New car purchase: advice from those who went before.

b14desman

New Member
Messages
28
Ok, so you are definitely going to buy a Granturismo for cash. You've seen one you really like at a main dealer. It's 12 months old, low mileage and just come onto the market. So how do you play it? Do you pay the asking price or do you haggle...and if so what realistically can you expect to be discounted? What extra's can you look for...particularly if the dealer will not haggle on the purchase price.
Looking for some insight into how to get the best deal possible.
All the best CH.
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,040
Suppose dealers main not drop the price quickly on a car they have just got in.....so....you could wait and see if it sells..Maserati don't sell that quick....take the risk of losing it and get the best deal you can now. Plenty have been for sale for ages that you may get a better deal on but if this is your perfect GT then just go for it as they don't come along in perfect spec for you often.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,764
Gone are the days that cash was the big bargaining tool, in fact a dealer might make more out of selling a finance deal. Regardless I would expect a discount especially it its new in, dealers want to shift stock and the more time it is on the showroom floor they more it costs them. Haggling is about holding your nerve and being prepared to walk away made much more difficult if you really want a particular purchase.

Good luck, what ever you do you will enjoy once the purchase is complete
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
Take somebody sensible with you and get them to look round it , they may spot something you've missed , a 12 month old car can still have repaired body damage

Look into their finance offer , if it gets you a discount you may be able to pay it off straight away
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
If you have a realistic price or deal in mind stick to it & be prepared to walk away. Find equivalent alternatives to use as leverage as a kind of price match to show them you could buy elsewhere.

Find some spec or something about the car that you can say that you don't like about the car. Even if that isn't quite the case! Be fair but firm. Set the deal & offer it & don't budge an inch. This is the deal...would you like to sell...I'll sign now. If not walk away. You can always concede a bit if you really want it. Be prepared to walk away & lose it or if you really want it just buy it at the best price you can. If it is what you really want & the chances of the same coming up again are slim then go for it. Life is too short.

I buy a lot of IT kit and cars the same way. I research what I want to pay & offer that deal. Sometimes people laugh at my offer & often laugh due to their unrealistic expectations. I just say we'll the deal is there now....do you want to sell? It won't be there tomorrow. A dealer will know what they think they can sell it for. A private person often a little unrealistic.

The deal you do is often dictated by now much they bought the car for & how much margin they have in it. Also with varying factors of if they need to sell it quick or if targets need to be met for sales reasons etc. The drill is often the same.

Good luck and enjoy!
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
Oh...I forgot....never pay the ticket price. Unless your uber rich & don't care....and never accept their first offer. Screw them down as you are there to make money for them. You are there to help them not the other way around.
 

Contigo

Sponsor
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18,376
My advice is get an extended warranty if they are not prepared to haggle on price.
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,123
Take somebody sensible with you and get them to look round it , they may spot something you've missed , a 12 month old car can still have repaired body damage

Look into their finance offer , if it gets you a discount you may be able to pay it off straight away

A brand new car can be damaged and repaired sold as new with the customer not knowing.
I have worked in many of the ports around Europe and they can get damaged in transit, moving them around the compounds even the weather.
I was moving a brand new GT just unloaded of the transporter to put it into our storage area and got side swiped by someone coming out of the Honda dealership doing $40,000 damage which we repaired and sold.
The story's I can tell...........................
 

Wack61

Member
Messages
8,764
I was moving a brand new GT just unloaded of the transporter to put it into our storage area and got side swiped by someone coming out of the Honda dealership doing $40,000 damage which we repaired and sold.
The story's I can tell...........................

