Haggling

theprizelamb

I’m about to buy my first car – was looking for something like a Polo or maybe a Corsa – something that I can put a few dents into without breaking into tears! The very most I would like to spend is €3,500 but obviously I would like to spend less if at all possible. Can anyone advise what kind of scope or margin there is to haggle on prices? Either with a private owner or dealer?

junkyard

Margins are very tight in this sector tbh, everyone's looking for this stuff and want everything done to it i.e. new tyres, cd player, valeted etc. etc. I sometimes wonder how I make money at all.:rolleyes:

crosstownk

You've a much better chance of a successful haggle with a private sale than a dealer. As junkyard stated, margins are tight. Expect no more than a couple of hundred off - if you're lucky!

colm_mcm

how much haggling room you have depends hugely on the asking price. look at what you're buying and see if it's worth the money. Don't go into it purely to wear the seller down to a fraction of the asking price.

littlejukka

don't push it too much though. i was selling a second-hand mitsubishi (privately) on autotrader. i had one woman ring me endlessly to haggle without even coming to view the thing. eventually she came out with "i've found the same model with less mileage and it's 2 years newer for 300 less than your lowest offer". such nonsense. i told her to fucl< off and buy it then, stop wasting my time.

waxon-waxoff

Your best bet is to buy something bigger. Fiestas, micras etc are in demand so not much haggling going on. A bigger car will be better value and haggling is much more likely. Thats because there will be less potential buyers so the seller wil have to be open to offers. There is some real value to be had if a small engine is not essential for you