Not that we need another discussion, but this is close to home.

Had gone in to the dealer to get my battery checked, so while that was happening, I thought I'd at least take a look at the new RDX and MDX in person. Well, turns out they had 0 new RDX or MDX on the lot. They said if you want a new car, the best thing would be to pay a refundable $500 deposit and get in line. They are asking for $2500 dealer markup for an incoming car. If they had a car on the lot, they would ask $5000 dealer markup for it. The showroom floor was filled with "Armor All'ed" used cars. There was a 2021 RDX AWD Advance with ~4000 miles that was listed at $52000.

 

It is a horrific time to purchase a car. You described exactly what I saw 2 months ago at my nearest Acura dealer. No inventory. No fair deals to be had.

 

Agreed, but have seen other Azine members saying they have traded in their used RDX / TLX for newer models and have knock substantial $$$ off their monthly payments.

 

That's too bad. However my dealer here is MSRP all the way.....Mine will be arriving next week. But even at other Acura dealers near and far from me are MSRP as well.

 

It just depends on what market you are in. East/West coast seems to be the worst in terms of availability and markup. Here in the midwest, cars are hard to come by, but there aren't a lot of dealers marking them up beyond MSRP.

 

This happened to me. The dealer was at MSRP, but the trade-in value for my '20 RDX/Tech allowed me enough of a downpayment to get a '22 A-Spec and save $130 a month.

 

I got a Carmax offer for my 2016 RDX back in April. Then in Nov. I checked again and got a new offer. Their offer increased 28% ($5400) in the 7 month period.

 

Using monthly payments schemes to mask the true cost on the upgrade.

it doesn’t make financial sense to trade in your car
so soon even in this whacky market. Your gonna take a loss and the dealership comes out ahead as usual.

 

You sell it only to be left buying an expensive new car above MSRP. It all equals out.

 

I ordered a red A Spec Advanced the beginning of November. $1000 deposit and I paid sticker. Build date is mid January.

 

How many of us in this forum need to tell you that’s not the case with a majority of Acura’s dealers, probably all of them when a buyer is purchasing a new vehicle. Now with used vehicles I agree with you 100%

 

Given that supply chain issues are not likely to be resolved this year, I'm thinking I should just buy an extended warranty and hang on to my car. To get an electric car (say ID.4 or Model Y) before my warranty is out, I'd have to place an order right now. A lot of the European brands have issues where they are deleting features or not allowing certain options because of chip shortage so I wouldn't want one of those anyway.

These are definitely interesting times. I have never lived through a time like this in the US. I do remember this is how things worked in Nigeria when I was a kid, only it worked like that with everything. Store shelves were always empty and as soon as a store received product, word got around and it would all be gone in hours and people paid whatever they needed to. Most of the wealthy would fly to Europe to shop for non-perishable goods like clothes, shoes, etc.

 

NEVER pay over MSRP for a new vehicle....walk away! At MSRP a dealer is making a very nice profit. Even under the current low inventory of new vehicles the National Automotive Dealer Association reports dealer profits are way up this year. Dealers are always saying they are not making much, sometimes even claiming they are losing money on a deal .Its all pure BS. Even if they show you their "invoice" of what they paid, don't believe it. The system is complicated and they get things like "hold backs" and incentives after the sale raising their profit margins. And, not least of all, many if not most dealers make more total profit on selling used cars then they do on new.

Never let "new car fever" affect a car buying decision. Keep looking until you are happy with a deal even if it means waiting months. We were scheduled to update my wife's 2015 Fit in 2020 (we are on a five year cycle) but have held off until the market gets better. The value of her '15 Fit has gone up nearly 50% in the past year! It was the top model when new and was $20k. Now six years later that model is selling used for $25k! It will go back down when the new car market cools, but then prices for a replace will be lower then also so its a "wash".

 

What if you don't have the option of waiting because of either a car accident or the current car becoming undriveable because it needs a repair that is too expensive to justify given its age? Thankfully I'm not in that situation.

I had a friend who's minivan was totaled in an accident and he needed a new car immediately. He was forced to settle on multiple fronts -- drove to a dealer more than an hour away to get a good deal, paid MSRP for a fully loaded car, leased instead of bought, took whatever color was available with that dealer. If he was not flexible on other fronts, he would have been forced to pay over MSRP.

