Buying a new (or second hand) car - Procedure ?

[ioneabee]

in my experience when approaching a dealer, they will always ask "how much have you got to spend"

 

so, the question is ........... should you tell them ?

 

if not what do you say ?

[Ekona]

Two trains of thought:

 

1. Don't tell them. This means they have to work harder to get you in a car, as they have no idea what you're willing to spend.

2. Tell them. This way, there's no faffing around with them showing you stuff that is either way over or way under your budget.

 

 

Me, I just tell them. They're going to figure it out once I start getting interested in a car anyway, so I see precious little to be gained from hiding my budget. I may go lower, or I may go higher. I won't tell them my absolute top whack I'll pay, but I see no harm in mentioning a figure. Life's too short for playing games, they'll either sell you the car for a price you're willing or they won't: No amount of hiding and double-bluffing will change that.

[ioneabee]

my fear has always been if you tell them how much you have available .......... thats what they'll aim to get off you

[350zedd]

If you tell me what you intend buying, then I will be able to give you a more informed answer

[ioneabee]

[ioneabee]

I may let it slip next weekend

[350zedd]

[G1en]

Just tell them what you are willing to spend minus around £500-£1000 that way you are in right ball park but gives you a valid reason to try and get a discount.

 

Dealers will always try and get the most they can off you but if you decide on a car and explain that you just cant afford it but if they knock a bit off they will have a deal you will usually end up meeting somewhere in the middle.

 

Same with part ex. Never accept their first offer. If you barter a little you can usually get a fee hundred quid more off them. Always see what the trade in value is on parkers whatcar or other and use this to negotiate

 

Of course it all depends on what car you are buying. How desirable it is and how rare it is

[G1en]

I should add i haggle with customers every day as part of my job. Its the old saying i start high. They start low and we meet in the middle where we both are happy with the deal.

 

With car dealers / garages a lot of whether you get a discount and how much depends on if they are having a good month sales wise. If they are behind budget you are much more inclined to get a good deal. The problem os you wont know. You could always ask no harm in sticking it in general chit chat.

 

Private sales much depend on how long the car has been up for sale for and how the person values their car. Someone isnt likely to accept an offer 10-20% below asking price if they only put it up for sale day before but if it has been up for several months with little/no interest the ball is firmly in the buyers court. Always point out work that needs doing to try and get price down regardless wether this has been factored into price or not and have cash ready to hand over. Its a lot harder fot someone to turn down the readies in person than it is to reject an e-mail offer

 

These are just my thoughts and experiences some may agree. Some may be obvious. Some may say its drivvel just putting my two pence in. Hope it helps

[Ekona]

my fear has always been if you tell them how much you have available .......... thats what they'll aim to get off you

So what? If they manage to make you spend more than you want then either they've done great, or you've failed. You know your own budget, so as long as you stick to it and are prepared to walk away (that's the bit I usually fail with!) then it doesn't matter if you tell them exactly what you have to spend.

 

If you don't think the deal is right, then don't buy it. What your budget is, and them knowing that, is ultimately completely irrelevant. It's the haggling bit that's fun.

[KyleR]

In this day and age of the internet and dealership websites, Autotrader etc, I think most people go to a dealership knowing the exact car they want to look at, so a salesman asking how much you have to spend isn't relevant as you know the car you're after. Surely the days of walking into the local 2nd hand dealer not having a clue what you're after are long gone?

 

I know they still ask about your budget, but I never tell them as it's not important, I'm here to look at this 1 car, not their whole fleet.