How to get the maximum discount from a car dealer

The boom in car sales in Russia has long passed, and although the market is currently showing all signs of gradual growth, pre-crisis indicators can only be dreamed of. This forces dealers to be more willing to make cost concessions at the expense of their margins. For this reason, the official cost of the car indicated on the site does not mean at all that you will have to part with just such an amount. Remember that not all discounts are official and available at the moment, so hunting for a discount is a whole science. And we intend to bring you up to date so that you can save the maximum amount of funds allocated for the purchase - believe me, they will still be useful to you.

The present time can be rightfully described as a “buyer's market”. This means that you can get a discount on almost any car, even the most budget one. You just need to know how to do it.

Varieties of dealer discounts

The product market is interested in buyers, its task is to attract a customer using all kinds of marketing techniques. But the consumer is now fastidious and smart, so the effectiveness of advertising in all its forms decreases every year. But there is a mechanism that works flawlessly on a potential buyer. This, as you already understood, is the provision of various discounts, from purely symbolic to very impressive. Often - to the detriment of their own income. There is no official classification of such discounts, but we took the trouble to compile an approximate list of the most common offers.

So, what kind of discounts on the purchase of a new car you can face in a car dealership:

• seasonal - provided for models sold outside the current season, or for seasonal lots of cars;
• festive - offered on the eve of and during the holidays, can be timed to coincide with the anniversary date of the client;
• personal - offered for a certain assortment of goods to specific buyers, assigned according to one criteria or another to a privileged category;
• promotional - provided for specific models to all customers without exception with the aim of artificially popularizing the brand;
• dealer - provided to trading partners, regardless of the scale of their turnover (but taking it into account);
• special discounts - provided to those potential customers (categories of buyers), in whose orders the car dealer is most interested;
• progressive - offered on a contractual basis when purchasing multiple vehicles.

In all these cases, the cash equivalent of the discount is calculated simply by multiplying the discount percentage by the official cost of the car. In many car dealerships, you can expect to receive several discounts, but with certain restrictions. Subsequently, the amount of the aggregate discount in rubles is deducted from the cost of the goods, and this price is fixed in all sales documents, and not necessarily with an indication of specific discount items.

There are also cumulative discounts in regular retail and wholesale trade, but they are useless in the automotive business: a vehicle is a piece product that is bought for decades, so the probability of using such a discount is close to zero.

When can you get a discount from a car dealer?

There are often situations when colorful banners are posted on the official dealer's website telling about certain discounts and promotions, but when you come to the salon, they politely explain to you that the car you like does not fall under the action for one reason or another.

But the opposite situation is even more common, when you can find out about a discount at the last moment, and there are no announcements on this account. Much depends on the case and your talents.

With a successful combination of circumstances, if you know how to get a discount when buying a new car, it is quite possible to purchase a budget car with a discount of about 30-50 thousand rubles. For a more solid car and the size of the bonus will be more, from 200 thousand and more.

But it's important to remember that buying a vehicle is not the same as buying a refrigerator or TV. In a home appliance store, you are just another customer, and if you start to show excessive persistence, they will show you the door without a twinge of conscience. In a car dealership, you are always a welcome guest, every visitor is worth its weight in gold, so you can afford statements like "and the neighbors have cheaper" - all your claims will be considered and will try to offer a compromise option.

When is the discount usually provided? Here is an approximate list of situations when you can count on a significant discount:

• change of generations. This information is not always present in the price lists, but during a personal visit to a car dealership, you should inquire about the availability of such offers;
• getting a corporate bonus is unrealistic, but, nevertheless, it is worth finding out if your company is the same corporate client;
• discounts for regular customers, as we have already said, are practiced, but if you managed to get a discount card, it may well turn out that it has a personal residence permit, and you will not be able to use it;
• Another effective way to get a cid from a dealer is to find out the cost of the same model with a similar configuration from the neighbors - at comparable prices, there is a great chance of getting a good bonus;
• promotional offers on the occasion of a holiday or other significant event are a matter of chance, but even here you can guess at least for national holidays;
• and finally, one of the most effective methods of getting a discount: detecting a defect on a favorite car. But even here you may be offered other compensation methods instead of a cash bonus.

Now let's look at specific discounts in more detail.

Generation change

Since the technical improvement of cars is a process that does not stop for a second, even the most successful model with the release of a modified one becomes obsolete, and the interest of potential buyers switches to a novelty. This situation is common, and in order to get rid of stale cars, sellers are forced to reduce prices. Sometimes - officially, but more often - in the form of discounts.

