"New" 2014 model car at a dealership - should I be afraid?

I'm looking to get a V8 RWD sedan like a Charger or Chevy SS in the spring. Was going to go with something a year or two old to avoid the big deprecation hit, but I've found a dealer that has a hell of a price on a "new" 2014 SS. It's a great deal, roughly the same price as used models with 10-20k on them of the same year. I wasn't going to go new, and I wasn't going to get anything this soon, but I could make it happen if need be.

But it seems too good to be true. According to CarGurus, it's been at that dealership for 617 days. That's an awfully long time. So it's either been sitting on a lot for almost 2 years, or every salesman in the place has been beating the crap out of it every time he goes out for lunch. It still has a new-car warranty that doesn't start until someone buys it, so there's that, but man, I dunno. In any case, I'm probably going to go look at it tomorrow.

Am I being overly paranoid, or is there reason to be concerned about a car that's been at a dealership for that long?

I'd look a bit closer why it might have been sitting there for that long. Unpopular color? Manual transmission?

The other thing I'd be concerned about is what it does to the warranty, but unless it's beat up and you get the full factory warranty, I wouldn't see a good reason why you should stay away.

How many miles are on it?

The SS has nearly 0 public awareness. I'm not too surprised. I would look at the odometer and if it's "age" has any implications on financing.

Brian wrote: The SS has nearly 0 public awareness. I'm not too surprised. I would look at the odometer and if it's "age" has any implications on financing.

This, and it's in a fairly remote area a good hour from where I live.

Supposedly it has 230 miles on it.

Look for repaint evidence. Maybe it was wrecked on a test drive and slowly fixed.

2014 Chevy SS was automatic only. For 2015, a manual was offered.
My guess is that this auto became less desirable when the 2015's hit. If a dealership wanted an automatic, they could just order one.

I read here elsewhere on the board that someone worked at a GM dealer and they said the only SS they had on the lot was sold at a huge markdown just to make it finally go away.

I would give serious consideration to the Chevy SS.
Long term, I think the Chevy SS will suffer huge immediate depreciation and then that depreciation will level off as the car then enters a realm of "collectability" given it's rareness.

Most dealers don't let low level employees hoon cars of that status in my experience, but who knows. I think it's still worth a small premium over a used one.

I looked at Chevy's online inventory tracker.
The 2016 model is out and for 2015 models of this "rare car" (read :slow selling) I can still find:
5 in Metro Detroit
1 in Metro Toledo
2 in Metro Cleveland
I am sure many more if I looked farther (or GM's search function was a little easier to use.)

JohnRW1621 wrote: I looked at Chevy's online inventory tracker. The 2016 model is out and for 2015 models of this "rare car" (read :slow selling) I can still find: 5 in Metro Detroit 1 in Metro Toledo 2 in Metro Cleveland I am sure many more if I looked farther (or GM's search function was a little easier to use.)

It's both rare and slow-selling. They only import a few thousand a year from Australia. But it's also quite overpriced new (IMO), and gets zero marketing support. The non-enthusiast community simply doesn't know this car exists, and if they see one on the road, they'll think it's a Malibu. That's part of what I like about them.

I recently drove a Pontiac G8 and fell in love with the chassis. But those are holding their value too well for me at this point, they are pretty dated from an infotainment standpoint for the money people want for them. The SS has all that stuff, another 50 hp, 5+ years of chassis development, and it's 100lbs lighter.

I had a freind buy a top spec "new" focus SVT from the dealer nearly two years old. No one wanted to pay the sticker for the car, because it had every option, and it sat for two years. The car had 800-1K miles on it after a couple years due to it being used as a parade car and demonstrator to drum up business. He had no problems with it.

On autotrader there are still 40 NEW 2014 Chevy SS listed on Autotrader with the cheapest one being listed at $36,599.

My guess would be a late-build '14, and has been sitting due to the fact that it's an automatic.

People who wanted a manual waited for the '15, while those who wanted an automatic either wanted a "new" car, or had no idea what SS meant, and didn't want to pay a "premium" over a normal Chevy.

BoxheadTim wrote: I'd look a bit closer why it might have been sitting there for that long. Unpopular color? Manual transmission? The other thing I'd be concerned about is what it does to the warranty, but unless it's beat up and you get the full factory warranty, I wouldn't see a good reason why you should stay away.

Factory warranty period begins when it is sold new. This is why I still have over 2 years of factory warranty left on my '13 Abarth....sold new in April 2014. LoL

That wouldn't bother me. I bought a new 2012 bmw k1300s in early 2014. The bike isnt a steller seller, especially in the market I bought it (Chatanooga), so they kept discounting until I couldn't ignore it. I think a new SS would be great.

Do the tires match each other, in type and wear, and are they right for the car? Is the mileage appropriate? If so, I wouldn't worry.

Also, my customer experience leasing a new Chevy a couple years ago was stellar, the only real problem being that the warranty scammers came out of the woodwork when it hit 24 months of age. Warranty work always came with a free loaner, and all contact was super friendly and professional. Obviously, a lot of that is dealer, but it was really nice. I keep looking at the SS longingly, as it seems really practical.

The SS is one of the greatest and most underrated cars around. Get it.

I bought my '14 Buick in March '15. The warrantee and free oil changes began the day I picked it up. I was a bit concerned about the car having sat so long but in 37,000 miles it's worked perfectly.

A friend picked up a '13 Genesis 3.8l with the track pack in July. The car only had 86 miles on it. Apparently no one liked the hasher ride of the track suspension. He got a hell of a deal on it and it's been flawless. I would look a little closer than normal, but otherwise I wouldn't be afraid of it.

Do it.

Brian wrote: The SS has nearly 0 public awareness. I'm not too surprised. I would look at the odometer and if it's "age" has any implications on financing.

it's weird that no one knows about them... here's a pic of a few of them driving down the road with a Ford Fusion and a few Toyota Camrys:

Check for hail damage. Those things sit around for a long time waiting for insurance to fix them. Google hail storm in the area of the dealership. FWIW I picked up a new 2000 Mazda 6 with a LXV6, 5 speed, and limited slip, in early 2002. Dealership got in 15 V6 5 speeds that were scooped up all over the region by Mazda and dumped on one lot. It was much cheaper than the 2002s were. Now getting the dealership to honor the advertised price involved a personal check for the full amount, my truck, a trailer and me almost getting arrested.

In reply to novaderrik:

The odd thing is I know a lot of NASCAR fans that know there are Chevys bought couldn't tell what model. My father is pretty sure it's an Impala since SS is supposed to go after the model like Chevelle SS or Monte Carlo SS. The marketing people did a swell job there.

I bought a 2012 Jetta in Sept. of 2013. The 2014's were already out and for sale. I got a good deal on a "new car" and have been happy with it since.

I've seen some "new" cars with miles on them listed as "demo" cars. Mine being a stick meant that it sat on the lot rather then being driven. It had 36 miles on it when I first test drove it.

I haven't driven one, but have checked out one at the auto show. It seems like it could have been a real contender against the Charger, but Chevy just didn't market them very well. Plus, it still has that "sleeper" aspect of it. The Charger looks aggressive, but the SS is kinda plain in comparison. You wouldn't know it's a performance car until you stomped the loud pedal.

Maybe the Cadillac guys squelched the promotion of it so as not to be a cheaper version of the CTS-V?

If you liked the G8, however, I'm willing to bet you'll love the SS. Hopefully, it also has the upgraded Recaro's.

Have you gone to look at it yet?

-Rob