Top tips for negotiating with car dealers - by car dealers

[James Baggott 227]

So I'd like to write a post on the above. 

What practical tips would you give to customers when it comes to negotiating - I don't mean don't do it, but what would you advise them.

I'd be interested to hear what you'd say. 

Hit me! 

[Casper 272]

Just be honest there nothing worst than a customer trying to make up faults. Etc to get money off 

for example if someones comes in say they have £2600  for a £3000 car but its only worth £2600 because there friend said this or that or it has a small age related mark etc  id be like its £3000

where as if someone came in said they liked the car but could only afford £2600 id work with them looking at days cars been in stock what we need out it etc 

[James Baggott 227]

Thank you! That's the sort of thing I'm after 

[trade vet 702]

Thought you meant car dealers dealing with car dealers.That one is easy,disregard 50% of what the other one says then divide by 2.

[James Baggott 227]

Nope, what advice you'd like to give to punters before they walk into your office and start negotiating... 

[Highlinev8 28]

Pick up the phone, speak to my salesman and make a genuine enquiry. I tend to ignore/long finger email enquiries as experience has proved most of them to be time wasters.

Don't be a dreamer and only look at cars that you are very close to on budget. If I have a car advertised at £8995 and you only have £8500 to spend then depending on days in stock and general stock profile of the business at the moment we should be able to do something. If you are ringing around thinking you are getting £1000 off a car you are wasting everyones time. 

A lot of dealers just don't do discount, some get offended at the suggestion, Personally once I have a car in stock prepped and ready to go I am already bored of it.

[James Baggott 227]

Thank you! A cracker. 

Appreciate you sharing it 

[BHM 994]

Here’s one: try offering £200 less to some shithead seller on Facebook offering a half-price car & who has a history of selling many cars from his private a/c. His advert probably reads “has 6 months MOT due to the new government law” and “drives right, just done a 200 mile journey without issue”.

My guess is they’ll get the car for £200/150/100 less - they’ll need f***ing every penny.

[Rory RSC 596]

If the cars a fair price pay it.

in this day and age knocking money off is rare, and happens less and less as if the car isn’t advertised At the right price in the first place no one will come out. 
far better to buy from a well reviewed decent dealer for a fair price than get £500 off a shitbox.

[trade vet 702]

Car sales guys usually get a hard time.Don’t deal with an order taker,deal with an experienced pro.Be pleasent and straightforward and you will usually get looked after.If you are happy with the service,it makes sense to stay loyal to the same dealer especially if the same sales guy remains.They will be pleased to see you and will do favours if you need them.

[have a word with the wife 299]

5 hours ago, James Baggott said:

what advice you'd like to give to punters before they walk into your office and start negotiating... 

do your homework, not in, its £500 cheaper down the road, look at the model, are they generally available ? i e fiesta, look around, are there a few "fiestas" on the forecourt ? this could have been the dealer who did well with "fiestas" but it has dropped off [ this does happen] as said before, do not make up faults, it must be kept friendly all the time, not over friendly, keep it business like, and do not let who ever came with you look bored and just ready to pay sticker price [ i can suss these out  ] .

be ready to do business, say that you are ready to do business, you will be asked ! do not waste peoples time, be confident and calm, and friendly !

explain how you can make the sale today, explain that you understand it is a business and that they have overheads, introduce lightly why you want / need this discount, do not make the first offer ! ask, in your previously explained current situation what the final price would be, ask first ! 

this final price from the seller is your starting point,  if you can not get this lower there maybe discount on another item the seller offers, find out first, in the lead up to the sale what this product is, and how much it costs, so, to sum up, with a bit of luck, and friendly talk, you have a discount on the product you first went to look at, and a discount on a extra !

but do not do any of this just pay full price .

