Timing on buying a 2017 vehicle

[meierlde]

One thing to check on is what date in your state do dealers get assessed personal property taxes on their inventory, they will typically have clear their lot sales before hand.
Note that I have read that cars as contrasted with SUVs are not selling to well and GM had to stop production on the Malibu and Cruze for a couple of weeks, likley you could get a deal on those if interested. Note auto sales in general are down about 2% year over year.

[Bamaman]

The ad valorem taxes are usually assessed on inventories on hand as of December 31st. Trucking companies close down for Christmas Vacation and dealers are thankful for that. And many dealers also ignore booking in vehicles that arrive before year end--until after January 1st.

The last week of the calendar year is very good for the car business. Many customers with profitable businesses are also purchasing vehicles on paper when they can take enhanced depreciation on them. They may not even get around to picking them up until a week or two into the new year, however.

General Motors has finally come up with some really good styling on the Malibu and Impala. And the Cruze has developed into a good vehicle. With low sales right now, sales incentives should be excellent. When supplies go up--the price comes down.

[walkinwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski If those are on your radar then you should consider Subaru Outback or Forrester.... both are very good values IMO... particularly if you need or want AWD.

We did consider the Outback which is very popular here in CO. Didn't like it as much as the the two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman Both are great vehicles, and big, big sellers. Ford's throwing great incentives on the Escape right now. Ford dealers' basic dealership expenses are covered from profits off pickup trucks, and you'll just about always beat a Honda dealer's deal. Ford's 2.0 liter Ecoboost is quite a performer, too. (My family once owned part of two different Honda dealerships.)

Thanks. My FiL is a retired ford employee, so we get good Ford deals. However, I want us to buy the car that we like best since we keep them for a long time.

[Totoro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrabbler1 I once bought a former rental car. It was sold back to the carmaker then reconditioned and sold as a high quality used car, backed by the balance of the factory warranty.

My current car is an ex-rental too, bought via the outlet store of the parent lease company. Great value, no hassle. Put 20k miles on that thing in the past year, and it only depreciated a few hundred dollars.

Only the engine is woefully underpowered, but can't blame them for that now can I

[Andre1969]

The last new vehicle I bought was a 2012 Dodge Ram. I bought it in September of 2012, so by that time they probably wanted it gone to make room for the 2013 models. Anyway, it originally MSRP'ed for around $26,000. I got it for $20,751 out the door, with tax, tags, all incentives, etc.

I wanted a specific body style that's not so popular anymore...regular cab, with the 8-foot bed. Essentially, a light duty work truck. Most people these days want a back seat, so they get either an extended cab with stubby rear doors, or a crew cab with full rear doors, and a correspondingly shorter bed. Or, if they want a "real" truck, they get a 3/4 ton or beefier model. So, the dealer might have been more willing to throw the extra incentives on my truck, just to get rid of it.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldShooter I haven't paid a doc fee in years. They are just "additional dealer profit." ...

Especially when they screw up the documentation. Do I get that refunded?

But personally, I don't see the point of concern over whether they charge xyz fee or not. The out-the-door price is all I care about. If I get what I consider a fair price, they could put a line item for 99% of the price that says "Beer & Pizza sales-person fund", or "Fee for driving the car from the lot to our front door and handing you the key(fob)". Why would I care?

Though I have had a sales guy tell me that the doc fee is a government regulated fee, or something like that, leaving the impression it is required. I looked him in the eye, and said, yes, the government regulates the maximum you can charge for a doc fee (at least in IL), they don't require you to charge a penny.

-ERD50