If you are determined to purchase a new vehicle now, you will get the best deals in May this Saturday (yes, tomorrow).
That's one of the great tidbits I picked up from one of the auto websites I regularly track: TrueCar.com.
Now is a bad time to buy because there's dwindling supply and dealers have almost no incentive to negotiate a lower price. But if you absolutely have to get a new car or truck, you need to do everything you can to gain the upper hand.
Research is your best weapon.
Of course, you can get some valuable advice right here at Interest.com.
We offer lots of advice on getting a better price as well as securing the best auto loan rates possible.
I also suggest checking out Edmunds.com, Cars.com and AutoTrader.com.
But I head to TrueCar.com to find buying information I can't find anywhere else.
Its monthly TrueTrends report (accessed by clicking News & Trends at the bottom of the page) offers discount tips, fuel-economy measures and what it bills as its "Performance Scorecards."
These scorecards grade auto brands according to price discounts, incentives, inventory, variation from MSRP (manufacturer's suggest retail price) and four other criteria.
The report's "Price Flex Score" pinpoints not only the vehicles on which you're most likely to negotiate a better price, but also the ones in which you probably won't win a deal.
Here are a few other facts I learned from the May TrueTrends report:
- Acura, Jaguar, Saab, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz average the smallest percentage discounts.
- Scion, Buick, Kia, GMC and Chevrolet average some of the largest percentage discounts.
- Dealers are least likely to deal on the Audi TT, Mitsubishi Endeavor, Chevy Cruze, Lexus LX 570 and Buick Lucerne.
- Dealers are most likely to deal on the Nissan Maxima, VW Routan, Chevy Silverado 1500 Hybrid, Infiniti FX50 and Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class.
- On the best-shopping day of the month (remember, that's this Saturday), car buyers can expect to win an 8.12% discount from MSRP.
Twitter
Delicious
Digg
Buzzup