Deal or No Deal? Please Help.

OMG! I'm insulted...you just called me a Neanderthal!

Listen, I've had private party used car sellers flat out lie to me about the vehicle they were selling. It's sharks in the water.

Sure, use some common sense with any offer you make. I think it should be within the realm of "possible value" for the vehicle. Otherwise, I agree it becomes a waste of time. BUT...

But I still believe used car negotiations are "negotiations". You really cannot stand on some unwritten protocol. If someone is going to be so "insulted" by any offer I make? Let em sell the vehicle to the next guy.

Unless you are buying from a relative or close friend, it's not about "rude" or "insulting". If a low offer is accepted? Guess what? You just got a better deal.

What might seem like a low offer, might not be such a great deal if you find unrevealed problems with the vehicle after purchase.

As I said, both seller and buyer must act in their best own interests. If you timidly go into negotiations with some fear of insulting the seller....or the buyer for that matter...you are sunk.

What? Do you not ask for a Carfax or to take the vehicle to be inspected because the seller might be insulted? Where do you draw the line?

Common sense needs to prevail, but IMO there isn't much room in car buying or selling to worry about "insult".

 

I agree with you about asking for a carfax, and I agree that you admitted that you must use common sense when making an offer, however we may disagree on what constitutes common sense. BUT I strongly disagree with you if YOU really think people will not perceive you as rude if you make too low of an offer, just becauseYOU THINK it is part of the "game" of negotiating the deal. But I really don't think you are that type of person.

 

We could go around in circles on this forever. But really I don't worry too much or at all about how a seller perceives me. I'm not asking them to the prom....I'm buying something of value from them, and I'm possibly handing them a large quantity of cash.

You're only insulted...if you let yourself be insulted. I'm not easily insulted.

Even a misguided lowball offer can be politely rebuked or refused without insult. That's choice.

The backbone in negotiations must be for both Seller and Buyer...your own best interest.

 

Seriously, you summed up your feelings when you said "you don't worry too much about how a seller perceives you."

 

Read this and ask yourself if it's a good deal.

2013 Toyota Camry, Prius V Get "Poor" Crash Rating in New Test

 

MY DEALER had them used with 36K on them for 19K certified

 

Well, I'll say this much. I actually hate negotiations. Despite I think having a good approach.

I waited until one of my local Toyota dealerships was doing a "Mass Quantity" 40 Prius on the Lot at this established advertised price, before I bought my Prius, just to keep "negotiations" at a minimum. Then I did not have to haggle, or negotiate...I just picked color...and the only negotiation was trade in value.

By the way, the dealership originally offered me about $3000 dollars less than about the minimum value for my vehicle on trade.

I feigned high insult...in that case, and magically two offer sheets later my trade in became worth about 300o dollars more.

But had I been afraid of "insulting" the dealership by asking for more for my trade in? I'm sure THEY would of been happy to significantly lowball ME.

 

Many dealers have no sense of right or wrong. My whole discussion was referring to private parties. I think if/when dealers insult you, then you should fight back like you did or find another dealer if you think they are hopeless.

 

Private parties can be even worse. Dealerships have to pay some respect to ongoing reputation. In a lot of cases with a private party you have absolutely no idea of the morals or ethical standard of the seller. So again, in either or both cases I think you need to put personal best interest in the forefront, and not worry about insult.

 

Look the offer is the KBB less know potential issues. Honestly without any warranty the offer is fair.

I'm a cash buyer and my offer is good for 1 day.

Part of negotiation is the ability to not fall in luv with over paying

 

These crazy offers are just wasting everyone's time. If you think he is going to convince a seller to drop his price 3-4 grand you are all unrealistic, and just wishful thinking.

 

We will have to agree to disagree

An old saying "nothing ventured nothing gained"

 

In 2010, that Prius we're discussing, presuming it was a pretty standard package 5 and not a car with the technology - just the NAV, was about $29K.

