rooster63 Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Going to see a used camper van later this week at a dealer. How strong or weak a hand will I have if I try to negotiate a lower price? I’ll be a cash buyer, is that good or does the dealer lose out on his finance commission? No trade in, again good? Or bad as the dealer won’t be able to make a profit on the re-sale? The van is a rare sought after model so dealer will probably think if I don’t want it they’ll easily sell it to someone else. How realistic is it to expect a discount? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 I would have thought you should still expect to pay less than the windscreen price even if it is only because dealers would like to shift as much stock before Christmas shutdown but, there is a shortage of good used stock so this has kept the prices high. Another aspect worth exploring is to decide if there are any particular extras you would be thinking of adding later and try to negotiate those into the price. Good luck, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevec176 Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 You know what the asking price is and you know what you're prepared to pay so anything you can get off the price is a bonus. It's always worth trying for a discount or freebies just don't get carried away. Have you compared the asking price? Make sure you give the van a good inspection and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 These links MIGHT help https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/articles/general/buying-a-motorhome-negotiating-the-deal https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/articles/general/buying-a-motorhome-the-ultimate-guide-1#Buying%20a%20motorhome%20from%20a%20dealer The latter link offers the following advice Think like a motorhome dealer! Adopt an attitude — the key is to convince yourself that you don’t actually need the motorhome you’re trying to buy — it’s the dealer’s job to persuade you otherwise Never take the first offer — there is ALWAYS room for negotiation in every purchase and when it happens, don’t remain calm. It is better to appear shocked and surprised by an ‘outrageous’ offer, even if it isn’t unreasonable. The worst that can happen is they just say no to your lowest offer Stay silent. If you’re quoted a price that’s still too high just say: “You’ll have to do better than that...” and keep quiet — make the salesman do the talking Never offer to split the difference — always wait for the dealer to offer Have a small concession that you’re willing to give up at the end, so that the dealer can have the satisfaction of winning something and his pride remains intact Never, ever tell the dealer, first up, what you have to spend — he’ll make sure you spend every penny of it Prepare in advance. Know what constitutes a fair price for whatever you’re selling or buying. Shop around, not only to make comparisons, but to gain confidence. If the vehicle you will be looking at is the 2013 Timberland Destiny you mentioned a few days ago, you’d be wise to confirm that its service record shows that it has had a timing-belt change at some point and you should also check how old the tyres are (including the spare tyre if it has one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Derek is entirely correct. I have walked away and had a dealer phone me two weeks later. On another occasion the dealer made three offers each lower than previously, on the same day. You have to be prepared to walk away if you think it’s too expensive. Lots of homework called for. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Assuming you definitely want to buy, my approach is: 1) Always have a highest price in mind and never go above that 2) Ask what the best price would be and then treat that as a first try 3) Never make the first move so, after the ‘best price’, just say that it is too dear. Silence is then your friend. Let the salesperson fill it. 4) After your first offer, never increase by big amounts and never split the difference. Increase by no more than 20% of the difference. 5) Salesperson should need to consult with their superior at least once 5) Always be prepared to walk away and do so at least once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 rooster63 - 2020-12-01 4:14 PM Going to see a used camper van later this week at a dealer. How strong or weak a hand will I have if I try to negotiate a lower price? I’ll be a cash buyer, is that good or does the dealer lose out on his finance commission? No trade in, again good? Or bad as the dealer won’t be able to make a profit on the re-sale? The van is a rare sought after model so dealer will probably think if I don’t want it they’ll easily sell it to someone else. How realistic is it to expect a discount? As a cash buyer with no trade in you're in the strongest position. Having been on both sides of the fence as buyer and seller of vehicles the best tips i'd give you is avoid banter, don't hang around too long, and go in with the first offer way below what you know he'll accept then see what figure he comes back with. You haven't said what sort of price its marked up at but decide what your absolute max is you're prepared to go to, then take that in cash with you because at the point of negotiating you need to be able to say "thats my final offer and i've got the cash here, now". He'll snap your hand off then! Some folk aren't bothered about vehicle history but to me it's always been a real bonus when either buying or selling so if it has plenty of that in the way of receipts and mot's, that's a plus point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster63 Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 Thanks for everyone’s input. Hope to get him down to a figure we’re both happy with. Trouble is there are not many vans around which meet my requirements as basically narrowed down to Rhythms and Warwick’s in the main stream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Bulletguy - 2020-12-01 8:48 PM ...then take that in cash with you because at the point of negotiating you need to be able to say "thats my final offer and i've got the cash here, now". He'll snap your hand off then!... I’m not sure I’d want to be wandering around with £30 to £40K of cash in my pocket, nor that a reputable dealer would be keen to accept that sort of cash-in-hand amount. Buying privately might be another matter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 You may be a cash buyer, pay part of it at least £100 on you credit card. This may give you some protection in the event of problems, if the price is under £50,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster63 Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 When I say cash buyer, I don’t mean it literally, no wads of used £50 notes, just a bank transfer. I just mean I’m not using the dealer finance, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneb Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 You're likely to get a better deal by taking the finance these days, as that is what the dealer makes money on. Just cancel it within 14 days and settle the balance with the finance company. Won't cost you any extra and the dealer usually still gets their commission, not that I've ever worried about that aspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 weldted - 2020-12-02 8:02 AM You may be a cash buyer, pay part of it at least £100 on you credit card. This may give you some protection in the event of problems, if the price is under £50,000 This is covered in more depth here https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/section75-protect-your-purchases/ The normal maximum is £30,000 - though this can be higher in special cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charleydog Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Cash buyer? private every time, and with a van conversion.no worries on leaks or delamination, just a good service record,and condition, will do it. Private sellers know that to sell a £30-£40 grand camper will have to swallow a lot of money to sell it.It does of course take a lot of bottle to drive away with no comeback, but. WHO DARES WINS (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Derek Uzzell - 2020-12-02 7:13 AM Bulletguy - 2020-12-01 8:48 PM ...then take that in cash with you because at the point of negotiating you need to be able to say "thats my final offer and i've got the cash here, now". He'll snap your hand off then!... I’m not sure I’d want to be wandering around with £30 to £40K of cash in my pocket, nor that a reputable dealer would be keen to accept that sort of cash-in-hand amount. Buying privately might be another matter... No but ability to withdraw balance from a bank on the day is essential. There's more dreamers and tyre kickers out there than buyers. *Edited to add, now we know the van type the op is looking for we have more of an idea of sum involved. Not sure about the 'rarity' aspect though as there are a few Warwick vans to choose from depending on model. The Autocruise Rhythm isn't so common though a google search shows a few for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Discussed here last week... https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Timberland-Destiny-any-good-/56889/ For what it’s worth, Wilmoths Motorhomes were advertising a 2021-model Autotrail Expedition 66 (manual transmission) for £38,257 https://tinyurl.com/y23z3nrc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS20 Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 I found that by leaving my mobile number with the dealer after being unable to agree a price, ( just in case a cheaper one becomes available !!!) I always found that the dealer would always call me a few days after I had walked out with a much better price on my original preferred van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster63 Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 As I suspected it is very much a sellers’ market and the only other vans around within our budget were a couple of Rhythms but preferred the Timberland. Managed to get a bit of a discount, enough to cover the insurance and road tax so reasonably happy and the van is a vast improvement over our current van with things like air suspension, better heating, solar panel, underslung lpg and the 2 most important things, a proper spare wheel and a passenger air bag. Roll on 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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