Car Buying Trends That Will Benefit You!

This week I wanted to note some recent trends that will benefit you, the car buyer.

1)      Toyota is #3 in overall sales

The tsunami in March caused problems at Toyota for many months.  With a decrease in supply, dealers were hesitant to sell what they had for fear that no replacement vehicles would be coming.  Now that Toyota has fixed the supply issues, there is a suitable amount of inventory to allow the dealers to discount their prices.  In addition, Toyota is currently offering incentives such as low APR, cash back and lease deals.  While this is common place for the domestic manufacturers, Toyota typically refrains from offering large incentives.  Toyota wants to regain the #1 position and the only way to do that is to sell more cars!

2)      Model year close-out for 2011

As car companies roll out their 2012 models, they want to move the current 2011 models.  This will lead to significant price cuts on cars currently on dealer’s lots.  The dealers want to make room for 2012 vehicles, so they will be more willing to sell what they have at a reduced price.  Hint:  Wait until the end of this month to really get a good deal!  Not only will many of the 2012 models be out, but dealers always want to meet their monthly sales targets.  It’s a win-win for you!

3)      Volkswagen’s quest for world domination

The Volkswagen group has made it abundantly clear that they want to be the #1 auto manufacturer in the US and world.  However, they are currently #8.  That’s a huge jump to make.  They plan on making cars more attractive to US buyers with features that we demand.  A fear that many fans of Volkswagen have is that they will lose track of the essence of what makes a Volkswagen.  We’ll have to wait and see if that happens.  Right now you can get their cars with all the trappings of a Volkswagen and get some good incentives at the same time. 

4)      Used car prices may have peaked

This spring and summer we heard all about the price of used cars and how high they were.  Well it now looks like the prices are starting to flatten or even drop a little.  But in the run-up, many dealers purchased too many cars and will be looking to off-load some inventory soon.  The deals won’t be amazing, but they will be better than they were in the previous few months.  The key will be to shop around and determine how long the car has sat on their lot.  The longer the car has been there, the more willing the dealer will be to negotiate.

All of these factors will help you the buyer when you go to purchase your next car.  Now we just need to get more money in your pockets so you have some to spend!  But this is not a blog for politics, just car buying. 

Happy car shopping!

Andy with Indy Auto Shopper