Buying a approved used mercedes negotiating tips

[hometime]

Hi guys
Myself and other half are looking to purchase our first mercedes. We are after a C250 Amg line premium plus.

we have seen a few we like in the region of £25 -£26k.

This is the first time we are doing this. Do you have any tips as to what we should bargain for and what we can get thrown in to make this a good deal.

how low should we go when negotiating. Some say there is no negotiation. Others say there is. I have also heard buying via finance makes you more valuable. Others say it doesnt so I am a little confused!!

I have heard and read alot but wanted some recent opinions as to what we should really be negotiating for.

Please help!

Thank you

 

[kianok]

I’ve bought half a dozen of used cars from MB dealers over the years and managed to negotiate a decent discount every time.

Make them an offer, worst they can say is no.

The C350 I last traded kept being reduced in price week by week until it disappeared from the their website, they had reduced it by £1500 at that point.

If you don’t ask.....

 

[Petec999]

I think a lot depends on how long the car has been in the garage. One I recently bought was coming to the end of its forecourt period and the morning I enquirer had been reduced by 4.7k from original price in my case there was no negotiation on price they did throw in some mats.
As above always ask they can only say no is a buyers market tbh

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

No two dealers are the same. It will depend on the price the car is advertised for, how much they paid fior it, how long they've had it for, how you pay, when you pay, which extra products or services you buy with it, and if it was part exchanged for another car even how much they got for the car they sold!

Generally, by far the best incentives for financing a car through a dealer are for brand new cars, as there may be finance contributions from the manufacturer, dealer and even the finance company in order to sell new cars and keep the production lines moving.

If you can do a deal close to the end of the month, end of the dealerships financial (or sales) quarter or end of their financial year, then you might be the difference between hitting and missing a target, and so you may be more likely to get a discount at the beginning of the quarter.

First work out the cheapest route to finance the car outside of the dealership. The dealership will probably be more expensive on anything other than a new car. Sainsbury do some great personal loan rates at the moment, but there are others, especially for loans less than £15k.

Find out what your existing car is worth and decide whether you want to part exchange it. You will almost always get more for your car selling it privately, but it may take a while, and you will probably have some degree of frustration and hassle you'd rather not have! If money is important sell privately before buying!

My advice though - especially for a car which is not particularly rare - would be to find the right car at the right price, with the colour and specification you're looking for. Then make a fair offer, but stacked in your favour, so you have space to meet in the middle.

Start by asking the sales person if they would be open to an offer. If they say no, say "that's a shame, I can only really stretch to £x, but if you change your mind then please do give me a call". On a £25/26k car, starting £2k of £1.5k less is not a bad place to start negotiations.

If they are open to an offer, say "I think I know how I'm going to pay for it, and I don't have a part-exchange, and I can stretch to an offer of £y". Whenever you make an offer or request stay silent for as long as you can. It will feel like forever, but if you don't speak, then the sales person will fill the silence!

You may need to meet in the middle. But if you can't get to the right price, reconfirm your best offer, write it down along with your telephone number, so they can call you back. Even say we're grabbing a bite to eat down the road, I can come back today if you change your mind.

Before shaking hands and accepting the deal, check that the car will be fully serviced and have 12 months MOT. Then say, "I assume the car will come with a full set of proper Mercedes mats, and a full tank of fuel".

If your new to negotiating then that will probably get you most of your way to the deal on your new car. I would expect £500 off a £25/26k car but it really does depend on many factors. The two most important though are how much you like the specific car, and how much you can afford. Don't settle on those!

Good luck with your negotiation!

 

[Crazyfool]

I traded in my Audi. The first offer they gave me wasn’t enough, so I said I would sell it privately. They then told me if i took out Mercedes finance they could increase the offer. I hadn’t given them my figure, but what they offered was bang on what I was going to sell it privately.

They then went through the finance deal and I wasn’t happy with the monthly payment. So they then increased the offer on the Audi and reduced the cost of the Mercedes to a point where my payments were just a little higher then I wanted.

I took the deal, had a boot mat thrown in and the boys got a calendar each.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PenelopePitstop]

Always negotiate

Great benefit of buying used approved is warranty, also they do the service if it's due in next 3 months. If it's older car that requires nav ugprade, ask for it. Check car carefully and ask to fix anything you can see: damaged wheels, some minor paint or other issues. Milk the benefits of being approved used. Don't forget about 7 days free insurance.

Part-exchanging to main dealer is hardly ever good option. So best to know how much you can get for your car or sell it privately or to the trader. I'm just changing the car and dealer offer was £3.5K lower than trade offer and £5.5K lower than private sale. One dealer said that they can increase offer a bit so the cost of change to "new" car would be lower but I doubt they would get anywhere near trader offer.

