The discussion centers around the current automotive market, emphasizing that 2025 is shaping up to be the best time to buy a car. With a surge in manufacturer incentives, including 42 offers of 0% financing, buyers have more negotiating power than ever. The hosts analyze trends in both new and used car inventories, noting a significant increase in available vehicles and declining prices. They also highlight the importance of acting quickly on trade-ins, as values are expected to drop. Insights on financing options and dealer negotiations provide valuable guidance for potential buyers.
Today on CarEdge Live, Ray and Zach discuss the latest auto loan delinquency rate data ... Tune in to learn more! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
for information about our collection and use of personal data for
advertising.
"That's why Mercedes-Benz SUVs come equipped with the latest safety technology to keep your festive plans on track."
Mercedes-Benz is a famous car brand that makes luxury cars and SUVs. They are known for being safe and having the latest technology.
Mercedes-Benz is a well-known luxury automotive brand that produces a range of vehicles, including sedans, coupes, and SUVs, known for their performance, safety, and advanced technology.
"That's why Mercedes-Benz SUVs come equipped with the latest safety technology to keep your festive plans on track."
Safety technology in cars helps keep drivers and passengers safe. It includes things like brakes that work automatically if you get too close to something and systems that help you stay in your lane.
Safety technology in vehicles includes features designed to prevent accidents and protect occupants, such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control.
"the negotiability is there, the trade and values are right, the APRs are right, et cetera, et cetera?"
APR is the yearly interest rate you pay on a loan. It shows how much extra money you'll owe on top of the amount you borrowed, helping you understand the total cost of the loan.
APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate, which is the interest rate charged on a loan expressed as a yearly rate. It includes any fees or additional costs associated with the loan, giving borrowers a clearer picture of the total cost of borrowing.
"If you are in the market for a car with the amount of incentives that are out there, and we know that incentives were down in October to some degree, but I think we're starting to see the manufacturer incentives bounce back up in November."
Incentives are like sales or discounts that car companies offer to help sell their cars. They can lower the price or make financing cheaper, making it a better deal for buyers.
Incentives are discounts or special offers provided by manufacturers to encourage car sales. These can include cash rebates, low-interest financing, or lease deals that make purchasing a vehicle more attractive to consumers.
"...42, 0% financing offers on new vehicles out there. That's the highest number of 0% financing offers we have seen all year."
0% financing means you can borrow money to buy a car without having to pay any interest. This makes your monthly payments lower and saves you money in the long run.
0% financing offers are promotional financing deals where the buyer pays no interest on the loan for a specified period. This can significantly reduce the overall cost of a vehicle by lowering monthly payments and the total amount paid over time.
"...if you qualify for those specialized rates, is it lowers your monthly payment? Unfortunately, the sad reality is that about 84% of all customers are what's known as payment..."
A monthly payment is how much money you pay every month for your car loan. It helps you spread the cost of the car over time instead of paying it all at once.
A monthly payment is the amount of money a buyer pays each month to finance a vehicle. It includes the principal amount borrowed and any interest or fees associated with the loan.
"...some of these are on the Ford F-150, the best-selling vehicle in the United States. One of the best-selling vehicles in the United States."
The Ford F-150 is a popular truck in America. It's known for being tough and useful for many tasks, making it a favorite among people who need a reliable vehicle for work or everyday use.
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck known for its durability, versatility, and strong sales figures in the U.S. market. It has been a top-selling vehicle for many years, appealing to both commercial and personal users.
"It's okay, 420% interest deals, and there's lease deals out there. They are doing everything that they can in order to try and figure out how to make what is unaffordable for most, suddenly at least perhaps affordable for a few more folks."
A lease deal is like renting a car for a few years. You pay a monthly fee to use it, and at the end, you can either buy it or give it back.
Lease deals are financial agreements that allow a customer to use a vehicle for a specified period while making monthly payments, typically lower than loan payments. At the end of the lease, the customer can either buy the car or return it to the dealership.
"It's the best time of the year to buy a car. We're going to the text messages. Give me a second here. I was texting with a dealer principal, owns 20 dealerships."
A dealer is a person or company that sells cars. They can help you buy new or used cars and often offer financing options.
A dealer is a business or individual that sells vehicles, typically representing a specific manufacturer. Dealers often provide new and used cars, financing options, and maintenance services.
"That puts in a perspective how big of a buyer's market new cars, and especially if you're that dealership group that has almost a 600 days supply of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, we're not even in the same arena."
A buyer's market is when there are lots of cars for sale but not many people wanting to buy them. This usually means prices go down, and buyers can get better deals.
