Are you a haggler?

[Steve]

When you are buying a vehicle, do you like to haggle? Have you ever bought a Saturn and if so what was your view of their no haggle policy? Is it a better way to sell a car?


Secrets of the 'no-haggle' price (http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/19/autos/debating_no-haggle/index.htm?postversion=2006092114) - Few people actually like the process of haggling for the best price on a new car. In fact, almost two-thirds of car shoppers in a recent survey said they would prefer to pay a single, set price.

That's a huge factor in the appeal of General Motor's Saturn car brand. Every car is marked with a price and that's what you pay. While GM (Charts) can't legally forbid dealers from haggling over those prices, the company can mete out "consequences" to dealers who stray.

So, if you bought a Saturn Vue or Ion and your neighbor buys one a week later, you don't have to worry that he got a better deal.

Sounds fair, right?

Hang on. In a separate part of the same survey, done by Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com Website, only 12 percent of shoppers thought "full sticker price" was fair. After all, nobody pays the manufacturer's suggested retail price for anything. Not electric razors. Not TV sets. Certainly not cars.

So, if paying full sticker price for a Chevrolet Equinox wouldn't be fair, why is paying full price for a Saturn Vue such a good thing?

[tiedeman]

When a customer trys to haggle over a price, I am more than willing to haggle a price with them. I do know a minimum that I will go though. So once they reach that minimum I can go no lower

[Steve]

Do you prefer to haggle when you make purchases?

[tiedeman]

what I usually do is check around with other dealers of the same product that I am looking for. *Then I present that to the local dealer and tell him, "I would like to deal with you since you are a local dealer, but if you can't match the other guy, then I have no choice but to go to the other dealer instead."

Normally they match it, or just about match the other dealers price.

For example, I am currently looking around for a Billy Goat WB blower. *I called around to 6 dealers. *The local one was the second highest, while other ones 40-60 miles away were $150 to $200 cheaper. *I told the local dealer about it, and he lowered his price by $100....I told him that I would think about it

[Steve]

Wow that is quite a price difference!

[kc2006]

Oh I haggle everything. Vehicles, parts for vehicles, equipment, anything that can be haggled I haggle. I was getting a smoking deal on my truck when I bought it and I still talked them down http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I just bought an ultravac for my exmark, and dealer loyalty went out the window. I called every dealer within 80 miles, one dealer had an opened crate and wanted 1890 for the vac, my dealer wanted 2385 (next cheapest), I told my dealer about it and he said no way so I had to go to the other one. I'm friends with my dealer, but 500 is a big difference.

[John/Logo-Mechanix]

I'm not much of a haggler but I will on certain things especially new vehicles. When I bought my truck (2001 Dodge Dakota quad cab) they presented me with best price they could, about $30,000. To Make a long story short after 3 hours of haggling I bought it for $23,500.