If you’re looking for a great deal on a new or used car, you might have a chance this Fourth of July weekend, a time when dealerships across the U.S. are typically busy.
“The new car inventories are starting to come in,” said Randy Barone, vice president of business development for ACV. “Dealers are spending around $700 per car on average for marketing.”
Auto dealerships are expected to be back up and running by the Fourth of July following a cyberattack that caused a software outage in mid-June. CDK Global, the affected software provider, stated in an email to Scripps News that “substantially all dealer connections are live on the Dealer Management System (DMS) as of Tuesday.”
CDK is actively working on getting additional applications and integrations live again.
The cyberattack had an impact on sales and other services, prompting car dealerships to be eager for your business.
“Many dealers missed out on a lot of sales,” Barone noted, “so they are highly motivated right now to offer incredible deals on both new and used cars.”
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Barone advises consumers to have a budget when going to the dealership, but not to focus solely on price.
“I see consumers haggling down to the last dollar on price,” he explained, “but they overlook things like financing, warranties, and other expenses that can end up costing a lot over the car’s lifespan.”
Barone mentioned that dealers want to move cars off the lot, so being flexible with color and features is recommended. He also suggests expanding your search beyond your local area.
“It’s a very favorable time right now. You don’t have to wait for the next holiday,” he added.
Despite the incentives, don’t expect major price drops: The average price of a new car in May was $48,389, according to Kelley Blue Book.
Market research firm Cox Automotive referred to the June outage as a “curveball.” Their researchers stated in a message to Scripps News that June retail sales “were certainly impacted by the outage.”
Initial data suggests that new-vehicle sales volume was down by over 3% compared to the previous year, according to Cox Automotive.
