How to haggle for a used car

Know your limits

Have three prices in your mind before you arrange to meet the seller:
1. The price you’d love to get away with paying.
2. A good, fair deal.
3. The maximum amount you’re willing to pay – never go over this.

If the seller is particularly awkward or difficult, remember this:
1. Try not to get too hung up over the haggle and lose your cool.
2. Reassure them. Say: “I’m not going to mess you about. I can pay by check or cash right away.”
3. Don't let them make you feel guilty for haggling and pay the full price. Walking away with “buyer’s remorse” is one of the worst things you can do.

Tips from Dom

TV presenter and expert haggler Dominic Littlewood guarantees you can always get more money off than you think. “Just be cheeky and push a little bit more!” He told us his essential tips to grabbing an automotive bargain:

1. Do your homework
Research every subject matter related to the car in trade magazines and on the Internet. Find out what you’d be happy with. If you’re not confident, bring a friend.

2. Be courteous, not confrontational
Always be polite and courteous to the seller. You might have to put up with a grumpy person to a certain extent, but if they’re consistently rude, walk away.

3. Follow your sixth sense
If something feels wrong, chances are there is. If the seller’s not right, the car won’t be. Follow your gut instinct when it kicks in.

4. Be jovial when haggling
Always put in an offer lower than what you’re happy to pay. Shock the seller but don’t become an enemy. Think of it as a game! Don’t feel embarrassed you might insult them – they won’t tell you to go away, they’ll make you an offer instead.

5. Turn the tables
Don’t accept a weak offer, but ask a question back instead. Say: “Well, if you can knock the price down to £3,000, then maybe we’ll have a deal.” Stay in control.

6. Push the deal
“That’s the best price I can do.”
When you hear this, ignore it and change the subject. Ask them for their best price again. If it’s not lower, tell them you’re not sure and might look elsewhere first.

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.

DO:

• 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
• Be persistent
• Stay relaxed
• Be friendly
• Act straightforwardly and businesslike
• Stay in control. You can do this by mentally picturing you own their car.

DON’T:

• Get carried away or emotional
• Fall out with the seller
• Offer the full asking price
• Complain about a low price
• Lose your cool
• Lose control by using weak statements like “could you knock off more?”

Tips from Jason Dawe

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:

1. Get along with the seller
It sounds simple, but people don’t like selling cars to people they don’t get along with. Many buyers and sellers can be hard nosed and fall out with each other. If you can get the seller to like you, you’re more likely to do a better deal.

2. Set up the haggle
Negotiation starts on the initial phone call. Ask the seller if they’re open for sensible offers. If they say no, tell them you want to look at the car anyway. This sets them up to expect a haggle when you meet.

3. Check for problems
When checking the car or taking it for a test drive, make a mental note of any faults, defects or other problems, but don’t mention them to the seller. Run your hands over the tyres and check the windows are working for example.

Pointing out the vehicle’s disadvantages puts you in more control of the situation.

4. Summarise
Give a round up of the vehicle to the seller – this re-caps your position and helps you decide how much to offer. Give both criticism and compliments about the car.

This lets them know you’re interested but puts some doubt in their mind.

5. The haggle
Never make an offer first, but ask the seller how much they realistically expect to get for the car. When they reply, ask again, pointing out one of the car’s faults. As soon as they give you a lower price, look them in the eye, make an offer and shut up.

It’s hard to do but you must keep quiet at this point. The seller now has two choices:
• They’ll accept your offer, which means you’ve offered too much
• Or they’ll make another offer

If their counter offer is too high, stand your ground and haggle further.

6. Sealing the deal
When it looks as if they’re thinking about accepting your offer, offer them your hand. It’s difficult for the seller to refuse a handshake, since it’s a natural instinct to shake someone’s hand back.

7. Remember to have fun
Buying a used car should be fun. You never lose money on the car you never bought and can always walk away. Use the skills I’ve taught and have a bit of 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.