Im looking to buy a used g35 and i need help with how much to bargain. Im not looking for an exact price to offer but ive never bought a used car and im just looking for a good range of how much i should be negotiating.

The car is a 2003.5 g35 sedan black on black with 120000km (about 75000 miles) and its going for 11000$.

I will be trading in a truck worth about 2000-2500$ and i will be paying the rest cash so im hoping that will give me a better deal.

So based on the car listed for 11000$, trading in about 2500$ truck and paying the rest cash, what range should i offer the dealer?

 

negotiate the price of the G before even mentioning the trade in... if they are asking 11000, offer 9.5 cash (period, dont say anything about the truck, as far as you're concerned that's part of the cash)...

They will counter and probably wont want to go lower than 10.5 - I have no idea where you live so I cant tell you what the actual value of the G is (and we dont know the condition)... but 11K for 75K miles is kinda high... if you can get it for 10K it's probably worth it (depending on condition).

Then work the deal of your truck totally separate (after securing the price of the G)... the dealer is not going to give you what you could sell it for on your own. If you have the time, try to sell the truck privately and use the cash for the agreed price on the G. Otherwise you will pay no less than their asking price (or maybe a few hundred less) of the G and wont get anywhere near your asking price for the truck.

So if all goes well (negotiating the G price and selling your truck privately) you'll have a G for about 8K of your own cash... if you insist on trading them your truck you will probably pay closer to 10K of your own cash.

Good luck

 

i live around toronto ontario. The price of the g actually seems good, comparing it to other ones on auto trader in its price range in the same area they are mostly 2003's (not 2003.5) and all have about 150,000+ km's.

So just to clear this up if i dont trade in my truck ill get a better price on the g and if i do trade it in they wont be willing to negotiate as much? The truck is nothing special its not worth my time to sell privately i just want it gone and other dealers have offered about 2-2.5k for it so thats good enough for me.

If i negotiated down to say 10,000 for the g straight cash, if i decided to trade in the truck and they gave me 2.5k your saying it wouldnt go down to 7,500 for the g but rather back up to the asking 8,500 (plus trade in)

 

negotiating is all about leverage... what I'm saying is; if they know you will be trading your truck (before you even agree on the price of the G), they will not give you the same deal as if you agree to a cash price on the G straight up.

You seem to know the value of each vehicle - and if accurate, you should be able to get the G for a smokin' deal... just keep each price totally separate. If you feel the price of the G at 11K is what they typically sell for (privately) then you probably wont get it for much less than that (but try). If you know they pay 2-2.5 for the truck you have, then use that information when you "sell it to them"...

But yes, I am saying that if you walk in and say "I want to trade this truck for that G" you will absolutely pay more than agreeing on each price separate (G first without them knowing about the truck)...

The only risk you take is them not wanting the truck (and they will tell you they dont want it, or can't re-sell it, etc...) - but if that happens, tell them the truck is part of your cash payment - let them know you're willing to do it all right now, or they can wait until you sell the truck privately and come back later... normally they are not going to let you walk away without selling the G right then. But be willing to walk (you can always come back, but they don't have to know that)... do the deal on your terms - if you let them dictate how things will work you will not get the better deal (they are in it to get as much of your money as possible).

Good luck.

 

alright thanks alot for the help everything i needed to know! props to OCG35

 

No problem - good luck with the purchase... post pics of your new G when you get it; and welcome to the G family

 

I didn't read the whole thing (yeah, I know, I'm lazy) but it looks like Mike's got you taken care of.

If it helps, last year I bought my 03.0 with 99K mi for 9300 AFTER tax (so like 8690 or so)

 

OP is in Canada - not sure how different used car value is there... but even in the US it varies (sometimes drastically) from state to state

 

^Indeed.

One piece of advice I can give no matter where you live... be willing to drive to find a deal, and make sure the dealer knows you're willing to drive. If they know you'll just as soon go elsewhere, it makes them step up their game and cut the crap.

 

Go to www.edmunds.com and www.consumerist.com and read up their articles on negotiating used cars.
If the phrase "four-square" is foreign to you right now, you definitely need to go there.

Here's some quick tips I used when paying cash for both my G's.

