What Price Reduction Did You Get?

[mickey]

Hey there I'm getting that family SUV or large sedan (wife doesn't want a wagon otherwise I'd have talked her into a stagea ) so I'm looking for a new or near new car (leaning towards a forester) and visiting the dealers.

Do dealers really think people are that stupid? I mean I know they're in business to make a profit like anyone else but the number of times I see the pink slips showing a price for a demo/2ndhand car at equal to or more than the price of the new RRP for that vehicle astounds me.

We all know that we gotta haggle with dealers to get a good price but I'm wondering what people have been able to talk those dealers down to? Not private sales as of course private sellers have their own reasons for selling.

So what bargains have you guys got off a dealer?

Edited October 12, 2009 by mickey

[ix9]

VERY variable question there!

Look at the redbook prices of the car (AS A GUIDE ONLY)

One trick I did when buying a car off a dealer some years ago, is look in the logbook and call the previous owner, ask how much they sold it for

[260tech]

^^^ That'll work.

[ricsvtr]

Unless you're set on getting a brand new car Id go for a private sale. Dealers are a rip off and Ive never bought a second hand car from them. If you know what you want and have a bit of technical and mechanical knowledge then definitely go for a private sale. Also through a private sale you may come across someone desperate to sell so you might land a real bargain. Just make sure you get the car inspected and remember to do a REVS check. No offence but dealers are for women and people with no clue about cars.

Edited October 12, 2009 by ricsvtr

[Chris34]

I'm a salesman for Perth Motorsport. Most of the time, there is room to move in cars. However, sometimes when a price is low enough and the salesman is telling you that they are unable to move on the price (not even a dollar) then he is also telling the truth.

In fact, sometimes certain cars are sold at a price in which the company isn't making any money at all. But the theory is, lose a couple hunj now rather than lose a grand later. Last week i had a family test drive a BA XT Falcon advertised at $7,490, they came back after the test drive and they loved the car and were keen on it. Then they offered me $6000 on the spot. I basically told them we need as advertised for the price because we were actually losing money on that car. He then insisted on making a final offer of $7000. In this case, we were already losing a few hundred by selling as advertised and by him making offers, he was basically just asking us to burn up even more money than what we were already.

If you are looking at making an offer on the car, it's always good to make a REASONABLE offer. If you smash a salesman with a ridiculous offer, the salesman will give you one back. If you start at a reasonable offer, then the salesman and his boss will take it into reasonable consideration.

At the end of the day, price movement all comes down to

1) How much the dealer paid for the car

2) How many expenses went into the car (incl. warranty and servicing)

This is the case with 2nd hand cars. Not too sure on the situation with major/brand new dealers. But be wary of most major dealers, they will try and get as much money as they can off you.

And it always helps to be nice to the salesman you speak to

Be rude to one, and he will not be willing to help you on price.

[Brad3416]

Amen Chris, please try and be nice to the salesman, especially if they are being nice, were not all pricks. lol.

[Ten Four]

^ Lying already......... jokes

[R DIRTY 3]

When i bought my Skyline it was advertised as $22,999....i drove it out for $16,900

[R33 Impul]

I was in a simular position last week and was also look at either a Forester or Outback, I actually think the Forester is too small and it is near on impossible to get a 3ltr Outback so I start looking at Aurions.

One thing I found particularly interesting is the number of factory yards that advertise cars that simply aren't there when you go to the yard to have look and that is seriously I was told "Ohhhh yeah ummm that's not here" or "Ohhhh someone has taken it home, but we have this one over here that is only $$$$ more"

Anyway I ended up getting a very nice ZR6 with 14000K for well under 30K from a non-factory yard the whole transaction and negotiation were so not stressful and it is an absolute pleasure to drive

My tips: Be caution with big factory yards, be wary of phanton special ads and be respectful...... sales ppl (and I'm not one) are just as entitled to make a living as you are to save money

[usmair]

mine was advertised for $14,999 and I drove it out for $10,000 with a year's rego

[Nizmo]

Amen Chris, please try and be nice to the salesman, especially if they are being nice, were not all pricks. lol.

Amen + 1 .... i used to sell cars and i used to sell Subaru. We expect people to haggle that's why the prices are usually where they are at to begin with.

More room to move on used than on new. Especially a label like Subaru they tend not to discount as much as some manufacturers as then they are just doing their brand a disservice - you want cheap and cheerful ..... buy a Kia.

Subaru do have some good sales that come up though .... and October is when all their models changeover to the MY10 .... so now is probably a good time to buy new. I know a couple of times a year they have a sale where they pay for all the on road costs (which on something like a new Forrester can equate to a $4k saving) and extend the warranty to 5 years. These types of sales are subsidised by the manufacturer so can't be done all the time (if you were wondering why they can give you a $4k discount a couple of times a year and not throughout)

Buy at the end of the month (last day if you can) - manufacturers really push their dealers to meet sales quotas at this time (and usually the dealer needs the extra sales to get some incentive) so they are more willing to be generous with their margins.