After my current car was totalled last week, I’ve been shopping for a new car. I’m being offered some good deals on cars that were manufactured in Nov - Dec 2013. Is there a big downside to cars that have been sitting on the lot for 6 months? Anything particular I should look for on a car like that? Is it worth saving $1k out of $20k or so over a car that was manufactured in the past month?
I recently had to have my rotors spun on a car that I’d purchased. It was suggested to me by the tire shop that this was due to the car sitting on the lot all summer and the rotors warping. I have no idea I that was true or not but it did solve the problems. and it sounds legitimate.
If they are 2013 models, there will be a faster drop in depreciation.
Other than that, I’d want to know if the cars have just been sitting there or have they been at started up and driven at least once a month or more often. If just sitting there, it could be bad on the tires resting in one place plus things like the engine and transmission would be lacking lubrication when the engine is first started up.
Also gasoline has a shelf life. If it sits too long, gasoline can deteriorate and leave varnish-like coatings on things. That’s why they make stuff like Sta-Bil to keep gasoline fresh longer.
I’m a car-guy. A gear-head. My dad and his dad were professional auto mechanics.
I have NEVER heard of a ANYONE worrying about how ‘fresh’ a new car was. Nor have I EVER heard of anyone having problems with any car because of anything like that.
As long as it’s sold as a new car, it’s going to come with a full warranty that covers anything that might possibly (though very far fetched) happen.
They didn’t warp. Rotors do not warp from sitting. ‘Spinning’ a rotor can not un-warp it.
It probably had surface rust on it except where the brake pads were over it (them).
Driving the car, and braking… removes surface rust. It just vibrates until all the rust is gone.
Thanks everyone. I guess I’m wondering why they’re willing to knock another $1k off the price for a 6 month old car vs. an identical one that just arrived recently. Just want to make sure it isn’t a too good to be true situation.
You also should look at the mileage. Anything over the very low double digits suggests it’s been getting driven around a lot and, while I wouldn’t rule it out, I would probably try to negotiate an even deeper discount.
Thanks, I like to know when I’m being bulshitted. So would it have eventually stopped without being spun?
The dealer has to pay interest on the money they borrow to buy there cars after a free period, usually 90 days. So a brand new to them car is free while the older car is costing them interest ( called flooring in the industry) each month.
So a smart new car manager tries to move his oldest inventory first.
Surface rust would have been removed through normal braking within a mile or three of stop and go driving. It would have sounded and felt pretty rough the first few stops.
It is entirely possible your disks were warped but not because of the rust. Certainly not from sitting in a lot for extended periods. They were most likely warped because someon over-torqued the wheel nuts/bolts. If the car was brand new and with original wheels, unlikely it was done by the factory. I’m skeptical that warped disks were the actual problem per the explanation given by your shop.
Warning to new car buyers- always make sure the odometer is NOT on trip A or trip B mode when reading the mileage on a new car. Mine said 210 miles, but that was only on the trip A odometer- the actual mileage was near 1000.
You can also get a brake vibration from material transfer from the pad to the rotor. This can be caused by extended sitting, but Is fairly rare. Not unknown but not very common.
So you’re saying the Trip A, Trip B, and the actual odometer are all the same set of digits, and you toggle between all 3 with a button? I’ve never seen a car like that, all mine have had a dedicated odometer and separate trip meter.
I’d worry some about false brinnelling if the car sat somewhere subject to vibration, like close to a heavily travelled highway. Without oil to lubricate the bearings vibration can cause fretting damage at points of metal to metal contact. The standard practice is to rotate shafts 4 and a half turns every two weeks in storage. This coats the rolling surfaces with oil and ensures it doesn’t end up at the same standing position.
You must not have had many cars with a digital odometer. Almost every newer car I’ve had have been like that. Even my 1994 Ford F150 is kind of like that. The trip odometer is a separate button, but the reading shows up in the same spot as the regular odometer.
We’re in mid-2014 right now, which means that the 2015 models will soon hit the dealerships, if they haven’t started to already.
They probably want to move the older 2014 model cars off the lot ASAP, since once the 2015 models get on the lot, they’ll have to steeply discount them to unload them. The thinking behind the good deals you’re being offered is probably that it’s better to give you a good discount and sell it to you today and make more profit, than have to give a bigger discount in a little while when the 2015 models show up and not make as much if any money.
My 2005 Dodge has a trip odometer & regular odometer in the exact same place, and use the same button. A short press switches between them, and pressing & holding resets the trip odometer.
If it’s been sitting on the lot for 6 months, there may be something in the options package that just isn’t selling well, and the dealer wants it sold. Maybe it’s the paint color, maybe it’s the lack of AC, or the high end trim package or who knows. Someone guessed wrong, and this one just isn’t catching anyone’s eye at full cost.
That’s what happened with my Fiesta. They were selling like hotcakes and dealers couldn’t hardly keep them in stock, but this one was just sitting there. Turns out they forgot to order it with cruise control. I got it for a pretty good price.
My '97 Grand Cherokee has a Trip A odometer in the same space as the actual odometer; it’s accessed by pressing a little button. The trip odometer only has five digits; the sixth spot is taken by a decimal place (tenths of a mile). The Trip B odometer is accessed on a separate display. This was redesigned by 2009; that Grand Cherokee displays both trip odometers in the same spot as the actual odometer, but they’re labeled as “trip A” and “trip B”.
Speaking of the '09…according to a tag on the door, it was manufactured in November 2008. I purchased it in July 2009; it had 628 miles on it. (Yes, I got a very good price on it!) I have no clue why it sat on the lot (in West Virginia) that long…the color combo is nice (deep red exterior, khaki leather interior), and it’s very nicely equipped (and also has four wheel drive). It does have a 4.7L V8 engine – that might have been enough to discourage a lot of drivers.