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Discussion First car. Budget 10000 or less. How much can one negotiate price without being rude?

8Cherries

Junior Member
Hi all, I want to buy a compact car. I am looking at ads and wondering if there is a way to estimate how much(more or less) would could I suggest?
The car I want is published (craigslist)in 16000 and I can afford 10000. I can pay cash and I know he is moving out of state. Should I even offer him? Or just skip it
Thanks
 
Thank you. So to avoid bad mood of car seller, what is a reasonable offer if I want to negotiate?
And how can I know the market price? I think Kelly blue car is over prices
Thanks!
 
You can cross reference KBB, Nada Guides, and Black Book values to get a better picture.

Even then, sometimes those values are meaningless if no one wants to buy your vehicle.

I sold my 2012 Cruze last year, which booked in at nearly $8,000 between the different agencies. I had to sell it for $6500 because no one was interested at 7k or higher. I almost had to let it go to a lowballer for $6,000 but someone else came through for $6,500.

No one likes a Craigslist lowballer, and $16,000 -> $10,000 is a pretty darn strong lowball. That being said, there's no harm in sending an email and letting them know you're interested but can't afford their asking price. At worst, you're anonymously annoying someone you don't even know via the Craigslist mail relay.

I get very annoyed when I'm selling smaller items on Craigslist and I get low balled, but when I was selling my car it was not only validation that there are people who are actually interested in my car, but it also became a fallback - if the clock ran out I knew there was someone who wanted to buy it, even if less than I wanted out of it.
 
More info is needed. First off, you say Kelly Blue Book over prices. Why do you say that? Is it because their price is closer to what he wants?
 
KBB is only a guide anyway. I like the suggestion of e-mailing and flat out saying you can't afford $16k.

I was selling a car a few years ago for $14k I think. A kid came to look at it and offered $10k. He was very polite so I wasn't upset but simply stated I wouldn't go that low. I got full asking price a week later.
 
I looked at an X5 a few months ago. The guy was asking too much for it given the fact it had around 115,000 miles on it but I was intrigued by the fact it was one owner with service records.

I was very humble and direct about my intentions. I told him "look, the last thing I want to do is insult you with a lowball offer. I just want to let you know what the vehicle is worth to me as a spare SUV that I won't drive much." I offered him $4000 under what he wanted.

He was completely cool about it and said "Oh, don't worry. You're not insulting me. If it doesn't sell soon I'll consider it."
 
Give us the details, what make model trim mileage condition? Do you live in an area with salted winter roads?

Is it listed $16K Firm, or OBO?

Get the private party sale estimate from Edmunds, for each condition ranking. It's much more realistic than KBB. Go take a look at the vehicle, and mention anything you notice wrong to the seller before making an offer. I'd make an opening offer about $1500 below the Edmunds estimate and go up to maybe $1K over it if you really like the vehicle. Either way make sure to get it checked by a shop before agreeing to a price. The agreement is a contract to buy that you don't want to be in until it's checked out.

It could very well be that the vehicle is listed at $16K but worth thousands less. A compact car can depreciate faster than the loan is paid off but he may still try to get what he owes on it. Even so, $6K over true value doesn't seem likely but how much will it make you lose sleep if you offend with a low offer? Not at all, if he asks too much it's just as fair to offer too little.
 
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16k to 10k is not a low ball but an insult. I would not even replay if someone offered me 10k on a 16k item. It would go straight to my spam folder.

For 10k you can get a 2014-2016 Elantra, 2013-2015 Corolla, etc... near me. What are you looking at?
 
Honestly, you can never be rude. It's your money and your offer. I've been on both sides of the deal and likewise, most people get it. If you get a lowball offer (or an insulting offer), it's a lowball offer and just move on.

If you only have 10k to offer and you really want the car at $10k, just offer it and say that's all you can do. If they won't sell it at that price, then they won't sell it. No one is hurt.

--and yes, not knowing any details, that would be quite a lowball on $16k asking, assuming it's an honest price. But so what? It's your money. No reason you can't make the offer. Usually, that would be a fair starting point for the buyer--still a huge lowball, but who cares? In this case, it's your shelf. But whatever.
 
