04
Aug 2011
Buying a new car - tricks of the trade: The sale
In the penultimate edition, we asked Adam Leys – our in-house expert – to reveal how dealerships and salesman will bargain during negotiations.
While the other editions may have revealed some surprise we bet you’ve never heard of a tactical coffee.
Get a FREE quote on your new car
Click below and save up to 30% on a new car
Sitting comfortably
You’ve taken the vehicle for a test drive and think you might have found the car of your dreams – now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.
You’ll make your way to the salesman‘s desk, probably with a nice hot cup of coffee. Nobody’s rude enough to leave when they’ve just been made a drink and the hotter that cup of coffee is, the longer it takes to drink. The longer you’re sat at the desk the more chance the salesman has to sell you a car.
Body language
A salesman will have noted your body language; how keen you are to sign or whether you’re reluctant.
If they sense that you’re there to buy and keen to drive a new car as soon as possible there’s less chance there’ll be any need to offer discounts or add-ons.
Dealers can also get in on the act by using body language to their own advantage. They can lean forward, open the palms and keep eye-contact all in a bid to make it look like they’re giving you the best deal they can.
Options and extras
Additional extras will often be thrown in on top of the price that’s on the table, meaning you’re being offered more car for your money.
Floor mats and polish might have a retail value of £50 but if that means you’re paying £500 more than you wanted to - you’re losing out.
Discounts
Generally salesmen will always be able to go lower than the first price; because that’s the maximum price they think they’ll be able to sell the car at.
Talking to the manager, making some calculations or looking through a manufacturer’s brochure can all be deployed in striving for a lower price, or giving the impression.
At some point the salesman will declare an offer to be the best they can do. Maybe it is, but there’s no harm in trying.
A binding handshake
If the salesman senses that a sale is near, they might pull out a pen and offer it up, or proffer a hand for a handshake.
No-one likes to refuse a handshake, let alone go back on a deal having touched palms.
In deploying these tactics a salesman at a dealership is only doing his or her job – the same job that sales staff in other forms of retail will use to persuade buyers to part with their cash.
By the same token, the car buyer should try to get the deal that is right for them – we’ll show you how to get a great deal in our concluding part tomorrow.