elmtree

I live on Perth, but perhaps it's the same Australia-wide. Used cars seem to be ludicrously dear.

I was wondering if dealers automatically add x amount on the asking price and expect to be haggled down.

Anyone got any experiences/views ?

Ta.

rodandhayley

never bought a used car off a dealer

private sales off ebay, carsales.com,trading post,drive.com.would be a better option

Amazulu

Good tip:
Never pay the asking price for any durable goods in Australia

DrWho

Yes, you can haggle a lot... and don't be fooled by some of the stupid 'warranties' they offer... the exclusions are ridiculous and compulsory servicing every 3,000k's even more so...

Kiwipaul

One reason used cars are so expensive is that they last longer out here. I never would consider owning a car more than 5 years old in the uk as it would be more trouble than it's worth. Here I quite happily buy 2 / 3 years old cars and the last one I owned for 10 years. It was was built in 97 and I sold it last year for a nice price. It only let me down twice and that was because the car wouldn't start both times, (because battery was knackered). Last battery I replaced was 6 years old, I'd be lucky to get 3 years out of a UK battery because of the much harser environment.

Not using salt on the roads make a big difference to the longevity of cars down here.

xzibit

Used cars cost more here, but it's all relative as you get more when you come to sell it.

If you bought a $10,000 used car, it'd be worth about $8,500 two years later.

You could buy the same car in the UK for about GBP 4,000 but probably sell it for about GBP 2,000 two years later.

We bought a car from a dealer as couldn't find what we wanted privately. It was advertised for $18,990 and we paid $15,000 for it. It was worth about that privately, and they would have paid in the region of $12,000 for it I expect.

They offered all their crappy warranties, but we ended up getting their 3-year warranty for free, which isn't worth the paper it's written on. We did get a years RAA cover (oz-wide) but this is so long as we keep servicing the car with them every 6 months, so again a con and unless they're the cheapest around won't be going to them.

The only benefit over buying privately was we had the 3 month statutory warranty which covers pretty much everything and we did indeed use it for a new thrust bearing.

h2oskineil

We bought a new car from John Hughes.

Went in 11.00am on a Saturday at the end of the month and told them exactly how much we wanted to pay and got them to agree to our price after digging our heels in!....
Then said we would sign if we get tinted windows, reverse sensors, floor mats and full tank of fuel.... It was now 10 mins before closing, the salesman nearly had a heart attack..... so we said OK, I'll go to Ford at Wangara on Monday and see what they will do for us as we are cash buyers and no trade in..... and hey presto, he agreed to the deal to ensure he had our business.

We got an Automatic for the price of a manual with all the above extras. They have strict minimum prices that they can accept... so go for the extras!

chris955

I would have agreed with the whole argument about cars lasting longer here about 10 years ago but nowadays all cars will last 10 years with no hassle. The rustiest pain in the butt car I ever had was a Ford Falcon about 20 years ago. Also I just put the 3rd battery in an 8 year old car bought new.

Toe Dipper

Getting the price down is one thing, getting extras for nothing is another.

Ideally, find out when their sales periods are - normally quarterly and especially at the end of the financial year. Go in a few days before, having already cased the joint on type of car you want. Play the game, say xx down the road will offer better value, never agree to anything and have fun suggesting a silly price, then watch as they go off to "consult their manager". I had the sales person go and consult their manager, who then went and consulted the sales director who came out and started to convince me that their cars were the best as they had great safety ratings. My response was that most quality cars offer this and anything less meant that their cars were substandard!

Leave room for them to haggle too. I offered and they said no, so I suggested a higher price but with nudge bar etc. Remember, an extra to you would cost say $1000, but for them at cost it is $250

Don't agree but "go to consult your other half/check the finances etc" If they are keen, they then phone to see what the answer is, so you know there is still some squeeze left. Ultimately, be prepared to walk away though.

Above all else, enjoy watching a salesperson having to work for their commission.

I got about $10k off from memory, plus $5000 extras, but it was a high end model.

Good luck!

TD