Recently, UK experts talked about some tricks that will help with the purchase of the carin this article; we decided to study how their practice is applicable to our realities. And at the same time, find out if there are any typically British ways to save money when buying a car. This article will expose some steps towards buying a car cheaper in the UK.
Always Name the Lowest Price
A favourite technique of sales managers are questions regarding the cost of the car. For example, questions in the style of: “What budget do you expect?” or “How much are you willing to pay for a car per month?” Thus, a car dealership employee will immediately know how much they can earn on your purchase. In this regard, it is expected you start with something like “I need the lowest price you can offer,” or requesting to show the price list first and then disclose your budget. Another tip is to find an advertising booklet and name the price 10-20% lower than the value indicated under one or another model. In the case of a used car, you will have to negotiate with the person selling directly.
In our opinion, such tips are applicable for the European market. This is due to local sales features. The fact is that dealers in the UK can behave more flexibly than others, and sometimes even sell cars at prices lower than recommended. For used cars, you might consider going for a car history check free.
Do Not Take Additional Options
Nowadays, many car companies receive a significant portion of their income from the sale of options and additional equipment. In some models, certain options, such as Bluetooth support, may be included in the basic configuration list. However, many such options are expensive, but almost never used in real life. Therefore, we recommend that you pay close attention to the offered equipment and refuse if the manager offers you equipment that you do not need. Moreover, many dealers (such as this car dealer leeds, for instance) tend to give large discounts on popular versions of cars with fewer options. Therefore, experts recommend paying attention to these modifications if the price is important to you.
In general, these tips are applicable in European conditions. We also recommend that before you go to the salon, clearly determine exactly which items of configuration you need in the future car. And do not go beyond this framework. Also, sometimes it is worth paying attention to various option packages – it is often cheaper to take a whole “kit” than to collect equipment one by one. Finally, you can safely refuse to purchase certain options. For example, mats for a new car can be bought on the internet, or in the car market, and at a price 2-3 times less than what is offered by the dealer. However, other accessories you need to get from a quality company, something that serves more importance on your car. For example, if someone is to buy a truck with an open back, a truck cover, like the ones from Peragon, are needed to install. These cannot be cheap and dodgy because they serve a security purpose to belongings in the back of the car. Weighing up what is a bargain and what is worth getting from a verified professional is something all new car buyers need to consider.
Never order an additional warranty
Along with gathering dealer leads that can help achieve profits, another popular way for dealers to make money on new car buyers is to offer an additional guarantee. As a rule, this means that for a certain amount, the dealer will extend the warranty for your car for 1-3 years. However, experts do not recommend using these programs. As the Americans note, the fact is that the likelihood of a breakdown of your car over the specified period is extremely small. Both dealers and car manufacturers are not fools, and it is no coincidence that they sell an additional guarantee for a period of 1-3 years, but no more. Nevertheless, such a “service” will be paid out of your pocket, and you will most likely receive nothing for it.
Note that it is difficult to disagree with the UK experts here. An additional guarantee means not only additional costs for its purchase but also a binding to service from an authorized dealer. And unlike the usual warranty, we can talk about a very specific car dealership, where they sell such a service to you. Ask yourself a simple question: what is the likelihood that something will happen to your machine over the specified period? And at the same time count how much the “official” has an additional warranty and service. It is very likely that after such a simple calculation, the desire to buy an additional guarantee will disappear by itself.
Talk Only with the Manager/Owner
And here is another piece of advice that applies exclusively to the UK. So, experts advise skipping the salesperson and communicate exclusively with his head, from whom you can quickly find out about current promotions and discounts.
However, this advice is absolutely irrelevant, since our sales managers deal with communication with customers in the exhibition hall, informing about discounts, and formalizing the transaction itself, but in the USA, this is a field of activity for different employees. But in the UK it will not be superfluous to give another advice – carefully read the contract of sale of the vehicle. Especially – to pay attention that it contains all the nuances agreed upon with the manager, as well as there are no additional commissions.
Explore the Market Before Visiting a Car Dealership
If you come to the salon and know exactly which car you want to buy, you know the cost of the selected equipment, the price of such a car, as well as competitors, it will be much more difficult to “get” you to buy something unnecessary. That is why experts advise you to familiarize yourself with the specifications of the desired model before visiting your car dealer. This will give you confidence in a conversation with a sales manager and allow you to bargain for yourself additional bonuses. Such advice will be relevant not only for the UK, but also for other countries. As they say, knowledge is power, especially knowledge of vehicle configurations. If in a conversation with the manager you can show with specific examples why you want a particular version, it will be quite difficult to convince you. The manager will only have to offer you certain bonuses or gifts, thanks to which the purchase of another version can become more attractive. And if it doesn’t, then even more so – you will avoid unnecessary expenses.