Getting a top deal if you have a p\x ?

[cdb2]

I'm not changing car but was interested to know people's experiences of getting a top deal if they have a p\x.

When I purchased my Sportback, I had no p\x and didn't want finance and got them to match the internet price I had. This was all quite simple and painless.

If you have a p\x, are dealers still willing to match the internet prices and give you book for the trade in OR do they not match the internet price because of the trade in OR do they match the internet price but give you a much reduced trade in?

Just curious of your experiences of whether it is possible to get a great deal with a p\x or how much it hampers you. (given the 'given' that the trade in will never be as good as getting rid privately).

 

[h5djr]

I did my deal in what turned out to be the best way for me. I went to my normal dealer and he gave me a trade-in price for my car which was above the normal trade-in. I've purchased quite a few cars from him so he knows what he is getting. He also gave me the standard price for a new A3. I then did an internet search and ended up with a quote from another Audi dealer which quoted a slightly lower trade-in but around 9.4% discount on the new car. I showed this quote to my dealer and he said he would stick to the original trade-in price and match the internet quote. So I ended up with the best of both worlds.

I did the same with the GAP Insurance and he decide that although he could not match the internet quote (£205) he could reduce the Audi GAP Insurance quote from £395 to £225 which I was happy with and accepted.

The great advantage to me of part exchange / trade-in is that on 1st March I will drive my car to the dealers and then drive away in my new car with absolutely no hassle. My dealer always says it's a mith to think that you will get a better deal for cash. You may get more from selling it privately but he will always give a good trade-in price because he can then make money on the new car and again when he sells the trade-in car. Taking a car in trade-in allows hims to give a better discount on the new car that he would otherwise be able to offer.

 

[alanjonesbath]

I got 10% knocked off the price of my A3 when I bought it (essentially matching the DriveTheDeal internet price), and got book price for the 04-plate SEAT Ibiza FR I was trading in, the same price SEAT dealers were offering me in p/x deals despite not willing to give me more than a 5% discount (that would have been buying a Leon). I was happy with that deal, as I just couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying to sell privately.

 

[A3simon]

I paid full wak for mine but got £9200 for my 11 month old mk6 fiesta zs even though at the time the new price for one was £8995. Plus ford only offered me £5600 for it so i was happy to sign there and then

 

[Tooks]

I've always negotiated the price of the car I'm buying 1st, and then throw in the trade in later on. If they don't seem keen on offering a fair price, I walk away.

I always accept that they need to make a profit on the deal, they're a business after all, but remember there's always somebody else willing to sell you a car these days.

I once brought a 307 DTurbo for the dealers cost price plus 10p! I think it was close to the quarterly sales target needing to be hit. I paid many times over though with visits to the dealer to get the numerous faults sorted!!

 

[h5djr]

I've always negotiated the price of the car I'm buying 1st, and then throw in the trade in later on. If they don't seem keen on offering a fair price, I walk away.

I always do it the other way round and get a good trade in figure first and then negoiate the price of the new car after that. That way they all ready know what they can make on selling the trade-in and it gives them a little more room for manouver on the new car price.

Personally I would prefer not to 'walk away' as I have always had excellent service from this particular dealer. I know most of the staff and always get on very well with them and nothing seems too much trouble. I think I always get a reasonable dealer and money is not everything.

 

[benw123]

Part exchanging a car for a new one can help negotiation if the car you're looking to buy is difficult for a dealer to discount. We ordered our Sportback on its launch weekend (not a great idea I suppose!) and couldn't get any discount whatsoever, but we were able to increase the PX value of our Mk4 Golf after a little negotiation.

Prior to owning an Audi, I had a two new Fords thanks to a family discount (Ford Privilege). There is virtually no margin at all for the dealer for these deals, other than the possibility of a new registration helping towards a volume bonus perhaps, so it was left to my PX to lower the cost to change.

And unlike most other trades, cash-only deals aren't necessarily going to net you huge discounts either. Dealers can earn significant commission when selling finance (sometimes as much as the margin on the car itself) and so it's more likely they'll do a better deal for you if you take it. It's why you see so many finance offers advertised by dealer networks.

 

[steve184]

i would NEVER trade-in a car - it doesn't matter which way you look at it/polish it up - you are losing money. I gained (or should i say didn't lose) over 2k by selling my car privately and not trading it in

 

[h5djr]

If you saved 2k by selling privately you did extremely well.

The valuations given on the What Car web-site for my current A3 are:
Private Sale: £12,345
Part Exchange: £11,945

I am getting £12,250 for my A3 in part exchange, so according to these figurers I could have made an extra £95 by selling it privately. Certainly not worth the hassle.

I have sold privately in the past, when a contact has said to me 'Let me know when your selling your car'. In a couple of occassions it's been a used car dealer. But whilst I may have made a few hundred on my car the dealer would not give any more discount on the new car for 'cash' as he was already loosing out by not having my car to re-sell.

 

[tinka]

when i ordered the m sport,i got trade for the s-line,and he matched the internet price i gave him,all in i got £3600 off,or there abouts,the first dealer was £1000 away from the net price so i walked away,but both gave the same trade price.