Get'em While They're (Not) Hot: Thousands of Copies of New, Discontinued Vehicles Litter Dealer Lots in the U.S.

At Hyundai dealers across America, there are 964 copies of the discontinued Azera strewn about, waiting for the final 964 Hyundai Azera buyers.

A raft of recently discontinued models has resulted in opportunities for consumers to potentially snatch up terrific deals while attractive financing terms remain on 2017 models. The Azera, a large volume-brand sedan unable to function in a market that’s rapidly turning its back on such vehicles, is only one such dead model. Production of the first ( and only) generation of Jeep’s Patriot, for example, ended late last year, but there are more than 6,600 in dealer inventory, according to Cars.com.

Don’t wait too long, or you’ll end up like that buyer of a new 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution who paid $138,000 just this month, July 2017.

Of course, there won’t come a point at which any one of the 1,500 or so Dodge Darts still available for sale will be valued at $138,000. But as new model year vehicles begin to take over in new vehicle showrooms, programs on remaining copies of prior model year vehicles begin to dry up. Dealers are then left with excessive stock and little manufacturer support to reduce that stock.

That means the deals available on leftover models this summer might not soon improve, as 2018 vehicles begin to garner manufacturers’ incentive and marketing support.

In FCA showrooms, to go along with all of those remaining Dodge Darts and Jeep Patriots, there are roughly 4,000 Chrysler 200s. Officially, Chrysler lists a $2,000 cash allowance and 0-percent financing over 36 months on the 200 Limited Platinum 2.4. There are 17 V6-powered Chrysler 200s in stock priced below $20,000.

Officially killed off earlier this week, there are more than 900 Infiniti QX70s in stock at U.S. dealers. With reportedly no 2018 Nissan Juke incoming, there are over 1,800 2017 Jukes in stock. Lexus has nearly 400 copies of the dead CT200h remaining in its dealer inventory. Volkswagen’s recently eliminated Touareg remains relatively common — there are 1,439 in Cars.com’s inventory listing and nearly 800 copies of the defunct Volkswagen CC.

There are almost 1,500 Buick Veranos at U.S. Buick dealers. A mid-grade Sport Touring can be leased for $199 month over 39 months for $3,269, GM says. That’s before the negotiations begin. There are 18 Veranos in stock with advertised prices below $18,000.

Last but not least, GM’s Chevrolet SS inventory stands above 1,000 units. SS production ended in May. As the SS’s final days neared, however, demand picked up. March, for example, was the SS’s best month ever, and by a wide margin.

Getting your hands on one of the final SSs might not be so easy then. But if your heart was set on a 2017 Jeep Patriot, you have some time left on the clock before the good deals expire.

[Images: FCA, General Motors]

Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.