In the 70s I was walking home from school past a ford dealer 1st August , new reg day , I watched a guy drive off the forecourt in his brand new Cortina straight into a car driving past , 20 yards before crashing it
 

outrun

Member
Messages
5,017
I'd be considering finding a new or pre-registered car as opposed to a 12 month old. Especially if they won't discount. You'll get bags off a new one.
 

rockits

Member
Messages
9,167
A brand new car can be damaged and repaired sold as new with the customer not knowing.
I have worked in many of the ports around Europe and they can get damaged in transit, moving them around the compounds even the weather.
I was moving a brand new GT just unloaded of the transporter to put it into our storage area and got side swiped by someone coming out of the Honda dealership doing $40,000 damage which we repaired and sold.
The story's I can tell...........................

Very true.....my dad bought a new Merc W124 230E back in 1989. It was delayed two weeks as they made an excuse that it was waiting at the dealer to have alarm or radio fitted. Was often true at the time as dealers fitted these not factory. However we found out why about 15 years later. My mum clipped a lorry bar and it need some bodywork. The only bodywork it had needed since new. Or so we thought. Apparently it was damaged in the dealers when delivered and they repaired it without telling my dad. The repair was good so didn't notice. Believe me....I washed it enough times! Only found out when looking underneath the panel by a bodywork specialist when he had said it had been repaired. An old contact at the dealer confirmed this was indeed the case!
 

Keano

Member
Messages
287
Friend of mine swears by using a broker as they are in the trade and they say they can always get it cheaper and make their own margin as part of the deal. He changes cars regular and is at the high end of the market as well. Cash is not always king for cars and twice when i have told a dealers sales rep i want to do a deal that weekend they still have not bitten - their follow up phone calls a few weeks later are always fun
 

murph7355

New Member
Messages
245
Definitely haggle, but be aware of the market. As an example, if it's an MC Shift car there aren't many around of the newer model, and I think they're reasonably sought after so maybe less room to haggle. Other spec details might have a similar impact.

If you're p/xing, be clear on the cost to change you are happy with and go for that.

As mentioned above, consider the finance side IF you can pay it straight off. The dealer may have more room to manoeuvre on Finance. Ditto warranty - they should have more room to do something there. Maybe also on its first service 12mths later?

Without knowing the car details it's hard to know what else to suggest. But you'll know if it's a common spec or not and therefore what buttons to push :)
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,764
In the 70s I was walking home from school past a ford dealer 1st August , new reg day , I watched a guy drive off the forecourt in his brand new Cortina straight into a car driving past , 20 yards before crashing it

Can beat that, a past boss use to always give his old car to his Mrs. He would always take one of the team with him to collect his new car so they could bring back the old one. He pulls away from the dealership stops on the edge of the forecourt for traffic only for my colleague to run straight up his ar5e. Both cars needed significant repairs not the best career move ever.
 

safrane

Member
Messages
16,749
My mums first Metro was crushed by a fuel tanker sat on the forcourt as she was signing for it...and the daft mare still agreed to pay extra for a replacement because it had metalic paint!
 

Needamaser

Member
Messages
1,491
Know someone who bought a brand new Fiesta.
Salesman standing at side of the car waving goodbye as new owner took delivery to drive away.
Put it in reverse by mistake and reversed through the showroom plate glass window.
 

Doohickey

Velociraptor
Messages
2,496
Friend of mine had a TT on order when the Mark 1 came out. The day before he was due to collect it, he got a call from the dealer to say that it had been nicked! Someone had waltzed into the dealers, stolen the keys from the box and driven it away.
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,594
Friend of mine had a TT on order when the Mark 1 came out. The day before he was due to collect it, he got a call from the dealer to say that it had been nicked! Someone had waltzed into the dealers, stolen the keys from the box and driven it away.

That sounds like salesman bull, they probably sold it for more money and spun a yarn to the perspective owner. That goes on a lot.
 

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
A friend of mine bought a 3 Series BMW and had it delivered to his house.
Unfortunately when the delivery guy was reversing off the truck, he didn't line the wheels up correctly with the ramps.
One side fell/slipped off resulting in several thousands of pounds of bodywork and probably suspension damage.

He was not happy!

I'm sure I have a picture of it somewhere as well! Will have to see if I can find it!