Put me down as another guy that would just delete your email if you made me that offer. Get more realistic. I'd also be rather annoyed if you showed up and went through all the BS knowing you can't even come close to affording my asking price.
 
Just because the asking price is $16K, that doesn't necessarily mean it's worth $16K. For all we know the guy could have looked at local dealer used car prices and used that to set his price.

Even then, $16K is high for a used compact car. You can get a 2018 Corolla with under 50K mi. for $13K from a dealer!
 
If you call to make an appointment, then showed up to check out the car, then ask if you can make an offer, then make a firm offer of 10k. That perfectly acceptable.
If seller accepted the offer, great. If not, ask if the seller will keep your number and if the car doesn't sell in a few weeks, maybe call you back or you'll check with him. Polite and smooth talking is the key here.

If you were just gonna send an email without even looking at the car then offer $10k, you might as well piss in the wind.

What year, make, and model is this car?
 
You can cross reference KBB, Nada Guides, and Black Book values to get a better picture.

Even then, sometimes those values are meaningless if no one wants to buy your vehicle.

I sold my 2012 Cruze last year, which booked in at nearly $8,000 between the different agencies. I had to sell it for $6500 because no one was interested at 7k or higher. I almost had to let it go to a lowballer for $6,000 but someone else came through for $6,500.

No one likes a Craigslist lowballer, and $16,000 -> $10,000 is a pretty darn strong lowball. That being said, there's no harm in sending an email and letting them know you're interested but can't afford their asking price. At worst, you're anonymously annoying someone you don't even know via the Craigslist mail relay.

I get very annoyed when I'm selling smaller items on Craigslist and I get low balled, but when I was selling my car it was not only validation that there are people who are actually interested in my car, but it also became a fallback - if the clock ran out I knew there was someone who wanted to buy it, even if less than I wanted out of it.
Thank you! I wasn't familiar with the other options. Few of My friends sold a car in craigslist (minuvans) and all if them got lower offers then kbb.
I Dont want to insult anyone that is why I rook the freedom to ask here. Thanks you
 
More info is needed. First off, you say Kelly Blue Book over prices. Why do you say that? Is it because their price is closer to what he wants?
Because friends who sold in CL told me so and also I sew prices of fillers. Other issue was that I was looking into 2015 car, and my uncle told me this car price is closer to a new car that you get warranty for a dew years.
I have to say I am not trying to heart anyone's feeling.
 
KBB is only a guide anyway. I like the suggestion of e-mailing and flat out saying you can't afford $16k.

I was selling a car a few years ago for $14k I think. A kid came to look at it and offered $10k. He was very polite so I wasn't upset but simply stated I wouldn't go that low. I got full asking price a week later.
Thank you for being so understending
 
I looked at an X5 a few months ago. The guy was asking too much for it given the fact it had around 115,000 miles on it but I was intrigued by the fact it was one owner with service records.

I was very humble and direct about my intentions. I told him "look, the last thing I want to do is insult you with a lowball offer. I just want to let you know what the vehicle is worth to me as a spare SUV that I won't drive much." I offered him $4000 under what he wanted.

He was completely cool about it and said "Oh, don't worry. You're not insulting me. If it doesn't sell soon I'll consider it."
Thank you for sharing!
Give us the details, what make model trim mileage condition? Do you live in an area with salted winter roads?

Is it listed $16K Firm, or OBO?

Get the private party sale estimate from Edmunds, for each condition ranking. It's much more realistic than KBB. Go take a look at the vehicle, and mention anything you notice wrong to the seller before making an offer. I'd make an opening offer about $1500 below the Edmunds estimate and go up to maybe $1K over it if you really like the vehicle. Either way make sure to get it checked by a shop before agreeing to a price. The agreement is a contract to buy that you don't want to be in until it's checked out.

