Price haggling (1 Viewer)

[Puddleduck]

I'm not sure of this is in the correct forum section or not but here goes.....

When you see the motorhome that you think has your name on it how much should you expect to haggle on the dealer's forecourt? I'm not much good at bargaining so it is always pretty difficult for me :Sad:

It is a cash sale and there is no trade in. Is it best just to ask for "the best price" or to make an offer - and if an offer at what % of full price?

I'd rather walk away than have an awkward conversation. I know walking away is always up to me if I'm not 100% happy.

We are doing a second viewing of a motorhome tomorrow - it a model that isn't often seen for sale but they've had it on the website for a couple of weeks at least. I've seen just one more of the same make and model advertised in the past 4 months. The other is a year younger but with over 3x the mileage for sale in the UK. Both are the same asking price.

 

[Dawn B]

I started with a 10% discount haggle and ended up agreeing on about 8%

 

[motor roamin]

The best thing is to bid a thousand pounds below your top figure then you can go up by a thousand if needed, the dealer will know what he has in the vehicle he is selling, which may be £5,000 or even £10,000 but don't forget he has to stand the or pay for a warranty out of that plus his VAT content, then he has to pay staff rent rates electric insurances etc none of which come cheap. :thumb:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[normanandsue]

Like you I am not good at haggling, but neither do I want to spend more than I want to.
This is my approach to haggling.

1 - Is the asking price comparable to others for sale.

2. What am I prepared to pay

3. Are there any "problems" that would offer me a bargaining lever (Cam belt; tyres, oil leaks, things not working in the habitation area, dings dents etc. you will know what to look for if you have studied Jims guide to buying a motorhome)

4. Having taken these things into consideration offer a lower price than you are prepared to pay allowing you room to move and him room to come down in the hope you will meet at your price)

5 If you can't agree on the price walk away with a friendly hand shake, a smile and go look for another motorhome - there are plenty out there if you keep looking)

6. Like all things motorhomes are only worth what you are prepared to pay for them

Norman

 

[Puddleduck]

don't forget he has to stand the or pay for a warranty out of that plus his VAT content, then he has to pay staff rent rates electric insurances etc none of which come cheap. :thumb:

I agree. We both have to be happy - the dealer is in business to make money not to go bankrupt.

I have bought my last three cars from the same salesman at the same garage and he is a friend so the haggling bit doesn't raise it's head - he just tells me what the base figure is. Unfortunately they don't sell motorhomes!

We were going to wait until after the Harrogate show but this van is the best we have seen so far - just hope the payload is adequate.

 

[normanandsue]

There is a saying no motorhomer buys the right mh until he has bought his third one, so ask questions - there is no such thing as a stupid question only stupid answers and if you have read threads on here you will know there are lots of those. But there is a much greater wealth of help and advice available all for the asking

Norman

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Mousy]

The dealer will know what margin he is working for. Start low, at least 10% off the price. don't be embarrassed, he will have gone through this countless times before, he's not going to walk away from a sale! he'll just negotiate with you. When you've agreed a price you are happy with, ask for extras, free hab check, free mot, tax, fuel etc. any bits and bobs from the shop. you have nothing to lose by asking.

When we bought ours like you for cash (and cash is king here) we got a good discount, free hab and mot, 20% off the shop for a year and a few other bits. Were we cheeky? Maybe, but the dealer was happy, he went as low as he wanted to.

It takes along time to earn/save £1000, this is your only chance. Go for it :thumb: and good luck.

Every £ saved is money towards diesel and actually using the thing. Good luck

 

[Gizmouk]

You should never be afraid to haggle - it's a game, a part of business. It's not going to offend the dealer, he/she expects it and will have factored it into the price.

Decide what price you want to pay
Ask him for "his best price"
If it's more than you had in mind - tell him so, and make a counter offer.
He'll then go through the usual bluff of tapping about on his PC and/or going to his manager "for approval". If he comes back with "manager says no", then tell him you're sorry his manager just cost him his commission. Get up, and be prepared to walk out. No way will he let a sale walk away so easily
If his "best price" is less than you wanted to pay, then still go in with a lower counter offer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Don't be afraid to ask for some accessories to be fitted - so have a few ideas in the back of your mind.

