Question for Folks Who've Bought a Used Car from a Dealer

[DoveTurnedHawk]

Approximately what percentage have you been able to get them to discount their initial asking price? My vast preference would be to go private party, but there aren't a ton of cars out there with the specific features that I'm looking for.

I usually drive a hard bargain, but I've never haggled with a dealer before. I'm just wondering if there are any rules of thumb that people know about. Thanks!

DTH

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. I don't know any rules of thumb but LOW ball them..they have tons of room

on used cars.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

5. Cool

I knew they had some room, I didn't know they had a ton of room.

How's life been treatin' ya, T? :-)

DTH

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. Good...want me to go get the car with ya? I'm good at this!

BTW..CHAD is GREAT at it and can look it up and tell you what to offer..

[DoveTurnedHawk]

19. You're the Best!

I'll give you a call soon. :-)

DTH

[redqueen]

2. If you don't get what you want

Just get up to leave.

Worked for me. And try to leave quickly if you're having anything done to the car. The salesman got really mad when I got him to lower the price then turned around and had them tint the windows.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. LOL!

That's funny. :-) Yeah, I know all about the power of walking away as a negotiating tactic, I do that a lot. :-)

DTH

[Kadie]

3. This is what I would probably do.

go to http://www.kbb.com

look up dealer price and private party price. Use those figures for your negotiating. They have heavy mark-ups on the used cars, and remember, there is always another car somewhere else if they won't wheel and deal with you.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

4. I'm Armed With All the Right Info

I'm just wondering how much room I have to play with, between the private party and dealer prices. :-)

DTH

[NMDemDist2]

18. one thing to consider, a dealer (by law) has to insure the car's

tires, brakes and other safety items are in good condition.

they also usually fix the "little" things that a private party won't bother with.

the dealers do add value over buying a car from a private party.

[Blue-Jay]

7. Do some research.

Offer a bit lower than you think it's worth, BUT have a "high figure" that you refuse to deviate from. No matter HOW much you want that particular car! They have more room to work with than you do, as I'm sure everyone knows who has ever traded in a used car.

If it's done correctly, you'll get a "fair" price, and they'll still make a profit.

It's quite the dance.

[r_u_stuck2]

8. End of month

Always shop at the end of the month. If they have not met their quotas they are more likely to deal. I picked up a great deal a few years ago by buying on Dec 31st. Not a lot of cars sold in December and they needed to add some sales.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

11. Good Idea

Happily, it's the end of the month right now. :-)

DTH

[curse10]

9. I got 2500 off the 8000 sticker price

:shrug:

[DoveTurnedHawk]

10. WOW!

Nice!

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

:toast:

DTH

[nini]

12. Know the value of the car before you even offer anyting

I went in knowing the car I was looking at was selling at about 9500 through private party - I let them know I knew this right away.

the car was listed at 13,950. They went down to 11,500 - I walked out.

They went down to 10,500 - I walked out.

They finally took the 9500.

Big tip the salesman gave me after the deal was closed is that they knew I was serious because it was raining that day. People who aren't serious won't fight the rain.

I will always go car shopping in the rain from now on :-)

[mwdem]

13. Have loan approval up front..

go in and tell them this is the amount you're willing to pay, after you have chosen your deal. Never back down, always research, but defenitely have your loan lined up.

[NMDemDist2]

17. well.... that's arguable. If you dangle the promise they "can earn your

business" on the back end, that's one more thing you can grind them on. It's a good idea to be preapproved, and then let them try and beat it :)

[mwdem]

21. I meant be preapproved..

once you make the deal, tell them this is how much you'll pay, not one dime more, and be prepared to walk. God, I hate buying cars!

[NMDemDist2]

23. walking almost always lowers the price, I have walked two or 3 times

and they always called me back with a better deal

hubby hates shopping for cars with me LOL

[mwdem]

24. It's a tough thing to do,

but you've gotta be tough in the car business! Don't fall in love with one particular car.

[BigBigBear]

14. Go here

www.edmunds.com

and read everything yuou can about buying a used car; assessing value for your trade, nasty little tricks dealerships do, how much you should pay, etc.

I think it's the best auto research resouce on the web.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

20. I Love Edmunds

I agree, it's better than Kelly or anything else out there!

DTH

[NMDemDist2]

16. i used to sell cars

and it depends how long it's been on the lot. If it's in an ad, it's pretty much the bottom line

if it's new in inventory they may not deal too much, unless it's the end of the month and they are trying to close out the month with better numbers. It's always better to shop dealers at the end of the month.

If it's been sitting for a couple weeks AND it's the end of the month you can probably pick it up for $500 over low book

good luck!

[DoveTurnedHawk]

22. Wow, Thanks!

That is great advice, especially coming from someone in the know!

DTH

[radwriter0555]

25. Use Edmunds.com to know exactly how much you should pay for

the car you want.

Take the print-out with you to the dealer.