LogFAQs > #966317387

This market sucks ass. Working in manufacturing, I at least know dealers aren't full of shit. Materials and shipping are taking longer, jobs are getting frozen.

I'm lucky to be able to able to navigate this situation actually just end of last week.
Car got in a wreck (jury's still out how bad exactly) on Thursday.
I put down a deposit on a new car that is allocated with a VIN on Friday

Because otherwise:

• While I don't want to plow down the money on short notice, I need to still make money.
• Rental car prices last year screwed me and my mind was already warming up to "fuck it, I might as well buy a backup car". Just didn't think it'd be now.
• other local dealers don't have allocations, let alone VINs
• everyone in my area is willing to bite on allocations with mark-up. I had mark-up in a guise of some BS accessories, but nowhere as bad as I heard others were accepting.
• it's a car the family is already familiar with, so I comfortably can do this sight-unseen, no cross shopping, etc. Just have to worry about my own car not having a stroke of bad luck of being a lemon as can happen with any other car

Basically I had to play with being the least screwed* as possible. It's a very impossible situation for some people, and that sucks not even having the means to make a strategic/worthwhile big picture move. Probably something like buying a $18k used car that's not worth it vs a $30k new car that is worth it (despite mark-up), because they straight up can't afford more than $18k

*when I say screwed, I don't say by the dealer. I just mean in general. Some dealers will do a worse job and see how much they can make, but most will have no choice. So counting all the small victories, I can say mine was upfront. They didn't try to bullshit me with a pitch about justification, partially because they simply don't have to. They clearly have an empty lot and no shortage of buyers.