Author Topic: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ? (Read 2016 times)

model maker · « **on:** February 11, 2013 - 09:30:21 PM »

When the 2012 Challengers came out in the new year of 2012 some of them are still sitting in the dealers car lots. If buying a challenger ( or any car for that matter ) that has been on the car lot for almost a year and now the 2013s are arriving on the lots and you may get a good deal on the 2012, what things should you look for ? i don't know what the dealers do all year with the cars on the lot not knowing if they just sat or went out on test drives for those who "just wanted to drive a challenger " I know that some of these cars get rough treatment even though the engine still needs to be broken in correctly & has the breakin oil still in the engine. I would check the mileage and know that a test driven car has been hammered hard which doesn't help the break in time needed for a car to run right. harsh treatment may cause rings & seals not to seat properly and a new car will have a life of problems. How about surface rust/corrosion on & in the engine block ? I know it isn't good for a car to sit in a car lot for almost a year.

thedodgeboys · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2013 - 05:44:07 AM »

I'm looking for a question to answer in all this....

It would be odd for a car to sit on a lot for 12 months in today's market place. (especially a challenger)

Yes you could save a few thousand on an older model, it depends on the car the dealer and the inventory.

New cars generally don't need a break in period and have no special fluids in them.

Rust from sitting isn't an issue.

The only issue I can think of if it has been on the lot for 12 months is battery life.

All 2012 cars were not built in a day they are built over the entire year

If you have conserns check the build date if it's an early 2011 date ( yep they started building 2012s in 2011)
If the milage is high it may have been a demo car.

Enjoy.

wiging19 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2013 - 01:03:55 PM »

If the car has over 1K in mileage it is considered a demo or used car. So there should be a discount on top of what a car that just sat after driving it on the lot. So know before you go into the lot what a discount 2012 cars should get and approximation of what a used car that was a 2012 would be. Then find a price you like between those points. Historically auto dealers try to squeeze as much money out of the purchaser as possible. The difference shared between the sales person and dealership.

JS27N0B · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2013 - 11:20:40 PM »

Some of these cars do sit, we had an SRT8 Charger and SRT 300 sit for over a year. I would say the biggest thing is battery life and flat spots on the tires, test drive before buying to ensure that it a smooth ride with no feedback felt in the steering wheel on the drive. Brake rotors can also rust from too much sitting in high humidity, make sure they feel good with no pulsations or growling.

500Stroker · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2013 - 06:22:38 PM »

I bought my wife's 2011 Chrysler 300C that sat on the lot for a year. A week before the year was up it went to auction and then to Carmax where I bought it. Car had 118 miles on it and no issues at all now that we are up to 5000 miles. Getting a $39K car for $28K with 118 miles was a pretty good deal.

model maker · « **Reply #5 on:** February 21, 2013 - 12:31:27 PM »

I looked at a challenger that was sitting for 8 months on the lot and i did see a flash rust all over the brake rotors and calipers. How hard is it to get that removed ? I wonder how the exhaust looks inside ?

JS27N0B · « **Reply #6 on:** February 21, 2013 - 02:31:09 PM »

Nothing other than driving may be required, or at most machining or replacing of the rotors. Exhaust is not a problem sitting or driving.

Author Topic: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ? (Read 2016 times)

model maker

What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?

thedodgeboys

Re: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?

wiging19

Re: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?

JS27N0B

Re: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?

500Stroker

Re: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?

model maker

Re: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?

JS27N0B

Re: What kinds of problems can a new car that has sat on the new car lot all year ?