A buyer's market occurs when there are more goods available for sale than there are buyers, leading to lower prices and more negotiating power for buyers. In the automotive context, this means that consumers have more options and potentially better deals when purchasing vehicles.
"...if you're that dealership group that has almost a 600 days supply of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, we're not even in the same arena."
Chrysler is a car company from the United States that makes different types of vehicles, including cars and SUVs. They are one of the well-known brands in the automotive industry.
Chrysler is an American automobile manufacturer known for producing a range of vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, and minivans. It is part of Stellantis, a multinational automotive manufacturer formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
"...if you're that dealership group that has almost a 600 days supply of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, we're not even in the same arena."
Jeep is a car brand famous for making vehicles that are great for off-roading and adventures. Their cars are built to handle tough terrains.
Jeep is an American brand known for its off-road vehicles and SUVs. It has a strong reputation for ruggedness and durability, making it a popular choice for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers.
"...t a 600 days supply of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, we're not even in the same arena. They just got ..."
The Dodge Ram is a type of truck that is really tough and can carry a lot of stuff. It used to be made by a company called Dodge, and people like it because it can handle heavy jobs and is built to last.
The Dodge Ram, now known simply as Ram trucks, was originally a line of pickup trucks produced by Dodge before becoming its own brand. It is significant for its ruggedness and has a loyal following among truck enthusiasts, often discussed in the context of its performance and utility.
"It is worth more today, way more today than it will be six weeks from now if we continue down the path of depreciation that we've seen over the last three and a half to four."
Depreciation is how much a car loses value as it gets older. For example, a new car is worth a lot when you buy it, but it will be worth less in a few years.
Depreciation is the decrease in the value of a vehicle over time, typically due to wear and tear, age, and market demand. Understanding depreciation helps buyers and sellers gauge the value of a vehicle.
"...you can see the market days supply, which is how many have sold versus how many are for sale..."
Market days supply shows how many cars are for sale compared to how many have been sold. It helps you understand if it's a good time to buy or if prices might be high due to demand.
Market days supply indicates how many vehicles are available for sale compared to how many have been sold over a specific period. A higher supply may suggest a buyer's market, while a lower supply indicates higher demand.
"...you have to look at days on market, how long a vehicle's been sitting on a dealer's lot."
Days on market is how long a car has been for sale. If a car has been on the lot for a long time, it might mean it's not selling well or that the price is too high.
Days on market refers to the number of days a vehicle has been listed for sale before it is sold. This metric helps buyers understand how quickly cars are selling and can indicate demand for specific models.
"On the used car side, it's 48 days is the average amount of time it takes to sell a car."
Used car sales are when people sell cars that have been owned before. The average time it takes to sell one can show how popular or in-demand those cars are.
Used car sales refer to the process of selling pre-owned vehicles. The average time it takes to sell a used car can indicate market demand and pricing trends.
"...the fact that their inventory levels are rising, then you know that that's the appropriate time to go out and try and get the best deal that you can."
Inventory levels are how many cars a dealership has to sell. When there are a lot of cars available, buyers can often negotiate better prices because dealers want to sell them.
Inventory levels refer to the number of vehicles that dealerships have available for sale. High inventory levels can shift the bargaining power from dealers to customers, as more options lead to increased competition among sellers.
"...0% financing for 60 months, no down payment, and, oh my goodness, deferment of the first payment for up to 90 days..."
No down payment means you don't have to pay any money upfront when buying the truck. You can finance the whole amount instead.
No down payment means that the buyer does not need to pay any money upfront when purchasing the vehicle. This makes it easier for buyers to afford a new vehicle since they can finance the entire cost.
"...deferment of the first payment for up to 90 days. This is Ford's big push here into the end of the year..."
Deferment of the first payment means you can wait a few months before you have to start paying for the truck. This can help you save money right after buying it.
Deferment of the first payment allows buyers to postpone their initial payment for a specified period, which can help them manage their finances better, especially after significant expenses like holiday spending.
"...take $70,000 and divide it by 60, your payments over $1,000 a month, but you're not paying any interest back."
Payment terms are the rules about how and when you pay back money you borrowed to buy a car. They tell you how much you pay each month and for how long.
Payment terms refer to the conditions under which payments are made for a loan or financing agreement. This includes the duration of the loan and the amount of each payment.
"I'm not buying this dog on a vehicle with all these fees, all these add-ons and things like that..."
Add-ons are extra features or accessories you can buy with a car, like better speakers or special paint. They usually cost more money.