[James Baggott 227]

Love these - all very helpful. Would be good to hear any more members might have

[LINGsCARS 24]

I would say to customers: Go through a broker when negotiating with a new car dealer, if you can. Because it avoids the "dealer experience" where a customer gets played and spit-roasted, and puts you in a much stronger position. Get everything in writing (EVERYTHING) because dealers can be known to occasionally lie (that's code for nearly 100% of the time), and make everything explicit, not ambiguous.

I deal with dozens of new car dealers every day, and wouldn't dream of doing anything verbally - it always needs to be in writing. All those emails and written notes form part of a contract which protects you. Anything that contains the word "try", will mean the exact opposite. Add 3-weeks to any date that is promised.

[metcars 397]

2 minutes ago, LINGsCARS said:

I would say to customers: Go through a broker when negotiating with a new car dealer, if you can. Because it avoids the "dealer experience" where a customer gets played and spit-roasted, and puts you in a much stronger position. Get everything in writing (EVERYTHING) because dealers can be known to occasionally lie (that's code for nearly 100% of the time), and make everything explicit, not ambiguous.

I deal with dozens of new car dealers every day, and wouldn't dream of doing anything verbally - it always needs to be in writing. All those emails and written notes form part of a contract which protects you. Anything that contains the word "try", will mean the exact opposite. Add 3-weeks to any date that is promised.

How do you deal with hagglers ling?

[LINGsCARS 24]

1 minute ago, metcars said:

How do you deal with hagglers ling?

You mean haggling customers? I don't. I advertise a price. That's the price. BOOM. However, if it's a returning customer, I do offer a loyalty bonus. Christine explains:

 

[Mark101 536]

21 hours ago, James Baggott said:

What practical tips would you give to customers when it comes to negotiating - I don't mean don't do it, but what would you advise them.

I advise all my customers and potential customers that the price is fixed (I do very occassionally knock a very small amount off but it is rare). Instead, I say my cars ALL come with:

New, advisory free MOT whether it has 364 days or 1 day remaining, it gets done.

A minimum of an interim service, whether due or not so we know the correct grade of oil and all other levels are right.

3 Months meaningful warranty that covers everything except tyres.

A proper PDI, where we check all the things not included in an MOT such as radio, bluetooth, interior lights, air con, locking wheel nut, servicable spare wheel etc.

All this comes at a cost. You are buying a car that shouldn't need anything done until the next MOT and Service in 12 months time. On the rare occassion the car fails within the first 3 months, I will fix it, no quibble.

All that comes at a price Sir/Madam and that in my opinion is worth far more than £50-200 off at the front end. Please read my reviews and decide for yourself whether my car really is too expensive, consider the cost of ownership.

Sensible people agree, the rest can shop elsewhere.

Edited April 16, 2020 by Mark101

[Halfpenny 114]

1. Be calm and civil - if I get a customer who throws four letter works into every sentence or is bad tempered then I tend to take a dislike to them and rather not have them as a customer (problems down the line).

2. Let the dealer know what you can afford and how you intend to fund the purchase.

3. You can always find a cheaper car. The car you should buy will not be the cheapest. Recognise that in the long run its better to pay a bit more for a good straight car with good provenance from an established dealer rather than save £500 but have stress and expense down the road.

[New year revolutions...... 197]

27 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

I advise all my customers and potential customers that the price is fixed (I do very occassionally knock a very small amount off but it is rare). Instead, I say my cars ALL come with:

New, advisory free MOT whether it has 364 days or 1 day remaining, it gets done.

A minimum of an interim service, whether due or not so we know the correct grade of oil and all other levels are right.

3 Months meaningful warranty that covers everything except tyres.

A proper PDI, where we check all the things not included in an MOT such as radio, bluetooth, interior lights, air con, locking wheel nut, servicable spare wheel etc.

All this comes at a cost. You are buying a car that shouldn't need anything done until the next MOT and Service in 12 months time. On the rare occassion the car fails within the first 3 months, I will fix it, no quibble.

