How To Negotiate a Great Price on a Used Car!

First, let me say that it is very important to negotiate the price of the car you are interested in without involving financing or a trade-in. Don't get caught up in negotiating a payment or a trade-in allowance. Keep both the trade-in and financing out of the price negotiation completely.

Once you have negotiated a firm price on whatever vehicle you want to buy you can then introduce the trade-in into the deal. This way the car dealer can't artificially inflate the selling price in order to give you an artificially inflated value for your trade. If you allow them to do this it will distort the whole deal, and you will have no way of knowing exactly where you stand.

Once you find a used vehicle you would like to buy don't be afraid to hit the car dealer with a low offer. In fact, offer them $4,000 or $5,000 less than what they are asking. They probably won't accept it, and they will come back at you with a price much higher than your offer. Just hit them low again. Come up from your original offer $500. Be polite, but be hard nosed with them and don't let them intimidate you. You are in control of the negotiating process simply because if you don't like what they are offering you can get up and go somewhere else. Tell them that you are going to buy a vehicle right away, and if they want your business they will have to come down to your price.

Be respectful, but be BOLD! If they know you are really going to buy right away they will come down on their price to get your business. Maybe not all the way, but they'll be willing to compromise! Keep going back and forth with them on price, coming up in small increments of $200 to $300 at a time until they indicate to you that you're getting close. That's when you'll know what their bottom line is. You may have to actually get up and start to walk out to squeeze the last few dollars out of them. Let them chase after you and convince you to keep negotiating!

Once you are sure you have them pushed as far as they'll go you have to simply make a decision whether to buy the vehicle at that price or not. Remember, you can always go somewhere else, compare prices and use these same techniques all over again. One last thought take your time and think everything through. Sleep on the deal until you are absolutely sure this is what you want to buy. Often, a car deal will look entirely different to you after you sleep on it.

A car salesman is trained to get you to make an emotional buying decision right on the spot. They don't want you to think about the deal. Don't fall into their trap. If you do you will probably regret it later. Stay in control and make an intelligent and logical buying decision not an emotional buying decision. You have to live with this decision for a long time, so be sure of what you are doing.