It’s one thing to have industry insiders’ advice for saving money on a used vehicle: look for rental-fleet clearances, lease buybacks, inventory reductions or demo vehicles.
But how do you go about it?
Whitehorse Motors is making it easy for you – you don’t have to check in with the dealership once or twice a week, or try to guess when the Budget rental vehicles will come available. They’re putting everything on the lot in one big clearance sale.
“A couple of times a year we do a sale at the Real Canadian Superstore where we liquidate ex-rental vehicles,” said Jens Neilsen, Whitehorse Motors’s sales manager.
These are cars and trucks from the Budget fleet that have been rented out to tourists, he says – not the heavy-use trucks leased by mining companies. They were regularly maintained while in service, and have been through the shop for inspection and maintenance before being offered for sale.
Individual lease buybacks and demo models are also up for clearance. And Canada Wide Credit will be on site to help with financing.
“They’re really good at helping people get financed,” Nielsen said. “Sometimes it can be difficult for people who have had some bad luck – and half the population at one time or another will have credit issues.”
In fact, if you are paying an existing high-interest loan, financing a purchase with Canada Wide Credit might actually lower your payments.
“It’s a different approach,” Nielsen said. “Rather than visiting the showroom and falling in love with something you might not be able to afford, you can explain your needs to Canada Wide’s experts and get pre-approved for a selection of vehicles that’s in your range.
“If you need room for two child seats and a couple of dogs, a Ford Focus isn’t going to be right for you. So if your budget is $400 a month and you need something that can handle all that, they can do a pre-approval and show you some vehicles that fit your budget,” he said.
And the timing is right—now is when all of those insider tips for saving money come into play. “It’s a perfect storm,” Neilsen says.
“October is a really good month to pick up a used vehicle, because there’s going to be more selection. We have a larger bubble of inventory as all those rental cars and some demos and lease returns become available.”
The offsite sale at the Real Canadian Superstore parking lot runs from Oct. 1 to 5.