How Much Should You Counter Offer On A Used Car?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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If you’re the first to make the offer, give yourself room for the dealership to make a counteroffer. In other words, if a vehicle is on sale for $20,000 and your research shows you should be paying $18,000, make an offer of

about $17,000

.

How much percent can you negotiate off a used car?

Based on your pricing homework, you should have a good idea of how much you’re willing to pay. Begin by making an offer that is realistic but

15 to 25 percent lower than

this figure.

How much do dealers markup used cars?

When you buy a used car from a dealer, he is selling it at a profit. The markup varies, although it typically ranges

between 25% and 45%

. If you are considering buying a used car, visiting various car selling sites, including auction sites, to get the best price possible is the best option.

What should you not say to a car salesman?

  • “I really love this car” …
  • “I don’t know that much about cars” …
  • “My trade-in is outside” …
  • “I don’t want to get taken to the cleaners” …
  • “My credit isn’t that good” …
  • “I’m paying cash” …
  • “I need to buy a car today” …
  • “I need a monthly payment under $350”

What is a lowball offer on a car?

Offering

less than 50% of asking price

.

What constitutes a lowball offer?

A lowball offer refers to

an offer that is far less than the seller’s asking price or is deliberately too low

, as a means of starting negotiations.

Will dealers drop price if you pay cash?


Paying cash will reduce your time spent in a dealership

, and you can avoid interest charges if the car you are buying does not offer 0% APR financing. However, paying cash will not necessarily guarantee you a better price, and in fact, it might cause you to pay a higher price.

How much profit should a dealer make on a used car?

On average, how much do dealers make on used cars? The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) reports that the

average gross profit for a used car is $2,337

.

Are used car dealerships profitable?

Used car dealerships

are profitable

. Selling used cars is more profitable than selling new cars. According to the National Car Dealerships Association, the average gross profit on a used car is $2,000 while the average gross profit on a new car is $1,200.

How do you outsmart a car salesman?

  1. Forget Payments, Talk Price. Dealers will try selling you to a payment per month rather than the price of a car. …
  2. Control Your Loan. …
  3. Avoid Advertised Car Deals. …
  4. Don’t Feel Pressured. …
  5. Keep Clear Of Add-ons.

Why is it important to haggle when negotiating to buy a car?

Given all of this variation, a flexible pricing system (that is, haggling) gives

the dealer much more flexibility

. In 1958, Congress passed the Automobile Information Disclosure Act, which required all car dealers to place a sticker featuring the manufacturer’s suggested retail price in the window of each car.

How do you ask to lower price?

  1. Be Reasonable When Negotiating. …
  2. If You Don’t Have the Money, Don’t Offer It. …
  3. Ask For a Lower Price. …
  4. Be Friendly. …
  5. Don’t Be Afraid to Move On.

Do Dealers prefer cash or financing?

Dealers

prefer buyers who finance

because they can make a profit on the loan – therefore, you should never tell them you’re paying cash. You should aim to get pricing from at least 10 dealerships. Since each dealer is selling a commodity, you want to get them in a bidding war.

How do you haggle a car price?

  1. Do Your Research First. Before you head for the auto dealership, do your homework. …
  2. Know What You Can Afford. …
  3. Leverage the Dealer’s Cost. …
  4. Know Your Trade-in Value. …
  5. It’s OK to Walk Away. …
  6. Negotiating Fees In the Paperwork.

How do I find the invoice price of a car?

Other good resources include sites such as

Edmunds.com

, or our own CarsDirect search page. Simply enter details such as the make, model and year, and cost and pricing information will be displayed. You will see the MSRP (the manufacturer’s suggested retail price) and the car invoice price.

Can you offer 10 below asking price?

Start low


Around 5% to 10% below the asking price

is a good place to begin. Make your offer in writing as there’s less chance for confusion and only offer more than the asking price if you know that someone else has already offered that much.

Is 10% a lowball offer?

As a rule,

anything below 10 percent of the initial asking price is considered a lowball offer

. A lowball offer for a house listed at $500,000 would fall around $450,000. That being said, the market determines what is considered low balling.

Can I ask for money off a used car?

Today, many shoppers negotiate for a used car by requesting quotes via email or even

texting the owner

. … Get the numbers: Look up the car’s current market value. Make the right opening offer: Keep your offer low, but realistic. Make a counteroffer: Sweeten the deal, but not too much.

