Buying 2nd hand - dealers better than private!

[YanMa YatTai]

I have been looking at getting an upgraded daily driver. What I have noticed for advertised price and haggling for price is that the dealers are much more realistic on listed price to begin with, then more reasonable to haggle with!

What is going on? It used to be the case that dealers would list high prices and you could get a better deal from private sellers.

The world has turned on its head!

[JBT]

The dealers aren't paying much for trade-ins and are selling at a reasonable price to get rid of them quickly is my suspicion.
Have you got any examples of cars you have actually viewed/dríven to make a comparison?

[Mr Morlock]

The car market has changed substantially in the past 15 years or so. Aust has come long way with consumer rights and the professionalism of dealer networks. New car sales boom and the value of second hand cars has fallen and I doubt it will come back. Finance us easy to get and new cars are cheaper in real terms.
Many private sellers have no idea of service and the concept of making themselves available at a potential customers convenience. We continually see ads peppered with unnecessary comments or restrictions and many do not understand legal requirements and offer no warranties and buyers also may be wary of issues with ownership and security. A good dealer sells a car which is not encumbered or written off etc. it's someimes professional versus amateur.
A privateer needs to do things right and to be competitive and plenty don't measure up. A dealer also does not have an emotional tie with a car being sold - it's a business and happy customers may comeback. I would not rule out private buying but dealers are far better today from my observation.

[AndrewM]

I recently bought my NB8A from a dealer - it was a great example within my price range and they are always keen to sell - added more rego (they can go in 3 month blocks to avoid the full 12 mnth impost), fixed a tear in the drivers seat near the recliner mechanism (perfect fix) and negotiated the price down with drive-away..

They always make money on a deal (how much only they really know but trade a car nowadays and prepare to be shocked) but it was a very easy and satisfying transaction..

Ultimately it depends on the car really but at the time nothing could come close privately as far as I could find..

Just my experience - I think the internet and VicRoads have cleaned up the whole industry a lot in the past few years...

[Rob]

It's certainly true that some private sellers are overly sentimental about their cars and have massively over-inflated ideas of their worth because of it.

It's not uncommon, for example, to see cars priced above the Redbook pricing guidelines when there is nothing remarkable in any way, whatsoever, about the car.

Meanwhile, however, you do find the reverse is true. Some private sellers are pricing at a knocked-down, get-it-out-of-here, more than fair sort of price.

Case in point, just recently I missed out -- by 24hrs -- on a 2007 powered hardtop NC with 107K on the clock for $16,000. Others are trying to sell the same for $22,000.

Having watched the market for a little while now, I am seeing some private sellers starting to drop thousands off their over-inflated prices after a month or two of no bites.

There are still some hold outs. One notably is about $2000 overpriced but is stubbornly clinging on, month after month. They recently dropped $50 (!!!) off the asking price, LOL.

[YanMa YatTai]

What is also funny is now Carsales has automatic text and most sellers could not be bothered changing it and put up lousy low res photos from their phones. Do they actually want to sell the car? At least it makes it easy for me to eliminate which cars not to inspect!

Other ads also state 1 female owner, yet the contact person is almost always male. I saw a car where the guy claimed the wife drove it. She had no idea on any details on the car. He smoked, said he never smokes in the car as she drives it and he has another car (it reeked of air freshener), yet I found on the floor a cigarette lighter he obviously dropped! The tyres were well worn with clear scrub marks on the outer side of the tyre (looks like the wear pattern on my track day tyres!), yet it was a low km car. I doubt she would have dríven like that!

Or the owner is getting a company car or going overseas. If we just looked at used car ads you could conclude Aussie companies are very generous with perks yet there is more work overseas and women drive more than men!

[Rob]

Or the time honoured term, the "little old lady" driver. There's literally an ad on Car Sales at the moment that uses that exact term!

Oh, and something else I'm seeing, NSW cars tend to have at least a grand, but often two or three on top of what they'd be priced at, interstate!

[lizard]

I just buy from where ever the best car is weather its dealer or private . If neither come to "my purchase" price I just walk away and dont get emotional its just a car. Dealers need to add GST warranty and make a proffit nothing wrong with that but some ppl think they should sell at a loss


I love forum sales where you see $20000 firm next day $19000 4 days $17000 5 days come on someone must want my sh*t box 6 days open to offers

Or please buy my super dooper hotted sh*t box that cost me $40000 but I wil sell for $10000 but dont think your going to get to test drive it your self as Im the only person that will drive it

[speed]

It's a buyers market when buying a used car. As Mr M said it's easy to buy new. In my experience it's always harder to sell a car then to buy one and I often value the cars I sell at market or lower.
That said there are still plenty of dodgy dealers out there.
NSW is definitely the most expensive state.


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[Rob]

Here's a CarSales WTF? moment for our cousins down in VIC.

The same car... check the number plate... listed at a dealer, and also privately... and with $690 between the two pricetags, to boot!

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/deta ... =0&sdmvc=1
http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/detai ... =2&sdmvc=1

[lizard]

Here's a CarSales WTF? moment for our cousins down in VIC.

The same car... check the number plate... listed at a dealer, and also privately... and with $690 between the two pricetags, to boot!

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/deta ... =0&sdmvc=1
http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/detai ... =2&sdmvc=1

So and the point is ??

[Rob]

So and the point is ??

Well, either the dealer owns it and is selling it, or the owner still owns it and is selling it, but generally not both.

That only happens in consignment situations and here, the dealer doesn't seem to be a consignment joint and, further, when selling something under consignment, the person who's put it under consignment isn't usually selling it as well, 1) Because they didn't want to be involved with selling it (hence why it's under consignment in the first place!) and, 2) Because they don't tend to have ready access to it, as it's at a yard, not at their joint!

That's the point, ie: what a weird set-up.

[lizard]

So and the point is ??

Well, either the dealer owns it and is selling it, or the owner still owns it and is selling it, but generally not both.

That only happens in consignment situations and here, the dealer doesn't seem to be a consignment joint and, further, when selling something under consignment, the person who's put it under consignment isn't usually selling it as well, 1) Because they didn't want to be involved with selling it (hence why it's under consignment in the first place!) and, 2) Because they don't tend to have ready access to it, as it's at a yard, not at their joint!

That's the point, ie: what a weird set-up.

LOL dont get so emotional if your not going to buy it dose it matter So many important things in life to worry about

[Rob]

So and the point is ??

Well, either the dealer owns it and is selling it, or the owner still owns it and is selling it, but generally not both.

That only happens in consignment situations and here, the dealer doesn't seem to be a consignment joint and, further, when selling something under consignment, the person who's put it under consignment isn't usually selling it as well, 1) Because they didn't want to be involved with selling it (hence why it's under consignment in the first place!) and, 2) Because they don't tend to have ready access to it, as it's at a yard, not at their joint!

That's the point, ie: what a weird set-up.

LOL dont get so emotional if your not going to buy it dose it matter So many important things in life to worry about

I'm not getting emotional as I have no interest in the car; it's just one I came across as I try to take in the wider Aussie market... then came across again and thought I was seeing double.

[speed]

Here's a CarSales WTF? moment for our cousins down in VIC.

The same car... check the number plate... listed at a dealer, and also privately... and with $690 between the two pricetags, to boot!

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/deta ... =0&sdmvc=1
http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/detai ... =2&sdmvc=1

So and the point is ??

Raises red flags.


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