Smart Car Buyers Take Advantage of Snow Storms
Millions of Americans throughout the country have been digging themselves out of the snow in recent days thanks to record-breaking snowfall, especially in the Northeast. Dealers have been as well, and it represents a golden opportunity to buy in hard hit regions.
Dealerships face monthly sales quotas to maintain their operations in addition to quarterly and yearly goals. While some of them may have built in a certain amount of cushion, the lack of traffic from interested consumers has had a huge impact on their February sales figures.
Expect local salespeople in areas with heavy snowfall to be much more inclined to offer incentives and higher cash back numbers to offset the loss of sales, a process that already began with the annual Presidents' Day Weekend sales blitzes.
This is likely to continue through much of March, especially for cars beset by recall issues, including large swaths of Toyota's line and the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids. The first quarter of 2010 ends March 31, and dealers will be looking to shore up their numbers before they issue corporate reports.
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar No-Haggle, Edmunds Price Promise, and 1-800 Car Show are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.California Residents - Important:
There is a new online car buying service called Roadster, available only to California residents, which I highly recommend you try - especially if you hate the stress of haggling with a car salesman. They provide an expert concierge who negotiates the price of the car and delivers it to your home with zero hassle - you never have to interact with a dealership. Here is my in-depth review of Roadster and why I recommend it.- Gregg Fidan
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About: Gregg Fidan
Gregg Fidan + is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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