There are two "best times" during the year to buy a car. The last 2 weeks of December is an excellent time for car buyers to buy a new car. Everyone is out buying XMAS gifts, leaving new car dealer lots void of customers, motivating dealers to cut costs, and break year end sales records. Another good car buying time is July to October as new car dealers sell off last year's models at low prices to clear space for new car models. Secret factory to dealer incentives can be huge: $1000-$6000 in addition to new car consumer rebates! In November, 2003 BMW had a $5000 secret factory to dealer incentive on the 7 series! If they sell you the car at invoice, they earned $5000 more. You should haggle over this incentive, many dealers willingly give up all or part of this incentive, making your new car purchase cost lower.
If the dealer does not have your car and options, they can order it from the factory. The car should not cost more than the cars on the lot, but some dealers fool you. It does not cost dealers more, it's ordered as part of their weekly buying. Because new car factory orders don't sit on a lot waiting to sell, they cost dealers $0 on interest. New car dealers require a deposit of $500-$1000, try not to give more than $500. Don't pay deposits by check, use a credit card only. When the car comes in and they jack the price up $1000 telling you there was "a price increase", it's easy to dispute it off your credit card. But if you paid by check, they cashed it baby, and you're stuck. There should be no fees, it's just a normal car deal. Lead time is 8 weeks to 6 months.
We discourage car buyers from letting Dealer A get your new car from Dealer B. Sometimes due to geography and lack of dealer coverage while buying a car, you may have no choice. Some dealers routinely locate new cars for car buyers and make them quite happy. But 90% of the time I hear complaints from buyers. It's a crap shoot and you never know whether you have a good dealer. I suggest you just find out who Dealer B is and go buy a car from them. One VW dealer told me the best advice if a dealer offers to locate a new car for you, is don't sign anything until you've seen the car yourself, or sign a letter of intent to the effect that the contract is not binding until you have physically seen the car and given your ok. I always hear of games and scams when dealer A has the car shipped from dealer B, because of towing costs, and dealer A loses the holdback to the original Dealer B. All sorts of fees show up. Even worse, the wrong car shows up and you are stuck buying car you don't want because you put down a deposit! I also get lots of complaints about missing MSRP stickers, which is a felony. You'll eliminate these issues if you buy a car from the dealer who has the car. Search all the dealer web sites for their inventory. Before you give ANY money, be sure you have a written buyer's order from them clearly stating what new car you are buying, the VIN#, the color, and all the options, so there is no doubt what you are paying for. If they give you bogus lip service about "not knowing the VIN# yet", they are lying.
It takes 2 months to shop, decide, haggle, and buy a car. If your car is dying, you'll be forced into making hasty decisions and signing deals you should never have signed. Never let a dealer know you are desperate for a car. Don't dump money into fixing up a clunker, take the loss, use the cash towards the new car, and move on with your life. There's nothing I can do for you.