 

There are exceptions to every rule and sometimes bad things just happen unexpectedly. But the good news is....there is usually another dealer of the same make within reasonable driving distance. I know on the last four cars we bought we went "out of town" for three of them and saved thousands of dollars for our trouble. We could manage our lives with one car but always keep two, just in case.

 

I picked up 2 RDX's a few weeks ago, my trade ins made it so I broke even, pretty much buying at MSRP (actually just a hair below MSRP). They did give me a bunch of free accessories though. Sucks, but my 2 leases were up so I didn't have a lot of choice. Many of the dealers I went to wanted 5-8k over MSRP!!!

 

I purchased a new vehicle at MSRP minus $500 with no dealer add-ons. So I probably came out slightly ahead compared a year ago when you could negotiate a lower price on the new car but the trade-in was much lower.

It depends on the vehicle you are buying too. In normal times vehicles like full size pickups can usually be had at $10k or more below MSRP. You probably won't make that up with the increased trade-in valve. But on vehicles that normally sell at or just slightly below MSRP in normal times you probably can come out a little to the good.

If you don't have a decent vehicle to trade/sell then your screwed in this market whether you buy new or used.

 

There are some folks on AZ who seem to switch cars like changing out phones every year. They're either financially independent or just not very fiscally responsible. Every transaction has the requisite title and other dealer fees which I consider "sunk costs" (which you would never see on a phone transaction). Yes, the current market is making it easier to do but sunk costs are non-recoverable and don't add value to the next transaction.

Other examples:

- hefty down payment on an early lease termination
- extended warranty (unused portion is pure margin to dealer)
- hazard insurance on tire/rim (same as point above)
- any ADM paid

 

Thats why I Lease vehicles now, retired, older, after 3 years can walk away or pay off, 4 year included warranty etc….Just want to drive, play my music 🎵 loud and no car issues…..

 

...plus - every day is a Saturday when we're retired

 

Retire as early as you can.

You don’t get the time back, and you never know how much you have left.

 

Amen brother!!!

 

Right on - I prefer Every Day is a Sunday - Morrissey 💪🤣

 

Hi all- newbie here, so please treat with kid gloves! Leased a 2021 Advance back in May with only 2k miles currently. The power-fold mirrors are one of the main pieces missing from the car, and just curious if anyone has thought about cashing in on these crazy times and swapping a '21 for '22? Am I crazy?

 

No.

I plan to trade my 2019 for a 2022 when I can deal with it.

The folding mirrors mean a lot in my tight garage.

If you can afford the hit, you should drive what you like.

 

I purchased a '21 A-spec in August for $45,500 & traded it in in November on a '22 A-spec advance. I got $46K for my '21 trade in which only had 2300 miles on it. Paid MSRP for the '22 A-spec advance and although I wish the MSRP was a little lower, I do feel like the reduced cabin noise, adjustable dampers, HUD, power fold mirrors & dynamic ambient lighting have been worthwhile since I essentially didn't lose anything on my trade. Very happy with my '22. I don't really regret purchasing the '21 in the first place as it was a good trial and we didn't really lose anything in the process.

 

I am probably missing something big, but my lease payoff is 42k, yet Carmax/Autolenders and others have my 21 Advance valued at 52k. Someone said the 22's are leasing pretty bad right now (assuming i can get MSRP which seems like a big assumption), but I am curious if there's a way to break even to get into the newer car, without the "hit"? Sorry if the wrong thread to ask- but wondering if others have been contemplating the same thing with used car prices still skyrocketing.

 

Prices are stupid for used cars where I live (near Philly).

 

Living in the same area my friend. Totally agree.

 

It may be worse for Subarus than Acuras. I get unsolicited offers on our other cars (both Subarus).

 

Interesting stats

 

preach.
i retired at 34 & now i’m 42!
time flies

 

Stop buying cars unless absolutely needed.
Buying frenzy is driving this. Thats the only way to fight it.

 

I feel like you're about to try and sell me a pyramid scheme ...

Good for you though, wish I could be so lucky.

 

This! It’s great getting up and thinking “what day is this?”

 

Looks like car flipping is actually a thing.

 

I was looking into doing this but it started being a time suck with the ADMs in my area and then if traveling for deals it wasn't worth the hassle for the return. But interesting times for sure.

I am seeing the used market starting to cool in my area and I'm sure that will continue and things do appear to be calming down slowly.