Anybody fancy some useful car buying tips, well you’ve found the right place! As you know, I’ve been in the motor trade for years and I’ve done everything from servicing to selling motors. As you can imagine I picked up a fair few tricks of the trade over the years and they have served me well and got me an excellent deal on my second hand Jaguar XF, so I thought I would share some tips with you guys.
First and foremost, Make sure you know exactly what you want, if you go into a dealership with confidence that is backed up by knowledge and research the dealer will pick up on it, and will be less likely to try and talk you into doing something that you don’t really want. This means know your preferred trim and spec, don’t just go in and give a vague preference for say, a Lexus CT. Doing this will open you up for a variety of imposed “alternate options”, and before you know it you have a completely different car on your drive for a price that was outside of your budget.
Secondly, don’t be afraid to haggle! The dealer will always advertise their best case scenario price, and don’t be fooled if there is a higher number crossed out next to the buy it now price. Chances are that original crossed out price was crossed out before it even reached the showroom. For example, I’ve bought my daughter a Kia Ceed last year and the price tag read as follows: “£8,000 Now £7,500” and I ended up getting it for £6,250 after a bit of bartering. You might not get that lucky every time but it’s always worth a shot.
Finally try and target your purchase for the end of the month. I remember when I was a salesman I would be much more willing to give discounts towards the end of the month when I was trying to hit my targets, I practically gave away an Mg ZT back in 2003 to hit mine. So bare this valuable fact in mind when it comes to buying your next car. The salesman isn’t always the one who is in the position of power and I’m telling you that from experience.
Finally, there is always room for manoeuvre when you are buying your car. The forecourt is a battlefield and these days the buyer has more ammunition than ever before; thanks to the internet you can arrive with quotes and all sorts of different information which will put you in a stronger position to get a good deal. And don’t assume this is just on the cheaper cars, whether you’re after a second hand Mazda 3 or a Porsche, there are always deals to be made.
Jacks Tip: one of the best ways to fund your new vehicle purchase, if you can, is to sell your classic car – it could be worth thousands. You can cash in on it at any of these sites: