The deal
How much should you offer a private seller? Start from the market, not the ad.
Avturo checks the asking price against real comparable listings for the same model, close in year and mileage, flags the model's known problems and the red flags in the ad, and gives you the questions to ask. Paste the ad below. Then use the steps that follow to turn that check into a first offer, a walk-away number, and a message.
Paste the ad here
The link or the full ad text. We show you what comparable cars are asking, with the number of listings behind the median, and what this car's known problems cost to fix.
Free to start. We keep your listing while you create your account.
Why the asking price is not your starting point
The asking price is the seller's opening position. In Consumer Reports' survey of 1,006 used-car buyers, 70 percent haggled, 83 percent of those got a better deal, and the median saving was $900, about 8 percent off the asking price. Three in ten buyers in that survey did not haggle at all.
Edmunds' negotiating guide puts the method in one line: know the market value before you start, make a low but reasonable offer, and raise it in small steps. Everything below is that line applied to one car.
Build the number from three inputs
- 1.What comparable cars are asking. Avturo's report shows the middle asking price of listings for the same model, close in year and mileage, and how many it found. A middle price from a dozen listings is a market; one from three is a hint, and the report says which it is. Remember these are asking prices, not sale prices, so treat that middle price as a ceiling, not a target.
- 2.What this car will cost you soon. Tires that are nearly worn out, a service that is overdue, a known failure point for this model year that has not been done yet. Where Avturo has a repair-cost guide for the model, the report pulls the documented problems and their repair costs from it; the inspection confirms which ones apply to this car. Those costs come off the price, and a written repair quote makes the case for you.
- 3.Where the seller stands. How long the ad has been up, whether the price has already dropped, and whether they need it gone by a date. None of this changes what the car is worth; it changes how quickly you get there.
Your walk-away number is the most you would pay for this car given the comparables and the repairs it needs. Write it down before you message anyone.
Your first offer sits below that, with room to move in small steps, and it comes with its reasons: the comparables and the specific things you found.
What to say
Consumer Reports' survey also recorded what worked: simply asking for a better price worked for 68 percent of successful negotiators, sharing the value of similar cars found online worked for 48 percent, and saying they would walk away worked for 28 percent. So ask, and bring the comparables. A message that does both:
The car, the middle price and the repair come from the report and the ad. The first offer is your own number, built from the three inputs above. Keep the tone plain; the numbers do the arguing.
When to stop
- The counter-offer is above your walk-away number. That is what the number is for.
- The seller refuses an independent inspection. There is no price at which an uninspected private-sale car is a good deal.
- The title is not in the seller's name, is "on the way", or is already signed by someone else. See is this a real private seller?
- You are asked for a deposit to hold the car or to pay by app, wire or gift card. The Craigslist and OfferUp guides cover how to pay.
Two things the ad may be hiding
An accident on the history report under a clean title changes the comparables you should use; here is how to read that. And a seller with several cars, or a title in someone else's name, is not a private seller at all; here is how to check.
Frequently asked questions
How much below the asking price should I offer a private seller?▼
There is no fixed percentage that fits every car. Build the number from what comparable cars are asking for the same year, model and mileage, then subtract what the condition and the model's known problems will cost you. For scale, Consumer Reports' survey of used-car buyers found the median saving among those who haggled successfully was $900, about 8 percent off the asking price.
Is a low first offer rude?▼
Not if it is explained. Edmunds' advice is to make a low but reasonable offer and raise it in small steps. An offer that comes with the comparable listings behind it and the specific things you found reads as homework, not an insult. An offer with no reason attached is the one that gets ignored.
What worked for people who negotiated successfully?▼
In Consumer Reports' survey, simply asking for a better price worked for 68 percent of successful negotiators, sharing the value of similar cars found online worked for 48 percent, and saying they would walk away worked for 28 percent. Ask first, bring the comparables second.
What if the seller says the price is firm?▼
Then the similar listings decide. If the firm price is at or under what similar cars are asking and the inspection is clean, it may be fair as it stands. If it sits above the comparables, a firm price is a reason to keep looking, not a reason to pay it.