If you like the car and want to make an offer ask the seller this question first:
“What is the least amount of money you would take for the car right now?”
By asking the above question, a desperate seller may drop the price significantly from what they were asking before beginning the negotiating process. Your initial offer should be less than the maximum price you’ll pay and it may still be far less than what the seller is still asking for the vehicle.
Don’t shoot all your bullets at once, the negotiation process is a give and take, back and forth process. Every time you counter, you should bring up discrepancies on the vehicle or what others are asking for the same vehicle in the local market. After devaluing the vehicle, raise your offer a little, you can keep doing this until the seller agrees to your offer or until you hit your maximum price.
If the seller is not flexible with pricing, feel free to show them some of the local quotes you’ve received from used car price quote services for proof he is asking too much for his vehicle. If you can’t agree, give the seller your contact information, be polite, and walk away.
Before money exchanges hands, ask the seller if he is okay with you taking the vehicle to a mechanic of your choice to inspect the vehicle to make sure it’s reliable. If the seller refuses, they may not be being honest with you about something.