Is offering 15 below asking price too low?

To be clear: Real estate pros warn against

extremely lowball offers

(typically more than 15% below listing price) because you might offend the sellers—even if the home’s been on the market for months.

Do dealerships like big down payments?


The more you put down the lower your monthly payment is

. A larger down payment more often than not makes the loan “paper” easier to sell to a lender. , Drives a car. It’s simple, the dealers want as much money as possible as quickly as possible.

How much off MSRP Can I negotiate?

Focus any negotiation on that dealer cost. For an average car,

2% above the dealer’s invoice price is

a reasonably good deal. A hot-selling car may have little room for negotiation, while you may be able to go even lower with a slow-selling model. Salespeople will usually try to negotiate based on the MSRP.

How do you avoid dealer markup?

  1. Your results will vary. First, it’s important to know that every dealer may have its own policy on markups. …
  2. Look out for add-ons. Dealers sometimes promise to sell a car at MSRP but may have add-ons with inflated prices. …
  3. Look for financing markups. …
  4. Ask for a discount. …
  5. Consider waiting.

Does 0 Financing mean no interest?

0% Financing Means

You Pay No Interest

It simply means you’ll pay no interest on your auto loan. … Even if the interest rate on the loan you get is only a few percent, when you finance at zero percent, you’ll save a good deal of money.

How much does a car salesman make per car?

The majority of car buyers think dealers make

between 10 and 20 per cent profit

on every new car they sell. In an exclusive survey for Car Dealer, What Car? found that 28.2 per cent of 5,000 car buyers surveyed think dealers make 10-20 per cent on every car.

What is a dealer margin?

A dealer margin, or dealership profit margin, is

the monetary difference between the invoice price

, which is the amount that a dealership pays to acquire a vehicle, and the MSRP, which is the manufacturer suggested retail price – also known as the sticker price.

How much does a car dealer make per car?

Currently, if we see the car dealership margins as per price bracket, so the dealer margin for a passenger car is up to 6.05 per cent on cars under Rs. 4 lakhs, it ranges

2.9 to 5.68 per cent

on cars falling in the price bracket of Rs. 4 lakhs to Rs. 6 lakhs and for cars ranging between Rs.

How do you beat a car salesman at his own game?

  1. Learn dealer buzzwords. …
  2. This year’s car at last year’s price. …
  3. Working trade-ins and rebates. …
  4. Avoid bogus fees. …
  5. Use precise figures. …
  6. Keep salesmen in the dark on financing. …
  7. Use home-field advantage. …
  8. The monthly payment trap.

What is the 4 square method?

The 4-Square method is

a negotiation technique

that is designed to confuse car buyers by mixing the price of the car, down payment, trade-in value, and monthly payment into one sheet of paper as seen below.

Why you should never pay cash for a car?

If you tell them you’re paying cash, they

will automatically calculate a lower profit

and thus will be less likely to negotiate a lower price for you. If they think you’re going to be financing, they figure they’ll make a few hundred dollars in extra profit and therefore be more flexible with the price of the car.

How do you trick a car dealership?

  1. The Old Bait-and-Switch Trap. …
  2. The Car in the Picture Doesn?t Match the Deal. …
  3. The Small-Print Smokescreen. …
  4. Dealer Added Options. …
  5. Folding Options Into Monthly Payments. …
  6. Negotiating Based on Monthly Payments. …
  7. How Will You Be Paying? …
  8. Marking Up the Interest Rate.

What are car salesman tricks?

  • 1) The Hard Sell. This is the salesperson that simply won’t leave you alone. …
  • 2) Selling on Payment Instead of Price. …
  • 3) The Trade-In Trick. …
  • 4) Bad Information. …
  • 5) Hidden Fees. …
  • 6) The Waiting Game. …
  • Now for the Good News.

When should you tell a dealer you’re paying cash?


Negotiate the final price

.

Don’t settle on paying with cash or even mention it until the final price is negotiated, especially at a dealership. Holding back may net you a better deal at the dealership. From there, use your skills to negotiate an even better deal when you bring cash to the table.

Can you haggle with car dealers?

Unless the car dealership in question is advertising a ‘no haggle’ buying policy,

negotiation is always an option

. Haggling over price at a car dealership can sometimes look like a complicated dance with both you and the salesperson attempting to work out where each of you stand and just where you might give ground.

David Evans
Author
David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.