Negotiating For A Fair Price To Pay For A Used Car

When buying a used car, inspecting it thoroughly for possible flaws is as essential as negotiating for a fair price that you are willing to pay for the car. Shelling out money to match the sticker price of a used car is far from advisable because sellers and dealers are most likely to pitch used cars for sale at higher prices than warranted.

You can and should haggle on the price of a used car till your throat runs dry. A car depreciates in value as soon as it is driven off the lot. Add to that the fact that a used car has borne the brunt of long motorway journeys and changing seasons, and the value of the car declines even further.

Used cars for sale may be offered at high prices but you can negotiate for a fair deal with the private seller or car dealership. Usually, negotiating a used car’s price with a car dealership is a tougher task. With the following tips in mind, you can make sure that you come away buying a car that would give owners of new cars a run for their money!

Tips to negotiate a used car’s price

·        A used car is only worth what buyers are willing to pay for it

Before you head to the car dealership ready to haggle, make sure that you have done your research. Check out what other buyers would be willing to pay for a similar car.

You can use the help of Kelley Blue Book; a California-based vehicle valuation and automotive research company. The company reports the market prices of new and used automobiles.

·        Decide your floor and ceiling offers

Determine the lowest/floor offer and the highest/ceiling offer that you are willing to make.

When you arrive at the dealership, put forth the floor offer. This offer should be a few hundred dollars lower than the average market price of the used car.

·        Negotiate a fair deal

Start out with your floor offer for the used car. Most likely, the salesperson would reject this offer and try to pitch to you a price higher than the average market price. In such a case, gradually increase the price that you state as being willing to pay for the car.

During the negotiation, two scenarios may result. The salesperson may keep decreasing the demanded price as you slightly increase the price you are willing to pay till you both meet midway. In the other scenario, you may reach your ceiling offer or the highest amount of money you are willing to pay for the car (which shouldn’t be more than the market price). If the salesperson refuses to concede to your ceiling offer, you are advised to abort the mission. Give the salesperson your number in case they decide to change their mind though. You may get a call from the car dealership in a couple of days.

Even if the negotiation fails to match your expectations, don’t lose heart. If you stick to your guns, you are sure to get a used car for a fair price.

Car listings on reputable websites provide you access to authorized car dealerships that are less likely to try to rip you off. Soloautos is one such website that lists the used cars for sale in Houston and other cities of Texas. The cars for sale in Houston are listed along with the details of the sellers or dealers of the cars.