What's a realistic amount to haggle for a $20k-ish used car?

[shopmore]

I'm researching some certified used cars (not sure which one yet).  My limit is around +/-$20k depending on how low I can get offer without being laughed out the door.  What has been your experience when it comes to coming down from the listed price?  

[katb]

Use edmunds.com to help

[imojoebunny]

What does Kelley Blue Book Say? Autotrader? They both have a price you can actually expect to pay range. $20k for car A might be too much, but for car B, it might not be enough.

[shopmore]

Thanks for the sites to check out. I was hoping to see what people have actually talked down the price from the start. Also negotiating tips would be helpful too.

[lurknomore]

Aug 28, 2014 7:16:57 GMT -5 shopmore said:

Thanks for the sites to check out. I was hoping to see what people have actually talked down the price from the start. Also negotiating tips would be helpful too.

Are you looking at dealers or private parties?  Private parties typically have prices that are a bit lower, but dealers are willing to negotiate a bit more, IME. 

ETA:  N/M...I missed the part about certified cars.  I have always done all my dealer negotiating over email once I have my sights set on a car.  It has been pretty quick and painless.

[Deleted]

Aug 28, 2014 7:16:57 GMT -5 shopmore said:

Thanks for the sites to check out. I was hoping to see what people have actually talked down the price from the start. Also negotiating tips would be helpful too.

It doesn't really matter how much anyone was able to negotiate because car prices are dependent on the demand in your area for that make and model.

Figure out what car you want and compare prices across the board, from the suggested nada.com value, prices on similar cars on Autotrader, other dealers in your area, Craigslist, private sellers, etc. After some solid research on a particular make and model in your area, you should have a pretty good idea of a good price point.

[gt7301b]

It really depends so much on the car. I bought a new Forester in the spring and there just weren't that many to be found, so we didn't have a ton of negotiating room. If you can find several different cars in the model you want I'd offer significantly less that they are asking. I also have no qualms about low balling and time is your friend. Don't be afraid to walk away from an okay deal.

[lys]

Last few days of the month are your best opportunities for deals.

[AmyRI]

DH talked down a certified used car in that price range down $2k from a reasonable (below KBB by $1k) starting point. Not being tied to one particular vehicle really helped. I was in search of a Rogue with specific features, and they had a bunch of varying years/mileages/conditions/packages. Ruled out a couple right away and negotiated on 2 of them. Our salesgirl sucked (and she was new to Nissans, so I was telling her all the features of the cars she showed me), and DH ended up negotiating with the sales manager when it was obvious things were not working out with the sales girl and we were getting ready to walk.

It matters a lot where the car came from. If someone traded it in at that dealership or it was a leased vehicle there, you can get a great deal because they have a large margin. If they bought it at auction and shipped it halfway across the country, not so much.

And try different dealerships. The day before we bought, we had tried at a different dealership and they would not negotiate at all from their sticker price and insisted that we'd be back to pay their prices in a few days when we didn't find a better deal. Joke is on them. I paid $1k less for a car worth $3k more than the one at their dealership.

[mich1]

Aug 28, 2014 7:51:05 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

It really depends so much on the car. I bought a new Forester in the spring and there just weren't that many to be found, so we didn't have a ton of negotiating room. If you can find several different cars in the model you want I'd offer significantly less that they are asking. I also have no qualms about low balling and time is your friend. Don't be afraid to walk away from an okay deal.

This is my experience, with this exact model.  There are some which you can negotiate on, but if the model is in short demand you might get a token amount off of it but that's it.

When I bought my Forester, I had been scouring the ads for months.  What I found was that if there was this model available, it was either very old and/or had very high mileage on it.  The single certified used model I considered buying (2 years old, 40K miles) was a whopping $1500 less than the identical model new.