TGR Staff
Purchasing a car, old or new, is not always affordable. Cars connect us to all areas of life, our work, family, and travel and are an important and convenient transport link. Yet, not all buyers want to pay the full amount. Most of us love a bargain and getting the most for our money. No matter if you are looking for a new car or a classic car, there are a few tips that are handy to know to get your purchase for less. If you are on the hunt for a specific car and want to get the most for your money, then follow along with these tips.
Call around for deals
When you are car shopping, it is always best to shop around for quotes and the best deals. The more places you receive a quote from, the more offers you will find. You can likely find a cheaper price by asking. Although cars have a retail price, it is common for car garages to offer a deal if you pay in full or offer a larger deposit, which will bring down the overall cost of the car. If you require assistance with getting a car shipping quote, then you can call or find them online. You can find the best prices by calling around and asking for a discount. If you don’t ask for a deal, then it is likely that they won’t offer you one.
Ask for a freebie
If the dealer doesn’t budge on price, you can tell them that you are more likely to consider if they chuck something in for free. Although this won’t reduce the cost of the car, you will be getting something extra, which could optimize the car or save you money on something that you were going to buy for it. For instance, you could ask for a year of insurance, upgraded wheels, or a cool gadget for the car’s interior. A little freebie may entice them to give you more for your money.
Don’t go for a brand new model
When you are purchasing your car, ask yourself if you really need the brand new model. Although it’s nice that nobody else has driven it and there are zero miles on the clock, the minute you drive it out of the garage it depreciates in value. Thus, maybe consider buying one that’s a year or two old. It is likely that not many miles have been done and the car is still in excellent condition. You will likely be able to save a thousand or so by buying a car that’s just a little older than a year.
Buy in specific months
Most dealerships have targets to meet, especially before the new car year which is in April and September. Thus, buying in March or late summer (typically August) are good months to buy as dealers will likely offer you a lower price so that they can meet their targets.
December can often be a good month to buy a car too, especially in those dealerships where the sales target is at the end of the year.
Dealers will also know that payday is a common time for most car buyers to want to purchase a car, so avoid the end of the month as they will know that you might be able to afford a little more than your bargain price.
Choose a smaller engine
Some brands and models often sell one car model with various upgrades. If the model you are looking at comes with different engine sizes, it is cheaper to choose the smaller engine size. Smaller engines are cheaper to install, thus are cheaper to buy.
Also, a smaller engine is much cheaper to run. Therefore, you will be saving money in the long run on fuel costs.
Another tip is to opt for the petrol engine if both that and diesel are available. Diesel cars typically require more engine parts, which increases the price of the engine installation and the car. So, choosing a smaller petrol engine could significantly reduce the cost of your purchase.
Look for pre-reg sales
Pre-reg cars will always have a discount on the price, which you could bargain to be even cheaper. The reason they are discounted is due to them being owned previously by someone else. This is often to help dealers hit targets or because dealerships want to buy cars at a good price to sell to customers.
These pre-reg cars are often brand new and have only been driven off of the premises and back on. Or, they haven’t moved anywhere and are brand new but have a huge discount.
Some pre-reg cars can have up to 70% off of the original price, which is a huge bargain. They should not be older than six months and can be haggled to knock even more off of the price, which is easy if it is a hard model to sell.
Buy a car that has a new successor
If a model is about to be upgraded by a successor, then you may be able to get a good deal as the dealership will be struggling to sell the older model. These can be found at dealerships and online. If you know your cars and what is due to come out, you can easily find which are models that are struggling to sell due to a newer, better, and upgraded successor model.
Buy online
Some private sellers are open to haggling, more so than a dealership. So, if the dealership isn’t budging on price, then look around online for the model you want. You can look on a variety of websites or social marketplaces. From there, ask the seller if they are open to offering a discount. You can offer them a bonus such as buying more than one car or picking up yourself to save them time.
Go for a test drive
You may have in mind a specific car you want. You will benefit from taking it for a test drive before handing over your money. Although it may look and sound great, it might not drive the way you expected.
A test drive is also a great way to speak to the seller and discuss the cons of the car. After the test drive, you could say you will only be interested if they can knock money off. After they have got to know you and are one step closer to the sale, they might be generous and offer you a better price.
Avoid leasing
Although leasing a car is a great option if you don’t have the savings to buy a car right away, you may benefit from saving and buying the car outright.
The con of leasing is that the car will not be yours at the end of the deal, which can feel like burning money. The money you pay you will never get back. Plus, you won’t own the car so you cannot sell the car to make some money back.
However, if you do buy a car outright you have the option to sell it after you use it and are more likely to be able to get a better price. Paying for the car outright is always the cheaper option. Some dealerships might offer an interest-free pay monthly deal, which means you can spread the payments but still own the car and not pay more than you need to.
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