Haggling for a used car
thefairydandy
Posts: 3,235 Forum Member
✭✭✭
Hi all,
I am buying my first car, and even though I look like an adult, I feel like a 5 year old in her mum's high heels when it comes to this!
I've narrowed down my main car to look for (Ford Ka, 2000-2003ish, £600-850ish), and have found a dealership nearby with several in stock, ranging from £595 to £995.
I know the standard advice about checks, and taking guideline prices etc, and my brother will come with me to look at the car (he's owned one before), but he says he's not much up to haggling. £820 is supposed to be a fair price for the £995 car I'm particularly interested in (Ka, 2003, 75k).
My haggling instincts would be (assuming the car is in good condition), offer 700, and work my way up no higher than 850?
Would that seem ok, or should I start lower? My OH is the haggler of the two of us, but he doesn't want to because he knows nothing about cars.
I am buying my first car, and even though I look like an adult, I feel like a 5 year old in her mum's high heels when it comes to this!
I've narrowed down my main car to look for (Ford Ka, 2000-2003ish, £600-850ish), and have found a dealership nearby with several in stock, ranging from £595 to £995.
I know the standard advice about checks, and taking guideline prices etc, and my brother will come with me to look at the car (he's owned one before), but he says he's not much up to haggling. £820 is supposed to be a fair price for the £995 car I'm particularly interested in (Ka, 2003, 75k).
My haggling instincts would be (assuming the car is in good condition), offer 700, and work my way up no higher than 850?
Would that seem ok, or should I start lower? My OH is the haggler of the two of us, but he doesn't want to because he knows nothing about cars.
0
Comments
To be a good haggler yourself, think of the price you are prepared to pay, and if you cannot get it down in price - you HAVE to be prepared to walk away.
Salespersons do this for a living, they know that if you want a car/ product, they have you over a barrel. My technique is to show absolutely no love for a car or house whatsoever (with a dealer or agent, but lots of love for a house with the current owner).
Say look, its a decent car, but my budget is £750. Can i buy it for that?
If they say no, just walk away. There are plenty of cars out there, its a buyers market.
But maybe go to the dealer and just say your looking around for something small.... give him enough hints that he picks out the car you like anyway.... make him sell it to you. Dont say 'I like that ka, whats the best you can do' as that makes it easier for him to sell. Take a look on how/where the car is parked. Can you tell if its been parked there for long? He may want rid of it if its been there a while and be open to a deal.
When eventually he (hopefully) gets the hint and suggests the Ka you can say its a little over your budget. If he seems respondent, take it for a test drive. Do the usual checks (google on that).
Once you are back you can say its nice but over your budget, so what can he do. If he doesnt budge then the ball is in your court. You can walk away and maybe leave him a contact number for him if he has something similar/cheaper. You may find he calls you in a day or so to offer money off.
Remember what was wrong with the car on test drive though (if anything) and once a price is agreed then ask that the stuff you found wrong on the drive/inspection is put right as part of that price.
As I said, i'm crap at haggling and last time I bought a car (2003 focus for the wife to learn in) I was happy to pay almost the full price cos I knew that the dealer would be good if stuff went wrong on it, which to be fair, he was. Had to go back a couple of times and he fixed some minor things for me with no hassle at all. There is a niggling knocking but we agreed it wasn't anything serious but if it did develop more, he would pay for the labour if I paid for the parts.
Maybe tell them you'll buy the car if throw in a full tank of petrol, or 6 months road tax, a new MOT, or something like that, rather than haggling on the price?
Nah, I definitely don't want to pay £995 for this car unless it comes with a reference from the pope. I think £850 is fair, £750 great, anything less and I'd count myself lucky.
I've been lucky enough to be able to walk past their garage every day on my way to work, so I can get a good view of their stock before going to see them.
They have 3-4 KA models at £595-995, a couple of Fiestas at £650-£795 and one or two others in my price and type brackets. If I fail to agree the price on the ka, then I can always have a go at the cheaper model. This garage has a good reputation and is close to work, so I'm keen to buy from them (hopefully it won't show!).
I think even though I want the Ka in particular, I'm going to look at a few tomorrow at lunchtime, and then go along with my brother on Saturday, and save any test drives for the Saturday perhaps.
I'll take the tips about taking cash on the Saturday too! My max price is £850 on any vehicle, but I have til the end of the month to sort a vehicle out, so hopefully if they don't take that at first then they might change their minds in a week or two.
Thank you everyone for the replies - some very good tips!