Add-ons are additional features or accessories that can be included with a vehicle purchase, often at an extra cost. These can range from upgraded sound systems to protective coatings.
"The rebates, which is what the manufacturer is incentivizing, stayed at $3,000."
Rebates are discounts that car companies give to help sell their cars. They lower the price you pay when you buy a car.
Rebates are discounts offered by manufacturers to encourage the sale of vehicles. They reduce the purchase price and are often used as incentives to attract buyers.
"the services. Use the tools where the service is back on the website. Let's get Eric a shout out, Pops. Picking up my brand new RAM at 1,500 layer, I'm a 15% off MSRP. Like Pops said, don't wait. Go for the deals if you find them."
The Ram 1500 is a big truck that you can use for carrying heavy loads or towing things like trailers. It's popular because it drives smoothly and has a nice inside, making it good for both work and everyday use.
The Ram 1500 is a full-size pickup truck known for its strong performance, comfortable ride, and upscale interior. It has gained a reputation for being versatile, making it suitable for both work and daily driving, and is often discussed for its blend of capability and luxury features.
"...I'm guessing the average RAM pickup truck price is what, $60,000? If you're looking at a $60,000 truck..."
The average truck price is what most people pay for a new truck. It's usually around $60,000 for popular models like the RAM pickup.
The average truck price refers to the typical cost of purchasing a new truck, which can vary based on make, model, and features. In this context, it's mentioned as around $60,000 for a RAM pickup truck.
Select text to request an explanation
Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal?
Driving high will get you a DUI.
And if you're wondering if law enforcement can tell you're driving high, well, everyone
else can.
Friends?
I can tell you drove high.
Parents?
I can tell when you drive high.
Relatives?
I can tell.
You drove here high, didn't you?
So what makes you think law enforcement can't?
I can tell.
If you feel different, you drive different.
Drive high, get a DUI.
Pay for by NHTSA.
Despite wintry conditions and heavy traffic, the holidays have to go on.
That's why Mercedes-Benz SUVs come equipped with the latest safety technology to keep
your festive plans on track.
Discover the incredible offers for yourself at the Mercedes-Benz Holiday Love Celebration.
It's noon here in Venture City, New Jersey at our nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
And this is CarAge Live for Wednesday, November 20th.
November 19th.
November 19th.
Tomorrow.
I was thinking of Uncle Kenny's birthday tomorrow.
So this is really Wednesday, November 19th with your host, me, Ray, and vendor, Zach
and Will.
Some dealership somewhere.
That's it in here in my office in Washington at D.C.
Happy Wednesday, y'all.
Today's show brought to you by us, CarAge.com.
For those of you that are unfamiliar, my dad and I, for the past six years with
an brilliant and incredible team behind the scenes, have been building CarAge.com.
I want to make you aware of one thing in particular, our car buying service.
If you want to be hands-off and let us do the work on your behalf, if you've got $150
off promotion right now, check that out back at CarAge.com.
But then soon, so take advantage of that and, importantly, folks, get a free
consultation call with our team.
No need to jump right into it, learn more before you do, and meet those that
support our efforts back on the website, CarAge.com.
It's officially the best time to buy a car in 2025.
We've got a video that'll be coming out over on the CarAge channel later this week.
It'll be on Saturday, but I thought we could take some time today to talk about
the dynamics that you and I are seeing in the market.
Before we jump into the data, let's just start with that assessment.
It's officially the best time to buy a car in 2025.
You were just on some local news up in Rochester, New York.
I don't know.
It might take words out of your mouth if I'm misinterpreting you.
Do you think we have finally entered the moment in time where the deals are there,
the negotiability is there, the trade and values are right, the APRs are right, et cetera,
et cetera, et cetera?
Am I being honest in the title of today's show?
You, honest in the title on any show?
Well, this is probably the closest you've come.
Is it the best time?
If you are in the market for a car with the amount of incentives
that are out there, and we know that incentives were down in October to some degree,
but I think we're starting to see the manufacturer incentives bounce back up in November.
I know one of the things that we discovered, I'm assuming it was Justin on the team that
discovered it, was that there are 42 deals available.
0% financing offers.
42, 0% financing offers on new vehicles out there.
That's the highest number of 0% financing offers we have seen all year.
Does that lower the price of the car?
No, that's on you when you go into negotiate.
But what it does do if you qualify for those specialized rates, is it lowers your
monthly payment?
Unfortunately, the sad reality is that about 84% of all customers are what's known as payment
buyers in the industry.
The only thing they care about is, well, what's my monthly payment going to be?
