Typical discount on autp-trader advertised price

mr_stat

mr_stat

mr_stat

Associate
Joined
24 Mar 2012
Posts
106
A quick question,

Is there a general rule of advertising your car on auto-trader X% more than what they expect? When it's a trade advertiser what should I be offering them, 20% under the asking and how is it with private ads?

I've also been advised to get the AA out to do an (?) 80 point check on the car (and background check which I I absolutely will do) - is this worth it? I've been reading about my selected motors but some of the language used to describe what I should be checking I just don't understand, especially with diesels - does that mean I need to get someone like the AA to inspect the car I might buy? A friend has offered to help but I don't want to take much of his time.

Sorry for the question but new to this.

Thanks in advance,

Mr_stat

EDIT: sorry I meant auto-trader in the title.
 
Last edited:
Depends on the type of dealer. If they're office is a manufacturer themed, glass windowed hive of activity with newish computers then the price the price. If the office is a portacabin with a 3 piece suite and a microwave on the floor there is bound to be some wiggle room.
 
How long is a peice of string?

If its up for £8k but its only worth £6k expect £2k off. If its up for £7k and its worth £8k dont expect anything off.
 
phil675 said:
Depends on the type of dealer. If they're office is a manufacturer themed, glass windowed hive of activity with newish computers then the price the price. If the office is a portacabin with a 3 piece suite and a microwave on the floor there is bound to be some wiggle room.
Click to expand...

Absolute complete and utter rubbish. It is entirely possible to get big discounts from manufacturer themed glass palaces and its also just as likely to get nowhere with a portcabin style setup. It depends on the car, what it owes them and how much they want for it versus its value, and the salesman himself on the day!
 
If a car is £5000 on a fourcourt you might get £100-200 off it

If you find faults with the car they normally fix it for you or knock it off the price

sometimes if the car is really mint and clean and not been for sale long they wont budge on the price

Personally I prefer to buy off private seller they normally knock more off the price
 
I kinda of guessed that Fox, I guess some advice I get is decent and some is utter non-sense. I know when I advertise tech kit, I advertise the price I'd like (not the price I'd accept). I guess I was just asking if that was the "de facto" method on the major car selling websites.

@DannyW thanks for the advice :)
 
As a general rule of thumb there will be some room for negotiation in there, if only because salesmen know that people like to feel like they've got a good deal.

How much depends very much on the car, what they paid for it and what it's worth at present as said above.
 
[TW]Fox;22285175 said:
Absolute complete and utter rubbish. It is entirely possible to get big discounts from manufacturer themed glass palaces and its also just as likely to get nowhere with a portcabin style setup. It depends on the car, what it owes them and how much they want for it versus its value, and the salesman himself on the day!
Click to expand...

Ok maybe I should have said, in my experience.. :D
 
A lot of cars on auto trader are priced to sell, if they don't then they won't get any interest because the list is ordered by price and they lose out to competition
 
NathWraith said:
Yes this also. I hate it when ads say low mileage as well, when the mileage is 80K+ :p
Click to expand...

..and when the car's mileage is 114,000 for example some people will list it as 14,000. Yes because when someone is looking for a car with less than 20k, they'll consider one with 114,000 :rolleyes:. I hate buying cars so much.
 
Janesy B said:
..and when the car's mileage is 114,000 for example some people will list it as 14,000. Yes because when someone is looking for a car with less than 20k, they'll consider one with 114,000 :rolleyes:. I hate buying cars so much.
Click to expand...

Plus when the price is listed as £150. Oh, you mean I can rent your car for £150 per day? If I'm looking for a car for <£500, why would I possibly be interested in paying £150/day for one?
 
Last edited:
Janesy B said:
..and when the car's mileage is 114,000 for example some people will list it as 14,000. Yes because when someone is looking for a car with less than 20k, they'll consider one with 114,000 :rolleyes:. I hate buying cars so much.
Click to expand...

Another pet hate is when you are looking for a certain car e.g. a toyota supra and the car in the advert is a 90's audi cabriolet which they want to swap for the car you were looking for.
 
You can pretty much guarantee a few hundred off, or at least some fixes or freebies etc, but as said in the thread it really depends how realistic the price is in the first place. If it's already a good deal then you wont get much off!
 
mr_stat said:
Is there a general rule of advertising your car on auto-trader X% more than what they expect? When it's a trade advertiser what should I be offering them, 20% under the asking and how is it with private ads?
Click to expand...

Car prices are set by market forces, so I would do a lot of price research so you know what is the market price for the type of car you want to buy. You can then use this knowledge to make what you feel is a fair offer for the car. Negotiation is a real art, and there are some helpful hints and tips online. I always try and remain calm and polite, there's no need for it to ever get heated, either the seller wants to sell the car at a given price or they don't.

Rgds
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom