How To Get The Best Deal Every Time: 5 Top Tips

Buying a car is no small purchase – whether it is your first or your fifth, it can be daunting. There is a lot to consider and dealing with pushy salesmen can make it stressful and far more difficult to ensure you don’t drive away in your new car feeling disappointed.

So, here are five top tips to ensure you get the best deal every time:

Tip 1: Do your research

The first and arguably most important thing you need to do, to ensure you get the best deal, is research. Take a look at sites such as Auto Trader, where you can enter the details of the car you intend to look at and see roughly how much they are selling for – there is only one thing worse than not getting a good deal and that is getting completely ripped off. This can also be a good bargaining tool when it comes to getting the price down.

Your research doesn’t stop once you have found the car you intend to buy – it is now time to look into this specifically. Does it have all the required paperwork? You particularly need to check whether it has a V5C document so you can tax it and the MOT history – which you can do here.

Tip 2: Know your options

Know the features that suit your needs – don’t get talked into a lower specification because it is cheaper – aim to get the model you want at a discount.

You have the options of part-exchanging your current car – make sure you know what it is worth. The more you can get for your car, the less you have to haggle for a discount. There are plenty of sites that will offer you free valuations and again, look at how much other people are selling the same model for.

You don’t have to buy a car at all, you could lease one – this way you can enjoy a new car every few years, avoid maintenance and MOT costs and you don’t have to save up for the vehicle. Check out this leasing guide to see if it is for you.

Tip 3: Keep your cards close to your chest

Don’t let the salesman know what you are thinking, for example, even if you are willing to pay the full price, don’t let them know this.

Start off by stating an amount much lower than you are actually willing to pay – then you can gradually increase it, if necessary.

Tip 4: Shop around

Don’t settle for the first car you see – shop around and try out a few different vehicles. By walking away, you are also likely to find out how low the seller is willing to go as they make a last attempt to convince you. Make sure you are also taking them out for a test drive – you may get a good deal on the price, but if the car has issues, this could become much costlier in the long run.

Tip 5: Don’t be afraid to haggle!

When you are considering the price of a vehicle you need to bear in mind the ongoing costs that you will have on top of this; insurance, tax, MOT, petrol, general maintenance and so on. Running a car isn’t cheap and once you own it there isn’t much you can haggle on, so make sure you do it at this point.

The worst they can say is no, and if they do you can always try elsewhere. Set yourself a maximum budget and then you know what you have to work with – if you can get a car for below this, then you will have extra to put towards all those ongoing costs – bonus!

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