Avandacar – Something called depreciation is one of the main reasons you should try to buy a used car. The moment a new car leaves the showroom its price will depreciate around 10%, and then another 20% within the first year. After three years of use and ownership, on average, a car will be worth around 60% of its original price. This could be somewhat depressing for car owners, but an opportunity for used-car buyers.
A car after three years of usage should be good for many more years, unless it's been abused. A car model that is under three years old even still has some time under the warranty of the manufacturer. Buying a used car could be really advantageous if you know what you're doing. This is how to negotiate the best deal when buying a used car.
Plan Your Purchase
Getting the best deal when buying a used car needs some careful planning. Before you physically go to buy the car, do the best you can to know everything about it. This means you should spend some time doing research on the model of the car you are interested in, and compare the prices you see on the internet. Don't forget to figure out about the features and mileage.
In this era, not only to do some research, you can actually sell and buy used cars via the internet. Try to find a website for used cars that has excellent and complete information such as car reviews, buyers guide, or detailed searchable listings. You should also learn how understand your car's diagnostic codes.
In Person Research
After doing some thorough research and you finally find the right car for you, now it's time to check it out in person. This doesn't only mean checking the car visually, making sure they fit the description online, but taking the car for a test drive is really important. If you're not very comfortable checking the car when the owner is there, you can stop during your test drive so you can check the car more thoroughly.
Talking about the owner of the car, make sure that everything the owner or seller says about the car is completely true. To do this, you can try to get the history of the vehicle to confirm the ownership history, odometer reading, and reports of flood damage or accidents. If you are buying from a private seller, you can ask for the maintenance records.
Doing all of this can get you a better sense of the true worth of the vehicle in terms of market value. This is also important to know whether you want to pay the price of the car, based on the condition. If the seller you're interacting with seems reluctant to reveal the car's details and history, it is a huge red flag and you should start to look somewhere else.
Also read: How to Understand Your Car's Diagnostic Codes
Negotiate for The Best Price
After you find the car you want to buy because everything seems and feels great, now let's talk about how to negotiate the best deal when buying a used car. The first thing you should do is to be strategic. When you are negotiating, go it politely but firmly, and make sure that you've done your homework. Don't be too aggressive but also don't be too soft as the seller would see you as a pushover.
The next thing is to stay focused during the negotiation. If you are dealing with a salesperson, they might try to distract you by steering the conversation in another way such as insurance or financing. This is just what a salesperson would do and you should be ready for this trap. Stay focused on the issues you are talking about, and steer back the conversation when they try to distract you with other issues.
The Art of Negotiation
The next thing you should do is a little bit tricky since there's no exact science on this. First, you need to know when to walk away from a stale negotiation. When you do this, there are two things that will happen: first, the salesperson will try to prevent you from leaving and be willing to talk about your price, or they will shake your hands and then tell you to get back after you change your mind.
In how to negotiate the best deal when buying a used car, you need to be persistent. Sometimes, a salesperson wouldn't want to hear what you want to say, and this tactic is to wear you down. If they refuse your offer straightaway, keep being friendly, give them your number and ask them to call if they change their mind. Wait for the follow-up and if they don't call, look for another place.