First off, the one who suggested offering 10K is just silly. If you're not joking, I'm even more shocked.

If the day comes that a 3 year old car with 25K a year mileage driven on it (and if it was an early 2010 out in May/June/July 2009 then it's actually a 4 year old car with 19K a year driven... anyway, if the day comes that a Toyota Prius with loads of life left on it drops 2/3 its value in 3-4 years, it would be time to stop buying them!

And, if you had a 3-4 year old Toyota that you'd paid 28k to 29k for in 2010 and were offered 10K for it a few years later ... I would hope you'd laugh and walk away. Even on a lease, which I referred to on older leases I did in summer 2010 on package 5's, these residuals were 20K at 12K annual. And, 19.5K at 15K annual. I think 16.5K is very fair money for a package 5 2010 year model with 76K on it. If the real leather, fog lamps, larger NAV screen, 17" wheels, and headlamp washers matter to you. Over the years, these items diminish in value to the 2nd and 3rd buyers of formerly loaded cars. They seem far more important to a new car buyer.

You have to sort of figure "hey, what's residual on xyz car after 3 years?" because typically, that number will tell you what the TFS folks are happy to have the car back with after 36K or 45K or more. The lease residual points at what the experts deem fair wholesale value in 3 years.
Today, at an average of 15K annual miles - and I am choosing that number because most of my leases are 15K annual here in SoCal, a Package 2 residual is 14,520. MSRP is $24995. (the 12K is 15004) ... the residuals for the 3, 4, and 5 are pretty similar in percentages... but the cheapest version of the car always has the best percentage residual.

Dianne

 

Dianne, finally someone with some practicallity answers.

 

9400?
WHERE are you getting these numbers?

 

Somewhere in this mess will be a meeting of the minds between the private buyer and seller

 

I suggest you not buy a used 3 because you can buy a 4 or 5 used for not much more. Like Dianne says, used luxury items (leather, nav, sunroofs) do not bring anywhere near what they originally cost. You will love the leather, heat, lumbar and power seats. The standard ones are not very comfortable nor very adjustable for lots of people. However, the way you are headed, no one is going to sell you anything used for what prices you are offering them. I don't know exactly who steered you this way, (but I think I have an idea), but you are just going to agitate a lot of people with your crazy low offers if you keep it up.

 

OK - no matter what YOU think a car's worth, there are definitely GUIDES to a car's value. They are, for one, Kelley Blue book, as example.
Kelley's all online now and uses market data like auction, V-Auto, and DMV records to determine car sales and values.
Kelley used car values now change weekly.
Pulling a price for a used vehicle "out of your head" is not trumped by USING your head and doing research.
As always feel free to offer whatever you want, based on your budget limitations ...but your expectations don't seem to match the true market value for the cars you're looking at. At some point, that will sink in as you watch car after car sell elsewhere for more $ or hear sellers say NO.

By the way, first impressions are lasting. It happens to go both ways. If I have 20 messages to return on cars and someone leaves me one offering $9400 bucks for a car I know is worth thousands more, you're deleted and now I have 19 to return. The hard truth for that is that you're remembered for being "that type of buyer" and folks just move on and don't want to deal with you ... retail salesmen who are bored or not busy might think you're worth the challenge, but someone who can cut to the chase instantly such as myself will just move on. You can spend 4-5 hours in a dealership being punished for being that sort of buyer too... and I feel everyone's time is valuable.

Hell, offer what you want, but if you truly in your own heart BELIEVE that a 3 yr old Prius with 110K is only worth 9400 bucks, why are you buying one in the first place? Even used vehicles should be bought with some return value in mind, somewhere down the road. Once you get it up to 150K, and someone offers you 3K, you'd be shocked and insulted? That's using your logic.

Anyway, if there's someone encouraging you to make nutty offers, you should do your research on car values using the internet. And, stay away from salvage title cars.

Just my 2 cents worth for now...