What a difference a year makes

This time in 2009 dealers were gearing up for a successful new car month in September, mostly inflated it has to be said by scrappage.

Fast forward to August 2010 and the order banks are as capacious as pair of space hoppers at present, with many dealers realising just how much impact scrappage had on ensuring a buoyant new reg month happened in September.

So what will happen? Well it doesn’t really help dealers that due to production previously being ramped back in many factories and cars being built to more specific targets, buyers have become frustrated at being told that a new car they may be interested in will not be ready for several months. Compounding this frustrating news the car buyer then finds out that the dealer is not prepared to put a figure on their trade-in due to their being “so much uncertainty around”.

Car buyers have therefore either gone elsewhere or decided on a demo model or nearly new example instead, thus leaving a vacuum in new car sales which will be virtually impossible to fill.

Of course manufacturers and their brand partners will strive to promote special offers and there will almost certainly be red hot competition between them to offer huge incentives to tempt buyers into the showrooms to hit their targets.

If past experience is anything to go by there will be some great deals to be had but not necessarily on the first choice of car.

Our advice this year, far more so than last, is if you are interested in a model with limited immediate availability to get in early i.e. now, but if it is more of a run of the mill example if you hold out as long as possible you may still get a brand new car but potentially enjoy a huge discount off list by registering the car in September.

Happy car hunting!