Finance on used cars is around 10% or more so quite expensive. Cheaper to take personal loan, or take PCP for extra discount if it's offered, and they pay it off straight away.

 

[clk208]

Take a look at some of the brokers like drive the deal.

I haven’t looked at the deals this month but recently there has been up to £10,000 off some brand new c class models. Price may be similar to a used one.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Don't be shy, the dealer certainly won't.

You know that bit in the negotiation when you have been offered the deal to change after being insulted by the part exchange valuation and the salesman goes into a back office to 'ask for a better deal from my manager?'

At that point he is giggling with his workmates about how he 'bid you in the b0llocks' for your part ex.

 

[affalterbach]

I've just bought an approved used C350 CDi AMG Sport plus estate, I offered them £1500 less than sticker price, they responded by saying they could apply a discount of £1000 but nothing more at which point I thanked them and walked away. The sales person called me back later saying they will ask the business manager if they could do more and asked me to hold on. They called the following day and agreed on the price

 

[Aletank]

Drive THe Deal have -
MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS DIESEL SALOON C220D AMG LINE 4DR 9G-TRONIC Brand New for - £26295
or
MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS SALOON C200 AMG LINE PREMIUM 4DR 9G-TRONIC for £27495
or
MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS DIESEL SALOON C250D 4MATIC AMG LINE PREMIUM PLUS 4DR AUTO for £31895
0r
MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS DIESEL SALOON C220D 4MATIC AMG LINE PREMIUM PLUS 4DR AUTO for £32295

 

[John]

What you are trying to find is the "walk away price".

This is the amount at which they will let you walk and not come back to you - which is technically 1p less than the price they would have agreed the deal with you.

The downside is you have to offer what you want to pay and be prepared to walk away, and if they don't come back to you and you still want that car, you can go back with another offer.

The upside is you can save a few quid once you find it.

If they won't negotiate on price, as above, ask for extras like a free service, tank of fuel, mats etc.

The cards are stacked in your favour more if you are buying a fairly common model.

At the end of the day, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

 

[hometime]

Thanks all.

At the moment nothing. They discussed finance but It doesnt benefit in anyway I can see even after deducting the extended warranty they added into the monthly cost!

The max they will do is a few hundred pounds at the moment.

I am hopeful we can get to a more suitable price with mats, full tank, and perhaps the supaguard protection in and out chucked in. Maybe an umbrella or aftershave or any other accesories thrown in as a sweetener.

A friend tells me she got all the above chucked in on hers.!

Especially considering the new C Class is due to release in june as I have read...

Those Drive the deal options look good too..!

 

[John]

The other thing to note is if they feel they have a car which is somewhat easy to sell (a 250 diesel vs. a 500 V8 for example), they may well hang on and take their chances.

 

[TheFoX]

Don't let them pressure you into taking out extended warranty. It'll be more expensive than if you wait for MB to contact you. I was offered an extended warranty for £1,000, yet when the renewal quote came in, it was a shade over £400, a saving of almost £600. The additional money goes into the pocket of the Business Manager who will claim it is fair commission for arranging this necessary service.

If you go down the lease route, make sure your annual mileage is high enough. The Business Manager will always negotiate down, giving you as little mileage as possible.

Don't bother with Chip and Dent Insurance, because if you claim on this insurance, you legally have to notify the primary vehicle insurer on renewal that you have made a claim which could affect your renewal premium, and if you don't notify them, and they find out later you have claimed, you could nullify your primary insurance.

 

[hometime]

@TheFoX I didnt realise that was the trick.

Now isnt that clever.. I was told £980 to extend the warranty for a further 17months past the current mercedea warranty. This would take it to a total of 3 years from when I purchase..

Cheeky buggers!

 

[TheFoX]

Use the following website to get a quote for your own vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz Extended Warranty cover

That'll give you a true figure for a genuine MB warranty.

 

[hometime]

Thank you all for your comments on this. Made the purchase. got couple hundred pound off. got the supaguard body and interior protection chucked in. Also got the service chucked in plus a full tank for the drive home.They will even throw in a mercedes umbrella.. Im happy with that.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thank you all for your comments on this. Made the purchase. got couple hundred pound off. got the supaguard body and interior protection chucked in. Also got the service chucked in plus a full tank for the drive home.They will even throw in a mercedes umbrella.. Im happy with that.

Well done. Enjoy your new car!

 

[PenelopePitstop]

I think they throw in Starguard instead of giving discount. Starguard gives them sale commission. I told salesman at previous purchase that I don't want it, because car will be detailed anyway. So they wasted a bit of their time on it and salesman got commission. I got nothing, because car was awfully dirty under "paint protection" and it was later removed by detailer anyway. Audi dealer did the same but made more effort and car looks decent.

 

[Aletank]

Excellent ! What did you buy ? Any pics ?