Stay relaxed, enjoy the moment, and remember you always have the option of walking away :thumb:


P.S - Paying cash wont help lever a better deal. Dealers make very nice kickbacks from finance companies.

 

[Dawn B]

When I bought our MH it was by accident, as I was only haggling to see what his best price was, just out of curiousity. Oops!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Puddleduck]

Paying cash wont help lever a better deal. Dealers make very nice kickbacks from finance companies.

We could take the finance deal and either pay it off right away or over a few months!

This will be our third motorhome so we have some ideas of what we want - plus a long list of what we'd like! He's more fussy than I am strange to tell.....

 

[Puddleduck]

I'll let you know what happens. The van might not be how we remembered it as it was the last one we saw after a long day. I just hope the payload is okay - that will be a condition of sale as we need 500kg minimum, over and above any extras that may have been fitted. Again we need to check out the extras.

The MOT is a good bargaining chip - I'd expect it to come with a full year's MOT anyway - it's on a 10 plate.

The asking price is within our limit but I won't tell the dealer that!

 

[Puddleduck]

When I bought our MH it was by accident, as I was only haggling to see what his best price was, just out of curiousity. Oops!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jhorsf]

When I bought our MH it was by accident, as I was only haggling to see what his best price was, just out of curiousity. Oops!

Mike said a similar thing about you

 

[Dawn B]

Mike said a similar thing about you

Ouch

 

[IanF]

I'm not sure of this is in the correct forum section or not but here goes.....

When you see the motorhome that you think has your name on it how much should you expect to haggle on the dealer's forecourt? I'm not much good at bargaining so it is always pretty difficult for me :Sad:

It is a cash sale and there is no trade in. Is it best just to ask for "the best price" or to make an offer - and if an offer at what % of full price?

I'd rather walk away than have an awkward conversation. I know walking away is always up to me if I'm not 100% happy.

We are doing a second viewing of a motorhome tomorrow - it a model that isn't often seen for sale but they've had it on the website for a couple of weeks at least. I've seen just one more of the same make and model advertised in the past 4 months. The other is a year younger but with over 3x the mileage for sale in the UK. Both are the same asking price.

Our leader Jim has a great section in his book Motorhome Buyers Guide on arriving at price agreement -you really should read it and get the confidence you need

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Just remember, you only get what you pay for and that includes aftersales service and being looked after !

Peter

 

[Puddleduck]

Just remember, you only get what you pay for and that includes aftersales service and being looked after !

Peter

I agree Peter. Both customer and dealer need to be content with the contract. The dealer is reasonably local and has a reputation to uphold - as do I. I don't want either of us to feel ripped off. As a dealer yourself (unfortunately too far away for us to come and visit) you know the score.

 

[irnbru]

Have you considered buying privately? If you have cash you can save heaps. We were able to afford a newer mh by buying privately. Of course there is no warranty if anythings wrong but we insisted on a full garage check and habitation. If you see any near Glasgow let me know. I love haggling. In fact my aunt calls mum and I bonnie and clyde cos she says we are a pair of robbers.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[daisy mae]

When I bought mine, I offered 15% less , no was the reply, ok I will think about it, as it was more than I was going to pay, it was cash, I got told they make more on finance, after having a coffee I decided to go for it, as it was the model I had been trying to find for ages, in the end I paid 10% less with a 12 months warranty, a Fiamma awning of my own choice of colour, just over a third of the price it would have cost me later, also things that needed doing were done, great after service, so I think we were both happy.I was

Plus 12 months MOT

 

[Puddleduck]

Have you considered buying privately? If you have cash you can save heaps. We were able to afford a newer mh by buying privately. Of course there is no warranty if anythings wrong but we insisted on a full garage check and habitation. If you see any near Glasgow let me know. I love haggling. In fact my aunt calls mum and I bonnie and clyde cos she says we are a pair of robbers.

Thanks! I've only ever seen this variant of the model for sale twice - both in dealers. I'm told it was a special edition and there are very few around, although there are several of the "base" model. THis could be hype of course. I'm not too bothered about getting the special edition but himself fell for the special big time. I just hope the second viewing doesn't disappoint. I keep telling him that if it's for us it won't go past us and there is no hurry. I have no problems buying privately as we have a very good motor mechanic within half a mile and Mill Garages (who are converters) are in Duns.

