New and Used Car Market

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a much better time buying a used Subaru this year than last year (last year we gave up and sat on our hands because it was so hard). We actually also had some new options, though those were limited because you have to go with what is on the lot -- wait times for a new car you order are still pretty long.

But for used, prices were better and availability was way better. We had a very definite idea of what we wanted and a max number we would spend since paying cash, and were able to find it in just two weeks of looking. Last year we spent nearly two months and finally gave up.

I have recently encountered Subaru dealers offering less than MSRP. However, I have also encountered other dealers--notably Toyota--with a substantial markup. The used car market in my experience is pretty bad. There are very few 1-3 year old, low mileage vehicles. Most are 5+ years/50k+ miles and many are dirty and have accident histories. They are also not cheap. Also there is extreme pressure on the part of dealers to convince you to take a loan at a high interest rate. Do not mention cash until you have agreed on the price and even then be prepared to walk away if they keep pushing the loan.