Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars

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Mon 2 Apr 2012 01:07
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - Smoggmonster

Having had a company car for the last 15 years a change of job means I need to purchase my next car.

I am looking at 2.0L diesel either an Audi A4 S-Line or a BMW M-Sport. I am looking to spend around £18k.

So how much can I realistically expect to haggle off the cost of a car in this price bracket when buying from a dealer?

Constructive advice gratefully received guys.

cheers

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Mon 2 Apr 2012 21:48
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - Avant

Have a look at (a) the What Car target price, and (b) the prices quoted by the online brokers such as Drivethedeal. Then see how close a dealer can get. Bear in mind that many (possibly most) of the brokers source the cars from UK dealers.

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Tue 3 Apr 2012 11:14
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - tony g
Hi ,the only way to compare used car prices is to look at autotrader and dealer websites .First determine which car you want with what spec and mileage .

Then spend time comparing prices on the websites ,it's tedious ,but it's the only way to determine price . Sites like parkers guide can give an indication on price but no more than that .

The dealer who is offering a lower initial price probably won't give much of a discount .Also it's worth noting that used car discounts are not given as a percentage ,say 10% off the selling price .The dealer will look at how much the car owes him ,then offer you a price that reflects how much profit he wants from the car .

Regards

Tony g
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Tue 3 Apr 2012 12:43
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - unthrottled

Probably the sort of person that would walk away from a correctly priced car...

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Wed 4 Apr 2012 21:05
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - Smoggmonster

Unthrottled - thanks for your feedback - i can recommend a site for you to visit where you should find it easier to make a positive contribution

http://prettycolors.tumblr.com/post/9170461717/cfff9f

Edited by Smoggmonster on 04/04/2012 at 21:06

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Wed 4 Apr 2012 21:33
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - unthrottled

Why is it not positive? Retailers (typified by cheap sofa chains) always sell at a 'discount' because it reassures gullible punters that they got a 'good' deal. Not everyone uses this strategy. If a car is correctly priced, the dealer shouldn't budge and it would be silly to walk away because your pride was wounded. If you get a 15% discount on a car that is 25% overpriced, then you still paid too much but you feel better about it.

I shan't contribute any more.

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Thu 5 Apr 2012 01:10
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - tony g
Hi unthrottled ,had a bad day ? .it reads like it.

Anyway, there's no such thing as a correctly priced car .glasses guide parkers and the like .Are called guides because that's what they are ,guides .A price for a car is determined simply by what a dealer is willing to sell it at .That price is arrived at by how much profit a dealer wants ,how long he's had it in stock ,and how much he paid for it .

As I said in my earlier post ,the way to get the best price on a car has nothing to do with advertised discounts .You simply have to put the effort in and check websites ,once you've found likely cars ,based on the original asking price and specification .See if you can negotiate a better price on that car with the dealer .

Finally you have to be aware that you can never be 100% certain you have got the absolutely best possible price ,simply because you don't know how much the dealer with a higher priced example ,that you haven't rung ,would have discounted the car to ,or what other benefits such as free servicing he would have thrown in.

Regards

Tony g
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Thu 5 Apr 2012 01:48
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - unthrottled

Well I said that I wouldn't add to this thread any more, but I'll respond to that if I may.

glasses guide parkers and the like are called guides because that's what they are guides

Agreed. That's why I don't bother with them. (indicentally, I think Parkers prices are on the high side). Unless your vehicle of choice is rare, it is not difficult to look at the prices of similar advertised vehicles. With a decent sample size, this gives an upper bound to the market price ofthe car.

Finally you have to be aware that you can never be 100% certain you have got the absolutely best possible price

No, you can't. But (as you must know) tyre kicking is a time consuming habit. The converse is also true. You can kick yourself because you walked away from a car, then decide that that was the one, but it's now sold, so you're back to square one.

