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Buying a used car
Has anybody negotiated buying a used car and done really well? I've negotiated new cars before but not used. Any thoughts, ideas, resources that are helpful?
How much can I expect to get off "asking price" and any thoughts on negotiating?
Also, do dealerships go out and hunt for cars for you? Is it worth it or am I better off waiting and just looking out for a deal?
Out here, autotrader online and carmax online have listings both from dealerships and private parties - you can search based on nearly any criteria you can think of to find what they might have available. Don't know about negotiating with the dealers though.
well, if you look up a trade in price, that's the price the dealer is basically paying the person who brought in their car.
Now, look up the dealer, used car kbb value. It'll be significantly higher.
So basically, this is profit for the dealer, and depending on how fast the model of the car moves, there is x amount of leniency.
fwiw, dealers use edmunds as their blue book value b/c it appraises cars higher, i believe. I've used, and pretty much everyone else, uses kbb (kelly's blue book), so you can print that off and use it for leverage as well. A dealer once told me that only people on the east coast use kbb, but i don't know if i believe that.
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When we purchased a used car last year I was surprised that many dealerships had different prices online verse at the car lot. Online was a good bit cheaper. I personally hate having to haggle over such big purchases and have really liked purchasing from Carmax. Their prices have always below what we could have gotten from other dealerships for similar cars, and it's just a much better experience overall.
If you're going to haggle bring in paperwork that shows what you believe you should get the car for. Ask what service they use to price cars and bring that info with you. Information is power.
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If you are looking for something in particular, I wouldn't expect too much of a deal. When a dealer knows that you are motivated to buy something for reasons other than price, they will do whatever they can to get that money from you.
Haggling over cars is a frustrating game, never liked it much myself. Like the others said, do whatever research you can and see what similar cars are being offered for out on the internet, and you can get a feel for what a good price is.
Generally one has better luck with used cars on the Consumer Reports "recommended used car" list. They often tend to be the more boring cars, but not always. A few years ago auto dealers were putting a few really great deals on line, thousands less than the sticker on the lot.
I've been generally happy with my experience at "No Haggle" dealers.
The last two cars I've bought, I've looked at traditional dealers, done all the research, and estimated the best price I could expect to negotiate for myself. Both times, the no-haggle dealer beat my estimated best price, outright.
I suppose I could have used the no-haggle price to negotiate a better price at a traditional dealer, but I wanted to reward them for offering what I thought was a fair price.
To avoid the scenario above, the no-haggle dealers often offer a package of "extras". With our last car, for example, we got free oil changes and car washes for the life of the car, 10% off gas at one of the local chains for a year, and some other discounts at local businesses.
I'm not sure that selling used cars is the same anymore as far as "why did he get rid of it". Many times, you are buying cars that came off lease and the "owner" decided not to buy it out for his own reasons, not necessarily related to anything about the car itself.
We've had great luck with used cars, but we usually get them from the dealer with a warranty. Of course we also buy the extended warranty on new cars - that's just us...
I have no tips on haggling to get a better deal though - I find it more difficult with used cars and/or trade-ins because there's no set manufacturer pricing to start from.
I'm not sure that selling used cars is the same anymore as far as "why did he get rid of it". Many times, you are buying cars that came off lease and the "owner" decided not to buy it out for his own reasons, not necessarily related to anything about the car itself.
I would think buying a leased vehicle would be even worse.
Non owners don't usually take care of property nearly as well as owners.
I would think buying a leased vehicle would be even worse.
Non owners don't usually take care of property nearly as well as owners.
Leases usually require all routine maintenance like oil changes be documented. Some lease agreements even throw that in as part of the deal. When turning in a car at the end of a lease, there is a hefty deduction for any cosmetic flaws or wear & tear. That's some pretty strong motivation to take care of the car.
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Leases usually require all routine maintenance like oil changes be documented. Some lease agreements even throw that in as part of the deal. When turning in a car at the end of a lease, there is a hefty deduction for any cosmetic flaws or wear & tear. That's some pretty strong motivation to take care of the car.
x2
And leases tend to have driven a lot of highway miles and less inner city. Typically they are fairly new with high miles in comparison to their age. Mostly people whose companies provide the car and they do a lot of driving for work.
I think they are typically a good deal. Although they can be really basic packages though.
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And leases tend to have driven a lot of highway miles and less inner city. Typically they are fairly new with high miles in comparison to their age. Mostly people whose companies provide the car and they do a lot of driving for work.
I think they are typically a good deal. Although they can be really basic packages though.
I think you're thinking of fleet cars, not leased cars. Fleet cars are those purchased by businesses.
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"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
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These days, many businesses lease their fleets rather than purchase them.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I couldn't ever buy a new car again. The fact that driving it off the lot decreases the value drastically is just something I can't get over.
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"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
- Christopher Reeve
I couldn't ever buy a new car again. The fact that driving it off the lot decreases the value drastically is just something I can't get over.
I always buy either a Toyota or Honda, both of which hold their value well.
Not that it matters, I keep mine for so long time the initial depreciation doesn't matter.
I'm also a fussy old fart, so that when I am ready to get a new vehicle someone in the family, usually one of my kids, is anxious to take the old man's pristine cream puff off his hands.
I bought my first car (2001 Toyota) used with ~95,000 miles in August 2007 and have had no problems with it other than changing the fluids and replacing a sensor. With the quality of cars today, I don't think it's that big a deal of why someone got rid of it. With Carfax and other ways of checking out the car (I got mine checked out by our family's mechanic), I think it's not that difficult to find a car that someone else has driven for 5 years or more and just decided they wanted a new car. Not everyone drives their cars until they die, so why not take advantage of people selling perfectly good cars because they want a new style?
My family has also bought our last two minivans off leases. The first one was a corporate car that the company used to pick up and drive around clients and the other one was off lease. Both have worked out fine.
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Buying a used car
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