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17 October 2007 Dominic Sacco spoke with TV’s haggling master and Strictly Come Dancing star, Dominic Littlewood, and used car expert Jason Dawe, to help save you money. Before the haggle Know your limits Tips from Dom 1. Do your homework 2. Be courteous, not confrontational 3. Follow your sixth sense 4. Be jovial when haggling 5. Turn the tables 6. Push the deal Before you leave, ask them to give you a better price and say you can pay right away and take the car off them today. By the third objection, you’ll usually seal the deal. • Be confident. Use strong statements like: “how much are you going to knock off for me then?” and appear to know what you’re talking about DON’T: • Get carried away or emotional We spoke to former Top Gear presenter and used car expert Jason Dawe, who gave us his tips for the definitive guide to haggling for a used car: 2. Set up the haggle 3. Check for problems Pointing out the vehicle’s disadvantages puts you in more control of the situation. 4. Summarise This lets them know you’re interested but puts some doubt in their mind. 5. The haggle It’s hard to do but you must keep quiet at this point. The seller now has two choices: If their counter offer is too high, stand your ground and haggle further. 6. Sealing the deal 7. Remember to have fun Know the seller Everyone is different, so the amount you can save will depend on how lenient the seller is. More than 25 per cent of motorists admit they would rip off the buyer of their used car, according to research released this week. This means buyers must look out for sellers who hide scratches, exaggerate the car’s performance and don’t mention previous accidents the car may have been involved in. It pays to take note of this, so bring along someone more experienced with you and use any negative or hidden details about the car to haggle effectively. But don’t over-criticise the seller or their car, or they will look to sell elsewhere. Jason Dawe says, “Nice people generally sell nice cars.” Haggle online with Auto Trader If you don’t want the hassle of haggling a seller in person, you can use Auto Trader’s Make Me An Offer tool to haggle with a dealer from the comfort of your computer. Simply look for a car with our used car search on the Auto Trader homepage and check the “offers accepted online” box. A “Make Me An Offer” link will appear on the right hand side of each advert. Click it, read the terms and conditions and you’re ready to make the seller an offer via email. |
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