Looking for some input on negotiating a price on a piece of used equip.

When I bought my used Kubota the dealer had a good price on it I thought. Tried to negotiate be he said it was as low as he could go on it.

Still looking at used mini excavators. I feel I have a pretty good idea of what the range of machines I might consider buying. If they are asking $25k is there any wiggle room? I know it is a bit of a tough market. But have found a few machines I might consider trying to buy. Any equip. dealers or members that have experience in this relm that wish to chime in would be helpful.

A bank or equipment auction house could give a range of prices that similar equipment has brought in recent auction sales. It’s been a long time since I dealt with auctions, but IIRC there was a publication that I think was called Last Bid that auctioneers would consult while doing appraisals etc. Private treaty sales with individuals may be more productive than buying from a dealer. Take a mechanic with you who knows the equipment just to be safe. If buying from an individual, make sure the unit isn’t stolen.
TMI?
Good luck.

I have been in the used equipment (mostly ag) business for 14 years. There are no deals right now. Dealers who have equipment are sticking to their asking price - and mostly getting it. I tried to buy a $400,000 tractor today from a JD dealer. Even tho they had it in their inventory for almost a year, they would only come down 3.5%.

The best advice I have is to widen your search area. You may find one in a different area of the coutry where that product is not as popular. But then the extra transportation cost may well make that a bad deal too.

Go to www.machinerytrader.com or www.rbauction.com to get an idea of what stuff has been bringing at auction. If you need an account to do that, email me what you are looking at and I will check auction prices for you

Also go to Craigslist, look under Heavy Equipment.

I have been looking at RBAuction, and notice the supply is much lower than times in the past.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the suggestions and thoughts. Ideally I would like to find a 25-30+hp range, 7000lb approx. rubber tracked machine at $20k or close that has lots of life left and is mechanically sound.

I guess a good bit off it will depend on your market.
Our market is very hot right now, most new stuff requires to be on a waiting list for a few months. In turn, used equipment is bringing in all the money.
My brother was looking at a skidsteer about a month ago.
The dealer was absolutely firm on the price and told him on the phone not to come if he was not ready to pay full asking price.