Top 10 Fastest/Slowest Selling New Cars — August

What are the top 10 best selling cars, the most desirable? What are the slowest selling models? Knowing how various cars are selling is one of your best tools for negotiating with the dealer. After all, if the dealer knows a model is desirable and will get sold in a week, he can charge close to sticker.

This "Days on Lot" information will give you an edge before you even set foot on the lot. Days on Lot measures the average number of days a model sits on a dealer's lot before it is sold. This is one predictor of a dealer's willingness to negotiate.

The first step is to study the Top Ten Fastest/Slowest Selling lists:
Analysis: August is a busy month because many of the 2010 models start hitting the market and dealers are trying to dump their '09s. Only the Scion xB and Toyota Prius are holdovers from last month. In fact, the Prius has been on the fastest selling list since it launched in May. Toyota also has their Tacoma truck and Avalon sedan on the list. The other big winner this month was Ford, with the Escape and Focus as well as the Mercury Mariner. The Cash For Clunkers rebates may have helped keep some of these cars at the top of the list, especially the Prius, Focus and Volkswagen Jetta, because they get excellent mileage.

Negotiation Tip: If you are interested in a car on the Top 10 Fastest Selling list, you're probably not going to pay much below MSRP. We believe most of these cars will continue to be popular for quite a while, so factor that into your buying strategy.

But there is one trick you can use to lock in a good deal—Internet pricing. You see, customers who lock in a price quote ahead of time using the Internet tend to get much better prices. That’s because the Internet Sales Manager knows you’ve gotten multiple Internet bids and done your homework. Click on the Get a Quote button to the right to have a dealer email you a competitive price quote. Analysis: The Slowest Selling list is where you’ll find the bargains. Like last month, the entire list is composed of 2009 cars. Last month Chrysler models made up the majority of the slow sellers. This month Chrysler's not on the slow seller list at all. Chevy has also been moving their old vehicles out. Toyota is a surprise "winner" in August with the Matrix, Camry and Corolla. The Acura TSX is also a surprise. The reason these particular models aren't selling is because the manufacturer has a hot new version that's getting attention while these old models gather dust. It's no surprise finding the Pontiac G5 and Saturn Aura on the list since GM no longer supports these brands. All in all, the August Top 10 Slowest list has some potential deals.

Negotiation Tip: If you are interested in a car on the Top 10 Slow Sellers list, you’re in luck. You should be able to get this car at something close to invoice – or better. But the trick is to lock in the price you want now, before going to the dealership. The dealership’s Internet Sales Manager can send you a price by email and he will be more than ready to deal. Just go to the Ready To Buy box on the right, select the make and model you're interested in, and click on Get a Quote.