The early warning signs of a slow start to the Presidents Day Car sales weekend. “Friday and Saturday were slow but steady,” Harold F. reported, “we had just enough sales staff to meet and greet car shoppers.”

Weather helps or hurts President Day Car sales

TV media blasts motivate the car needy to visit the dealerships. Messages shout deal discounts, low interest rates and cheap leases.

Dealers are offering to double consumers IRS Tax refunds to assist down payment needs on car deals.

Where inclement weather is not an issue, test drives did increase 50% from Friday to Saturday. Afternoon and evening hour shoppers saw a higher percentage of deals closed. Many shoppers decided to take advantage of the extra day off for Presidents Day, to make a decision.

Off-Lease, Loyalty and Competitive make offers were instrumental in moving the buyer.

“We knew we had a month til our lease was over,” Izzy G. says, “but the holiday weekend buzz put us in the mood to make a decision. We did not intend to buy today. But yet, we went test driving knowing we wanted an SUV, and what our budget was. We drove six vehicles at three dealerships, in one day. Once we found the one we wanted, the dealer showed us the perfect color. We got a 2015 for the same deal as a 2014 of the same model.” Dealers are pushing the envelope on trade-in values and interest rates to make deals.  A slow start to February car sales, be the result of weather or the stock market, has the dealers and manufacturers chasing lost ground. Jaguar recently launched the “MARK your TERRITORY” event, with special leases of $459.00 for a Jaguar XF lease. In addition, the Jaguar offer waives the first payment of up to $1,000.00       Kia, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda blast television with payments as low as $199.99 a month, however, the fine print requires a substantial cash down payment and above average credit scores. Nissan is obvious in it’s absence,.  FORD includes Facebook, Twitter and Instagram into their multimedia social messages pitching to low payments to first-time buyers. Internet inquiries are double today, Sunday from the previous month’s weekend activity, and early indicator to a busy Monday. Dealership sales staff should be ready for a packed showroom on Presidents Day, Monday, February 17th. ——————————————————————————————————————– Sarah Lee Marks is MyCarlady. She has over 25+ years of experience. She writes about cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. MyCarlady offers free car buying advice, and private, auto-related services to help you maintain your personal or commercial vehicles. Contact Sarah Lee for more information: sarahlee@mycarlady.com,mvides422@gmail.com,carlady@cox.net Join the MyCarlady newsletter to be kept up-to-date on this and other important car information. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– ]]>