Haggling

[Rockenreno]

Alright, so I am going to check out a 240sx at a dealer in a few days (would do it now but I am really busy). The car looks really good in the ads, problem is they are asking $5995 and I am looking to spend $5000. I've never haggled or even talked to a dealer before, any tips or should I just tell the dealer that I won't spend over $5000 on the car?

Thanks

[Bubba1]

Reno, you got the first part nailed down, which is how much you're willing to spend. Next, you need to do your homework to see what the car is worth. There are plenty of sources, likeEdmunds.com, etc. If a car is worth $3K and the dealer is asking $6K, of course the dealer will sell it to you for $5K. My point is a dealer will never tell you you're paying too much.But if the car is worth $5000 and the dealer is asking $6000,don't expect him to sell it to you for $3000. Preparation is the key here. Contrary to popular belief, Most car salesman are not evil vultures that try to rip you off. (well, some maybe... just joking). They can be very reasonable if you're upfront with them and did your homework before discussing prices. I'm not a salesman, but I've purchased many cars. Good luck

[Repo Man]

What Bubba said. Also, make sure the car is as good as it looks. Do the body panels line up? What about the door sills/jams? Has it been wrecked? Inspect wear items and use them as haggling points. For example, if the car needs tires, then that should bring the price down a few hundred dollars. Same with brakes and shocks/struts.

Point being, use any negatives to your advantage. I'm sure even at $5k, they would still be making money. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

Andy

[SDRonEbay]

Here's my 2 cents.

Put on your seatbelt and prepare for a wild ride. Used car dealers are waaaaay off on the way off scale. My number one suggestion would be to make sure you're dealing with a reputable dealer. Look around for their licensing. It should be hanging on the walls in plain view. Next, make sure you know the area well enough to drive the car on the path you want to take. The salesperson will generally take you on the path of least resistance. If the car screams everytime you turn right then you'd better believe the salesman is going to take you on a left, left, left, left square test drive. Go ahead and take it left, right, forwards, backwards, up on ramps, over bumps and around corners. Lastly, Repo and Bubba are right. You shouldn't go in the dealership and announce you've got $5000 to spend. As a matter of fact, take $3500 with you in your wallet, $1500 in your sock. Talk to the used cars sales manager, tell him you're looking to buy a cash car. About $3500 but you will only take the 240. He'll think he's a car selling God when he sells you the 240 for $4900. Let us know what happens.

[pimpingurz]

all these pointers are good. but to ad to this. i personally think that you or anyone should make a checklist of things to look for, because as you are driving there you will be thinking of things to check. when you see the car you just might forget what you wanted to check (ie. tires, shocks, rust...). i did, i got to excited and forgot everything. got home to find out that i need all new tires and an alignment. be sure to WRITE IT DOWN. like REPO says "make every negative to your advantage" in the long run you will probably get the car at a better deal or a steal...

GOOD LUCK!

[nuQ]

you didn't mention if the dealer is a nissan dealer. could make a ton of difference in the deal. if it is a nissan dealer there is a good chance that the car was a trade-in. when looking at book value also check the wholesale or trade-in value of the car. 99% chance that if the car was a trade, the dealership doesn't have much more(or maybe less) than trade-in value. if you're thinking that it is a trade-in(or they tell you), start your negotiations$$$$ at that figure. waiting until the end of the month(the last day if possible), will also be more in your favor for the dealership to blow a car out. all the salespeople NEED to move so many units a month! making it known to the salesperson that you are ready to buy now!! when they know you're a buyer and not a shopper, they will more likely to get to a figure that will make you sign. let them know you will buy and sign right now if a deal can be had. buying a new car is easy to figure if you're getting a good deal because all the costs are known, but a used car is a little tougher cause' the actual costs are only known to the seller. as a rule of thumb, most used cars have a 1000 to 2000$ markup, maybe more if they really ripped someone on their trade-in. i speak from experience, used to sell at a dealership. the knowledgable customers ALWAYS got the better deal. as a salesman, you would blow out a car or two during the month(to keep the numbers(units) up) knowing that there would be many more customers who had no idea how to purchase a vehicle and pay much more than they had to. was not a complete snake of a salesman, but if someone came in, and the first words out of their mouth was "i can only spend 300$ a month on a car payment! well, if i could make a deal at 250, but know he's willing to spend 300$,,,what do you think happens!!!! i had bills to pay too, and this was all commission. ----never tell a salesperson anything more than you need to, let them tell you what the price is and work from there. don't tell them you have a trade-in until the price of the car you want is solid, if not you'll get involved in a very confusing numbers game! also, do your homework on leases. more involved than a buy, and we made much more commissions off of lea$e$ than buys. you'd be really amazed. learn the procedure to save thousands. jeff

[Repo Man]

Hehe, or do like me and NEVER LEASE ANOTHER DAMNED CAR AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry...