So with these specialized interest rates, there is an opportunity out there for people
to finally have monthly payments that are at least approaching affordability for
a lot of people.
So from that perspective, yes, this is the best time, excuse me as I lose my voice, this
is the best time to buy a car in 2025 that we have seen so far.
And I think it's important to note we're going to talk about new cars first here.
But also for used vehicles, we saw another week, we'll look at the data from Blackbook.
We saw another week of really significant over 1% declines in wholesale used car prices,
which again indicates to us two things.
One is we anticipate and expect to see used car prices on the retail side go down and trade
in offers are going to fall off of a cliff.
If wholesale prices drop 1% week of the week, your trade in offer, the dealer's not going
to decrease that offer by 1%.
They're going to decrease it by 3%, 5%.
There's a big there between those two numbers.
But dad, you're so right.
Back on CarEdge.com, Justin and our incredible team of writers, including Rebecca and
Stephen are publishing all of the Black Friday deals.
I put the link as a ticker down below, CarEdge.com slash Black Friday will take you right here.
I'm surprised.
I'm actually surprised because the most recent data we had for the month of October that
the manufacturers were actually decreasing their incentives.
That's what this orange line here shows you is that they actually decreased the amount
of incentive spend that they were providing.
But then you look at the Black Friday offers, the November offers, and to your
point, 42 Black Friday 0% financing offers.
Dad, some of these are on the Ford F-150, the best-selling vehicle in the United States.
One of the best-selling vehicles in the United States.
The incentives are there, and then obviously you and I spent all of our time talking
about it, shouting about it, supplying demand.
Both on the new and used car side, we have the highest level of inventory we've
had all year.
Days small for new vehicles over 88 days.
Many manufacturers, many dealers, and everything's geo-specific.
That's why with CarEdge Pro, we provide you with in your area what's the day supply for
your area.
But many of these brands that have an oversupply of inventory, and I'll pull up one more
thing and then I'm going to pass it off to you.
There was a quote here.
Let's see if I can find it.
Yeah, right here.
This comes from the most recent Cox Automotive update.
Quote, recent inventory trends reveal that some manufacturers may be edging towards
overstocked territory.
As consumer demand shifts, automakers are walking a fine line, and rising inventories could quickly
shift from strategic flexibility to a liability if stock outpaces sales momentum.
There you go.
I think you see that when you look at the incentives in October, which fell precipitously
down to 6.5% of the transaction price was covered by incentives.
You know what else fell precipitously in October?
Overall new car sales.
You combine the decrease in the incentive amount, and then you combine that with the decline
in sales.
What do you think happens in November?
The manufacturers are looking at new car inventory, on-hand inventory for the month of November,
where around 3 million new cars, the highest level it's been in years.
They look back at October, they go, well, sales kind of sort of tanked.
How do we reverse this?
It's okay, 420% interest deals, and there's lease deals out there.
They are doing everything that they can in order to try and figure out how to make what
is unaffordable for most, suddenly at least perhaps affordable for a few more folks.
You're seeing the incentives go up, and I don't know, you combine that with a dealer
sitting on inventory and being more motivated to negotiate with you in discount.
It's the best time of the year to buy a car.
We're going to the text messages.
Give me a second here.
I was texting with a dealer principal, owns 20 dealerships.
Only 20?
Only 20.
Give me a second here.
We have a 540 days supply on our current sales rate for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and
Ram.
Ram stores, 67 days supply.
What should I tell you?
There you go.
There you go.
What else do you need to know?
If you've been on the sidebinds, this market has not been this frothy in terms of inventory
in years.
Now, let's turn our attention to the use car side for a moment here.
These slides, let me scroll down, let me scroll down, let me scroll down.
On the use car side of things right here, 2.26 million used cars in inventory, 48 days
supply, and obviously those wholesale prices falling.
Think about this for a moment.
48 days supply is the high watermark we've seen for how many days it would take dealers
to sell their used vehicle inventory, and it's 40 days less than the new car side
of things.
We're starting to tell you actually you have a little bit of negotiating leverage
on used cars in today's market.
That puts in a perspective how big of a buyer's market new cars, and especially
if you're that dealership group that has almost a 600 days supply of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep,
and Ram, we're not even in the same arena.
They just got it.
They just got it.
Get rid of those vehicles as quickly as possible.
On the use car market as well, we are starting to see more available inventory.
We are seeing it sit for longer.
An interesting tidbit that you were able to identify when you were digging into
the numbers is that we're seeing a lot of newer used vehicles on the market,
and that ultimately is keeping up the prices.
