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Comment by onion2k | Hacker News Reader

That's one of the many tactics car dealerships use. If you want the model with some fancy options then you can drive it away today. If you want a car without additional extras then it's not in stock, so you'll have to wait 4 weeks (or more) for delivery, but the finance deal they're offering has to be taken before delivery of the car and it expires in a couple of weeks. Consequently you can only get finance if you pay for the options...

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This can all be avoided by buying a used car from a private seller, or at CarMax.

New cars purchases are a bad financial move since you're going to lose thousands more on depreciation vs. buying used.

I prefer to lease. Sure you don't get the equity in the vehicle, but many people turn around cars every 3 years or so anyway. I like the peace of mind of not having to worry about mechanical issues due to the age of the car (and most issues that do arise are covered under included maintenance agreements or recalls) or missing out on new features.

Depends on the manufacturer and your area too. Something likea Honda Accord or Pilot has about 5 choices. When I bought my Accord it was LX, EX, EX with Leather, EX V6, EX Leather V6. If you look at some of the Ford or Chevy trucks, there are probably 100 different combinations.

It also helps that in the NY suburbs there are about 4 or 5 other places to buy that same exact car within a 30-45 minute drive.

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