Car credit customers too shy for success

The market for car credit customers to purchase a new vehicle is becoming bigger, and thus more competitive, all the time. This means there are big discounts and savings available, but because many car customers are too shy to haggle, theyre losing money. It is especially important for customers who are relying on car credit to finance their purchase to make sure they get a good price, or they could be borrowing more money than they actually need. The specialist publication What Car? Magazine sent a team of hagglers around car showrooms, and instructed them to negotiate the price down as low as possible. The hagglers found there was usually considerable room for manoeuvre between the list price, and what a showroom would accept. The biggest percentage saving was 25 per cent on the Suzuki Swift (£1,711), followed by 22 per cent on the CitroÎn Picasso (£3,740) and 19 per cent on the Mazda 323 and Proton Impian (£2,659). For the average car credit customer, this would work out as an annual saving of £1,200, up from £997 last year. What Car? editor Rob Aherne said: "These findings show dealers are prepared to negotiate big savings on new cars. "By checking the target price before heading for the showroom, buyers know exactly how much discount to expect."