
Over the dealer price?
Because you should be paying a fair bit under dealer price on a private sale at £10k+, what with the total lack of consumer protection.
If money is tight why are you looking to drop £14k on a volvo? Plenty of cars out there that will do the same thing for less - maybe not as nice a badge, but if you are looking to save money.....
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202309182112618
/blockquote>Amazing photos, didn't know you could use a wide angle potatoe as a camera lens!
Worth a phone call and a viewing I'd reckon if they're close to you - they might not have done any research into the selling price. And like @chakaping suggests, you'd want a private sale to be substantially cheaper than a dealer sale, might be worth having that conversation with the seller.
Wrong thread sorry
My wife’s 2000 plate E39 535i has munched it’s VANOS and the best (only) quote I can get is £5k.
Surely a VANOS could be a DIY job? If its not going rusty, I'd be doing everything to keep a high end e39 going, as I think pretty much anything newer will end up being a bit of a disappointment.
re buying new(er) cars - in a similar position. My 197k '06 plate E91 320d is dieing the death of a thousand cuts and I keep throwing time and cash at fixing stuff. (last month was a squeaky suspension bush. Now the starter motor is playing up). I bought it at 4 years old for £12k. I'm now looking at £15k for a similar car but 8 years old and with more miles on (needs to be eu6). Doesn't feel like a good deal...
Oh how I wish I could DIY it. I've ended up with double vision after a thyroid malfunction, so, a bit tricky for me. My local Indy who's looked after it for the last few years didn't fancy it; nor did another local place. The main dealer qtd just short of 5k, plus it really could do with a couple of panels and a full respray. So, sadly, no.
I’m now looking at £15k for a similar car but 8 years old and with more miles on (needs to be eu6). Doesn’t feel like a good deal…
You're really on a hiding to nothing comparing what you'll pay now with a deal you got 13 years ago, especially if you factor in the bump in price for a Euro 6 over a Euro 5. If the price you're looking at now is about the market rate I think you've just got to accept that the market's a bit different now.
I got £500 knocked off a £9.5k car this time last year, glad I didn't go private as Volvo have just agreed to another £3.5k warranty claim after they've already "spent" £1.5k trying to fix the oil consumption issue it had when I bought it (V40 D2)
Okay so I need to get the best price on a used car,
You either want to get the best price or need to lower your expectations.
If money is tight why are you looking to drop £14k on a volvo?
It's a fair point, but I want something that will last, spending a bit more now will hopefully pay off in the long term.
my 14 plate kia has been faultless for the 7 years we;ve had it. Cheaper brand doesn't mean unreliable.
If you really are serious about saving money look to the korean brands. Newer ones are quite a nice place to be too, not as nice as an audi / bmw / volvo. That said I don't have experience of the estate versions.
the jones with their range rover may sneer, but you'll get the last laugh when the RR breaks down or gets nicked
Could you get a discount for agreeing to take finance and then cancel the finance in the cooling off period? Might be faffy and not worth it. I’ve done in the past on electrical items
my 14 plate kia has been faultless for the 7 years we;ve had it. Cheaper brand doesn’t mean unreliable.
If you really are serious about saving money look to the korean brands. Newer ones are quite a nice place to be too, not as nice as an audi / bmw / volvo.
I've considered all sorts. It's not so much as I want to save money, but I want to get the best value for money that I can. That means keeping a car for a long time, and I value comfy seats, a completely flat loading area, manual transmission and a petrol engine. There's been a few contenders, some obvious ones (Octavia, golf, Passat, Mazda 6, Avensis, Ceed) but I went to view a Volvo and it just blew me away with the build quality and the loading area despite the apparently low 'litres' of cargo space. So now on a hunt to maximize what I can get for my money, but they are few and far between in that combo especially as I'm being awkward in wanting cloth seats and not full leather. Anyway, the search continues.
Amazing photos, didn’t know you could use a wide angle potatoe as a camera lens!
Worth a phone call and a viewing I’d reckon if they’re close to you – they might not have done any research into the selling price. And like @chakaping suggests, you’d want a private sale to be substantially cheaper than a dealer sale, might be worth having that conversation with the seller.
It's at the other end of the country so I think it's out, I'd not really feel comfortable telling the seller what they should be listing their car at. As a guide and I know this is flawed but most of the cars (at dealerships) when I've compared them to the price WBAC would offer are about 120-125% more (obviously, to be expected). That one is 180% of the WBAC price...