This is a good way to get a discount from an authorized dealer. The mechanism itself works according to the following scheme: the release of a new product is usually known in advance, the dates of the start of sales are announced several months before the event, usually after the presentation at the next auto show. After some time, the price of specific configurations becomes known, and before the arrival of the new item, car dealerships begin to actively sell the previous modification. At the same time, discounts can be significant, and the difference between cars is insignificant. This is a great chance to become the owner of a new car, saving a significant amount.

Corporate bonuses

Every city, large or small, has well-known local businesses and companies. They are the subjects of corporate discounts, since they purchase cars by renewing their fleet quite regularly. It is likely that you are an employee of such a company, in which case you have a chance to get a solid 6-10% discount. Of course, if the conditions stipulate that employees of a corporate client can count on it.Typically, the corporate bonus is cumulative, so your company will be interested in that you purchase a car from a dealer within the framework of this program, receiving your additional half a percent. Do not forget that there are often other incentive programs for corporate clients - a discount on service, for example, or on the purchase of spare parts, there may be a loan / leasing program on more favorable terms, etc. The car service manager will tell you how to get such a discount from a dealer. You can also inquire about the conditions for receiving a corporate bonus in your company.

Loyal customer bonus

The car is one of the most expensive consumer goods, so it certainly isn't a FMCG. So in this regard, the definition of "regular customer" looks somewhat far-fetched - the chances that you will contact the same salon for a second purchase are very small. So getting a discount on a car as a regular customer is problematic. However, loyalty programs still exist and they are designed for wealthy people. Moreover, in most cases they are not applicable to mass models, not even necessarily budget ones. But if you have once purchased a premium model, then remember that you have a personal discount, the average size of which is about 5%.

Anniversary promotions

Yes, many dealers practice this type of promotion as well. So if you have collected enough money to buy a car, you have to fulfill two conditions: wait for your birthday and find a salon where such an offer is valid. Of course, it is also necessary to carefully analyze the cost - it may turn out that in another salon a car of the same equipment without a discount will cost less than with an anniversary bonus. In this case, it makes no sense to get a discount from a dealer.

Holiday discounts

Strictly speaking, this custom is very common in the United States and Europe - there, on holidays, especially on Christmas, sales volumes grow by an order of magnitude, and consumers specifically save money by this date in order to make bulk purchases at prices that are half of the regular ones. This also applies to the car market, although not to the same extent.

Recently, domestic distributors have been practicing such bonuses, so December should definitely be considered the best time to buy a car. Of course, the concept of a plan is not in vogue today, but believe me, dealers have such plans, and on the eve of the New Year holidays, they will certainly try to catch up by offering solid bonuses for certain models or lineup. Sometimes the automaker holds holiday promotions - such campaigns are practiced by AvtoVAZ, in which case the discount applies to all official sellers. Such discounts on new cars unscrupulous dealers may try to hide in order to appropriate themselves. It is enough to remind them of the action of the promotion, and they will be forced to offer you a reduced price tag - otherwise they will face heavy fines.

Discounts for cars with defects

Few people know, but in almost any new car that entered a car dealership, if you wish, you can always find at least one small defect in the form of a barely noticeable scratch, paintwork chip or even a micro-dent. This fact is explained simply - the car is delivered to the final melancholy of sale from the factory, not packed in a cardboard box, like any other product, but open. This can be sea transportation, delivery by air or on a car platform - in all cases, the probability of damage is not zero. It especially increases at the final stage, when the car is unloaded in a car dealership.

Of course, dealers strive to eliminate such defects, but they are 0 people, and they can also miss something. In this case, you have a good chance of reducing the cost.

Such discounts on cars are sometimes large - it all depends on the estimate of the cost of repairs, and yet it is hardly worth counting on. Another thing is the cars that are participating in testing. Here, in addition to damage, we are talking about wear and tear, albeit insignificant, so the price tag can be very attractive.

End of the reporting period

We have already talked about the existence of a sales plan for dealers. Nobody imposes it on them, but according to the results of its implementation, a bonus fund is formed, so that sellers are vitally interested in its implementation. For most automakers, this reporting period is a quarter, but some practice analyzing sales reporting every month. The likelihood that you will be offered a car at a lower cost in the last days of the month / quarter is by no means zero, but it usually does not apply to all cars. In addition, they try not to advertise such bonuses. And if the buyer is determined to make a purchase, then he may not count on a discount. Pretend that you are in doubt and are ready to proceed to another car dealership - and then you will be offered a quarterly bonus guaranteed.