You're a dealer, you know how they work; If they're willing to bargain, they'll soon let you know. But others will let you work off the forecourt without a second glance. if they think that someone else wil pay the advertised price.

Ultimately, it is a simple decision: would you rather keep your money or have the goods? There's far too much pseudo-psycology about going into the dealership at 5pm on the 3rd Sunday after the equinox before the end of the financial year (because that's when they want to bump up the sales figures), and then shaking the dealer's hand with your thumb bent at a 45 degree angle to the ground, whilst looking at the clock (to show that you play hard ball) etc etc. and most of it is junk.

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Thu 5 Apr 2012 09:20
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - pd

On something like a 2.0 litre TD A4 or 3-Series of this age the guides will be highly accurate as there will be literally hundreds of ex-lease ones hitting the auctions every week so the CAP guidelines figure will probably be pretty much spot on.

Remember, however, any options on these cars can make a big difference as does the colour so you can only compare prices on two absolutely identical cars.

A nice example in a nice colour with leather and nav and decent wheels a dealer will pay top dollar to buy in and knows it will sell quickly but a base one with cloth and in turd brown will go cheap at trade level and the dealer will want to be shot of.

Some dealers do indeed price low and stick to it, others price high and then discount. The car with no discount can be a better buy. Remember also it depends on the dealer's overheads etc. as to what they need to make per car.

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Thu 5 Apr 2012 09:44
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - RT

Remember, however, any options on these cars can make a big difference as does the colour so you can only compare prices on two absolutely identical cars.

Have you noticed that options/colour make no difference when part exchanging a car but a big difference when buying it.

The trade, new and used, seems to want to charge again for options/colour every time a car is sold on.

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Thu 5 Apr 2012 10:11
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - pd

The "trade" can charge extra for certain options because buyers are pretty shallow and want to buy those cars.

If you've got a turd brown 3-Series with 16" wheels with full history, new tyres and new MOT and another one with 18" wheels and leather but no history, short MOT and in need of tyres yet still priced higher I guarentee 8/10 buyers will still pick the one the larger wheels.

This is particularly true of cars like BMW and Audi who attract buyers who are, to a greater or lesser extent, buying because they want a BMW or an Audi rather than the better Skoda.

The way to get the worst deal on buying a used car is to concentrate on who gives the biggest discount and who gives you the highest PX. Dealers play up to buyers being obsessed about these things and a large PX over allowance or large discount is the easiest way to sell a car for more than it is worth.

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Wed 11 Apr 2012 21:04
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - meldrew

I have been looking for a used 3 M Sport and they all seem to have 19" wheels although the spec says 18" is "standard" . BMW dealer prices all seem reasonable compared to new but "high" if you have to get your cheque book out. So far not at the negotiating stge but wish the OP well and hope he will update us with a decision!

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Thu 12 Apr 2012 11:50
Audi A4 S-line or BMW 3 M-Sport - Negotiating Discount on Used Cars - concrete

The "trade" can charge extra for certain options because buyers are pretty shallow and want to buy those cars.

If you've got a turd brown 3-Series with 16" wheels with full history, new tyres and new MOT and another one with 18" wheels and leather but no history, short MOT and in need of tyres yet still priced higher I guarentee 8/10 buyers will still pick the one the larger wheels.

This is particularly true of cars like BMW and Audi who attract buyers who are, to a greater or lesser extent, buying because they want a BMW or an Audi rather than the better Skoda.

The way to get the worst deal on buying a used car is to concentrate on who gives the biggest discount and who gives you the highest PX. Dealers play up to buyers being obsessed about these things and a large PX over allowance or large discount is the easiest way to sell a car for more than it is worth.

Well put pd. Sums it all up in a nutshell. Heart over head evey time. Tony g is also correct. Do the legwork and get a good feel for the type of car you want and the current prices. Spend some time looking through forecourts etc, talking to dealers and don't be rushed. It is a trite little homily but it is true- fail to prepare/prepare to fail. Cheers Concrete

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