If you are planning to buy a used car, brush up your negotiation skills because they will determine how much you pay for the car. Here are some specific negotiations hacks to help you with the purchase:

Don't Lowball the Seller

You want the seller to know that you are serious about buying the car. This is the only way they will consider your offer and negotiate with you in a serious way. Quoting a price that even you know is too way below is one way of signaling to the seller that you are not a committed buyer and they are just wasting their time with you. Therefore, start with a low offer, but don't quote the price of a transmission system while trying to buy a whole car.

Be Ready To Walk

Secondly, you should be able to walk away from the car or even from the dealership if you can't come to an agreeable price, and the seller should know this. This is especially true if you are buying the car from a dealership; this means you are dealing with a professional who is adept at picking out the nonverbal cues of potential car buyers. Such a person will know whether you have already made up your mind to buy the car or you are looking for the best price and you are willing to walk away if you don't make it. You have a good chance of getting the right price if the dealer knows you can walk away.

Point out Why the Dealers Price is High

Third, you should do your research about the car you want to purchase before going into the used car yard. This way you will be armed with information on what the car should fetch at different trim levels and how easy or difficult it is to repair, among other things. For example, your research may help you point out to the dealer that the car isn't worth as much as they are asking for because it doesn't have the navigation system that the next trim level has, and the next trim level costs just as much.

Always Know Which Price You Are Negotiating

Lastly, you should know the price you are negotiating so that you can tell how much you will pay to drive away with the car at the end of the purchase. For example, you should ask whether they will be any fees or taxes associated with the purchase or the price you are haggling over includes all those.

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