Buy a new carNowadays, it is quite an exercise in economy and patience due to the high market prices and long waiting times. About the first we can do little, but the second it is possible to minimize it: it is true that the time depends on the brand and the model, but In the current scenario, nobody gets rid of a wait of months and months. There are some formulas to skip this row.
As we said, the situation is not the same for all manufacturers and not for all types of vehicles. In 2022, the last full year, buying a new electric car required more patience than usual: on average, you had to wait about seven months. If the driver opted for a combustion vehicle, that term was reduced… although not too much: 5.5 months.
Why is the wait so long?
The question is obvious: why are there so many delays in buying a new car? There are three reasons that explain the situation. The first one is the coronavirus pandemic: Yes, the consequences of the temporary closures are still being felt in the stock of the brands.
The second is the well-known shortage of microchips, which causes delays and stoppages in the production chain: the obvious consequence is that the delivery time of a car multiplies… more and more. It is true that this crisis does not affect all brands in the same way: European ones have been more affected by the need to import these elements from China and South Korea, the main manufacturers of semiconductors.
and the third is the Ukrainian War: Russia is one of the main exporters of raw materials and is also one of the main producers of certain components in the motor world. The effect of the sanctions has not been long in coming, delaying the rate of production of some lines and making costs more expensive.
How to buy a car immediately?
There are some drivers who do not want to and others who cannot afford to wait for the arrival of a new car for many months and even a year. For all of them There are formulas with which deadlines can be minimized and go through pick a stock car, zero milesecond-hand or resort to brands that have immediate delivery.
stock cars
Sometimes, ignorance leads us to rule out options as valid for having a new vehicle as stock models. They are new cars that are already manufactured (here we skip the main waiting barrier: order it from the factory) and are stored by unregistered brands.
The handicap is that they hardly allow us to customize or configure them based on our tastes. This does not mean that they arrive with the basics: Normally the brands manufacture them taking into account the most demanded preferences, so you will find cars with good finishes and with remarkable equipment. Of course, if you want a model with a very specific configuration… stock vehicles are not for you.
These cars have other advantages: they allow a certain margin to negotiate with the dealer and get better purchase conditions, accessories or an extra that can be included after its manufacture. And, focusing on the case at hand, their waiting times are shorter, being reduced to a few weeks or a few days: What is necessary to move the car, prepare it and do the corresponding paperwork.
The problem is that, Currently, the supply of stock cars has been significantly reduced for the same reasons that production lead times have increased… and the discounts that used to accompany these models are also scarce. However, they are still the most recommended option to buy a new car at a good price and with immediate delivery.
0 kilometer cars
The next route that takes us to kilometer 0 vehicles that, unlike the previous ones, yes they are registered, they have a few kilometers on their odometer… and they are brand new cars: you will be its first owner.
They are units that, on many occasions, come from stock and end up being registered by the brand: we are talking, in fact, about the self-registrations. On other occasions it is because the dealer receives more copies than he can sell and ends up registering them. They can also be those that are part of the exhibition.
They have a lower price than the new ones or the stock ones (it can be 20% cheaper) and its delivery is much shorter because it is already at the dealership; All you have to do is manage the transfer of ownership to the buyer. As in the previous case, it is not possible to customize it and, sometimes, to benefit from the discount they offer, you have to finance the purchase with the brand. And if you are wondering about the guarantee, which begins at the time of registration, you should bear in mind that most brands offer an extra guarantee to compensate for the time that has elapsed since that moment.
second hand cars
The used vehicle market has been one of the great beneficiaries of the long deadlines that weigh on new models. Although, in 2022, they fell by 5.6% (1,885,553 operations were registered), For every new car, 2.3 used ones were sold. And this despite the fact that the average price has skyrocketed to 19,547 euros (data corresponding to December 2022).
Buying a second-hand car implies dispose of it immediately: All you have to do is change ownership, a procedure that you can carry out yourself together with the seller at the Traffic Department or by using the services of an agency. If you buy it at a dealer for sale, you will save this operation.
Of course, opting for a used vehicle is double-edged weapon. We can negotiate your price, but you have to be patient to search (and find) a unit in good condition, assume that we will have to make do with the equipment it has and trust that the seller has not hidden any faults.
Brands with immediate delivery
At a time when, as we explained to you before, factory orders and stock cars are scarce, there are brands that use the best possible claim: immediate delivery with which guarantee the availability of the model in very reasonable terms which do not usually exceed a month.
Brands such as Renault, Dacia, Nissan or Hyundai, among others, have opted for this formula. Depending on the manufacturer, the car can be customized to a greater or lesser extent: on other occasions the unit will be the one that is already available and will not admit any changes, although, yes, they are usually well-equipped versions. The handicap of this option is that it is not available from all manufacturers, nor for all models and may be associated with a brand financing plan.
