How to Haggle with Your Car Salesman | Wagonex Guide

HAGGLING FOR A CAR DEAL IS JUST SO 20^TH CENTURY

There is a very strong chance that every single one of you reading this will have bought something online. It can vary in price from something like a pair of socks to a set of pans to a holiday. You can even buy a house online without any need to go to an estate agent. 

So why not get your next car online? 

Please don’t tell us that you are the only person who actually enjoys going into a car dealership to haggle with the sales exec with the hope of getting some mats or a bottle of screen washer fluid chucked in for free. You didn’t haggle for the pair of socks, pans or holiday, so why do it for a car?

However, there is always the nagging thought that you might have got a better deal if you really did negotiate person to person.

So, if that’s the route you want to go down, here are some suggestions…..but be warned, you’ll need to do your homework. 

Something to bear in mind is the simple fact that both you AND the sales person want to do a deal. They obviously want the best price because they’ll get a commission, you want to pay as little as possible. 

It’s also worth remembering that sales folk rarely make too much, if anything, on the actual purchase. If you are lucky enough (and willing) to pay cash up front, the sales person will probably make nothing if you’ve fought hard. 

They make a large chunk of their earnings from finance deals, leasing, HP, servicing packages etc. In other words, the actual sale may seem simple, but watch out for loads of other purchasing possibilities being thrown at you. 

Don’t try to bluff your way through this. The sales folk know what they’re talking about… they know all of the facts and figures

Always know the limit of what you can afford. 

You can get a rough estimate of how much the car will cost both in terms of a cash deal or finance by going onto the manufacturer website. 

Most of them have a configurator which allows to you spec the car in numerous ways. It’s a clever bit of kit and worth trying. You’ll also discover which model in the range is ideal for you by configuring different trim, engines, colour, wheels etc. 

You can even download your final selections and take a copy with you, but add that you have no intention of paying the price that the manufacturer recommends.  

Car dealers are affected by the calendar. 

Latest registration plates are issued on the 1^st of March and 1^st of September. Some folk like to have the latest plate sat on their drive. If you do, you’ll pay top whack because there’s possibly a queue for the car you fancy. 

However, saunter into a showroom two weeks beforehand and say you’ll take something they have in stock on a current plate, perhaps it’s a demonstrator,  and you’ll also have the chance of a good deal. 

Don’t go on weekends when dealerships are busy. 

Wander in on Monday or Tuesday and you’ll get full attention. Also consider going in on the last day of the month or quarter. Dealers have targets to meet, they may need to shift a car or two to hit the target and get a bonus and be willing to do a cracking deal to get you to sign on the dotted line. 

Don’t be too keen or appear desperate. 

If you’re very non-committal and relaxed about getting a new car or not, then the dealer will know they have to try hard to convince you. One idea is to say you’ll go home to think about it, and let them know. 

That will sometimes allow the salesperson time to go and check their figures with a colleague and then get back to you with a better deal. 

And of course never pay more than you expected. There’ll be another deal on another day. There’s also a chance that you’ll spot something different. 

One problem of course is that once you’ve bought the car or leased it, you are stuck with it for a period time. It could be 3-5 years on a lease deal or... until you can afford to buy a different one. 

Which is why using Wagonex car subscription is such a good idea. You can select how long you would like a car from 1 to 24 months.

It also means that when you receive the car you can either keep it for the fixed period, or if you like it, extend the subscription for longer. Or if it turns out that it’s possibly too small, too big and it won’t fit into your garage... then that’s not a problem because you can change it at the end of your subscription! Browse our subscription marketplace here.

So there you go, if you want to haggle for the best deal….good luck. It’s not easy and there’s a strong chance that after all of the effort you won’t get a good deal either. You’ll probably never really know. 

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