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 Sellers lists:
Analysis: The September Fastest Sellers list is all about SUVs. Toyota tops the list with the 4Runner and RAV4. The RAV4 is neck and neck with its perennial competitor, the Honda CR-V.

These SUVs along with the Ford Edge and Chevy Equinox are always big sellers. Of course the Honda Civic will probably outsell all of these SUVs.

Remember that the Fastest Sellers list, which measures how long cars sit on the lot, is different from a biggest sellers list, which would track total numbers sold. The Lincoln MKX can stay a Fastest Seller for months, as long as the manufacturer keeps inventory low. But Lincoln will never sell as many units over time as Honda or Ford, it's not a mass market brand.

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. 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: Ford continues to own the top end of the Slowest Sellers list with the 2010 Mustang and the F-250 and F-350. As we pointed out last month, these are solid vehicles that happen to have 2011 models that are stealing all the focus.

But to really understand the Slowest Sellers list, you should also have a context, the number of vehicles being sold. For instance there were only a couple of hundred Mustangs sold last month. The Lincoln MKS and MKT, Jeep Commander, and Subaru Impreza barely sold a hundred units a piece. In comparison, the Equinox, number 8 on our Fastest Sellers list, sold 2500 units during that same period.

The point is that the previous year models can hang on for months at a time taking up space. There generally isn't as much inventory to choose from. But find one you like and you can get a great deal.

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.

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