Tips for negotiating new car deal?

[alistairgd]

My 4 year finance deal with MB on my C-Class Saloon is up in 6 months so I received the "your options" paperwork last week.

I'm very tempted to give it back and take out a new deal on the new coupe, but I'm going to need some buying power to get the extras I'm after.

I tried carwow.co.uk just for kicks, the dearest was £32,075 and cheapest so far is £29,413 - quite a difference.

Are there any tips anyone can offer for getting the best deal?

Thanks.

 

[Red C220]

Use orange wheels, Drive the Deal or Coast2coast cars and buy through whichever is the cheapest.

It's very rare a dealer will be able to or want to match them. Although I did get my local dealer to match the orange wheels number on a new SL.

 

[Piff]

Take a print of the best internet deal you can find.
Go to your local showroom and have a test drive.
Sit down & enjoy a coffee and ask for their best price.
When they think they have given it show them the internet deal available and ask them to match it.

 

[uumode]

I've been told by a dealer, there may be a MB UK deposit contribution to keep you on the PCP drug and retain customers. If there is truth behind this I don't know. But this will be an added sweetener if true.

 

[flango]

Make your mind up what price YOU want to pay not what they want to sell it you for.

Stick to that and don't move you might have to go back a few times but you will get the deal.

I bought mine and SWMBO Volvo's together so about £70k list price. I wasn't even going to start talking unless we started in the mid 20% discount. Eventually got just short of 28% off.

Same with the VW I just bought purchased it in Germany due to high exchange rate and better manufacturer discounts.

Another trick is take the finance package as this is where they get their commission and then pay it off after the first month. I did that with SWMBO Puma and saved a fortune.

Good luck and happy hunting

 

[Peter103]

I recently looked at an E350 9G bluetec coupe on car wow, they offered a discount of £10,181. 23.5% which brought the total on the road price to £33,111. showed it to local MB dealer he couldn't match it, but offered a discount of about £8300, on brand new 16 reg with pan am roof. Car wow's best dealer price came from Ms.Zeinab Salom Mercedes Grimsby dealership, I didn't go for it as I was P/Xing and paying cash, and it was still a bit too much, so last week bought one a year old with 8500 MLS.but I was surprised my local dealership were able to drop that much when I showed them the quote.Good luck.

 

[Will]

Surely 28% discount is nowhere near where the OP should be aiming? I've never heard of figures like that for customer ordered MBs?

Surprised that Volvo can offer 28% off bona foda new cars - makes a list price seem pretty much pointless if they can still make a sustainable business selling cars at those figures, unless these were ex-demo/old stock/outgoing models or something?

 

[alistairgd]

Car wow's best dealer price came from Ms.Zeinab Salom Mercedes Grimsby dealership,

Funnily enough, mine too. The cynic in me makes me very suspicious of this, but going by some of the discounts mentioned already above, maybe its right enough.

Great tips, thank you folks.

 

[flango]

Surely 28% discount is nowhere near where the OP should be aiming? I've never heard of figures like that for customer ordered MBs?

Surprised that Volvo can offer 28% off bona foda new cars - makes a list price seem pretty much pointless if they can still make a sustainable business selling cars at those figures, unless these were ex-demo/old stock/outgoing models or something?

Yep I have never had lower than 24% on any new car I've bought you have to do your homework and search for the deals but they are there. My local Volvo dealership couldn't get anywhere near 28% but the one in Warrington did in the end.

 

[Peter103]

Funnily enough, mine too. The cynic in me makes me very suspicious of this, but going by some of the discounts mentioned already above, maybe its right enough.

Great tips, thank you folks.[/QUOTE
I told my local dealer my best quote without telling him where it came from, and straight away he asked,' was that from Zeinab Salom? So they do seem to know about her, but are unable to match her prices. I feel sure they are genuine, though I think they would prefer the balance on finance, and make some profit that way.

 

[alistairgd]

Yep I have never had lower than 24% on any new car I've bought you have to do your homework and search for the deals but they are there. My local Volvo dealership couldn't get anywhere near 28% but the one in Warrington did in the end.

Will you buy my car for me.

 

[moonloops]

Will you buy my car for me.

Lazy person award 2016 goes to...

 

[PenelopePitstop]

Funnily enough, mine too. The cynic in me makes me very suspicious of this, but going by some of the discounts mentioned already above, maybe its right enough.

