[RiverRacerX]

Just curious if there is a way to see how long a vehicle has been on a dealers lot. Reason why I ask is I would imagine you could get a better deal on something that has been sitting there for a couple weeks/months and that a dealer would want to get it moved and off their books vs. a newly delivered one.

Can you tell by the sticker?? Any other ways to tell?

 

[asavet18]

Well I don't know how it works in the US but here in Canada the dealerships have 90 days to sell the vehicle. After that the manufacturer starts charging the dealership interest. These vehicles as my buddy ( who's a sales manager at a dealership) calls it are labeled as an aging unit.... usually they're the ones already marked down...usually u can even bargain lower cause they're really motivated to move them.

 

[RiverRacerX]

In the US the dealers pay "flooring fees" meaning the dealers don't own the vehicles, the manufacturer still does. Unless the dealer pays for them up front. So they pay each month to have the trucks sit there.

I just don't know how to tell how long they have been there. That's why I asked.
Obviously end of the year deals are going to keep getting better, but if you know a vehicle has been sitting there for awhile it should give you better bargaining power.

 

[Chuffnut]

Someone will probably chime in with a better answer, but I look at the manufacture date on the sticker that's on the drivers door and then I add a month to that. Mine was manufactured 10/13 so I assumed it had been on the lot since 11/13. I know there are things to take into account, like dealer trades, or it was built the beginning of the month...., but that's just how I do it. I bought mine in April and I did get a little($500) better deal on it than on an identical one that was made in February.

 

[dodge man]

Yep, the sticker on the drivers door gives a rough idea.

 

[RiverRacerX]

I found out that www.cargurus.com tracks how long a vehicle has been in a dealers system. Looks like you can kinda tell how long it has been there and when they have advertised a price drop on their (dealer) site.

Best way to tell over the internet vs. seeing the actual door sticker!

 

[Biga]

My truck was made in April and I bought it at the end of May so it wasn't on the lot long. The dealer still has two sports sitting on the lot now that where on the lot when I bought mine but the price doesn't show any lower on the dealers website.

 

[VPRPWRD]

if your state requires inspection you can go by that. We inspect the vehicles in the first week they arrive so that gives you a good idea.

 

[dleininger]

My truck sat on the lot for 2 months...not too bad.

 

[maust1]

Mine was made in may and I bought it in may so she must have just got there. The wife's van was made in Dec and bought in May. I wish I noticed this before the deal but the original van she bought was wrecked in transit so this is the one she picked to replace it.
Mick

 

[Frank Rizzo]

I noticed when shopping for the R/T, the ones with really lower VIN numbers were cheaper at many dealers.
I remember when I used be in "the Biz" that the factory threw what we called "trunk money" on certain vehicles that had "lot rash" from hanging around the dealership a long time. Right around now is when it was most common (July thru Sept) to clean out the last of the years models. Most of the time this trunk money was to assist the dealer to purchase the vehicle from the factory to avoid the monthly flooring charges. It is not publicized and it is really up to the dealer if they want to give it up to the customer or keep it.

I tried to get my sales guy to admit the factory was throwing some cash at the truck, but he would not peep.

.

 

[Rambunkshuss]

Drivers door sticker = M/Y
I special ordered mine, arrived just shy of 3wks, i took delivery.

 

[Big Al23]

Agree, look at the plate on the driver's door. My truck was built in July or Aug and I bought it Sept. Figure 6 weeks on avg, from MFG sticker. As far as getting a deal, usually a dealer will give you a better deal on a vehicle that just hits the lot because (as above post says) the dealer doesn't pay interest on these vehicles right away. Also, there is what they called a "holdback", which is normally 3%. As the vehicle sits on the lot, the holdback amount to the dealer drops. Here's a good way to figure what you should pay. Take the base price from the sticker, say 36000, take 8% of that which is $2880. Then take the options total, say $8000, take 20% off that, $1600. So, a truck that would sticker $44000 should be discounted to $39520 before rebates. Then the dealer can also take off some of the 3% holdback. So, if there is a rebate of $1000, then taking that off and the holdback, you can get it down to $37520 realistically. Sound good?

 

[Aggie86]

I noticed when shopping for the R/T, the ones with really lower VIN numbers were cheaper at many dealers.
I remember when I used be in "the Biz" that the factory threw what we called "trunk money" on certain vehicles that had "lot rash" from hanging around the dealership a long time. Right around now is when it was most common (July thru Sept) to clean out the last of the years models. Most of the time this trunk money was to assist the dealer to purchase the vehicle from the factory to avoid the monthly flooring charges. It is not publicized and it is really up to the dealer if they want to give it up to the customer or keep it.

I tried to get my sales guy to admit the factory was throwing some cash at the truck, but he would not peep.

.

Dont know if you purchased one that had been on the lot for awhile but for comparrison, I ordered mine and from what I've seen on other postings, you and I got very similar deals.

 

[CountryRam79]

I always check the stock number. The stock number is usually higher on the newer ones.

 

[Rambunkshuss]

I always check the stock number. The stock number is usually higher on the newer ones.

Checking the stock number wont tell you when it was actually built... hence how long it has been sitting on the lot.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

Dealers almost never go into their holdback. I don't care what they tell you, almost never. They usually get that money quarterly after the vehicle is sold.

 

[Rambunkshuss]

Dealers almost never go into their holdback. I don't care what they tell you, almost never. They usually get that money quarterly after the vehicle is sold.

People that special order a vehicle stand a better chance at getting the hold back fee than people just walking in buying a new vehicle off the the lot. I ordered my truck and got every dime of the hold back fee. Most people dont even no that it exist`s, or even know what it is.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

People that special order a vehicle stand a better chance at getting the hold back fee than people just walking in buying a new vehicle off the the lot. I ordered my truck and got every dime of the hold back fee. Most people dont even no that it exist`s, or even know what it is.

Maybe, but doubtful. The sales people and the F & I guys don't even know what the holdback amount is. It's not listed on the invoice or anywhere that someone could look up. The only ones that know are the owner and maybe his accountant because the holdback is a private transaction between the manufacturer and the dealership owner. Oh - high volume dealers get different holdbacks (higher) than low volume dealers (usually only on American cars) as a reward for moving a lot of units - so how does anyone know what the true number is?
And like i said, it is paid back to the dealership quarterly, so it's hard to imagine they would front a buyer $500 at the beginning of the quarter and wait 3 mos. to get it back from the manufacturer.
I noticed that a lot of people get hung up on the concept of holdback, but know little about the multitude of other manufacturer to dealer incentive programs and don't stand off on those.... In reality if all the dealers cut into their holdback as much as they said they did, they would be out of business. There is so much hidden profit in a car, you could never get to true dealer cost if you had to.
I bet you right now there is a lot of trunk money floating around DCJ dealerships to get the 2014's off the lot before the 2015's arrive. Heck, there is probably a spiff on Orange Challengers sold on tuesdays right now. My guess is that since they have discontinued the Durango - right now would be a great time to get one on the cheap.