Those are the vehicles that are actually appreciating a little bit more, but it probably
makes sense to go buy the new one instead of the newer used one.
The used car market, a bit of a buyer's market, but a couple other dynamics there.
Here's an important dynamic to keep in mind if you have a trade-in.
Your trade-in is worth more today than it will be tomorrow.
It is worth more today than it will be next week.
It is worth more today, way more today than it will be six weeks from now if we continue
down the path of depreciation that we've seen over the last three and a half to four
weeks, which has been running at about a point a week, which is about double what
it normally runs.
If there is a car out there, new or used, that you like and you have a trade-in,
if you can figure out an acceptable price on the newer used car you want to buy and you
can work the dealer to make you an acceptable offer for the car you want to sell them, your
trade-in, then do it now because your trade-in is going to go down in value much more quickly
than the retail asking prices they're going to go down.
They're better off trading now than four weeks or five weeks or six weeks from now.
If you haven't, folks, please, just Google search car edge, car value, and this page
will pop right up.
You can get that offer from CarMax as well as see the projection of that future vehicle's
value.
If you've already signed into your car edge account, it'll show up over here when
you open up that navigation.
Being informed about what your trade-in's worth is more important than ever before
because that, again, if the prices are dropping a point a week at the wholesale options,
you've got to imagine that low ball trade-in offer that was already going to be a low ball
trade-in offer is getting even lower as those used car managers are seeing what's happening
out there at their auctions.
Let's turn our attention to the chat here.
Let's go.
We've got a kind contribution.
Kept Brandon on for over two hours.
You wear out in 30 minutes, LOL.
I guess Brandon from CarQuestions answered must have been doing a live stream for
two hours.
That's nuts.
We go every day, folks.
30 minutes is where we cap out.
We used to do a live show on Saturday nights that would run anywhere from an hour to two
hours, which was, well, kind of silly when you think that we should have better things
to do on Saturday nights.
We've got here, Dad, from Bella.
Should I finance it 0% and then pay off in a month to get a better deal overall?
I think the question is, should I take the dealer financing in order to get a
better deal?
But I think when it comes to these 0%, 0.9%, 1.9%, it doesn't give you more leverage, right?
Why would you want to pay off a 0% loan when you're not paying any interest for borrowing
the money?
Why do that?
Keep your money in the bank.
Even though interest rates are low on savings accounts and things like that, it is still
more than zero, so why would you take the money out of a savings account to pay off a 0% interest
loan?
I would not recommend doing that.
From Matthew, I feel like the days on lot gives the most leverage to a buyer more than
time of year.
I want my dad to answer this, and I want to remind everyone that we provide days
on lot back on the car edge, car search.
All you got to do is click on Shop New or Shop Used.
It's right there on every single vehicle, 112 days on this one, 25 days.
When you have Car Edge Pro, that's when you can click into these vehicles and not only
can you see the market days supply, which is how many have sold versus how many are
for sale, you will also get the dealer invoice price, $80,403.
But this days on market, that's always available to you.
Please check that out back at caredge.com.
Now, dad, to this question here, this comment here, days on market versus time
of year, is it either or or both?
Typically it's both, especially this time of year.
You have to look at days on market, how long a vehicle's been sitting on a dealer's lot.
If it is an aged vehicle on a dealer's lot and you are the latter part of November
or December and the dealership is in a frenzy to hit sales goals,
well then you can combine the time of year and the days on lot to get the best deal possible.
Now, that's not to say that during the rest of the year,
aged inventory isn't the inventory that dealers are most motivated to sell because they are.
So that is a prime driver of getting a better deal as days on lot.
But this is the time of year when you can combine those two, days on lot and time of year,
where dealerships are most motivated to make deals.
Yeah, absolutely. I think it's a both situation.
We've also got here, Dan, from Richard.
Is there an incentive for caredge to increase car sales?
I don't think so. I mean, we get a little busier at the end of the year as more people actually
choose to buy vehicles, but I think the incentive for us is just to provide the right information
at the right time. Many times, if you listen to this show or you watch our videos,
we're communicating to people, don't buy cars. This is the one moment so far this year where
it really feels like the switch has flipped. We're really now the moment in time is,
it's the best time to buy.
You've been waiting and we know people think about and care about what we have to say,
which we appreciate more than you can imagine. Listen to us now.
That was actually the time to go do it.
How many times have you wished you could be in two places at once?
With Wix, you practically can. Wix's website builder is packed with powerful AI tools to make
running your business online easier. Build a full site just by talking with AI.
Get an AI agent to manage your sales and marketing or work like a 10-person team,
even if it's just you. So you don't need superpowers to get everything done.
