4 ms·

I'm having our third kid in December and we need a bigger car. No idea what to do. Wait? Used are the same price as new.

ghaff 4y ago
I bought a new car recently that there was very little haggle room on but at least no markup (other than the doc fee, etc.) Also took 6 weeks. But I did get a $15K trade-in on a 75K mile, 11 yo car with visible body damage. I was shocked. That must suggest something about used car prices.
- bdcravens 4y ago
  The dealer I bought my 2018 Toyota from has been hassling me for the last couple of years trying to buy it back. Only recently have they backed off.
bdcravens 4y ago
Is there a reasonable chance that the vehicle you want will be ready by then? In your shoes I'd try to place the order. Otherwise I'd get something a few years old (2018+). In 24 months it'll be ridiculously messy anyways, and I think a 20k mile difference is negligible these days.
- JadeNB 4y ago
  > In 24 months it'll be ridiculously messy anyways, and I think a 20k mile difference is negligible these days. Is something predicted to happen in 24 months, or do you just mean that we don't know and can't reasonably predict it?
  - bdcravens 4y ago
    I'm saying that children are very messy, so no need to worry about a car looking new.
    - JadeNB 4y ago
      > I'm saying that children are very messy, so no need to worry about a car looking new. Oh, that makes more sense. I thought that, in "In 24 months it will be ridiculously messy", 'it' referred to the state of the car-buying market, rather than to a car itself.
  - mostafas 4y ago
    I think they're referring to 3 kids making a mess of any car given 24 months.
natch 4y ago
If you can afford to risk $250 (non-refundable order fee), then put in an order for a Model Y. At least to have the option. Then go test drive one. Don’t brush this idea off without doing an actual test drive. Not a ride. A drive. Orders put in now have delivery as soon as December.
anonAndOn 4y ago
Cast a wide net using the dealerships' Internet Sales desk ONLY and expect your search to take longer than pre-COVID times. You might be able to find the car you want at a reasonable price... a few hundred miles away. And don't be afraid to walk if the dealership tries any shenanigans when you show up. If they know you drove X hours to get there, they may try to leverage that information.
andrew_ 4y ago
Be patient. There's about to be a glut of available vehicles [1] in the near future. The boat market is also showing the same signs. [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/gen-z-millennials-default-auto-loans-far-greater-rates-pandemic-rcna31479 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/gen-z-millennials-...
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  Another article about glut of available boats. https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/09/worlds-largest-cruise-ship-to-be-scrapped-before-first-voyage/ https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/09/worlds-largest-cruise-shi...
- greeneggs 4y ago
  US new car sales are still more than 2,000,000 fewer per year than pre-pandemic (about a 12% drop) [1], mostly because of restricted supply. A less than .5 percentage point change in default rates is not nearly enough to close this gap. [1] https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/usa-auto-industry-total-sales-figures/ https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/usa-auto-industry-total-sales-...
graton 4y ago
Used car prices have been dropping a lot recently. Like almost 1% each week in the wholesale market over the last 6-8 weeks. This YouTube channel discusses it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8H8sTNiRc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8H8sTNiRc Prices are still too expensive on used cars, but the prices are getting better and likely will continue.

ghaff 4y ago

I bought a new car recently that there was very little haggle room on but at least no markup (other than the doc fee, etc.) Also took 6 weeks. But I did get a $15K trade-in on a 75K mile, 11 yo car with visible body damage. I was shocked. That must suggest something about used car prices.

bdcravens 4y ago
The dealer I bought my 2018 Toyota from has been hassling me for the last couple of years trying to buy it back. Only recently have they backed off.

bdcravens 4y ago

Is there a reasonable chance that the vehicle you want will be ready by then? In your shoes I'd try to place the order. Otherwise I'd get something a few years old (2018+). In 24 months it'll be ridiculously messy anyways, and I think a 20k mile difference is negligible these days.

JadeNB 4y ago
> In 24 months it'll be ridiculously messy anyways, and I think a 20k mile difference is negligible these days. Is something predicted to happen in 24 months, or do you just mean that we don't know and can't reasonably predict it?
- bdcravens 4y ago
  I'm saying that children are very messy, so no need to worry about a car looking new.
  - JadeNB 4y ago
    > I'm saying that children are very messy, so no need to worry about a car looking new. Oh, that makes more sense. I thought that, in "In 24 months it will be ridiculously messy", 'it' referred to the state of the car-buying market, rather than to a car itself.
- mostafas 4y ago
  I think they're referring to 3 kids making a mess of any car given 24 months.

natch 4y ago

If you can afford to risk $250 (non-refundable order fee), then put in an order for a Model Y. At least to have the option. Then go test drive one. Don’t brush this idea off without doing an actual test drive. Not a ride. A drive. Orders put in now have delivery as soon as December.

anonAndOn 4y ago

Cast a wide net using the dealerships' Internet Sales desk ONLY and expect your search to take longer than pre-COVID times. You might be able to find the car you want at a reasonable price... a few hundred miles away. And don't be afraid to walk if the dealership tries any shenanigans when you show up. If they know you drove X hours to get there, they may try to leverage that information.

andrew_ 4y ago

Be patient. There's about to be a glut of available vehicles [1] in the near future. The boat market is also showing the same signs. [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/gen-z-millennials-default-auto-loans-far-greater-rates-pandemic-rcna31479 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/gen-z-millennials-...

lotsofpulp 4y ago
Another article about glut of available boats. https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/09/worlds-largest-cruise-ship-to-be-scrapped-before-first-voyage/ https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/09/worlds-largest-cruise-shi...
greeneggs 4y ago
US new car sales are still more than 2,000,000 fewer per year than pre-pandemic (about a 12% drop) [1], mostly because of restricted supply. A less than .5 percentage point change in default rates is not nearly enough to close this gap. [1] https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/usa-auto-industry-total-sales-figures/ https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/usa-auto-industry-total-sales-...

graton 4y ago

Used car prices have been dropping a lot recently. Like almost 1% each week in the wholesale market over the last 6-8 weeks. This YouTube channel discusses it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8H8sTNiRc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8H8sTNiRc Prices are still too expensive on used cars, but the prices are getting better and likely will continue.