I recently found a new 2012 Nissan Titan pick-up truck at a Nissan dealership. It has been in the same place for over 18 months without moving an inch, according to one of the lot attendants. I’m interested in the truck if I can motivate the dealer to take a ton off of the MSRP. My concern is the amount of time the truck has set in one place. Would fuel and engine oil stablization be a problem? Have any seals, joints or hoses suffered damage? Is it a safe vehicle to purchase?
18 months in the same place without moving an inch?? I doubt that very much…In any case, none of your worries have much validity…But yes, since the truck is approaching 2 years old, you should expect and get a big discount off sticker price…
Right now, it is an unsold, new car.
But as soon as you buy it, it turns into a 18 month old used car.
Negotiate accordingly
The only reason I believe that it hasn’t ever moved is because the film that covers the wheels during transport is still in place!
I wouldn’t make an offer until I drove the truck several miles and confirmed that everything operated correctly. Determining a fair price leaves a great deal of room for dickering. It could be a great deal. Is the truck highway department orange or Mary Kay pink?
That IS funny! Actually, its all white! Is a great looking truck. Titans just don’t sell well here in southeast VA, the cradle of national defense.
A new vehicle becomes old the second it leaves you stranded.
By that definition, any used vehicle can be new since it hasn’t left you stranded yet. Of course, it could be called old by the previous owner…
Db4690 makes a very good point:
Right now, it is an unsold, new car.
But as soon as you buy it, it turns into a 18 month old used car.
The key takeaway here is that it will immediately have the value of an 18 month old used car (should you ever want to sell it, or should you get into an accident where the insurance company pays you what the car is worth).
Negotiate so that you’re covered once you own it.
Edmunds says that the mileage premium for a 2012 Titan with 50 miles is $896. They also suggest that a used 2012 Titan in outstanding condition is worth an additional $928. Add that to the price of a used 2012 Titan in clean condition from a dealer and you have a starting point. An equivalent new Titan would cost about $2100 more than the used one detailed above, including a $2500 rebate.
So, I’d look at a 2013 with the same options. If you can get the 2012 for $7100 less than the 2013 MSRP, it is a decent deal. BTW, the difference seems large because the rebate was not subtracted from the MSRP. If you provide a list of options, we can get a more accurate figure.
Is the Titan considered an import?
Of course many in Mississippi wave their flag when they buy a Crown Vic made in Canada instead of a Hyundai Sonata made in Alabama.
In August of 1988, the Pontiac dealer in my town had a left over 1987 Pontiac 6000 that had not been sold nor driven. We were looking for a new car to replace our 1985 Ford Tempo that my wife didn’t like, although we intended to buy the Pontiac straight out with no trade. At any rate, we discussed the car with the sales person and I pointed out that by the model year, the car, though new, was two years old. This meant that the battery, tires, hoses, etc. were all two years old. I said to give me the best price possible as I already had a price on a 1988 Taurus at the Ford dealer down the street. She said she would check with the sales manager. My wife and I were left alone in the booth and we didn’t say a word as I suspected that there was a listening device in the booth. The sales person came back with a “great deal”–they could take $100 off the sticker price. I told her that the price was way out of line and thanked her for her time. She then said, “that isn’t our best price”. I said, “You had your chance. My time is valuable”. We did go down the street and buy the Taurus.
There is a reason why this truck is still on the lot. The dealer doesn’t want to deal.
I agree with @db4690, it is an almost 2 year old used truck the second you drive it off the lot. If priced accordingly, that could be a good thing.
If you put lots of miles a year on the truck, say 20,000, at the end of 5 years, you would have a 100,000 mile, 7 year old truck with normal mileage (15k x 7 = 105k miles) rather than a 5 year old truck with 100k miles ready to scare away potential buyers.
Be sure and drive it, the brake pads may have rusted to the rotors causing pulsation, the parking brake may not function from rust and the tires are likely flat-spotted but should roll out with a little highway running. The battery may have a very short life since they don’t store well at all. Otherwise, it is a new truck.
@Mustamgman: why would high miles/years old ratio “scare away” buyers?
Granted, miles are never good, but if I hear about a 3-y.o. car with, say, 80K miles, I think:
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Gotta be mostly highway miles; thus, brakes, AT, and suspension probably in better condition than mileage suggests.
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Higher-than-average chance car was used for business,
(implying…)
3. Car probably had at least some of the scheduled maintenance done ('cause you don’t neglect the goose that laid the golden egg.)
That truck is almost 2 years old on matter if it’s moved an inch or not. Since dealers are all about cash flow in the here and now I would wanting to know beyond all doubt why that truck has become a lot lizard.
Being new doesn’t mean unwrecked either. At a multi-line dealer where I worked several cars received some pricy damage while being unloaded from the transport trucks.
Once at the Chevy dealer next door, the transport driver ran a brand new Monte Carlo right off the side of the ramps; crushing the right side, taking out most of the glass, and buckling the roof.
The driver was a Teamster so he probably kept his job… 
I’m not saying that truck was whacked; only that it’s a possibility and one of a number of reasons why the truck has loitered that long.
The warranty should go into effect the day you buy the truck, so as long as you can get a fair price (does he want this truck off his lot or not) If it’s been sitting on the lot with a $3,000 Regional Price Adjustment (or whatever term the dealers call it down there) that would keep it nailed to the lot for awhile.
Titan is a good truck,powerful and all,but the fuel mileage isnt that great-remind this dealer this thing is made out of steel not gold-Kevin(ps its a wonder you havent run across the no prize advertised deals)
Good for you. I can’t stand it when you tell a salesman that you mean business and they just want to play around.
A few years ago the local Isuzu Dealership had a Trooper that they still had left over and eventually put it in their ad for the KBB used price for one with delivery miles (about $10,000 off the sticker price)
@meanjoe75fan, Higher than average mileage wouldn’t bother me either since its likely highway miles but some people get concerned when looking at cars with higher than average mileage. Its a preconceived notion in some buyers minds and the reason used car dealers used to roll back odometers. These kinds of notions don’t follow logic!
As soon as any car is titled and registered it becomes a “used” car. Until that 1st title is issued it is technically a new car, even if it has been sitting on a dealer(s) lots for a year or more. What you have here is a “stale” new car. Soon 2014 models will start arriving at some dealers, making it even more stale.
I won’t really worry about deterioration of basic rubber parts. I would change the oil at about 5K miles, but otherwise I’d treat it as a new car. My guess is the dealer isn’t willing to offer a big discount, so it will likely sit on the lot for awhile longer. I’d offer about $1000 more than Edmonds shows for a used truck with 1000 miles.
Or, make a ridiculously low offer and see what happens. Take 30% off the sticker price and see if the dealer bites on that.