Great tips, thank you folks.

Dealers up North are quite happy to give discounts so it's not surprising.

 

[flango]

Will you buy my car for me.

Certainly for a % of the saving but you can only get the deals if you are not in a hurry as it takes time to find them.

I buy most of my family and friends cars just got close to 30% on a toyota avensis for my nephew. That was after I went to buy a c class with him and the seller a nearly new dealer p*ssed us off so much we walked away, we saw the avensis on the way home went in on the off chance were treated very very well and did the deal there and then.

 

[alistairgd]

You must be great with the patter Flango, I'm pathetic at that. Nearest buyer, how much is it, okay done deal.

I'm trying to get a petrol test drive sorted but none yet, after that I'll start pricing properly, just getting a feel for it with these wowcar prices and discounts previously mentioned.

 

[flango]

You must be great with the patter Flango, I'm pathetic at that. Nearest buyer, how much is it, okay done deal.

I'm trying to get a petrol test drive sorted but none yet, after that I'll start pricing properly, just getting a feel for it with these wowcar prices and discounts previously mentioned.

Been in sales 37 years and trained sales people at the very highest level and know all the dodges. I'm a car dealers worst nightmare. Negotiation is an art and most people back off way too soon.

 

[JBD]

It's not realistic to think of a figure you want to pay and stick to it. Carwow, DTD etc will give you an idea of what you can actually expect. 28% discount is double MB's margin, so you're not going to get that.

That woman at Grimsby is the bane of my life. There were many salesmen looking to hunt her down when I went on global training a couple of weeks ago.

Have you chosen a specification yet? The other thing to consider is that deposit contributions and finagle campaigns will be different in 6 months, so you won't be able to nail down a price yet

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I recently looked at an E350 9G bluetec coupe on car wow, they offered a discount of £10,181. 23.5% which brought the total on the road price to £33,111. showed it to local MB dealer he couldn't match it, but offered a discount of about £8300, on brand new 16 reg with pan am roof. Car wow's best dealer price came from Ms.Zeinab Salom Mercedes Grimsby dealership, I didn't go for it as I was P/Xing and paying cash, and it was still a bit too much, so last week bought one a year old with 8500 MLS.but I was surprised my local dealership were able to drop that much when I showed them the quote.Good luck.

Sorry to go off topic but how's the new beast Peter? Looks fab on your avatar.

 

[Peter103]

Sorry to go off topic but how's the new beast Peter? Looks fab on your avatar.

Yes,very pleased, would have preferred another Polar White, but getting used to new colour, but car very smooth and quick as I'd read , when time comes for you to change you'll have to try one, we're off in about three weeks to our place on the Costas for a few weeks, so, looking forward to the drive down through France and Northern Spain, their motorways are much better than ours, with a lot less cars , and smoother surfaces, so much more relaxed , will be good to note MPG, will let you know.

 

[flango]

It's not realistic to think of a figure you want to pay and stick to it. Carwow, DTD etc will give you an idea of what you can actually expect. 28% discount is double MB's margin, so you're not going to get that.

That woman at Grimsby is the bane of my life. There were many salesmen looking to hunt her down when I went on global training a couple of weeks ago.

Have you chosen a specification yet? The other thing to consider is that deposit contributions and finagle campaigns will be different in 6 months, so you won't be able to nail down a price yet

It is realistic you are just giving the salesmans side of the argument, 28% discount might be double the Dealer margin, it is definitely not double the Mercedes margin who are still making a healthy profit at that (if its a volume production car). It all depends at what margin the dealer wants to trade, most have limits they will not go below, some will on odd deals you just have to find those deals. Last MB I bought came with 21% discount from a dealer in Scotland so the deals are definitely out there. That was an exceptional deal on a car they wanted to move and I appreciate it's not the norm but with an MB from a UK dealer I would want well into double digit discount as a minimum or I would simply buy elsewhere or in another European country.

Carwow etc and the brokers are all still making money at the prices they offer and I know what prices can be had in volume deals from MB, those are the prices you cant beat not the dealer prices. I'm not opposed to anyone making a profit but some dealers just take the Michael with what they quote.

Stick with what you are prepared to pay and don't go a penny over, its served me well for over 30 years, but 20 of those have been in the trade so I am wiser than most to dealer scams and so called discounts.