Would you buy a “New Car” that is 15 months old?

[Speedbird001]

Would seriously consider, especially if there is no significant difference between '24 and '26 models (Hint: read the car reviews for '25 and upcoming '26 even if the platform is the same they always point out the year on year changes).

It's got a few miles on it, so they will likely let you borrow it for a few days... Ask for that to make sure AND make an appointment at a independent body shop to check for hidden damage.

Another motorcycle story, late '08 I bought a brand new '06 Star Roadliner. I think they were overpriced and market was starting to crash at that time... The owner of dealer actually had it in storage and moved it to the used bike section when I bought it with like 11 miles on it for ~25% off sticker (Unheard of for a motorcycle).

 

[Speedbird001]

Would love to know what the real story is with this truck:

- Perhaps this was a higher spec model and they wanted more than the market could bear and now need to free up the capital

- Trade from another dealer? The sticker should show "Ship to [dealer]"

- How about the pictures a few years ago with thousands of unfinished cars and trucks sitting in storage lots just waiting for a few components to finish them?

 

[Speedbird001]

... dealer put me off (adding a $1K "diamond ceramic treatment" and sketchy tactics)...

Oh hell no, 100% I would walk over that. I seen a few highly desirable cars and in lieu of straight of "Market Adjustment" mark-up on the sticker they have added thousands with this stuff.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

The most popular selling vehicle in the US for 4 decades has been sitting on a dealer lot for 18 months? There must be a reason ...

There are tons of them that are sitting and will continue to sit. Its crazy to see 2024s and 2026s at the same new car dealer

 

[earthbound]

I did that actually, in January 1996 I bought a brand new 1995 Trans Am and it had a factory build date of September 1994 so it was sitting on the lot for a while! I had a lot of trouble with that car. As soon as I pulled out of the lot I noticed the first issue. The windshield wipers weren’t coming down all the way when you shut them off. One week later the starter died
The car also had more “test drive miles” on it than I expected, around 200. I changed the oil as soon as I got it home.

that was just great GM reliability back then...

 

[Patman]

that was just great GM reliability back then...

I just got unlucky with that one, I was back to the dealer more than 20 times in the first 18 months for many issues with it. Then it settled down and was reliable. I even talked to the new owner a couple of years after I traded it in and he said it was perfect for him. I had traded it for a new 98 Firebird Formula and that one didn’t need to go back to the dealer even once for any reason.

 

[macarose]

I’ve found a new 2024 F150 3.5 ecoboost with 75 miles that was made in February of 2024.

Assuming that the deal is good enough, would you hesitate to purchase a 1.5 year old new car? What would you request be done to the vehicle to make it as close to new as reasonably possible?

So far my offer would be contingent on an oil change, new windshield wipers, a full exterior detail and possibly new tires as there was some vibration during the test drive and a new battery or at least a positive load test on the existing battery.

Just for amusement this morning, I decided to look at the largest wholesale auto auction database and see how many F150s there were which had under 1,000 miles.

Turns out to be 72 in total. 38 of them had the 3.5 Liter.

One amusing outlier was a Ford Lightning Crew Cab with a short bed whose wholesale auction value was $37,300.

If you're interested to know what the market is for these F150s feel free to PM me. I'll give you access. At least you know where you'll stand in terms of whether it's a deal worth doing or not.