75 cars in stock of what we want compared to 1-10 of other models

[Anonymous]

We are looking for a specific car. A local dealership shows 75 cars for this model, and other models have somewhere between 1 to 10 cars. The car we are looking at is not the most popular model at all. How does this happen that one dealership has so many? How would approach negotiating with them - do we lowball hoping to get a deal? Or is there something we don't know about how car dealership inventory works.

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

I bought a car recently & the online inventory was not accurate. They listed all of the pre ordered cars on their website -- so none of them were available for purchase.

[Anonymous]

There is very little inventory right now. PP is correct, most cars listed online are either on order or possibly intransit. There are also lots of people who have put deposits down on anything coming in. Most places have a little "confirm availabilty" button on the various car listings as opposed to a "schedule a test drive" button - which should be a dead giveaway thats its not on the lot.

[Anonymous]

Also, there is no negotiating right now generally. You may be lucky to purchase at MSRP for popular cars.

[Anonymous]

Look at other car models at that dealership - are there one or two, or 50+ for those as well? I suspect their online inventory is misleading you and you would not find that many cars if you showed up in person.

[Anonymous]

Inventory is never accurate. Call and ask what they actually have on the lot.

[Anonymous]

The Subaru dealership near me has tons of Outbacks in stock, like the whole damn lot, but very few other models. We were looking for a different model and asked a sales person about the excessive stock. He said it was because they could get Outbacks but couldn't get other models so they stocked up, so to speak.

My DH has been waiting for a 2022 Chevy truck since late 2021. He was supposed to have delivery this month but was just contacted that there's now a shortage with the engine he selected, the sunroof, and the tires he wanted. They don't think they'll have delivery until January 2023 and the sales person asked him if he still wanted the 2022 model in January or if he wanted to come in and select a new model. He had to put a deposit down on the vehicle but at least it was only $500 and it's refundable.

[Anonymous]

I doubt they have 75, that's probably what they have on order, and I bet most already have deposits on them.

[Anonymous]

Did you physically see them on the lot OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I doubt they have 75, that's probably what they have on order, and I bet most already have deposits on them.

+1. This is very likely.

Does the car you want have any incentives listed? Like 0% financing or cash back? If so, this tells you there might be some inventory on the lot and there might be some room for negotiation.

You sound kind of naive about purchasing a new car. You aren't going to get a good deal by going to "a dealer" and lowballing them. Just google how to buy a new car. Do your research on price. Before Covid and supply chain issues it was pretty easy to know how low a dealer would go. You can also find out any rebates or incentives that are offered on your car of choice and then figure out what you should be paying.