You just need Wix. Try it now for free at Wix.com.
Ten years from today, Lisa Schneider will trade in her office job to become the leader
of a pack of dogs. As the owner of her own dog rescue, that is. A second act made possible
by the rescaling courses Lisa's taking now with AARP to help make sure her income lives
as long as she does. And she can finally run with the big dogs and the small dogs,
who just think they're big dogs. That's why the younger you are, the more you need AARP.
Learn more at aarp.org slash skills.
You've had to deal with everything from leaky faucets to flickering light bulbs,
but nothing's worse than that ancient boiler that's lived in the building since the day it was built.
50 years ago, it's enough to make anyone lose their cool.
That's where Granger comes in. With industrial-grade products and dependable fast delivery,
Granger can help with any challenge, from worn-out components to everyday necessities.
Call clickgranger.com or just stop by. Granger for the ones who get it done.
Many of the things that we say are data-driven and we're seeing both on the new and used car
side of things, the highest inventory levels of the year, the highest days deterring to sell a vehicle.
On the used car side, it's 48 days is the average amount of time it takes to sell a car.
On the new car side, the national average is an 88-day supply. We know when you look at these
numbers and you look at the brands that have 110-day supply, 120-150-day supply, well,
you combine that with the cost of actually carrying the inventory
and the fact that their inventory levels are rising, then you know that that's the
appropriate time to go out and try and get the best deal that you can.
If we were back in the times when there was 900,000 new vehicles available on a monthly basis,
then all the leverage is back at the dealer. But as we're approaching and perhaps surpassing
3 million new vehicles in inventory available, that kind of switches the leverage to the customer.
And in reality, the customer always has the leverage because if you choose not to spend your
money, they can't sell the car. But most folks, you know, there's the fear of missing out.
Sometimes you just have to be strong enough to get up and walk out to encourage the dealer
to dig a little deeper into their discounts in order to get you to finally say yes.
And again, you got nearly 3 million new cars in inventory, high watermark for the year,
over 2.23 million used cars in inventory, high watermark for the year. It makes our job
easier. We don't have to really differentiate between the two. It's a buyer's market
on both sides. Dad, let's keep going through the chat here. Before we do, however, I want
to remind everyone, I've got it scrolling at the bottom there, caredge.com. Black Friday,
our team, including Steven, who's recently joined our team, are compiling all of the
manufacturer incentives in one place. And I want to highlight one here, in particular,
for trucks, Dad. The 2025 F-150, 0% financing for 60 months, no down payment, and, oh my
goodness, deferment of the first payment for up to 90 days. This is Ford's big push here
into the end of the year. And this is on the most popular pickup truck in the United
States, just another example. And what Ford is saying is go out, buy the truck. Don't worry
about buying a truck and having an impact on what you can buy for your family and friends
for the holiday season, because you're not going to have to make a payment until late
February or March. So you'll have time to recover from all that holiday spending
before you have to make your first payment. It is, I don't know, good thinking on Ford's part
to encourage that the 90 days deferred payment. Now let's be very clear here. You said it a
moment ago, it's also data-driven. So if I come back over to the caredge, car search,
we're looking at Ford, we've got an F-150, we're in Scottsdale, Arizona,
it's the first page of results here, folks, 218 days on the market. Why else
would Ford offer 0% financing for up to 60 months, $0 down in 90 day payment deferment?
It's because dealers are sitting on vehicles like this one, a $78,000 F-150 for 218 days.
That's why, to be very clear, you still negotiate the Alpedore price with the dealership.
So I want to know what's the dealer invoice price on this. If you've got five grand
of markup in the doggone thing, I want to understand market conditions, 468 days supply.
This dealership, I should at least be getting a $4,000 to $6,000 dealer discount off of this vehicle,
then the incentives from the manufacturer, the 0% financing, the $0 down. So this is just
such an important moment in time where you really need to not get caught up in the hubbub of 0%
financing. Okay, so that's what the deal is. No, you work the Alpedore price, you'll use
the market intelligence, and on top of all that, you take whatever the manufacturer is giving
you, which in this case, to be very clear, this is a hell of a strong offer from Ford.
It's not cheap for them to offer 0% financing with 0 down for up to 90 days, no payment. And we
know Ford has been more generous with their approvals, dad. That was something that Ford
did a couple months ago. They became more generous with who they would even approve for
these programs. And think about it, take $70,000 and divide it by 60,
your payments over $1,000 a month, but you're not paying any interest back.
And how much is that costing Ford so that you don't have to pay any interest?
