How to Find a Good Deal

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In order to find some of the best deals on cars we have a simple run down of some of the best pointers and one or two pieces of advice for you.

Some of the cheaper deals to be had on new or used cars are when a model has just been superseded, or even when a similar, but newer car has been released by a competitive manufacturer. Read a few car magazines or check on line to see when a newer model may or may not be released. Once a newer model is released, then any older models or less fashionable ones fall in prices, leaving you a good bargaining opportunity.

Previous year production models are nearly always lower in price, so look for cars which have been produced towards the end of a year, instead of cars which were produced a month or so later into a new year.

Forget about the number of previous owners as they don’t mean a thing, neither does whether or not they have been owned by an elderly couple or a single woman. These are just salesman tactics and lines used to talk you into buying. You should only care about the vehicle and its condition. It may have had three excellent owners who took care of it, or one very bad one who didn’t. That elderly man may have crashed it for all you know and the single woman owner may have never had it serviced. Give the car an A.C. inspection and then you’ll know exactly what’s right or wrong with it.

Just before Chinese New Year is one of the most popular and traditional times for Taiwanese to go out and exchange the old for the new. This higher demand period means higher prices, so if you want to take advantages of market lull periods, then you may find bigger bargains as salesmen are forced to squeeze out numbers at lower profits. A good time may be ghost month, beginning15th night of the seventh lunar month, which is when superstitious people tend to stay indoors and won’t risk buying vehicles, or a few weeks before or after Chinese New Year.

Rising fuel costs have slashed prices on larger engine vehicles and 4 wheel drives in the past and they will again in the future as the continuing trend tends to bring smaller cars to the market. If you don’t do too many miles or you have the need for a larger vehicle, then high price fuel periods will offer you greater room for bargaining.

Ex company rep cars may have high mileage for their age, but they may also tend to be serviced and maintained regularly and driven at less stressful freeway cruising speeds. The high mileage may put some people off, and so make excellent vehicles for others who don’t pay too much attention to mileage and pay more attention to quality. Get them A.C. checked just to make sure that all is well, but these can really make for some good deals. Do stay well away from ex Taxis however, as from our experience they tend to be treated fairly harshly.

If you have the cash to pay in full, then never forget to ask about cash discounts. Every salesman loves cash and will be more than ready to shave a good discount for it.

Always be rigid on your price, but understand that even middlemen have families to feed. Having done your homework on what you can get for how much money, then always stick to your price and keep a firm, straight face. You don’t need to be best friends with your salesman, and you are both there to do business. Let them know that you are making a choice between vehicles, and you are comparing prices with another vehicle of a similar specification elsewhere. Always maintain a polite demeanour, but stick to your guns or they’ll have them off you. Remember, you always have the advantage option of walking away. Don’t get sucked in to agreeing to their terms only. You should always leave a deal happy that you got what you wanted.

Remember that salesmen and garages often get things at a discount. When arranging to purchase your vehicle, ask for some extras to be thrown in while you have the opportunity to get them cheaper. Stereos, speakers, glass tinting, mudflaps, carpet liners, steering locks, fluffy dice, spoilers, chrome handles, seat covers, base boxes, wheel trims, alloys etc are just some of the things you may want to bargain into your deal, as purchasing them or even sourcing them later may be more difficult and expensive.

 A.C. can save many people a lot of hard earned cash. Remember Auto Checkers offers a free consultancy, so get our advice for free before you go car hunting on the type of car you are interested in, or you can simply ask us to list a few vehicle options.

As well as advice, our 200 point check has been invaluable to many who use it as a bargaining tool, to not only have any repairs or servicing made at the cost of the garage making the sale before it becomes your responsibility, but also as a means to accurately compare vehicle conditions, ensuring the best quality choices. Also remember that we offer a Chinese-English translation, and our onsite technician will help interpret for you during your bargaining if needed under our Sourcing service. Along with our sourcing service we will also help with any follow up calls which need to be made to the garage before the purchase goes through, and at no extra cost.