1) Make them show "Out-the-door" price from the start, it's money saved that they can't tack onto whatever price decided at the end. Repeat out-the-door as often as possible, make sure to write it on any offer taken back to "The Man".

2) Tell them you've already got financing secured, so you will not talk payments. Here's how I did it (amounts changed) - they wanted $20k. I offered $15k. After about an hour it was around $17-18k. I told them if they could get it at $18k out the door, I could do it that day, otherwise that's more than what I'd been approved to spend. At this point, they'll talk financing through them. Flat out refuse, let them know that if you can't get it down, you'll just try elsewhere. Ask for whatever paperwork they have, and ask for their lowest offer so far in writing so you can check back "after next payday". Leave them your number and your final offer in writing (with out the door written on it) and leave.

They're not going to give up a sale for $500, so they'll either reconsider your offer before you can leave, or call you back that night.

Once they've accepted your offer, then you can mention that you probably don't need your truck anymore. Know its book value and expect to lose about 25% or more on that. The dealer does need to spend money on it to bring it to a sellable condition.

 

Oh, another one - check the internet price, compare it to the window price, and when the first dog comes to get a bite on you in the lot, ask them how low you think they'd go on it, since that price "looks like it's been on there a while".

The lowest of those 3 prices is where they start bargaining from. Give your first offer, and DO NOT raise your offer until they come down! Never give a free second offer.

When purchasing my second car, the internet price was $2k below the window, so after seeing the window and asking how low, I made them start negotiating from the internet price, and they only came down.
Usually internet prices are supposed to go through an internet salesman, but the lot sharks don't want to lose a sale to the web geeks, so they'll play ball from that price.

 

good point... on the other hand, if there are no other dealers in a reasonable distance buyer is at a huge disadvantage.

I found this out when I bought my G (actually was looking at Acura TL as well, same scenario with both cars) - I was moving to Sacramento and planned to buy up there so I didn't have to worry about transporting two cars from So cal... They wanted 5K or so more than down here and wouldn't budge... when I asked how in the world they wanted more in Sac (where to cost of living is so much lower) than OC, they said because there is a dealer on every corner down here (and there are very few up there)... supply and demand.

It's all about leverage... as a buyer you have to be armed with all the information necessary to have the best leverage possible... be willing to walk -but the reason must be legit (or they will know you are full of bs and if/when you come back you are at a huge disadvantage).

To the post above about OTD... that is a given really... the more important part is making sure it is a "cash" price. The thing they will push the most is financing.. they will ask how much you can pay per month, blah blah blah... because they make money on the lending as well (even though they don't finance)... CASH price is always the only way to negotiate the deal. And that doesn't even mean you are paying you're own cash - you may be pre-approved from your own financial institution, as far as the dealer is concerned its a cash deal - to them it is...

Once the "cash" price (obvious OTD) is set - then financing can be discussed (if you are paying with car loan, they might have better rates)...

In CA (when I bought my car) tax, licensing, title, and whatever other bs I cant remember) typically ads 12% to the sale price (its probably more now and definitely will vary depending on where you live)... so add that to the asking price so you know what the OTD price should be before even entering into negotiation ~

*edit/add* And yes, Internet sales is absolutely the way to go without a doubt... if possible do it all via email... I got a smokin' deal on my car that way - in fact the car I own came from the lot of a dealer that I sat in person with (same owner of 2 dealers, Tustin and Costa Mesa)... the Costa Mesa Internet sales manager got me an OTD price that was cheaper than Tustin's asking price without tax, license, etc... the locations were very close (Costa Mesa is closed now) - so they just drove the car over and it was mine. Do Internet purchase if possible.

 

I always start with OTD price right off the bat as well.

For me, distance isn't much of an issue. If it's in the right place and the right kind of deal, you can sometimes afford to fly out and drive back.
I actually found a sedan in DFW (I'm in North FL) that I was interested in. I would have flown out there and driven it back... but when I called the dealer they wouldn't even give a little (granted, they generally won't come off much over the phone, but I could tell, they weren't going to work with me at all)
A little later, I fond one in St Petersburg, and the guy started coming off the autotrader price right off the bat. He was very honest about everything on the car, and that's the one I ended up getting. 250mi away, but it was worth the drive. Besides, you're going to end up burning a whole day when you buy a car anyway.