Get the Deal You Want – Tips for Negotiating Price on a Used Car

When you are trying to get a good deal, there are some rules which apply. It’s especially tough when you are trying to haggle with a car dealer; haggling is all that the sales staff does. Here are some tips for getting the best rate on a used vehicle.

Be Open

When you first approach a car dealer, you need to introduce yourself as you’d like to be seen. If you begin the exercise jaded and tough, then you’re going to get the deal that a jaded person gets. If you begin the sales exercise open and receptive then you are likely to be viewed as such. It doesn’t matter that you’re about to haggle the heck out of this dealer; in the beginning you want to hear everything that they have to say so that you can assess the situation.

Be Informed

Once the car dealer has gone on their spiel about how great the car is that you’re going to be getting and how much they’re giving you the deal of a lifetime, this is when you pick apart what the dealer is saying with facts. There are so many places to find all the information you could want about used cars, their prices, their comps in your area, and the features you should be getting. Kill the dealers hype with facts and you will be rewarded with a speechless car salesperson.

Be Succinct

Once you have staked out your claim on the side of the informed, then you want to begin negotiating. A good rule of thumb is that for every 9 words a car salesman comes at you with, you respond with one. It’s not that you need to shut them out, per se, but you’re trying to get down to the meat of what they are saying. You are trying to strip away all of that verboseness with facts and figures all your own which make sense for your argument. You want the car dealer to be reeling with your powers of communication despite your wordlessness.

Be Stoic

The other thing that car dealers do is they play on your emotions. They tap into your adventurous side or they talk about your family’s safety or they talk about the great overall value you’re getting. All of that may be true but for your needs it’s not really the point. Of course you care about all of those things but you also don’t want to be ripped off. So maintain a stoic persona and don’t let their powers of persuasion overtake you.

Be Firm

When you are ready to make an offer on a vehicle; when you are satisfied that you have gotten the best deal and that neither of you is really going to budge too much more, then you need to be firm. If the car salesperson begins trying to talk you into added features or bonuses for just a little extra money, freeze them out. If they are insistent on a particular thing, then the chances are that the vehicle already has that feature equipped. Don’t be mangled around at the last minute; until you have signed on the dotted line, be firm.

Walk Away

Your final power is your strongest one; if you are not getting the deal you want you have the ability to get up from the table and leave. Use this power if necessary. It’s far better to ruffle a salespersons feathers one day then to be stuck with a car you don’t want or can’t afford forever.

Shopping for used cars is tough; remember these tips for success!