Summer Car Buying Season is Here

Summer Car Buying Season is Here

**This post contains affiliate links and the publisher may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.**   It is once again the unofficial start of summer upon us: Memorial Day Weekend!  As we discussed in the article about holiday weekend shopping last year, holiday weekends tend to be a great time to buy a car for a variety of reasons.  Of course, if you're going to go car shopping over a holiday weekend you don't want to spend your extra day off at the dealership.  So get prepared in advance. Among the holiday weekends Memorial Day weekend is one of the best ones for car buyers for a couple of reasons: The model year traditionally starts in the fall, so dealers use the summer to clear inventory of the outgoing model year.  Memorial Day weekend is a great time to promote the clearance deals that will make room for the new models coming in from the factories. Memorial...
Read More

The More Things Change…

**This post contains affiliate links and the publisher may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.**   The "Internet Revolution" is now about 20 years in the making, dating back to the 1990's and overcoming a major hiccup in the dot-com crash in 2000. However, it picked up again as people recognized that the answer to everything humankind had accomplished until then wasn't equally suited to a stand-alone digital process.  Similarly, while more and more businesses are striking a better balance of how connected tools can facilitate, not replace, an existing process, it's important to recognize that the internet changes almost everything.   Since the second largest line item in many family's budget (after housing) is the money spent on vehicles, it's important to keep in mind what is (and what isn't) changing, since any lease agreement includes some bit of future forecasting.  While the lessor needs to do most of this forecasting in order to set the...
Read More
Holiday Weekend Shopping

Holiday Weekend Shopping

**This post contains affiliate links and the publisher may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.** It seems like every retailer uses holiday weekends as a reason to put their inventory on sale, and advertise these discounts, and the world of auto retailing is no different.  The manufacturers and dealerships know that consumers will use the extra time off to take care of one of the biggest purchases most people make, and that the deals and heavy advertising is needed to get folks to choose their brand and their dealership over all the other choices. The Weekends to Watch There are six holiday periods in particular that the automotive industry focuses on for its holiday-themed deals, although what you're shopping for may impact how great of a deal you can expect, as well as which holiday it is.  Throughout the year the biggest holidays for auto sales are (chronologically, not sales volume): President's Day Weekend Memorial Day Weekend ...
Read More

Leasing an “Old” New Car

Is is Worth Leasing an "Old" New Car? **This post contains affiliate links and the publisher may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.**   As we reach mid-June there are still more 2016 vehicles listed as new cars for sale than there are 2018 vehicles listed for sale.  Overall, there are about 103,000 new 2016 vehicles listed for sale nationwide, which is about 4% of the total new car inventory currently listed for sale*. All of these cars will eventually be sold, it's just a matter of when and at what price.  Lease Wizard doesn’t recommend for or against considering these vehicles for lease (or purchase) versus more conventional new cars – those with a 2017 or 2018 model year, but instead here are some things to consider that can help you make an informed choice: At some point in each year a manufacturer usually cuts off incentive support for these “old” new cars – the ones with...
Read More