I still think it would be worth waiting until after Harrogate before we make a commitment and if the van we are interested in has sold before then so be it.

If we see a van near Glasgow (DD lives in Ibrox) we'll probably take you up on your offer. The van we are going to see is at Knowepark - the Chausson Welcome WS 130.

Broken Link Removed

When we saw it for the first time it had just come in and hadn't been cleaned so we know exactly how long they've had it. We were looking at a Flash 04 they had (since sold) and the salesman showed us the Welcome for comparison.

 

[tick59]

YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TOLD ANYONE ON HERE WHAT YOU ARE THINKING OF BUYING. I HAVE JUST PUT AN OFFER IN AND I PICK THE VAN UP NEXT WEEK. GOTCHA!!!!!!!!FUN!!FUN!!!FUN!!!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Puddleduck]

YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TOLD ANYONE ON HERE WHAT YOU ARE THINKING OF BUYING. I HAVE JUST PUT AN OFFER IN AND I PICK THE VAN UP NEXT WEEK. GOTCHA!!!!!!!!FUN!!FUN!!!FUN!!!!

Hope you enjoy the new van! :Cool: I firmly believe that if it's not for me someone will buy it before I do. If it's still there when I'm ready to buy that's a different matter.

 

[JJ]

I saw my Hymer 660S.

I wanted that Hymer 660S.

The Dealer saw I wanted the 660S.

When I asked what price shall we start the haggling at he said...

"No haggling... I've already got you... The price is on the windscreen"

I gave him the cash plus a fiver for a drink...

He had never had a "thank you" tip before.


Having just seen 15 plus vans on this project I reckon I can sell my Hymer (after a bit of a tidy up) for more than I paid for it 6 years (ish) on.

Karma.


JJ :Cool:

 

[Larby]

I agree. We both have to be happy - the dealer is in business to make money not to go bankrupt.

I have bought my last three cars from [HI]the same salesman at the same garage and he is a friend [/HI]so the haggling bit doesn't raise it's head - he just tells me what the base figure is. Unfortunately they don't sell motorhomes!

We were going to wait until after the Harrogate show but this van is the best we have seen so far - just hope the payload is adequate.

Take your friend with you, he may save you enough to pay him a good drink:thumb:

The MOT is not a big deal on a 10 plate, worth £54.85. Get the price in your head, draw breath and say it. Say nothing else, the first to talk loses.
If he says no, smile, thank him and walk away. He won't let you reach your car. He will then start to haggle with you.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Minxy]

We could take the finance deal and either pay it off right away or over a few months!

This will be our third motorhome so we have some ideas of what we want - plus a long list of what we'd like! He's more fussy than I am strange to tell.....

It will cost you to do that! The finance company will put additions on it like a set-up fee and an admin settlement fee and of course you will be paying INTEREST on it too, even if you pay it off early ... IT WILL COST YOU!!!!

DON'T YOU DARE ... I WILL SLAP YOU SILLY IF YOU DO!!!

 

[tofo]

I'm not sure of this is in the correct forum section or not but here goes.....

When you see the motorhome that you think has your name on it how much should you expect to haggle on the dealer's forecourt? I'm not much good at bargaining so it is always pretty difficult for me :Sad:

It is a cash sale and there is no trade in. Is it best just to ask for "the best price" or to make an offer - and if an offer at what % of full price?

I'd rather walk away than have an awkward conversation. I know walking away is always up to me if I'm not 100% happy.

We are doing a second viewing of a motorhome tomorrow - it a model that isn't often seen for sale but they've had it on the website for a couple of weeks at least. I've seen just one more of the same make and model advertised in the past 4 months. The other is a year younger but with over 3x the mileage for sale in the UK. Both are the same asking price.