Could you get a discount for agreeing to take finance and then cancel the finance in the cooling off period? Might be faffy and not worth it. I’ve done in the past on electrical items
Yeah I've heard that often said but I wouldn't be comfortable with that, even though I know it's probably common practice. I'd feel like the dealer probably wouldn't be too helpful if there were any issues down the line if I tried that tactic. I'd much rather be up front and say this is what I can offer, if you can meet that then you've got a sale, if not - I'll keep on looking.
Why are you using WBAC to estimate pricing? They are well known to be low-balling shysters. Private sales will be somewhere between WBAC/Motorway quotes and forecourt prices. It's then up to the buyer to negotiate the price down to a figure they are comfortable with.
Why are you using WBAC to estimate pricing? They are well known to be low-balling shysters.
I'm not really, just looked up the cars I was interested in as a matter of interest and thought it showed how out of touch potato camera guy is with his pricing, But as stated above it's his car to ask what he wants for it. I'm aware that WBAC also probably pay a higher % for more desirable cars i.e. newer, lower mileage so I'm not taking it as anything more than a point of reference amongst all the other points of reference of what a car might be worth.
If you are comparing cars from all over the country you’ll just do your head in - all to save a few quid. Think you are overthinking this! 😀
Over on vw forum seems they take finance deal to get 1500 quid extras thrown in, cancel finance, keep extras. Extras are a manufacturer incentive, up to you.
I think the "trick" to getting money off is to have a few irons in the fire. Do your research, find a few cars that are in the sweet spot in terms of age, mileage, condition, colour if that's important to you, from dealers that look good and have enough good ratings. Add them to your watch list. Call them all up, let them know you a a list you are working through and then ask them your questions about service history, number of owners, MOT, warranty, petrol, free servicing etc.
One or two of those might then call you back, offer to send you videos of the car etc, at that point try to negotiate as the car is not quite what you are looking for but for the right deal you could be persuaded. Maybe there is a nicer one your wife likes and it's only 1k more so you're tempted for that, maybe this one is right in all ways except one so you can't bring yourself to pay what they are asking. First they will offer you a full tank of petrol, maybe a service or extended warranty. A day or 2 later maybe they make you an offer, maybe you have to be cheeky and make a semi realistic offer so they can come back and meet you half way.
When you go to pick the car up check everything, they might have "forgotten" to give that longer warranty they said about, or the petrol is only half filled when they promised a full tank, its awkward but you have to then point that out.
We just went through this recently and boiled down a list of 5 potential cars to the one we got, main dealer 2 year warranty, full tank, £500 off after seeing it be reduced a similar amount a week or 2 prior. The whole process took probably a fortnight. Weirdly they were dead set that the sale had to be completed before the end of the month don't know if that's because it was quarter end, or for tax purposes.
You won't get anything off if you go to one garage, tell them they have the car you want and can I have it cheaper please, as people have said above, they are professional salesmen and they know they hold all the cards in that situation.
Over on vw forum seems they take finance deal to get 1500 quid extras thrown in, cancel finance, keep extras. Extras are a manufacturer incentive, up to you
when I was looking at a new Bimmer a couple of months ago , they were offering a £3k discount incentive to take the finance. I told the salesman I would do it , but needed to check if there was any penalty if I cancelled within 14 days and payed in full. He looked through the paperwork and couldn’t see anything to say you couldn’t do that.
Yeah I’ve heard that often said but I wouldn’t be comfortable with that, even though I know it’s probably common practice.
I used to think like that , but you have to remember they are pretty ruthless. They are your best mate until you actually buy the car, after that they probably wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire 😉
There are a few good ones though . I’ve purchased 3 different commercial vehicles from Ford and will only deal with one of the guys in there
The above post is spot on, car salesmen, estate agent, your best friend till you part with your cash.
're finance deal and keeping extras when cancelled, seems loads of people do it.
Well that was frustrating. Finally found a car in my price range, nice colour, good service history. Enquired about it and got a gushing email back telling me all about it and offering me a 'personal' video call to show it etc.
I said I was still interested, we talked about a trade in etc. all was going well until he asked about finance options and I said I'd be paying in full + trade in. At which point all communication has stopped. Couple more emails from me asking if it's still available have been ignored. Gutted to miss this one, but have learnt a lesson I think - looks like I need to play the finance game after all. Twunts.