How to negotiate a car deal

Being able to negotiate for a good car deal is not only dependent on skill or knowledge acquired to do so but also it depends on the amount of money reserved to purchase the car or the budget within which one is willing and able to spend at a particular time or over a particular period.

Negotiating a car deal involves a lot more factors that exceed just going in for the car. Negotiations could go a long way to building great relationships which in turn could help make the car dealer gain referrals from the buyer. In order to negotiate a better car deal, one should:

1. Do your homework before heading to the dealership.

You should know the type of car you looking for as well as having a fair idea about the price at which it is being sold on the market. This enables the individual develop a better bargaining power.

Having an idea about how much and where else you can get the same car you want builds confidence in bidding for a lower price.

Bid consciously and as low as you rationally can and make sure you don’t go bidding too low which will portray you as being uninformed about what car exactly you are in to buy.

Bid within your budget but at the same; make room for a little more increment just so you can still be able to acquire what you want if it gets to the worse.

2. When at the dealership, quickly establish that you are a potential buyer and not just a browser.

It’s always better to see a fleet of cars in person because it narrows down the decision on what car to buy even if you are not buying immediately.

It is imperative to stay open minded with the dealer and also completely acceptable to tell the dealer that you don’t know what kind of car you want to buy. At this point, they are allowed to attend to likelier buyers since they know you are not going to be buying today.

This prevents them from monopolizing their time to you but rather devote it to clients with a higher potential of buying more immediately. Not saying too much and not buying too soon is certainly encouraged when you are thoroughly searching for a good choice at the dealership.

In furtherance, you should try as much as possible to avoid asking or saying anything that will give away your intentions which includes your budget, whether and what you plan to trade in, terms and conditions to which you would want to complete payment, be it by leasing, financing, or buying outright, and exactly when you plan to buy.

It’s highly advisable to just say ‘not immediately’, or ‘within a few months’. With this, you want to honestly show that you do have intentions of buying a car and aren’t wasting their time, but you won’t be buying immediately.

In addition, try to act as one when buying as a team.eg with a spouse, family, friends etc. this firms up your decision and bargaining power towards the dealer other than having different ideas about what you want to buy.

Make sure to discuss all you will need to ask or say before getting to the dealership. This hinders the dealer from exploiting any division of interests you and your mate may have.

The negotiation table is the wrong place to sort out all monetary or philosophical differences between both parties.

“Buying or planning to buy a car has never been a pleasant experience for those on tight budget. With these tips, negotiations can always go just the way you planned or expect them to go since these give you an upper hand over dealerships when trying to buy a car”, said Kobina Amoo, Managiung Director, Carmudi Ghana.

About Carmudi

Carmudi was founded in 2013 and is currently available in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar,Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Zambia. The vehicle marketplace offers buyers, sellers and car dealers the ideal platform to find cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online.