Dealer markup

[RayS]

In the absence of a trade guide I have been trying to get some idea of the trade in I may expect to be offered on my existing van. Looking the same model ifor sale on various websites the asking price seems generally around £14000.
I know the trade in will depend on what you may be buying, but assuming it is generally the same general sort of van but new rather than used.
I also know it will depend upon condition etc. But I have a fully serviced dry van with mover etc. So would not expect any wriggling about condition.
A 25% markup on a trade in price of £11000 would give a sale price of £13750. thus allowing a bit for haggle on £14000.
Has anyone experience of just how this negotiation usually goes - I would hope 25% would be enough for the dealer !!

 

[MichaelE]

Its a difficult one to say as there are lots of factors.
It depends on the van you are buying and the van you are trading.
If the van you are buying is a good seller they are less reluctant to offer a good price as they can sell all day long with no effort, buying an end of season in stock model or a cancelled order that's arriving will increase your price but every van has a limit and its the cost to change.
Likewise with your van, dealers do have interested parties waiting for certain types of vans to become available, if your van is desirable then a good offer will be on the table , if your van isn't or its the end of season then it can be pushed lower as he may not want it.
The cost to change is the important factor, he may give you a really good price for your van but offer no discount on the new one.
I always get 2 prices , 1 to trade in and the other as a no trade deal, this will give you an idea on what he is giving for your van. as you have the cost to change figure from the first price.
I then managed to sell my van privately and benefited from the cash deal.

 

[Raywood]

It is not easy to advise on this. You will normally get a better offer on a new model as the discount they would have given for cash purchasers can be added at least in part to the trade in. They do need to allow for a profit margin, their finance and guarantee costs so I would expect probably £2,000 or so but it will vary a lot depending on the firms and the salesman's figures at that time.
It is a bit like buying a car in most cases and if you can get a salesman who has had a bad month near the end of it you will probably get a better deal than early in the month or if he has had a good one. You do normally need to negotiate though.
You should get a better deal now as dealers want to clear the sites for new models so second hand and last years models need clearing and if they do not sell now most will stay there until early next year so it helps cash flow. Even a lower value second hand caravan is better for them as it reduces the amount the borrow to finance the stock.