So is it really true you can get the best deal at the end of the month? Meaning tomorrow, March 31? Do dealers actually set monthly quotas/targets they are trying to meet? Or bonuses, or something?
Also, do we think car prices – used and/or new, “domestic” and/or “foreign” (whatever that means) – are going to go up due to tariffs when they are scheduled to kick in on Wednesday (April 2).
In other words, might tomorrow be the best time to get a deal, and perhaps the last time to get a deal – perhaps for years!
Just asked and has is a commonly discussed topic if you search
All of the tariff threads have been locked, the big-brain answer is “nobody knows for certain until they’re implemented” but several OEMs are expected to roll back incentives for April programs at a minimum.
There could be fear that the tariffs will force many people into used cars if the price of new cars is impacted by the tariffs. New car salespeople would then be worried.
The manufacturers would have to provide new Monroney stickers for all of the current new car inventory that is setting on dealer lots. The dealer cannot modify the MSRP without the manufacturer providing that new window sticker.
Thinking out loud here…I’m not an attorney, but I think if a dealer put an addendum sticker next to the Monroney and listed “Tarriff $1500” that would be fraud.
Don’t think it would be fraud. Just google “market price adjustment” – I’ve seen this a lot before, especially during the pandemic. Dealers not only jacked up the price, but also added in Hooey like you see in the image. Surprised they didn’t add in Undercoating!
I guess as long as it wasn’t listed as “Tariff” but “Market Adjustment” that isn’t fraudulent … and if people are stupid enough to pay it, then I applaud the dealer. They got some damn good sales staff lol
Most dealerships operate on monthly and quarterly targets, and March 31 is both—end of the month and end of Q1. So yes, dealers are often more aggressive with pricing and more flexible to hit those final numbers. Bonuses and factory incentives are often tied to those goals.
Now, add the April 2 tariff deadline into the mix—and things get real.
Once that 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts kicks in, it’s going to impact pricing across the board—new, used, foreign and domestic. Why? Because even “American-made” cars use global parts. Higher cost of parts = higher production cost = higher prices.
So yeah… tomorrow might be the last window to get in under the old system, before the market shifts. I wouldn’t say this out of pressure—I’m saying it out of respect for your timing.
After this, the market becomes a bit of an unknown.
So far Mercedes and BMW’s programs for this month seem to be identical. So by the looks of it, I don’t think manufacturers are taking a conservative approach. It’s all on dealers now as to how they wanna tackle this. But with too much inventory on the lot, doesn’t make sense to sit on it. Next month is when we will start seeing actual change in pricing due to the new batch with tariffs
I’m just telling you what happened to me. The dealership I was working with said they are seeing a ton of traffic and did not want to discount the car for me anymore (I had a pretty aggressive deal on a loaner).
