How to word a low offer?
Discussion
This subject may be a bit of a sore area for some (those who are annoyed by low offers) but I'm looking for a new car. This second I'm looking at a nice Clio 197 advertised for £4,995, I want to pay £4,200. Has anybody been successful in getting a car for much lower than the asking price, and if so, how?
Don't dick people around, just be honest that you like the car, it seems sensible for what you are looking to pay which is x and would they consider it. Leave the door open if they say no in case they can't sell it later for what they are looking for, people buy (and sell) from people they like so make an effort
That's only about 15% off - I would call that a sensible offer assuming the price isn't already very low. But of course if you want to ultimately pay 4200 you'll need to go in below that so he can bring you up a bit.
It's never nice, but just be polite about it and explain that you are stretching yourself to buy the car. Not his problem, but it's better than just emailing saying 'hi m8 do you still have the car I will give you 3k CASH'.
It's never nice, but just be polite about it and explain that you are stretching yourself to buy the car. Not his problem, but it's better than just emailing saying 'hi m8 do you still have the car I will give you 3k CASH'.
Go and see the thing at least, then talk about an offer. Selling cars in the past when people have tried to low ball me without even coming to see the thing, my immediate reaction is to tell them to p
s off. At least that way you can spot problems with the car and make them negotiation points.
s off. At least that way you can spot problems with the car and make them negotiation points. StottyZr said:
This subject may be a bit of a sore area for some (those who are annoyed by low offers) but I'm looking for a new car. This second I'm looking at a nice Clio 197 advertised for £4,995, I want to pay £4,200. Has anybody been successful in getting a car for much lower than the asking price, and if so, how?
Phone them up and be honest.That said, a good seller won't take your first offer, they'll want to haggle, so you'll need to offer lower than what you want to pay initially.
If this is a private sale and the car is priced high, then you might manage this, although in percentage terms you are asking for a huge reduction.
If it's a trade seller, then I seriously doubt you'll get that much movement. They are only selling the car to make money, if such a sale means they wouldn't earn anything, why would they sell it like that?
On a £5k car a trade seller would be doing well to clear £1000 of profit.
All in all, an honest approach may be the best bet. Just say you'd really like to buy, but all you have is xxxx and take it from there. It might be if they only want a couple of hundred more, then they'd take a deposit and hold the car until you get paid next or something similar.
Some great advice so far, cheers guys.
And Chicane this is what I was wondering about, I don't want to make an offer without seeing the car, but I don't want to view the car and waste the sellers time.
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
And Chicane this is what I was wondering about, I don't want to make an offer without seeing the car, but I don't want to view the car and waste the sellers time.
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
Edited by StottyZr on Thursday 10th October 10:41
StottyZr said:
Some great advice so far, cheers guys.
And Chicane this is what I was wondering about, I don't want to make an offer without seeing the car, but I don't want to view the car and waste the sellers time.
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
Is it private or trade, if it's trade, then going to view is all part of it.And Chicane this is what I was wondering about, I don't want to make an offer without seeing the car, but I don't want to view the car and waste the sellers time.
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
Edited by StottyZr on Thursday 10th October 10:41
If private, then yes you could be wasting their time. Personally I'd just phone them up and be honest. Say you are interested and would come and view today/tomorrow, but didn't want to waste their time and simply explain your maximum budget is xxxx and ask if it would be possible to do a deal.
If they are reasonable they will be fine with you and may be happy to deal or at least tell you straight what they'll take for it. But there are plenty of w
kers in the world, so don't be surprised if you get a different reaction.StottyZr said:
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
]
That sort of line worked when I bought my chim..]
'I was looking at a different model and your car showed up as just outside my budget on a search I did, would you take .... as that is as far as my budget stretches'
Got a lot off of that
StottyZr said:
Some great advice so far, cheers guys.
And Chicane this is what I was wondering about, I don't want to make an offer without seeing the car, but I don't want to view the car and waste the sellers time.
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
It is this simple, you are not going to waste anybodies time viewing a car, if they want to sell it then they will make time for you.And Chicane this is what I was wondering about, I don't want to make an offer without seeing the car, but I don't want to view the car and waste the sellers time.
I was going to say "my budget is 4200 is it worth me coming to view the car?", this sounded stupid to me which is why I started the thread
Edited by StottyZr on Thursday 10th October 10:41
If anybody is going to have time wasted it will be the buyer if the car is not as described.
Just go and view the car as you never know what you are going to end up seeing!
Nothing worse than having someone nearly rip your hand off at your first offer!
Private sale, been up 2weeks. It seems to be priced reasonably but I've noticed there isn't much difference between private and dealer prices on 197s.
A friend of mine bought an identical 197 (his being 16months older, but identical mileage, colour etc) 6months ago, and the asking price from the dealer was the same as this is!
A friend of mine bought an identical 197 (his being 16months older, but identical mileage, colour etc) 6months ago, and the asking price from the dealer was the same as this is!
The prices on this guide are much more conservative than the likes of Parkers so could give you some haggling tools.
http://www.wisebuyers.co.uk/motoring/used-car-pric...
http://www.wisebuyers.co.uk/motoring/used-car-pric...
I don't think you are a million miles out. It's at the lower end of what I would class as sensible bartering, but you don't get if you don't ask.
You seem like a decent cove and I am sure offence will not be taken. Just don't play the 'I'm stretching my budget'
I had a time waster approach me when I sold my AMV8. Said he loved the car, it was the best he'd seen and that he really wanted it. The only problem was that he couldn't afford it, and would I take 8k less because that was his budget. I suggested (politely) that if he couldn't afford to buy it, he couldn't afford to run it and put petrol in it, so he was perhaps better setting the bar a little lower.
You seem like a decent cove and I am sure offence will not be taken. Just don't play the 'I'm stretching my budget'
I had a time waster approach me when I sold my AMV8. Said he loved the car, it was the best he'd seen and that he really wanted it. The only problem was that he couldn't afford it, and would I take 8k less because that was his budget. I suggested (politely) that if he couldn't afford to buy it, he couldn't afford to run it and put petrol in it, so he was perhaps better setting the bar a little lower.
StottyZr said:
Private sale, been up 2weeks. It seems to be priced reasonably but I've noticed there isn't much difference between private and dealer prices on 197s.
A friend of mine bought an identical 197 (his being 16months older, but identical mileage, colour etc) 6months ago, and the asking price from the dealer was the same as this is!
The difference is, a private seller has no margin. And depending on how quickly they need to sell the car or how much they want the money will have a bearing on it.A friend of mine bought an identical 197 (his being 16months older, but identical mileage, colour etc) 6months ago, and the asking price from the dealer was the same as this is!
But a private seller might be more open to the personal level and may rather sell it to someone they think is nice at a lower price than they would someone they didn't like.
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