It's costing them, I don't know, $7,000, $8,000, $10,000, perhaps? That's a huge incentive.
Let's look at this question. Can you explain 0% financing? Is it really 0%?
Okay, let me help you with that. 0% financing is 0% financing. There will be no interest
charged listed on the bank contract, the disclosure portion of the bank contract,
the top third of the bank contract, where it shows what the purchase price is,
what the cash down is, what the interest rate is, what the interest charge is.
That disclosure section of the bank contract on a 0% loan is going to show 0% interest being paid,
because there is no interest. Now, you're going to say to me, but couldn't I get a
better deal if I didn't take their 0% interest? Well, if they're offering rebates, my guess is the
rebate isn't quite as large as what the savings would be with the 0% interest. The manufacturer
can't do both, typically, where they'll buy down an interest rate to 0 and still give you a huge
rebate on top of it. When you say rebate, that's like a cash incentive.
A cash incentive, a customer cash rebate. We've done the maths countless times.
It always makes more sense. I would actually say most of the time, it makes way more sense to
take the finance incentive. Ford's eating thousands of dollars in cost here.
Yeah. Yes. You know, $10,000, $12,000 in many cases.
But I want to be very clear because we have this comment, Dad. The Ford dealer I'm working
with won't budge on the $1,200 pre-delivery. Go find a different Ford dealer.
Yeah. So to be very clear, it's two dynamics when you buy a car. There's the manufacturer
incentives or rebates. Actually, I have a perfect example of this. Why am I cute?
And what is it? It's close to 3,000 Ford dealers nationwide, if I remember correctly.
So if your Ford dealer won't budge on their $11.99 pre-delivery fee,
go find a Ford dealer that doesn't even have it because they're out there.
Dad, I want to just actually take a moment to shout out another thing you get with CarEdge Pro
is the AI negotiator. And here's a perfect example of fees and things like that and how
that plays a role in this. I've got a negotiation that I did. Actually, I didn't do it. My AI
negotiator did it on my behalf. You got 32 emails and six text messages and nine files
sent back and forth by the dealership. You want to see what ended up happening here, Dad?
I'm going to zoom in on it right here. First out the door price was $43,782. And the things I
want you to look at here are, obviously, we have the customer savings up here at the top.
We've got rebates. $3,000 in rebates. We've got $5,100 in dealer added accessories.
We've got $1,339 in fees. Now to be very clear here, I'm not buying this dog on a vehicle
with all these fees, all these add-ons and things like that, but $43,782. The AI negotiator
went back and forth with this dealership so much that it got down to $42,000. I'm still probably
not buying the dog on thing at $42,000. But look, the fees went down to $699. The rebates,
which is what the manufacturer is incentivizing, stayed at $3,000. The dealer accessories went
down to $3,977. So the savings on and out the door price can come in all these various
areas. That's why we focus so much on out the door price. But what didn't change between these two?
The rebates, they stayed $3,000. That's what Dodge is putting forward as their incentive to help move
this vehicle. What did change? Obviously, the dealer added accessories and the fees that they
added onto the vehicle. Again, what's really cool about this is I didn't lift a finger.
The dealership doesn't know my name or my contact information. I use CarEdge Pro. It gave me
an email address. It gave me a phone number. And instead, my AI agent did all the work
for me. I had it on autopilot mode. But dad, it's interesting to see here that just because
the manufacturer comes out with a big incentive doesn't necessarily mean you're going to not
have dealers doing the $1,200 pre-delivery fee. No, you have to negotiate the out the door price.
Exactly. And you have to find a dealer that's willing. If the dealer you're
working with is unwilling, say, hey, great. I understand there's other dealers out there that
are willing. And I'm going to go find the one that is willing. And they're going to end up selling
the vehicle. And maybe perhaps since you're my local dealer, maybe I'll be kind enough to
bring it to you for service work. But I guarantee you the service work won't be anything
other than warranty work. So you could make your profit and sell me the truck and not force me to
go somewhere else. Use the tools back on the website. Just use the tools on the website or
the services. Use the tools where the service is back on the website. Let's get Eric a shout out,
Pops. Picking up my brand new RAM at 1,500 layer, I'm a 15% off MSRP.
Like Pops said, don't wait. Go for the deals if you find them.
To try and time the bottom of the market, maybe four weeks from now, Eric could have gotten 16%
off. I wouldn't even plant the freaking seed, Dad, because what's going to change between
now and four weeks from now? Well, Eric's going to be enjoying his truck for the next four
weeks. That's what's going to change. Everybody wants to get the best possible deal.
