Negotiating A Car Price

Once you have decided on a car, done the best inspection possible under the circumstances and taken her for a test drive, you’re ready to negotiate the price. Many used car dealers are willing to haggle about the posted price, though there will be the occasional dealer that just refuses to go any lower, no matter how hard you try. If you run into one of those and you really don’t agree with the asking price, go somewhere else. It’s just not worth it. Sometimes the asking price will be one that you can live with, and if so by all means pay the man. If, however, you just have a gut feeling that the asking price is way too high, do everything you can to get the dealer to negotiate with you. A lot of times you will be told that the price is not negotiable, but the dealer is really just testing you. He marked the price so that he can make a good, hefty profit, and if there is any way he can convince you that haggling is not an option he will give it his best shot. Should you run into this situation, say “gee, I really wanted this car, but I just don’t feel like it’s worth that much. Maybe I’ll try some other place” or something to that effect. At that point, the dealer has invested a good bit of time, and he does not want to see you walk away now. If he has a haggling bone in his body, he’ll start discussing it really fast.

If you drove another car onto the lot, you might be asked if it is yours, and if so are you willing to trade. Don’t give a definite answer right away. Wait until you have both agreed on a selling price for the vehicle you are buying first. The reason for this is, once you confirm that you are willing to trade, the dealer then has the opportunity to burn you on the deal by offering you a trade amount to take off of the price he is asking. Of course he will offer you way less than what you expected at first, and things can get confusing for you, giving him the edge. Get a firm, mutually agreed on price for the one you are buying first, then you can talk about trade-in and be on a fairer playing field. Only then should you turn your attention to how much you expect to get for your old clunker, and never just accept the first number he throws at you, you’ll probably be setting yourself up to get ripped off. The best thing to do is to have a friend or relative bring you. They can be a lot of help and you will not have the distraction of what to do with your old car. Besides, if it’s worth anything at all you’re likely to get a much better deal selling it yourself. However, if you had every intention of trading him your old car, be sure that you already know what number will be acceptable before you drive it onto his lot, and stick to it. Letting the dealer badger you is a sure way to lose big on a used car deal.

While you were inspecting the car and taking the test drive, you may have noticed certain things about it that would bring down the value. Make a big deal out of every little thing, but don’t go overboard to the point where he gets annoyed and kicks you off the lot. You want him to know that you are not going to settle on his price simply because the car is not worth it. Once he believes that and realizes that you aren’t backing down, he’s very likely to start going down on the price. Remember, he’s human too and has a breaking point. Don’t let your guard down and never let him see you squirm. Be firm, but be fair as well. After all, this is how the guy makes his living, so don’t set your expectations unreasonably high. Continue to work on him until it is obvious that he’s at his limit. Then, it’s up to you to make that final decision.