Seasonal discounts

A car is not a very popular product, especially in a year of a noticeable decline in consumer activity. The assortment is usually replenished at the end of the current or the beginning of the next year, when the manufacturer already knows how much the sales target has been fulfilled. In any case, price tags reduced by 5-15% are offered for cars of the last model year in December-February. These are the largest discounts on cars that are only possible from a particular dealer. There is no need to complain that the model is already outdated - this is not true: often newly arrived cars of the same model are absolutely no different, only the year of production. If you plan to sell this car in 5-7 years, then you can not be afraid that the difference in one year will affect the price in a significant way. The condition of the vehicle will be much more important, and this is already your concern.

Trade in program

Strictly speaking, such an offer can be called a discount only conditionally - the cost of the car will indeed be noticeably lower, but you will have to leave the old car at the dealer. The size of your discount in this case will be equal to the value set by the appraiser for your battered car. In other words, you are simply exchanging an old vehicle for a new one, paying extra to the seller. But this practice is widely used in the West due to high disposal costs.

State recycling program

In Russia, since 2010, a state program has been in effect aimed at recycling cars that are unusable. To participate in the program, you must meet two requirements: 6 years of age or more of the car, and the presence of a complete set. You can return an old car either to a dealer or to a specialized collection point, while you will be given a certificate with a face value of 50-350 thousand rubles, which can be used as a discount when purchasing a new vehicle. Well, or as a down payment when purchasing a car on credit.

Trick suggestions

Car dealers do not hesitate to actively use the tactics of putting pressure on a potential buyer, offering various imaginary bonuses. But since today business is simultaneously conducted on the Internet, the transparency of pricing is forcing sellers to change their tactics. In other words, they will still try to sell you a car, resorting to various psychological tricks.

And since you have come to a car dealership, the main task of the manager is to lure you into the showroom in any way. A powerful stream of words will fall upon you, the purpose of which is to force you to approach the stand with the cars on display.After that, most likely, help will come to his aid, and you will be gently and imperceptibly persuaded to make a rash purchase.

Within this strategy, the following moves can be used:

• you will be promised all kinds of discounts;

• an obligatory step is a change of sellers. Perhaps some of them will be able to reach your decision-making center;
• they will write you the attractiveness of deposit offers;
• exposure through colorful advertising, creating a sense of celebration.

In a word, there are many ways to put pressure on a client, and if you do not want to make a purchase based on a momentary mood with a high risk of financial losses, it is worth knowing about some standard techniques used by sellers and having high response efficiency.

You late

The essence of this method is to publish an advertisement in which a car is offered in a particular salon at a very favorable price, much less than that of competitors. Naturally, you have a desire to become its owner. But when you arrive at the place, bad news awaits you: it turns out that the coveted car was sold literally 15 minutes ago! But since you are already firmly aiming at the purchase, you are immediately offered another car, tastefully describing its merits. And when you agree, then at home you discover that you have been sold a car at a significantly inflated price. Hence the conclusion: we met a suspiciously good offer - treat it with skepticism, try to clarify the availability and relevance of the price through the contact form.

Expected car

Many potential buyers spend months surfing the Internet, trying to "draw" a dream car for themselves. And when this looms, you go to the nearest car dealership, where they tell you with sympathy that this model is expected only in three months, but one of them is on the way. You, of course, immediately pay the deposit, and with a happy look, you leave home. But after a few days, you are informed by phone that the delivery is delayed for a month, then for the same amount. This can be repeated several times. You are unlikely to decide to change the dealer, as it means placing at the end of the queue and new uncertainty. So you have to be patient and wait ...

Conclusion: if there is no model you like in the warehouse, look for another dealer, be sure to compare prices: delivery times for all sellers are the same.

Demonstrator car

If you are being offered a discounted vehicle that has participated in demonstrations, you should be suspicious of that offer. Even if the run is purely symbolic, about one or two thousand kilometers. Even if there are no visible damages or defects. The fact is that such cars often participate in test drives, which means that more than one hundred customers have been behind the wheel, who have used the engine's capabilities to the maximum. And for a new motor, as you know, a sparing mode is recommended. So you buy a pig in a poke and you may well face problems in the foreseeable future.

So, you can buy a car in accordance with the official price tag, you can be “sold” a car at an inflated price, but there is always the option of purchasing a car with a significant discount. Which one you choose is up to you, and we hope that the information provided here will help you make an important purchase with the maximum benefit.