No. I would not buy a car that has been sitting on a dealer’s lot for 420 days. However, if the dealer is offering a substantial discount on the car, I might consider it.
At the end of the day, it has to be worth it.
420 days young… 
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As someone that sold cars for a long time, there’s no real problem buying a birthday car, it’ll be fine minus a new battery. Obviously you’d want a bigger discount than a fresh car. I’ve seen situations where the older car is actually better in many ways(same model year), the MSRP can be lower and mid year changes might make the equipment level slightly higher on the earlier car(I’ve seen things get added to a package instead of standard).
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How was that last 9-5 to drive? I thought it looked quite handsome (but better in photos than in the flesh) and always thought it was kind of sad that the car never had a chance (btw the recession and, well, it being a Saab).
I never got to drive that one, pretty sharp looking car, still see one every once and while. I jumped ship in 2007, the writing was on the wall and it was time to change careers
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I think they made this 9-5 for like 2 months after SAAB was bought out by some no-name company and it was available through on-line order?
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One of my favorite cars was a 2004 convertible, light years ahead of the previous model vert. The convertible was one of the best products and solid in the winter
It was a narrow window. A buddy tried to order one of the very last 95 Combi Wagons with the iPod interface, and no joke they had to call the factory in Trollhattan to find out if it was an option because of an error in the order guide. By the time they got the answer (yes it could be ordered) they were no longer taking orders.
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I sold Saabs specifically. Due to the dealer of course not being able to stock every part that could be needed, the birthday card would be used like parts cars. Although that may not seem like an issue, there were salespeople like me involved in the removal/install at times. We also used to tweak the turbo boost levels to make them run faster and see how far we could push it. Only needed a screwdriver. Birthday cars so can be victims of acid rain in certain areas. Unlike in real ownership where it’s garaged and washed occasionally, these birthday cars’ paint can age prematurely. I’d want a great deal on it!
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omg I forgot about this! Tire swaps! And a place to park add-ons customers didn’t want that were removeable.
Great - That’s another reason not to ever buy a birthday car.
For the record I would never buy a birthday car, but I would absolutely lease one provided it’s under warranty the entire lease. If it’s problematic you can push for a collateral exchange or buyback.
420 days is a long time, definitely haggle!
We are assuming there then that the OEM does indeed have lease support for that 420 days on the lot car.
How do you go about finding out how many days a vehicle has been in a dealers lot?
Thanks in Advance!
I’d say CarGurus is my go to reference for that kind of thing.
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To add some info to the discussion:
- The car is a 2019 so no leasing
- It’s a luxury car brand
- it has a couple hundred miles
- Not a Demo/loaner
- it is 22% off MSRP
It does happen, but
Hard pass. I’d rather buy a low mileage CPO for the depreciation than a new birthday car.
If it’s been on the lot for 420 days, it’s only right to demand 69% off.
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