any tips on negotiating price of a used car

[mazerom]

yes im about to buy a civic esi 94 or 95 model...
can you give me some tips on the necessary things to consider when buying a used car in terms of

technical
price negotiations

thanks !

[skyking]

yes im about to buy a civic esi 94 or 95 model...
can you give me some tips on the necessary things to consider when buying a used car in terms of

technical
price negotiations

thanks !

Preferbably, deal with the owner, not the agent. You get more "honest" answers and better deals.

BTW, it's typical for some sellers to say, kamaganak nila yung owner in order to reassure you.

Good luck!

[number001]

yes im about to buy a civic esi 94 or 95 model...
can you give me some tips on the necessary things to consider when buying a used car in terms of

technical
price negotiations

thanks !

Technical or mechanical: The higher the mileage on the 95 Civic the more things to replace and repair such as drive shaft (repacking), LH and RH boot, clutch, brakes, etc.. Watch out for the radiator. Check if its still original and it should have Honda stamped on it. Usually there would be damage (cracking) on the upper portion which is made of fiberglass. Watch out for rust formation on the body (the area where it gets covered by the door when closed).

Price negotiations: To get a better grasp of the market value of such a car, try browsing through the sunday edition of MAnila Bulletin's Classified Ads, or get a copy of the bi-weekly issue of "Buy and Sell" for Php 25. Also check out their website at http://www.buyandsellph.com for some auto listings. Once you have an idea of the price, you can haggle further down if you can spot some defects on the car you are inspecting.

[aceshark]

or hanapin mo yung thread regarding buying second hand cars. dami ka matutunan dun...

[typhoon]

I bought a 94 LX from my friend last year for 180K. Medyo madami din ako pinagawa pero now it's working fine.

It would be preferrable kung may maintenance records yung seller. Para alam mo kung ano ung mga napalitan na and hindi pa. That would also somehow show kung marunong mag-alaga ung previous owner.

Cars this age, medyo madami na dapat palitan. Check mo suspension (harap and likod). Yung radiator nyan baka tanso na din ung top kung na-overhaul na. Ask the previous owner kung may overheating experiences sya since madami na ko nabasa na EG owners na naging problem to (including me hehe). Usually bnew evercool rad lang solution dito kung rad lang talaga problema. Otherwise, check the other components of the cooling system (like thermoswitch, thermostat, aux fan, water pump). More or less dapat napalitan na din timing belt nyan.

By the way, it would be better, not to mention simpler, kung stock lahat.

With these considerations, pwede ka na makipag-haggle sa price. The price would really depend sa current market value nya PLUS the current condition of the car.

[niky]

Not to mention the heater plugs (plugs in the engine where water would circulate into the AC heater in the Japanese model)... those plugs, funnily enough, gave way on my cousin's car while we were on the highway. We avoided towing by plugging the heater outlet temporarily with putty... and backing the car into the Alabang tollgate. We then bought a rubber "foot" (for furniture use) and secured it around the outlet with an O-ring. Worked for the week or two before he could take it to the shop.

I just love old Civics. You can have tons of overheating disasters and the engine will still be A-OK.

But like the others said, watch for rust. Knock on the rear fenders and around the edges of the roof and look for dubious bubbles and dull spots. You can knock a bit off the price if its obvious you have to repaint the car and repair rust.

[voltscastillo]

don't make an insulting price offer to the seller. one dumbass once offered me 350T for my 5-door local pajero about 4 years ago. i told him, if you can bring me pajero like mine that you bought for that amount, damn i will give you mine for free.

spoilers, airdams, shiny mags...they should not raise the price. a fresh, well maintained, stock car is always better than a raced, uber porma car. even leather seats should not be a bargaining factor (why, you think it's real leather? it's not hijo...it's synthetic and it smells pretty baho if the owner wears sando and sweats on those faux leathers), unless its factory installed and certified as real leather.

once you buy the car, it's perfectly natural (and stupid) to try to make a profit out of the sale of the same when and if you decide to sell it. be aware of prevailing price rates sa mga cars you want para hindi ka mapamahal. example...one guy here in the office insists on selling his 2nd gen pajero for 750T, not negotiable. he bought it for 700T daw, and installed new tyres and worthless plastic accessories pa daw, so dapat mabawi. awa ng Diyos hanggang ngayon hindi mabenta...you should not let other people pay for your stupid mistakes diba? why even buy a 2nd gen 96 model shape pajero for 700T anyway? at 750 add 100 more you can get a gen 2.5 98/99 fieldmaster na.

um, more na lang later hihi

[seonadancing]

first of all read up on car prices so you have an idea, when you find a car you like, stick with your budget unless you're willing to shell out more money, and remember about maintenance cost after you get the car. Basically, negotiate to a price you can afford but at the same time don't insult the seller. Unless the owner is like that Patrol owner on the other thread who accepted an Php80,000 slash down on the selling price.

[buknoy2002]

ang alam ko, dapat yung buying price mo e lower than your budget for the car. pretty sure kasi you still have to fix the car, to have it at tiptop condition. kung baga me allowance ka for repairs.

its better to have a trusted mechanic with you, para ma estimate na nyabago ka tumawad kung how much ang repairs needed for the car you intend to buy

hth