When I looked at it, and said im interested but its a bit above my budget, he said it was up to me but another couple were coming to look at it later, so I told him to let them have it
Make sure when you buy a car to do the text check, I didnt bother and ended up with a car that was a cat c write off. And I had asked the dealer if it had been in a accident and he said it hadn't
Whatever the price, go in way below the asking price knowing the seller is going to refuse, then work gradually up until you can reach an agreed figure. If the seller refuses to budge from his figure......walk away. You will be amazed at the effects this has, not only on the seller but also you as the buyer. It gives you breathing space and time to reconsider. Moreover the seller has almost certainly lost a potential sale.
second £100 - is neither here nor there really. a bad car will cost you £100s to keep on the road. A good car will not.
Get a good one.
At this price point, you may get a better deal out of your local paper. depends whether you need dealer finance
Basically the same happened to me.I said ok and was walking away.I got full tank,new spare tyre,6 months tax and all new floor mats and all under the official price.ANY reputable dealer will respond to haggling.
The first fact is worth £100+, and the second is a bonus if it needs any work.
At that sort of age, and presumably low mileage (or a dealer would be unwilling to carrry it) there's no real market value - they're all individual.
If it's low mileage, with full service history and MOT, and comes with a reasonable warranty (three months at least) then it's worth the top of the price range. Since it's from a dealer the Sale of Goods Act will apply, to a limited extent, unless it's marked "as seen and accepted".
Which doesn't stop you using the haggling techniques mentioned, of course.
The Fiesta 1.3 is the same but if they have a 1.25 engine then i believe its a newer and better engine.
Ive driven a Ka (hire for a short term contract I did) and to be fair was a nice little run about. The fiesta I the owned after, a 1.25 was a better car though
Yep - it's not that I'm specifically anti other cars, but the Ka is the one I'm best acquainted with due to there being so many in the market. There are two fiestas available at this delaers, but I can see the rust on one from the pictures, so it's a non-starter.
I'm planning to buy a cheap run around and look after it well for a year whilst my OH learns to drive, and then buy something a bit tidier when we're both putting money into it.
Thanks again everyone - some very good advice. I usually like to do things myself and manage well, but there's just so much to know it's a bit overwhelming.
I will get shot for saying this, as original Ford Ka's are so common place, but its not the best small car out there, quite average infact. If u want i could list the bits i dont like....so thats steering, gearbox, clutch, door mirrors, cabin space in back, rear seats, and engine (OHV and OHC), body work prone to rust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA
this is the way to do it..
Thanks but no thanks
They have a nice looking Clio, but I'm put off by the fact that my brother has a Clio with serious issues, and the two girls at work with them both have problems too. Also, of the six cars I learned to drive in, it was the runt of the bunch.
I went to Tunisia to see where that was filmed and haggled for a gourd! Couldn't find a beard
Depressingly, all the hagglers were impersonating Del Boy rather than Monty Python.
He left me to root around them with my list, and I went over 4 as thoroughly as I could without the bonnet/test drive, and one Ford Ka in particular looks promising.
2003 54 plate, 12 month MOT with new rear wheels at last MOT, no sign of rust, good nick inside, and only a little cosmetic damage on one door handle.
He offered me £900 on three vehicles with a tag price of £995, so £850 shouldn't be too difficult to swing.
Only question now is - any extra probing I should do at the test drive tomorrow beyond the following?
Under bonnet checks - oil, all reservoirs filled etc.
Tax Length (forgot to ask today)
Timing (cam) belt - the car is at 75k, SHOULD have been replaced by now, but maybe not.
All service and MOT/cert data present and correct.
Any rattles or niggles when driving (this will be hard from me to 'level' the normality, because my driving experience ranges from a brand new Audi to a clapped out Clio)
As you can see, I find this car promising, especially if the recent MOT results are good. My brother is less certain, but as he's sunk a load of money into his rubbish Clio I don't have the highest opinion of his car rating...
I'm going to need to focus a lot to 'spread my interest' and not appear too keen on this Ka - I would like to knock at least another £50 of the price for a fair deal.
don't miss a car that will give you a trouble free years motoring for the sake of £50.
Take cash, offer them £700 and go from there. Whatever you do, don't give them the asking price. If you get close to the asking price insist on some tax or a tank of petrol.
Couple of things:
- 54 is a 2004 plate.
- the 2003 Ka has a timing chain, not a belt. These need changing much less frequently. The 2004 model with the newer engine may well have a belt, however.
I have a 2003 Ka and it's been nothing but a workhorse for me. I've had it 6 years and it's been impossible to stop the rust setting in, but I have no other complaints.
I always offer a ridiculously low price. I get some very strange looks, but I don't really care.
KA is a remarkably good little car - I was impressed with my wife's (KA3, with alloys and air con), despite me preferring larger, bigger engined cars. Fond memories of fitting a tub-chair in her boot that we couldn't get into a large black cab or my Omega.