I've walked away from a couple of deals on second hand vehicles purely out of principle- despite the fact that the vehicle was still at a good price.

It's just a personal thing, but IMO, if you are selling, there is value in every sale, whether financial or otherwise... Whether or not you're making £50 or £5000 on a vehicle, don't be arrogant enough to say "the price is the price" just because you're only making £50.

That £50 profit, isn't what is keeping your business afloat i'd imagine (notwithstanding the fact it's still probably a couple of hundred quid)...but, being unfriendly, arrogant, etc., likely means I won't return to you for business, nor would I refer anyone to you if they wanted a car.

Examples assuming I want the car:

1) Friendly car dealer, treats me well and gives me the time of day, gives me a little discount, or is very friendly in explaining why he simply can't go lower... outcome: i'd probably buy the car

2) Arrogant car dealer, disinterested in me b/c i'm buying a low value car, gives me very little time, makes me feel unimportant, won't haggle...outcome: I'll walk away.

Re: example 1- assuming all is OK with the car, i'd return to that dealer, refer friends to him, etc. etc.

Re: example 2- never go near him again. He doesn't know my bank balance, whether that car was for my young son, elderly mum, therefore I may have a wad of cash ready to spend on something which is worth his time trying to "deal" on, but he'll never see it, because of how he treats low-value clients.

TL;DR- There is value to be had in every sale, whether its on profit, or future sales/business. Don't overlook the little sale/man.

The cold hard fact is that cars haven't been built or imported for near on 6 months, so there are less new cars to sell, means used car supply isn't where it was, so at the moment 2nd hand cars are fetching stronger prices now than they did in February March.

..........don't even get onto motorhomes - as there is no logic in their 2nd hand prices right now !!

That's the whole deal with car's eh? I could be the richest man in my street but because I drive a 2005 car I'm seen as poor/struggling/unsuccessful etc.

I've removed myself from car snobbery so care little about other peoples perceptions.

Reminds me of a story years ago where a wealthy 'Tycoon' was out for a run one morning in his sportswear and called into a Luxury Car Dealer to look at the Cars......he was treated like scum......he later bought a small fleet of expensive cars from another Dealer who hadn't judged him in the same way.

forget dealers have alook at the larger auction groups even volvo dealers buy some of there used cars from these places .ex lease .and pcp end contracts. motorbility. some of these cars can be very low mileage cars. visit a few times before buying to get a feel for how it works:regular_smile:

I love haggling as everything in life is negotiable. You might strike lucky and a dealer needs to shift just one more car “today” to meet his target and get a shed load of money from their bonus. The old adage of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get” applies equally to buying a car as anything else. (Food Supermarkets excluded of course)

I look at it this way. What’s the worse the dealer can say....No? In which case you are no worse off.

One last trick is, if you can’t get a monetary discount then ask for extras instead. ie. free 1st service, longer warranty, car mats, mudflaps, etc.

Unless you are desperate or your current vehicle is knackered, then they need to sell their car more than you need to buy theirs. Walk away from any deal you are not happy with. The world is FULL of 2nd hand and new cars. There will ALWAYS be another one.

Post Covid there will be many a bargain to be had with 2nd hand caravans and motorhomes as people who bought them as a knee jerk means to an end subsequently decide it's not for them and return to their natural preference for the all inclusive holiday packaged drink and food fest as well as the cruises of course which absorb into one vessel the equivalent population of small town.
For those considering such a purchase bide your time.
Never buy new as you lose the VAT element for starters as soon as you pay up.
If you fancy one I would always hire before you buy.
Just my opinion and the market is big enough for both Camping and Holiday Property letting but the financial outlay for a decent motorhome can be eyewatering!!

Slightly off beam.

A friend of mine, and his wife, decided to spend a year travelling around Australia in a camper van. They started in Sydney. After spending a few weeks there looking for the right van, they eventually struck up a deal with a motor home dealer. They told them of their plans and the dealer made them an offer.

He sold them a brand new van with a guaranteed price to buy it back off them at the end of their trip. Subject to bringing it back to Sydney, its condition and not exceeding the mileage (+/- a few 1000 kilometres) of course.

All in all it worked superbly for them and was a lot cheaper than renting a van for a year or trying to sell one at the end of their trip.

Clever!

I'd love to do that! were it not for being trapped in the work/mortgage/work cycle here. Maybe one day.

I bet once you've spent a year seeing nice things, meeting nice people, having nice(er) food, weather, relaxing and not getting ripped off then the UK will be seriously underwhelming to return to.

Having travelled extensively and lived abroad for many years, you are quite right Welton. Although there are still some beautiful areas of the U.K., it pales in comparison of lifestyle and quality of life I have found elsewhere.

However, there comes a certain time in ones life when memories are all you have to “look forward” to. My advice is, never leave it too late to make those lasting memories as you never know what is just around the corner at any stage of life. Good luck with your dreams.

Thank you, I deleted some of what I wanted to say before but I'm the sort of person who steps back slightly to observe my surrounding life.

Typically in the UK all I see is misery; miserable arrogant people obsessed with house prices and wealth, stress, traffic, really bad but expensive food, poor service from all industries, and extremely high living costs.

My two kids are stepping into the world of work and I'm trying to get them to see the wider world out there and not to fall into the trap of working for some company full of fake promises and staff desperate to crap on each other for "success".