Help me get a better price on a used car....

[cuterlt]

I found a car I love and I've got my loan paperwork in order. Hopefully we'll be able to purchase it this week. It's priced about $4,000 under blue book, 2 years old, perfect shape, carfax checks out, etc., etc. I believe it is a trade in because it's not a make that this new car lot sells. It has been on the lot more than 2 months. Do you think I can get a better deal than such a great price under blue book? I would love to get a better bargain. Any ideas?
Thanks for your help!

 

[Lisa_M]

I'll tell you what we did with our van and it worked. We had our financing in order prior to going in, like you. Did some research online (used edmunds.com) and found out the true market value of the vehicle based on our area and the condition and amenities (that's not the right word, but I can't think of it right now) of the van.

Then we knocked about $1500 off that price, went in on the last day of the month, 1 hr before close, test drove it, got their offer (which was about $1000 higher than the TMV) and presented our own offer.

They were a hard sell, but we knew our bottom line price was about $800 off that TMV. They moved a little, but not much and I was tired and we had a baby at home so I just said, "look, my bottom line price is X, no need for more haggling and guilt trips. There are a million T&C vans out there and I can go somewhere else and buy one tomorrow. I'm ready to go home now." They said they couldn't meet my price, we got up to leave, were heading towards the door and miraculously, "wait, wait...." They met our bottom line price and the paperwork was done in 20 min and drove our new-to-us van home.

I would highly suggest using edmunds.com for your car research and know YOUR bottom line before you go and where you want to start negotiating. If you don't make any progress, call a spade, a spade and leave. They also had a secrets of a used car salesman article that was a very enlightening read.

 

[swilshire]

Just make them an offer and be prepared to walk away. That's what we did on our first Element. It was almost new. A Honda sitting on a Toyota lot. A manual transmission, which is what I wanted but they are probably harder to sell.

I saw it and wanted it, but the price they named was almost the same as a new one. I left town and came back two weeks later to see it still sitting. I ask about the price again and it was still a LOT.

I made them an offer and the salesman was insulted. Didn't even want to take down my phone number. I suggested he take it down just in case.

I left and while I was making the five mile drive to my house, they had already left a message with a very reasonable counter offer. I went back and drove it home that night.

Just don't love the car. That's the biggest mistake a lot of people make. Be prepared to lose one or two before just the right deal comes along.

Sheila

 

[swilshire]

Do you think I can get a better deal than such a great price under blue book?

Which blue book price? The retail?

I usually look closer at the trade in price. That gives you an idea of what the dealer might have in it.


Sheila

 

[CowboyCO]

I found a car I love and I've got my loan paperwork in order. Hopefully we'll be able to purchase it this week. It's priced about $4,000 under blue book, 2 years old, perfect shape, carfax checks out, etc., etc. I believe it is a trade in because it's not a make that this new car lot sells. It has been on the lot more than 2 months. Do you think I can get a better deal than such a great price under blue book? I would love to get a better bargain. Any ideas?
Thanks for your help!

KBB isn't the bible when it comes to car values. It is NADA. Go to NADAGUIDES.COM and check it out there. Look at trade in value, not retail.

KBB is skewed in favor of the dealer. Take this from someone who worked in the biz for 5 years. KBB was my friend.

 

[cuterlt]

Thanks for all the help.
I checked edmunds and Nada. Nada had the lowest prices, and the price for the car we want is still under their price by about $700 an average trade, and about $1500 for a clean trade in.
Should I still try to negotiate down? I think the price they are offering the car at is incredibly reasonable, BUT who doesn't want to get an even better deal?

 

[CowboyCO]

Thanks for all the help.
I checked edmunds and Nada. Nada had the lowest prices, and the price for the car we want is still under their price by about $700 an average trade, and about $1500 for a clean trade in.
Should I still try to negotiate down? I think the price they are offering the car at is incredibly reasonable, BUT who doesn't want to get an even better deal?

Do the deal at that price, but don't pay any dealer fees period. Tell you'll take it for that price out the door plus taxes. It's a good deal if you are under NADA trade value

 

[bettymae1121]

not to be a Debbie Downer, but have you asked yourself WHY it's so cheap? Get an accident report on it (CarFax etc.), just because a dealer tells you it wasn't in an accident doesn't mean it wasn't. And get it cheked out by a mechanic too, make sure there isn't anything obviously wrong with it.

 

[swilshire]

And carfax "no accident" just means that the accident didn't get reported. We looked at a van at an estate auction that had clearly been in a minor accident, but the Carfax posted on the window that day showed no accidents.

Sheila

 

[dawson5]

My car was stolen, the cost to repair it outweighed the value of the car, they wanted to "total" it. I'm sure that would come up on a carfax report even though nothing like that happened to it.

I wanted to ask the type of car place you are going to also. Do you know anyone who works there? Anyone who had bought from there lately? My husband works at a dealership, thankfully not in sales. They want to a "lowest price on sticker." This was done so you knew what their lowest price is, they will not haggle. If you don't want to pay that and walk away, they will not take money off to try and get you back.

 

[CowboyCO]

My car was stolen, the cost to repair it outweighed the value of the car, they wanted to "total" it. I'm sure that would come up on a carfax report even though nothing like that happened to it.

I wanted to ask the type of car place you are going to also. Do you know anyone who works there? Anyone who had bought from there lately? My husband works at a dealership, thankfully not in sales. They want to a "lowest price on sticker." This was done so you knew what their lowest price is, they will not haggle. If you don't want to pay that and walk away, they will not take money off to try and get you back.

However, with one-price stores, you CAN negotiate on your trade value. That's where they pick up gross.

 

[cuterlt]

We bought it and I am soooo happy!
I love the car. It handles great, has all the things I want, and was a great price. Carfax was clear; so was autocheck. We got it for $500 less than I was willing to pay. The only downside was spending 3-1/2 hours at the dealership listening to sales pitches about all the add ons they could do.
Thanks for all the info guys - I felt like I went in smarter than them and felt like I had the upper hand in all of it.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Congrats!

 

[swilshire]

They want to a "lowest price on sticker." This was done so you knew what their lowest price is, they will not haggle.

Working for the best price is part of the fun for me. I think if you're good at it, you can always do better than at a "one price" dealer.

Sheila

 

[JDUCKY]

Knowing that car dealers offer "auction price" as a "trade-in value" for whoever traded the car in, they make LOTS of money off of used cars. Obviously the sticker price on the car like paying for a hotel room at full rack rate. Sure you can do it but why?

Make sure you test drive it yourself. Take it to a third-party mechanic and have it checked out for basic things. Get a CarFax report on it to see if it's been in any major accidents or something.

Offer what you're willing to pay for the car and stick to it. Walk away if they won't budge. Plenty of other cars out there waiting.



edit: Oh, congrats! Didn't see that post just above. heh.