Nobody gets the best possible deal because nobody ever times the market 100% correctly.
So if you find something that's the right price and it's what you want and it's affordable,
just do it. Stop driving yourself crazy trying to save another $100 here. This is a RAM pickup
truck. I'm guessing the average RAM pickup truck price is what, $60,000? If you're looking at a
$60,000 truck, is that extra $100, the difference between saying yes and no? And if it is the
difference, well, then there's something drastically wrong here if that $100 is what's going to make
it affordable or not. For sure, Pops. For sure. We've got from Joe. Thank you, Joe, for the kind
contribution. Pops, his car sense coming back. Well, Brandon has had to start going to auctions
on Tuesdays, which kind of interfered with what we were trying to do. And then we're trying
to come up with a different concept as to what that program should be. And we've been trying to
put our heads together. And I think the closest we've come to anything at the moment is making it
an interview show where we try and interview others in the industry. But we haven't agreed
or finalized our thinking as to how or if and when we're going to do it. But I do miss hanging
out with Brandon once a week. Sounds like there's a chance it comes back. I want to just pull up
one more comment. Where'd it go? Where'd it go? Bear with me. Ah, here we go.
Supposed to start the damn things. Starting to sound like a car salesman. I think it's really
important, y'all. I want to be very clear. This is going to be the message here for this
moment in time. Absolutely for this moment in time. And it's data-driven. Everything is data-driven.
So please do not lose faith or trust in us. We are here to help. The community forum, Dad,
is active like crazy right now. People helping each other out, reviewing deals. That's what we
built CarEdge Force for people to help one another for our team to help you. So please,
please, please do not get it twisted here. We are still in the business of helping you
provide the best information, the best insights, the best tactics, and we're going to be very
clear and transparent. All signs are pointing towards go. It's new for us. We spend, what is it,
95% of the year saying, don't do it right now. Then we get to spend a little bit of time that
actually happened. And we're not saying if you're not in the market, you need to get in
the market. We're just saying, if you're in the market, now's the time. That's also if
that sounds like a car salesman to you. I don't know. I think I might call that a pragmatist.
But what do I know? I am and have been and spend a lifetime being a car sales.
Folks, one final pitch of the show. If we can help you out, it's back at caredge.com.
We do have a promotion running. And soon, $150 off our car buying service, excuse me,
and 15% off car edge pro, which is the data and the AI negotiator. It is still really cool.
Obviously, our concierge team, they're going to be the ones that get you the best possible
deal, the best possible service. But seeing the AI negotiator just kick some butt man,
getting these two different OTDs, 43, 7, 82, down to 42,000. And again, that was all AI.
It's pretty dog god cool. Still so impressed with what we built here at our company. We're
back tomorrow with more news, excuse me, more car edge live. If you want, you can check out
on this same channel. My dad was on the Rochester local news. You should go watch that clip. You're
on car edge live. It's under the videos tab, not live. Pops, I've got a meeting I'm going to go
run to. You enjoy the afternoon. And thanks for everything that you're doing.
Well, thank you. And yeah, we'll see everybody back here tomorrow. And thanks for joining
us today. How many times have you wished you could be in two places at once? With Wix,
you practically can. Wix's website builder is packed with powerful AI tools to make running
your business online easier. Build a full site just by talking with AI. Get an AI agent to manage
your sales and marketing, or work like a 10 person team, even if it's just you. So you don't
need superpowers to get everything done. You just need Wix. Try it now for free at wix.com.
10 years from today, Lisa Schneider will trade in her office job to become the
leader of a pack of dogs. As the owner of her own dog rescue, that is, a second act made possible
by the reskilling courses Lisa's taking now with AARP to help make sure her income lives
as long as she does. And she can finally run with the big dogs and the small dogs who just
think they're big dogs. That's why the younger you are, the more you need AARP. Learn more
at AARP.org slash skills. The McDonald's snack wrap is back. You brought it back. Ranch snack wrap.
Spicy snack wrap. You broke the internet for a snack. Snack wrap is back.
Despite wintry conditions and heavy traffic, the holidays have to go on. That's why Mercedes
Benz SUVs come equipped with the latest safety technology to keep your festive plans on track.
Discover the incredible offers for yourself at the Mercedes Benz Holiday Love Celebration.
Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult
life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families.
With Greenlight, you can set up chores, automate allowance, and keep an eye on your
kids spending with real-time notifications. Kids learn to earn, save, and spend wisely.
And parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place.
Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com slash podcast.
Request an explanation for:
3 cars
3 cars featured
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark.
Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.
