Should i haggle for a used car

Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money. Back in the day, used car-buying negotiations were done face-to-face, either on the car lot or standing at the curb haggling with the previous owner.

Today, many shoppers negotiate for a used car by requesting quotes via email or even texting the owner. If negotiating makes you nervous, we highly recommend these alternative strategies. However, if you prefer to go old school and negotiate in person, read on. And use our car-buying cheat sheet to guide you through the entire process. Make the right opening offer: Keep your offer low, but realistic. Make a counteroffer: Sweeten the deal, but not too much. Inking the deal: Make sure you have all the right documents before you pay.

Now, here are the details for each of the steps to help you negotiate a great used car deal. Look up the current market value — what other buyers have paid for that used car — in pricing guides such as Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book. Current pricing information, from these impartial sources, will give you confidence and show you how much to negotiate on a used car. Also, get preapproved for an auto loan even if you think you might choose dealership financing. What kind of a discount are you offering?

The idea is to get the model you want for a discounted price. Use high mileage as a way to get the price down. This could work especially well if you see two examples of the same model with different dealers, at roughly the same price. If one car has higher mileage, you can use this as leverage to get the price down. You can skip visiting the showroom in person altogether - and instead email the dealership. Simply tell them the make and model you want, then ask for the best possible price.

Be aware this could elicit a barrage of emails and phone calls later on, but it is sometimes a good way to cut to the chase and get the best possible price - since a customer might easily get away if they're only communicating via email. Make sure you know the trade-in value of your old car. The more you can get, the less hard you'll have to try to haggle down the price on the new car.

Find out how much other dealers are selling your desired model for, and use it as negotiating leverage in particular dealerships. Sounds simple, but it just might work - even if the dealer knocks off a couple of hundred pounds to make the sale.

Be positive and phrase it "What discount will you give me? I have a PCP? This will end in April next year, what options do I have, other than changing for another new car. I want change the car now, not next year. I want a smaller car, I live in a small village and only use the car around the village and shopping. Thank you. Last October I found a Skoda Yeti 1. When buying cars always decide what you want to pay,tell dealer,they agree or you walk away-simple.

What a genius Your blanket advice could prevent a potential buyer from making the best purchase when looking to buy their vehicle of choice. You dont mention quality or the comprehensive contents of warranties supplied that also and obviously has a cost element attached. With your advice on never revealing your true budget that tactic can work against the purchaser as a dealer will sometimes not bother to suggest "the next model up" if they deem the gap too far to bridge costing the potential purchaser the opportunity to get a better vehicle than they originally set out to purchase for roughly their true budget.

I tend to print off the details of a few similar cars from the internet at lower prices even if they are no where near where I would travel to. Even if the car has faults, just print off pictures of the car with the price on. Also, if you are looking at buying an automobile with a lot of miles on it, you can use that to try and get the seller to lower the price. Look at the prices on cars of the same make and model with similar mileage to bolster your case.

On the other hand, a dealership has to pay for things like utilities, staffing costs, advertising and other overhead. The inspection can turn up issues with the car that you may decide are too severe and you just want to walk away from.

The inspection can also turn up small issues or potential issues like a part that may soon be worn out that you can take back to the seller to get them to lower the price. If, for example, the inspection finds that the air conditioner will need a charge, you can ask the seller to lower the price to reflect the fact that the car will need repairs soon.

One way to lessen the discomfort is to negotiate via email or text message. This can help you keep some of your emotions out of the process and just focus on the facts. This last tip is for both buyers and sellers: be nice! Many people go into used car price negotiations feeling adversarial. View Results. How To.