It could very well be that the vehicle is listed at $16K but worth thousands less. A compact car can depreciate faster than the loan is paid off but he may still try to get what he owes on it. Even so, $6K over true value doesn't seem likely but how much will it make you lose sleep if you offend with a low offer? Not at all, if he asks too much it's just as fair to offer too little.
I was looking into Mazda 3. There are not salted winter roads around here. He said 16k, didn't say either firm or OBO.
I didn't want to waste the person time without being sure I know what to offer that will make sense. I could check at the garage where he fixes the car ( I called them, its officials Mazda place). Adding that to the price and over 2K$ insurance makes my budget limited.
I should offer and apologize before that. I "talked" to this person via email and seems nice. I think not many people contacted him otherwise who wouldn't chit chat with me
 
16k to 10k is not a low ball but an insult. I would not even replay if someone offered me 10k on a 16k item. It would go straight to my spam folder.

For 10k you can get a 2014-2016 Elantra, 2013-2015 Corolla, etc... near me. What are you looking at?
I really dont want to insult anyone. That it why I ask here. It is Mazda 3 2015, I dont care what car as long as it is safe and reliable.
 
Honestly, you can never be rude. It's your money and your offer. I've been on both sides of the deal and likewise, most people get it. If you get a lowball offer (or an insulting offer), it's a lowball offer and just move on.

If you only have 10k to offer and you really want the car at $10k, just offer it and say that's all you can do. If they won't sell it at that price, then they won't sell it. No one is hurt.

--and yes, not knowing any details, that would be quite a lowball on $16k asking, assuming it's an honest price. But so what? It's your money. No reason you can't make the offer. Usually, that would be a fair starting point for the buyer--still a huge lowball, but who cares? In this case, it's your shelf. But whatever.
Thank you. I was selling stuff on craigslist and I know it feels bad when you sell something you like and get a low offer. But I will offer, and see what happens
 
Put me down as another guy that would just delete your email if you made me that offer. Get more realistic. I'd also be rather annoyed if you showed up and went through all the BS knowing you can't even come close to affording my asking price.
I dont want to show up and waste people's time. This is why I asked here. I don't want to annoy anyone.
 
Just because the asking price is $16K, that doesn't necessarily mean it's worth $16K. For all we know the guy could have looked at local dealer used car prices and used that to set his price.

Even then, $16K is high for a used compact car. You can get a 2018 Corolla with under 50K mi. for $13K from a dealer!
I agree. I didn't want to go to a dealer, I was hoping to get better value in CL. O also feel stressed around dealers.
 
If you call to make an appointment, then showed up to check out the car, then ask if you can make an offer, then make a firm offer of 10k. That perfectly acceptable.
If seller accepted the offer, great. If not, ask if the seller will keep your number and if the car doesn't sell in a few weeks, maybe call you back or you'll check with him. Polite and smooth talking is the key here.

If you were just gonna send an email without even looking at the car then offer $10k, you might as well piss in the wind.

What year, make, and model is this car?
It's Mazda 3 2015. It has low mileage and that is why I want it.
 
2015 Mazda 3 has a lot of trim variations and options packages, the specific mileage and packages can make a lot of difference. Some are near $10K value. Some are closer to $15K. I don't think a $10K offer is all that low unless it has under 25K miles and lots of features (that may cost you more in the long run to repair when they fail).

Have you gone and looked at other Mazda 3's yet? If not, and since $10K is not an insignificant amount of money, you should compare what else is available and test drive a few. Remember a private sale is (unless stated otherwise which is pretty rare), AS-IS.

Since it is a Mazda 3 I would also consider the age of the seller and whether he might be part of the ricer crowd. I wouldn't want one from a young seller as that is usually someone who ragged it out, drove it hard and that's why he chose a Mazda 3 which is somewhat of a poor man's sports car... not that this makes them bad cars, in stock form they are great handling cars for their class of vehicle, but driven hard, they can have transmission issues if it's an automatic, and a little more than their share even if they aren't driven hard, BUT I am generalizing too much... I just don't see someone moving out of state as a reason they need to get rid of their car, unless they're making a major lifestyle change and moving to downtown in a major city where they will use public transportation or walk/bike/etc., OR if this vehicle has been modded to hell and back for performance and now there's no way it would pass emissions in the state he's moving to.

If he has turned it into a race car, and you're into that, have the background to DIY maintain it, this could be a great deal at $16K, but it still might be ragged out or at least more costly to maintain if you have to have a specialty performance shop work on it. Definitely ask him what modifications he has done to it, as if you're interested in that being a positive thing for him to brag about, then decide if that adds or subtracts long term value.
 
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