[SDRonEbay]

.....still having back pains, Repo. The only reason I would never lease a car is because I'll always own a Nissan. Leasing if for Ford's or Hyundai's or Kia's.

And for those of you I've offended by putting those three car groups together....WHATEVER!

SHIFT_:evilhaha

[Dougster]

I would offer that if the dealer dosn't go down to a realistic price, walk away!The best way to get a good value is by going through private owners. They also usually have service history available...So for your best value avoid the dealerships!Good luck/skill!

[SDRonEbay]

There are still some people that want brand new, undriven cars though. That's where dealerships come in.

[Rockenreno]

I know its been a while, but I decided not to go for that one since its automatic. I found another *possible* car at a dealer, but its pretty far away so I doubt anything will come of it. Also, the guy is asking $5000 for a '92 240sx SE with 140k+ miles. The blue book on this is around $2500. Anyone think I could actually talk this guy down to $3000 by impressing him with my knowledge of the car and whatnot?:pface I am not a very good negotiator, and I don't want to make a trip without buying a car. I am knowledgeable and pretty smart, but I have never liked haggling especially when its basically half of the asking price.

[fiznat]

I did it man, I'm sure you can. Just bring printouts of blue book and edmunds values, and be like "look- I want to buy this car because I've been looking for one for a long time and I have the cash right HERE (show him the cash), but honestly your price is WAY above the normal selling price. I dont want to, but if you're not willing to come within reason then I'm going to have to walk away." If the seller is a reasonable guy that'll probably work. Unless he's just one of those bastards who think his car is worth way more than it is simply because he has some sort of emotional attachment to it or whatever. Find out how motivated he is to sell, and use that as a guide to decide if the trip will be worth it or not.

Hope this helps!

[Bubba1]

Werd. Absolutely he'll come down. A dealer always starts high expecting a negotiation. So if a customer is crazy enough not to negotiate, and some folks don't, they'll end up paying a lot more than they needed to. Good luck.

[Rockenreno]

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys, It's coming up on the last weekend of the month, so maybe that'll help. Knowing me I probably won't go because it's a 2 hour drive and I have to find a ride, but maybe I'll give the dealer a call and see if I think I can do it. Still... $2000 is a big difference when your asking for $5000...

[MasterMan]

my teacher was a used car salesmen... there is normaly some letters near the price they are asking.. it would be like abba = 1221 for $1221 (thats the price they payed for the car) now i dont know if they still do this, but i was told they do it so the guy tryin to sell the car knows what they payed for it and how low to go on the car and still make money.. the letters will be upside down or whatever.. (they make it hard to read).. but go check it out.. should still be around..

[nuQ]

the letters=numbers thing is what we used to use at the dealership. made it easier for the salesman to do an initial negotiation right on the lot, in other words, how much the dealer can come down from the asking price. haven't seen this used much lately on the lots, they may have a new system. been out of the game ten years. jeff

[Rockenreno]

interesting...

I had another question. When you call a dealer, can you accomplish anything other than verifying the car is still there? I mean, I guess you can't come to a deal over the phone (at least not a good one), but maybe there are certain questions that should be asked before I spend 3 hours round trip driving to check it out.

[Bubba1]

Well, there are plenty of things to ask, but the goal of the dealer is to get you to visit, so I'm not so sure how forthcoming the dealer would be, or how advantageous it would be to discussing it at length on the phone. You also need to watch how much info you give him and not appear too anxious to buy it. If you don't already know it, you should certainly ask about the mileage, options (ABS, LSD, power accessories, sun roof, auto or 5 spd, exterior color, interior color/material, if there a warranty or is it as is/where is,. etc. Most of these things will plug into value calculators in websites like Edmunds, and give you a better picture of its value. You could also get the VIN, to do a carfax report if you wanted to. Good luck

[Rockenreno]

well, I got all that stuff from the web advertisment luckily DOesn't look good on checking it out though unless I gut up and go this weekend... after that its finals and then back home to Sacto...