All that comes at a price Sir/Madam and that in my opinion is worth far more than £50-200 off at the front end. Please read my reviews and decide for yourself whether my car really is too expensive, consider the cost of ownership.

Sensible people agree, the rest can shop elsewhere.

Wow

I was basically going to write the same word for word,I even ask the customers to pick through my self inflicted warranty if they feel anything needs changing,they haven't yet and I cant remember a warranty claim this year,I think being polite but firm on your terms pays in the long run,its a 2 way boat,proper customers understand I need to make a living and respect you more and recommend me,when I go back I'm going to start asking for feedback on my Google page.

I would like to think more customers read that we aren't out to rob you we are just making a living

[James Baggott 227]

Thanks for all these. Any more out there?

[Catalyst Auto 6]

I have a simple one, not just for car sales but for life in general and it seems to have served me well over the years

Treat everyone, how you would expect to be treated

[NOACROSS 414]

Biggest one for me is BE NICE. Nice, normal, polite people get much further with us (buying or even when a car has issues). 
 

A buyer is as much selected by us the seller as them selecting our car. If they don’t pass the test, they won’t get anywhere and we don’t have to sell to them as much as they don’t have to buy from us. 
 

Cash is not a help to us, neither is no PX or no finance deal, so it won’t secure a better deal. 

[James Baggott 227]

Brilliant! Thanks for adding thoseBrilliant! Thanks for adding those

[Casper 272]

Another one would be declare known faults on a part exchange  would be good id respect there honesty if people did this some do but most don't funny thing is the people who trade in cars with loads of problems are the first ones back with small faults ,  

Edited April 17, 2020 by Casper

[David Horgan 564]

First thing to say is 

Don't bring your carpet and torch ; makes you look stupid 

Don't bring your local expert who obviously knows NOTHING , It makes you look silly 

If you want FINANCE , tell the truth when asked the questions relating to earnings , ETC , ;  Saves time and your embarrassment 

PHONE us , text is ok but we respect the call from you ; Helps to make you a considered proper buyer 

If you say your coming COME or at least tell us otherwise . That prevents you from being RUDE .

Don't come looking for an Argument ,with a sour face and attitude ,;  NOT impressed and you wont get anywhere as lots wont sell you the car anyway  

PLEASE make sure your not looking out of your pay grade , ; Just a waste of time both ways isnt it 

PX cars , TELL The TRUTH , Bring the Service book , We know its value so DONT Expect a £1,000 more than its worth , Dont tell " well they are making X online " ; makes you look silly . 

READ the advert , has it got service history , 12 Stamps On advert you blind idiot , 

Don't send an email going is Price Negotiable , ; You haven't seen the bloody thing yet .

There will be more but its lunch time .

[Casper 272]

8 minutes ago, David Horgan said:

First thing to say is 

Don't bring your carpet and torch ; makes you look stupid 

Don't bring your local expert who obviously knows NOTHING , It makes you look silly 

If you want FINANCE , tell the truth when asked the questions relating to earnings , ETC , ;  Saves time and your embarrassment 

PHONE us , text is ok but we respect the call from you ; Helps to make you a considered proper buyer 

If you say your coming COME or at least tell us otherwise . That prevents you from being RUDE .

Don't come looking for an Argument ,with a sour face and attitude ,;  NOT impressed and you wont get anywhere as lots wont sell you the car anyway  

PLEASE make sure your not looking out of your pay grade , ; Just a waste of time both ways isnt it 

PX cars , TELL The TRUTH , Bring the Service book , We know its value so DONT Expect a £1,000 more than its worth , Dont tell " well they are making X online " ; makes you look silly . 

READ the advert , has it got service history , 12 Stamps On advert you blind idiot , 

Don't send an email going is Price Negotiable , ; You haven't seen the bloody thing yet .

There will be more but its lunch time .

What about your golden rule David don't entertain anyway who is a walking advert for snap on 

Edited April 17, 2020 by Casper