Lexington Park Ford Lincoln

Should I Buy a Vehicle?

New or Newer?

This Year's Model or Next Year's Model

Manufacturers release new vehicle models throughout the year, but most of them come out in late summer or fall. When the new models come out, dealers are often left with a lot full of year-end models that are still in brand-new condition. This situation can work to potential car buyers’ advantage, as dealers want to sell the outgoing models as quickly as they can to make room for the latest ones. But as good as this opportunity sounds, buying a model-year-end vehicle isn’t for everyone, and there are some important things you should consider that we’ve highlighted below for you.

END-OF-MODEL-YEAR VEHICLES ARE PRICED TO MOVE

The greatest advantage of buying a model-year-end vehicle is that dealers usually offer some of their best deals of the year on them. They’ll roll out just about every incentive in the book, from cash back options to special trade-in values, if it gets those outgoing models off the lot faster. So in a financial sense, a model-year-end sale is one of your best chances to get a new car, truck or SUV at a fantastic price.

CONSIDER HOW LONG YOU PLAN TO OWN THE VEHICLE

When you buy a model-year-end vehicle, you’re essentially buying last year’s model. One reason this might not be the way for you to go is if you don’t plan to keep your vehicle for long. If you like to change your vehicle every couple years, it’s probably more worthwhile for you to purchase the newer model because its trade-in value will be higher in the short-term. However, if you plan to keep that vehicle for five or more years, the difference in trade-in value becomes negligible, and the model-year-end vehicle becomes a strong option for you to consider.

WHEN ONLY THE LATEST AND GREATEST WILL DO

Some people prefer to drive the latest model because of new or improved features. While you can get a great deal on a year-end model, it’s possible that the newer vehicle will have an edge in performance, technology or other features. But some vehicles change very little from one year to the next, and the differences can be subtle. If you’re trying to decide between a year-end model and the latest one, talk to our sales professionals to determine what has changed, and decide if those changes are important enough for you to choose the newer model.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of buying a vehicle at end of model year, visit Lexington Park Ford Lincoln at 22659 Three Notch Road , California, MD 20619. We have a large selection of this year’s models, as well as next year’s models, on our lot. And if you’re in Leonardtown, California or St. Mary's City, we can help you choose the perfect brand-new vehicle for your particular situation.