How much could I talk down this car dealer?

Question

I am going to look at a 96' v6 camaro with 127000 miles on it. The dealer is asking $3500 but I want to know how much I can talk him down to. I have to drive about 6-7 hours to the dealership and I have the cash. Would that help? Is there anything else I could bring up to lower the price?

Answer 1

Do a carfax report on the car. I' ve been scammed by a dealer. The dealer said the truck had 130k on it and it really had the odometer turned back it somehow had 300k on it! Don't tell them you are traveling 6-7 hours to get it, they'll know you are a sure sell.  Personally I wouldn't buy that used of a car from a dealer.  The dealer is going to mark it up, charge you tax and title also. I would find a better deal from a local private owner on autotrader, craiglist, or cars.com.If you are set on going to the dealer ( which is overpricing that particular car) then come at them with an absolute low ball offer.  An auction place would only buy that car from the dealer for $500.  They will keep coming at you with a higher price than what you said. Keep rejecting they're offer at least 4 times until you get a better price than what you wanted.  Call a local dealership and see how much they'll take for that car on a trade-in for a new car. I bet you they all say between $500-1500, and you will know their mark up on the car.

Answer 2

That car is already 13 years old, '96 means it was made in '95.  The best thing to do is get an auto association membership.  For about $100 more they will tell you everything that is wrong with that car.  Also check with the motor vehicle branch, give them the make and serial number and you can get a history of the accidents it was in.  It is a small investment but you should get it back in discounts.  If they don't want to give you a discount then insist on whatever needs fixing before you even test drive it.  The biggest problem with a used car dealer is there is no warranty after you take possession.  Good tires are $800 to $1000, check out brake prices.  Look at the dipstick & see if the oil is clean, if not there could be engine problems.  Do they have a dealership service history.  A car like that could cost you double to get it road worthy.  Also check for rust around the tire wells.   When you test drive the car drive straight and let go of the steering wheel, if the car drifts either way the wheels are out of alignment.  Also don't be impressed by low mileage, I looked at a car once, when i went back the next day there was 40 miles on the trip meter (I set it at 0 the day before) and the mileage was lower, rigged.  Maybe now you realise why people buy new cars, less problems.

Answer 3

If he has told you the price is $3500.00 dollars, and you saidyou are coming with cash. He will not drop a dime, becauseyou have traveled for seven hours to get there, to show, howmuch you want the car. He know's you don't want to go backhome empty handed.

Answer 4

I work at a car dealership, so I can tell you that 3500 doesn't sound too far off as long as its in good shape.  Check for paintwork (http://www.helpmebuyandsellcars.com/auto... and make sure it hasn't had any severe body damage/salvage title.

Really, the only way you'll get him to come down on the price is if you find something negative about the car that he doesn't know about/tried to hide, or if its aged inventory that's going to be worth less then what he paid for it.

Good luck

PS. Had to comment about what Elizabeth m said...too many people believe a vehicle with over 100,000 miles is no good, but thats simply not true.  If this car IS trash, its likely because it's a sports car, and was probably driven by somebody who treated it like a sports car.  However, a well maintained vehicle can still have 127k and still be in better condition then one with half the miles that wasn't maintained at all.  Furthermore, my guess is that Elizabeth M "guesstimated" what they thought the price of the vehicle was...had they booked it out, they would have found that even the most basic model is worth over $4000 with the 127k miles included.

Answer 5

the price for it is to high and it have many miles the car is bound to give you problems forget find something else is not worth it

Answer 6

you have cash. you could go down $500. plus its a gas guzzler.  he will sell to you. even if you have to walk out on the deal just do not give in.