Don't forget apart from getting the price down
Think of other bits that you need
Gas bottles leads awnings steps telly kettle pots and pans
All will cost YOU but the dealer may chuck some of it in
To clinch a deal saves you money and he dosnt lose so much

There's always a way to get a better deal than on offer
Don't forget a full tank of diesel and a years road tax

Best game in the world bargaining specially if you win
He/she is hardly likely to throw you offsite is he/she

:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

[Zains Pops]

Rule 1 don't worry about the other guy,he does this every day and is big enough to look out for himself.
Rule 2 make sure the guy knows you like the van and will buy today if the outstanding issues are resolved, the biggest issue being price?all the other stuff can be sorted once the principle price issue is resolved.
Rule 3 open the process with a cash bid never a % discount!know what you want to pay go below that by at least £1k. Never be embarrassed he can always say no and probably will.
Rule 4 after opening bids move on to the other stuff,hab checks tyres batteries gas bottles with aMH the list is nearly endless. If he has moved on most of these items go back and repeat your initial bid and shut up even if the silence lasts for ages he will have to reply eventually, either to accept of offer a counter.
Rule 5 keep the price you want to pay right in the front of your mind and walk away if you cannot achieve it or at least very nearly achieve it.

Enjoy the process and remember how hard it was to earn the money you are now thinking of spending.

Good luck:thumb:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Puddleduck]

It will cost you to do that! The finance company will put additions on it like a set-up fee and an admin settlement fee and of course you will be paying INTEREST on it too, even if you pay it off early ... IT WILL COST YOU!!!!

DON'T YOU DARE ... I WILL SLAP YOU SILLY IF YOU DO!!!

I've only ever taken finance on one thing excluding the mortgage. I only took the non-mortgage finance because it was 0% with no fees. I suppose I was brought (dragged) up by my Gran who always said "If you don't have the money ready in the bank you can't afford it".

 

[Puddleduck]

Visit to dealer

Just back from the dealer. The van is lovely and pretty much fills both our requirements and most of our wish list - in itself a miracle. For cooking there are only two burners, a grill but no oven. This isn't a major concern as I have a single burner stove that I use for during power cuts - the type that takes small gas cylinders - if I decide i want another burner. Two burners plus a slow cooker and halogen oven will be more than adequate. When we were newly married I cooked on a two burner calor gas camping stove for a year as we couldn't afford anything else.

The van has been looked after although there is the odd minor scuff mark and chip within the habitation area and a broken retaining catch outside but there doesn't appear to be anything major that needs to be done.

The only problem is the price of the van. The dealer started the posturing and intake of breath then offered £1000 off - a less than generous 3%, he said because he might need to do an MOT plus a full service. I didn't say anything but if any sort of expensive work is needed to get a van through it's second MOT when it has covered less than 8,000 miles then I don't want that van! We said we had other vans to look at, we would think about it and left. We are in no hurry after all. If that van sells there will be another along soon. He didn't come after us so obviously not that desperate for a sale.

Next weekend we may go and see the other van (same make and model) that is a year younger but has more miles.

 

[tofo]

Just back from the dealer. The van is lovely and pretty much fills both our requirements and most of our wish list - in itself a miracle. For cooking there are only two burners, a grill but no oven. This isn't a major concern as I have a single burner stove that I use for during power cuts - the type that takes small gas cylinders - if I decide i want another burner. Two burners plus a slow cooker and halogen oven will be more than adequate. When we were newly married I cooked on a two burner calor gas camping stove for a year as we couldn't afford anything else.

The van has been looked after although there is the odd minor scuff mark and chip within the habitation area and a broken retaining catch outside but there doesn't appear to be anything major that needs to be done.

The only problem is the price of the van. The dealer started the posturing and intake of breath then offered £1000 off - a less than generous 3%, he said because he might need to do an MOT plus a full service. I didn't say anything but if any sort of expensive work is needed to get a van through it's second MOT when it has covered less than 8,000 miles then I don't want that van! We said we had other vans to look at, we would think about it and left. We are in no hurry after all. If that van sells there will be another along soon. He didn't come after us so obviously not that desperate for a sale.

Next weekend we may go and see the other van (same make and model) that is a year younger but has more miles.

speaks volumes to me
warrenty would be a fight probably
if he haggles cause he may have to mot and other bits
that shouldnt reflect on anyone but the seller

hes offering goods for sale
not servicing your van

:thumb::thumb::thumb: