2nd hand dealer offers

[knight]

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

[Chamon_Lee]

Never had it. Covid has made some dealers super cocky.

[georgeyboy12345]

Much more common now.

What are you going to do about it? Your options are either buy it or don’t buy it.

[knight]

I'm going to keep looking

[nordboy]

when I bought my used car at the end of last year, not one dealer would offer any discounts. It was very much, 'that's the price'.

[BertBert]

The advent of the online used car people such as cazoo asking with the bubble of used car prices has made this a thing.

Give it a few months as the bubble is quickly deflating and cazoo goes under and bartering will be back.

[Piersman2]

The reason dealers are more likely to price down to what they want and leave less haggling room is the advent of online uk-wide based search engines.

if their car is not competetively priced for the online market it will not even turn up on someone's search , or will appear over-priced, so they have to advertise it with as low a price as they will take, just to get the advert clicks.

This has been the case for a good few years now and more and dealers are doing this and then just selling the car at the price, take it or leave it.

If the car doesn't sell, they'll re-assess it's price regularly until it does go.

Also explains the advent of the 'admin' charge, this allows them to advertise every car for a few hundred quid less to get the online clicks.

[Nomad 5]

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

[knight]

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

Well if you don’t ask you don’t get! I knew they wouldn’t say yes to a first offer, that’s the idea of a bit of a barter

[Nomad 5]

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

Well if you don’t ask you don’t get! I knew they wouldn’t say yes to a first offer, that’s the idea of a bit of a barter

Clearly they're not open to it, for the above reason.

Also i'd imagine they get that daily from people who have no intentions of coming to see the car or buying.

Bartering isnt really the norm any more - You might have a better chance of chipping them back a bit if you're there and have test driven the car.

Edited by Nomad 5 on Wednesday 25th January 08:31

[knight]

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

Well if you don’t ask you don’t get! I knew they wouldn’t say yes to a first offer, that’s the idea of a bit of a barter

Clearly they're not open to it, for the above reason.

Also i'd imagine they get that daily from people who have no intentions of coming to see the car or buying.

Bartering isnt really the norm any more - You might have a better chance of chipping them back a bit if you're there and have test driven the car.

Edited by Nomad 5 on Wednesday 25th January 08:31

That’s the trouble, car is in north Wales, I’m 20 miles from Brighton so going to have a nosy is a non starter. No worries I’ll keep looking

[Nomad 5]

knight said:

That’s the trouble, car is in north Wales, I’m 20 miles from Brighton so going to have a nosy is a non starter. No worries I’ll keep looking

Yeah thats a pain in the bum and i take your point.

Sometimes a call can help you gauge what the chances are of any movement, particularly if you explain where you're coming from and you'd be coming to buy if the price is right.

I think the trick is to find the right car at the right price, then getting a big discount isnt so necessary.

Last car my son bought i went with him, quite gung ho about "getting him a good deal". £50 off was the most we could get, and that was as a "goodwill gesture". Still, the car was otherwise well enough priced, so he did buy it.

[HTP99]

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

Well if you don’t ask you don’t get! I knew they wouldn’t say yes to a first offer, that’s the idea of a bit of a barter

Clearly they're not open to it, for the above reason.

Also i'd imagine they get that daily from people who have no intentions of coming to see the car or buying.

Bartering isnt really the norm any more - You might have a better chance of chipping them back a bit if you're there and have test driven the car.

Edited by Nomad 5 on Wednesday 25th January 08:31

That’s the trouble, car is in north Wales, I’m 20 miles from Brighton so going to have a nosy is a non starter. No worries I’ll keep looking

lol, enquiring on a car over 200 miles away and expects some discount!!

[Chamon_Lee]

HTP99 said:

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

Well if you don’t ask you don’t get! I knew they wouldn’t say yes to a first offer, that’s the idea of a bit of a barter

Clearly they're not open to it, for the above reason.

Also i'd imagine they get that daily from people who have no intentions of coming to see the car or buying.

Bartering isnt really the norm any more - You might have a better chance of chipping them back a bit if you're there and have test driven the car.

Edited by Nomad 5 on Wednesday 25th January 08:31

That’s the trouble, car is in north Wales, I’m 20 miles from Brighton so going to have a nosy is a non starter. No worries I’ll keep looking

lol, enquiring on a car over 200 miles away and expects some discount!!

What’s so funny?

[knight]

Chamon_Lee said:

HTP99 said:

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

Nomad 5 said:

knight said:

I'm currently looking for a cheap runaround and found something suitable but a fair distance away, asked a few questions via email and then made an offer a few hundred quid less than asking price only to be told "we don't do that here" I was somewhat taken aback as I thought bartering was the norm for cars! Anyone else come across this or is it more common seeing as I haven't bought 2nd hand in about 8 years?

If you're asking for a few hundred off a cheapie, that's likely their profit margin.

Well if you don’t ask you don’t get! I knew they wouldn’t say yes to a first offer, that’s the idea of a bit of a barter

Clearly they're not open to it, for the above reason.

Also i'd imagine they get that daily from people who have no intentions of coming to see the car or buying.

Bartering isnt really the norm any more - You might have a better chance of chipping them back a bit if you're there and have test driven the car.

Edited by Nomad 5 on Wednesday 25th January 08:31

That’s the trouble, car is in north Wales, I’m 20 miles from Brighton so going to have a nosy is a non starter. No worries I’ll keep looking

lol, enquiring on a car over 200 miles away and expects some discount!!

What’s so funny?

Don’t see how distance has anything to do with a garage not bartering! My original question was as I’ve never come across this before was this a new thing that was happening more often! Selling anything second hand I’d expect to make an offer, wether it’s a bit of furniture a car or even a house!

[edc]

If you were in front of the seller haggling having viewed it and driven it I'm sure there would be more discussion. That said I did manage to haggle some off a main dealer car and had it delivered having never seen it or driven it.

[Chamon_Lee]

edc said:

If you were in front of the seller haggling having viewed it and driven it I'm sure there would be more discussion. That said I did manage to haggle some off a main dealer car and had it delivered having never seen it or driven it.

Honestly I have no idea why people keep saying this like it’s even valid in todays world, it’s so out of date is embarrassing. I’ve purchased over 20 cars in the last 15 years and I have never and I mean never ever haggled in person. I’ve never purchased a car local either. I’ve always got the information and haggled via email or phone.

[bentley01]

I have haggled and bought two cars without viewing in the last year. Each time I managed to get a reasonable discount. Both at main dealerships though

[edc]

Chamon_Lee said:

edc said:

If you were in front of the seller haggling having viewed it and driven it I'm sure there would be more discussion. That said I did manage to haggle some off a main dealer car and had it delivered having never seen it or driven it.

Honestly I have no idea why people keep saying this like it’s even valid in todays world, it’s so out of date is embarrassing. I’ve purchased over 20 cars in the last 15 years and I have never and I mean never ever haggled in person. I’ve never purchased a car local either. I’ve always got the information and haggled via email or phone.

Good for you. Just like normal folk some car dealers are dinosaurs too. Click and collect and buy online don't mean anything to them. I've bought all my cars in person and haggle after viewing/driving/paper inspection. The one exception being above last summer. I have never haggled by email.

[knight]

“No thanks. Fixed pricing here. Regards”

This was the response I got, so to me this says they don’t accept any offers! Now if this is becoming more prevalent then so be it, but if like me you’d grown up with the notion that buying a 2nd hand car would involve some haggling then having fixed pricing is a new experience.