Top 10 Fastest/Slowest Selling New Cars — September

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: The September Top 10 Fastest Sellers list is all about new 2010 models – seven of the top ten vehicles were launched during the month. The Volkswagen Jetta remains in the number one spot from last month. However the sales numbers on the Jetta are low so its quick turnover time may be a result of constrained supply. The Toyota Prius and Tacoma are selling far more vehicles and remain on the list because of high demand. The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V continue to be fierce competitors, tied for number two on the Fastest Selling list. The Dodge Challenger is the only vehicle by from an American car company for September.

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 Sellers list is the car industry’s bargain basement. Last month Toyota captured four spots with their 2009 vehicles. This month GM brands have seven 2009 vehicles on the list. The Chevy Corvette may have made the list because the redesigned 2010 model is a hot seller. In contrast, the Cadillac STS and Chevy Cobalt are starting to look like permanent residents on the Slowest Selling list. The Saturn Aura is also back on the list again, no surprise since the plan to have Penske buy Saturn fell apart. Finally, the Honda Pilot tops the Slowest Sellers list again. Guess they can’t give the big SUV away.

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.