14 Tips to Save money when buying a car

14 tips to save money when buying a car 1

If you want to save money when you buy your next car then you will need to haggle with the salesman to get a better deal. The salesman will expect you to haggle and if you are a good haggler then you could save yourself thousands on your car purchase. We have listed below some top tips to help you negotiate a better deal.

1. Do as much research as you can before you visit the garage. Try to find out how much cars are selling for at other garages and other sources. If you let the salesman know that you can get a similar cheaper elsewhere they should be willing to offer you a better deal.

2. Keep an eye on car models that are about to be replaced or are slow sellers as the garage may be more likely to offer a better deal.

3. Visit garages near the end of the month when they are more willing to offer better deals on their cars in order to meet their sales targets.

4. Be polite and friendly to the car saleman and avoid being rude as that it just likely to annoy them and make it harder for you negotiate a good deal.

5. Try to stay calm and focused, remember that the salesman negotiates with people for a living and will therefore use different selling tactics on you so be alert for these.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount and to haggle with the salesman. If you are slightly embarrassed then why not say something along the lines of “My wife/husband will hit the roof if I spend that much on the car, couldn’t you reduce the price a bit?”. This will allow you to remain friendly with the salesman whilst at the same time asking for a discount.

7. Never accept the first offer the salesman makes and respond with something like “surely you could do better than that?” or just be patient and keep silent and eventually the salesman may throw in some further extras to close the deal.

8. If you want to make an offer for a car then start at a low opening price but try to be realistic and allow the salesman to negotiate you up to a price that is acceptable to you.

9. If you show that you are serious about buying a car the salesman should work harder to try and reach a reach that will suit both parties.

10. Don’t be persuaded by the salesman to buy a car specification that you do not want or that does not meet your requirements.

11. If you feel that you are getting close to making a deal say that you will buy the car at a particular price if the salesman agrees now.

12. Do not be afraid to just walk away if you do not feel you are getting a good deal, there are lots of garages out there and one will offer you a good deal for your custom.

13. Be careful that if the salesman gives you a very good discount that they do not claw back their profits and your money by undervaluing your trade in. Similarly they could try this the other way round and give you a good price for your old car and a low discount on the car you want to buy.

14. Special finance or insurance deals are often used by garages to attract potential customers. Some salesmen will then use these as an excuse not to give a discount but often the special offers are funded by the car manufacturer and not the garage. If you can combine a decent discount with a cheap finance package then you will have negotiated yourself a good deal.