How you beat the dealer

What Car? readers have been busy at the showrooms proving that landing a great deal on a new car doesn't have to be a hardship.

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What Car? readers have been busy at the showrooms proving that landing a great deal on a new car doesn't have to be a hardship.

Look through this selection of deals here and you'll see how they did it by following our three key principles to buying a new car.

For a start, the What Car? Target Price shows the most you should pay for any new car – so you know exactly how big a discount to haggle for.

Then there's the Hot Deals section. Updated every Friday, it will let you know where the extra savings are, from manufacturer offers to tempting discounts at supermarkets and brokers.

The final step to a great deal is ensuring you get the best price for your car when you trade it in or sell it. What Car? can help here, too, with used car valuations available online now as well as in our monthly Price Guide publication.

So, if you're shopping for a new car this weekend, follow these three steps and examples and you'll end up paying the best price.

Find out more about:
What Car? Target Price
Valuations

Readers' Deals
VW Touran
Having read What Car? for some time, I finally decided to buy a new car and contacted Carfile (01335 360763) to find a good deal on a VW Touran. I was put in contact with a dealership, who looked after me in a very friendly and professional manner.

Despite the fact that I was negotiating over the phone, they gave be the best price for a Touran 1.9 TDI SE, and beat my local dealer by £1500.

Including metallic paint, roof rails and a set of carpet mats, I paid £3319 under the list price of £17,875, bringing the total to £14,556. Included in the deal was a very good trade-in price for my Freelander, which I part-exchanged. I feel that I got an exceptional price, and the process was totally stress-free. They even delivered the car to my front door.
Stephen Pacter, Leeds

Skoda Octavia
I'd been waiting to opt out of my company-car scheme and, when I found my ideal car at the right price, I took the plunge.

Citygates Skoda in Chichester (01243 782101) had just the car I was looking for. In their showroom was an Octavia vRS 1.8 T Estate in silver, with a long list of options including cruise control and parking sensors.

The price on the screen said £15,330 but, after some determined haggling, I managed to get that reduced to £12,295. That works out to a saving of about 20% or £3035.

I am delighted with the deal and would like to thank the staff of Citygates who made the whole buying experience most enjoyable.
Steve Maker, Hampshire

Fiesta
I've been looking around for a new car since my last one died, and I got the most amazing deal from my local Ford garage.

I had seen in our local paper that TC Harrisons of Burton on Trent (01283 524624) had been offering a deal of zero deposit and monthly payments of £150 on the new Fiesta Zetec 1.25 3dr. So I went to the garage only to be told: 'Sorry, but we have now run out of 1.25 models...'

Before I could get upset they continued: '…but, we can do you a Fiesta Zetec 1.4 3dr at the same price.' I accepted their offer straight after the test drive. I have managed to get myself a car with a list price of £9795 for the nice wallet-friendly price of £6995. That works out to a huge saving of £2800.
Lee Whyman, Burton on Trent

Mini D
After a disappointing visit to a local Peugeot dealer to look at a 206 CC HDi, we decided to stop at Irvine & Sons Mini in Bridgwater (01278 429123). This is a small, yet busy, showroom but the staff were very attentive.

Finally, after an hour and a half of haggling, we managed to get £250 off the list price of a Mini One D, with the new uprated engine, and a delivery date in November. In addition we were given £9750 for our part exchange, a 2004 Mini One D with 35,000 miles on the clock. I think that's a pretty good offer when you consider that by the time the new car arrives, our current car will be four months older and could have an extra 6000 more miles on it. We are more than happy.
Tony Nelson, via e-mail


Citroen C2
We have just traded in my wife's seven-year-old Mazda 121 with 93,000 miles on the clock, for a good deal on a new Citroen C3 1.4 Desire 5dr. Our local dealer, Bollingmores of Ashford, Middlesex (01784 243638), gave us a price of £7900. At first glance this is not quite as good as the What Car? Target Price of £7807, but when you consider that our price included metallic paint, a £350 option, we beat the Target Price by a slim £257. Add in the fact that, with a 35% deposit, we have also qualified for three years' interest-free credit, and I'm very happy with the deal we struck.
Stuart Ellidge, via e-mail