Jack made several good observations in his post the other day, not the least of which was “The world of automotive pricing, like the world of wristwatch pricing, works on some bizarre rules which exist nowhere else.” This is true to the nth degree.

Moving metal fifteen years ago, I firmly recall an instance when the dealer bought several low-mile examples of a certain compact car that were a single model year old and of which we still had plenty new copies neatly lined up on the front row. Priced within pennies of the new units, us lads on the floor naturally steered customers towards the used cars because there was significantly more markup on them … meaning a higher commission.

This was all fine and dandy until the manager told us to cease and desist because he was catching heat from the Dealer Principal for not moving enough new cars. I will leave observations about putting the customer’s best interests first in the B&B’s capable hands.

Here’s today’s QOTD: given a budget, would you buy new or slightly-used?

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