Overhaulin'

NEW 2009 car I'm buying has 1,200 miles - How do I haggle price?

There is a fully loaded 2009 sedan I am looking to buy from a dealership. However, I noted that it does have over 1000 miles on its odometer. Can I haggle down the price, not only because it is an '09 model that I'm sure they want off the lot, as well as the high mileage? They have 2 other '09's on their lot, but those only have around 40-60 miles on them. Would I be justified in asking for a lower price because the 1000 miles is going to hurt my warranties? For example, I have a 2 yr/24,000 mile warranty on the battery. Having 1,000 miles already reduces the length of all of my warranties. How would I go about it? Do I go WAY below, say a few thousand? Or do I just go a few hundred? Any help or advice on haggling would be appreciated. I am a single full-time student working a full-time and part-time job to support myself and don't really have anyone to turn to for help, but I know I should be able to talk them down. I looked at the car yesterday and want to buy and already have the loan approved, but if I can get them to lower the price, that would help with payments for sure. I'm just not sure how to talk to the salesman. Thanks! =)

Public Comments

1. Mileage is not what defines a new car. A NEW car is a car that has never been titled. You may be able to talk them down some on the price because the car has some miles on it, however 1200 miles is nothing in the grand scheme of things.
2. Some new 2011 cars are beginning to hit Dealerships, and most will be there in the next six months. This is NOT A NEW CAR. The mileage indicates, unless it has been titled, that it's a tester and was probably taken home nightly by a salesman or other Dealership employee. Tester means that all sorts of people -- customers -- have been driving and abusing the car. Check for fender bender repairs (look for rippled metal and / or orange peel paint texture. Negotiate for this car as a USED CAR. If the Dealership asks you why you consider it used, tell them! Any story about driving 1,000 + miles to get the car from the rail yard to the Dealership is a LIE, and you should simply point that out. I once negotiated for a new car for my older sister at a Dealership. Suddenly, the Sales Manager called my salesman aside; when he came back he noted that the price we'd tentatively arrived at was acceptable, but he'd be selling me another identical car instead of the one we'd been looking at. The other car had over 1,000 miles on the odometer. Bait and switch. Negotiate on a new car, but actually deliver a tester. ADDED: Here's the reversal. Demand a price reduction for the loss of warranties you've noted and make the case that you believe the car is used. The Dealership will insist the car is no different than the other 2009 models they have, but may come down some. When you've got them down a bit (1,200 miles isn't that much), change your mind about color and demand the agreed price on one of the cars with 60 miles on the odometer. After all, they're the same. See how they like it. ADDED: Find your own financing (prefered) or use the dealership's, but don't let anyone who solicits you with a "deal," such as people on here, trap you into a poor loan or even fraud.
3. The key element will be whether or not this vehicle has ever been titled. It is most likely a "dealer demo" that was driven by a dealer employee but never titled. It CAN be titled and sold as new. It's a great way for dealers to get customers to pay for their fringe benefit costs, eh? In theory, the 1,000 miles should equate to approximately 1% of the vehicle's useful life having been used (or so you'd think). Unfortunately, in the scheme of things, despite these miles having come directly off the warranty too, you're not likely to get the dealer to concede more than $100 or $200. It WILL affect the amount of miles remaining, but NOT the duration (if the vehicle has NOT been titled). The only time the mileage will be a truly leveraging factor in your favor would be if it was the last 2009 on the lot and the dealer simply wants to be rid of the vehicle. Otherwise, why give away to you what someone else might be willing to pay for? If they still have 2009 vehicles on their lots, the manufacturer should be providing them with a considerable amount of "marketing support" to clear them out. This is money that dealers can, but don't necessarily have to, share with customers to help close a deal. Your best bet will be to learn which specific rebates and incentives are in-place on the vehicle so you know what kind of additional negotiating room you have. In general, and depending upon the vehicle, if the 2011's are already on dealer lot, you may have as much as $6,000 additional negotiating room in the price. The key is to make the dealer convince you that the manufacturer isn't providing him with this incentive money and that you'd be just as happy to buy to a 2010, but from somewhere else. (If he won't deal squarely on a 2009, how can he expect to you want to buy a different new car from him?) If you provided a make and model, this information is readily available. Since you didn't you're on your own to search the Internet for it. Otherwise, you should base your negotiations as you would off of a current model year vehicle less an additional 10% for the year-on-year difference as a basic rule of thumb. You can find actual and reliable pricing data at sites like edmunds.com, cars.com, and truecar.com. Best of luck. I hope this helps.
4. Certainly, a new car with 1200 miles was probably a demo, loaner or previously registered and therefore should cost less IN THEORY. But how would you really know? Remember salesmen are crooks and liars who will say anything to get the most money out of you. For all you know, the "rock bottom price" on the demo is $1000 more than the one with 40 miles, you just dont know. I suggest you stay away from 2009 & demos as they have depreciated thousands of dollars already. Unless they are discounted over $10k off MSRP I wouldnt touch em. Also dont negotiate on ur own because they love novices like u as they can make the most money. Instead I suggest you buy online from http://amexnetwork.zag.com/main.html or http://www.carsdirect.com My bro purchased his Honda Pilot from Carsdirect and got $7000 off MSRP. Its great for people who dont like to haggle or just suck at it. Their prices are cheaper than haggling anyways. And best of all they are FREE.