End of Year Car Buying 2025

The rate snapshot

• Average new car APR sits around the mid sixes to low sevens depending on credit. Recent data shows about 6.8 percent for new and 11.5 percent for used, with super prime buyers often lower and subprime higher. Experian+1

• The bank prime rate is 7.00 percent as of October 30, 2025, which helps explain why finance offers have eased a touch this fall. JPMorgan Chase+1

Palm Beach County year end deals to watch

• Mercedes Benz of Palm Beach Winter Event
  Promotional APRs advertised as low as 1.99 percent for 36 months on many 2025 models, with model exclusions and credit approval required. Fletcher Jones Imports

• BMW Braman West Palm Beach Road Home Sales Event
  Loyalty offers up to 2,000 dollars off select models and promotional APRs as low as 0.90 percent for up to 48 months on specific trims, timing and credit dependent. bramanbmwwpb.com+1

• Audi West Palm Beach Season of Audi
  Active holiday specials and a Season of Audi customer credit shown on in stock vehicles, for example a 2025 Q8 listing with a 5,000 dollar customer credit applied. audiwpb.com+1

• Braman Honda of Palm Beach Happy Honda Days
  Seasonal lease and finance offers promoted across core models like Civic and CR V. Check local pages for exact trims and terms. bramanhondapb.com

• Delray Honda Happy Honda Days
  Parallel holiday offers for Delray shoppers on Civic, CR V, Passport, and more. delrayhonda.com

• Palm Beach Toyota
  Active specials page shows lease offers and incentive listings for Camry and RAV4, with rotating cash and lease promotions. Palm Beach Toyota+2Palm Beach Toyota+2

• Mercedes Benz of Palm Beach national and local offer hubs
  Ongoing national incentives with local inventory links. Useful starting point before you call the store. Mercedes-Benz of Palm Beach+1

• Ford — Grieco Ford of Delray: Active new-vehicle and monthly specials (lease/APR promos; page includes examples like F-150 deals and rotating APR offers). Grieco Ford of Delray Beach+2Grieco Ford of Delray Beach+2

• GMC — Delray Buick GMC: Factory incentives by model (Acadia, Sierra 1500/HD, Yukon, Terrain, etc.) plus dealer “Promotions” page with current new-car specials. Delray Buick GMC+1

• Cadillac — Ed Morse Cadillac Delray: New-car specials posted (e.g., courtesy LYRIQ/XT5 leases; XT6 savings), with expirations shown (currently through Nov 30, 2025). Ed Morse Cadillac Delray

• Lincoln — Schumacher Lincoln of Delray: “New Vehicle Specials” hub for current lease/APR offers and incentives. Schumacher Lincoln of Delray

• Ford — Al Packer Ford West Palm Beach: Monthly lease & new-car specials page (model-specific offers with expiration dates). Al Packer Ford

• GMC — Schumacher Buick GMC (West Palm/North Palm): Current Buick & GMC specials covering Enclave, Terrain, Sierra 1500, etc. Schumacher Palm Beach

• Cadillac — AutoNation Cadillac West Palm Beach: New-car specials (e.g., LYRIQ/OPTIQ incentives with APR or lease terms listed). AutoNation Cadillac West Palm

Fine print matters. Holiday ads often require top tier credit, specific VINs or in stock units, and delivery by stated dates. Screenshot the offer page and save the disclaimer before you visit.

Five power moves to lower your out the door price

1. Get a preapproval from your bank or credit union before you shop. It sets your ceiling and gives you leverage if the dealer rate is higher. Recent coverage shows buyers are stretching loan terms; preapprovals help you avoid that trap. MarketWatch

2. Ask for buy rate and APR add ons in writing. Dealers can mark up the lender’s rate. You can request a sell at buy rate.

3. Work the three numbers separately. Negotiate price, trade value, and financing as separate conversations to keep the math clean.

4. Mind the term. A shorter term with a small rate bump can cost less in total interest than a long term with a tiny rate drop.

5. Say no to junk fees. Decline unwanted add ons and have the dealer remove any non government fees that are not required.

Timing plays in December

• Mid month often has more flexible managers who need to keep the pipeline moving, while the last two to three business days of the month can unlock extra support as stores chase volume goals.

• Early week mornings usually mean faster F and I and more test drive time.

New wrinkle to watch at tax time

There is ongoing coverage of a proposed federal deduction for passenger car loan interest on certain U S assembled vehicles purchased in 2025, with limits and exclusions. If enacted as described, it would require eligibility checks at tax filing and would not apply to most imports or many used transactions. Confirm status with your tax pro before you factor it into your budget. Kiplinger

Quick checklist for the showroom

• Bring your preapproval, insurance card, payoff letter if you have a trade, and a printed copy of the exact online offer you are using.

• Ask the finance manager for the APR, term, total finance charge, and total of payments line items in the contract, not just the monthly payment.

• If the store cannot match or beat your preapproval APR, use your lender.

• Sleep on it if anything feels rushed. The car will still be there or another VIN will be.

1) Shop it like a pro with a same day out the door bid

Do one trim, one VIN, one day. Email or text five nearby stores at once — for example Delray, West Palm, Boca, Palm Beach Gardens, and Wellington — and ask for a written out the door number that includes every fee and tax. Tell them you will choose by 5 pm today and place a refundable deposit on the winning quote.

Use this script:

• Subject: Out the door quote request for VIN ####

• Body: Hello, I am ready to buy today. Please send your best out the door price for VIN #### with a line item breakdown of selling price, incentives used, dealer fees, tax, tag, and the APR you are offering. I have a preapproval and will purchase from the lowest verified out the door quote by 5 pm. No add ons unless I request them. Thank you.

Power add ons that tilt deals in your favor

• Attach your preapproval so they know you can walk

• Ask for the buy rate on financing and for a lease ask for the money factor and the residual on the exact term and miles

• Ask for a PDF of the buyer’s order or lease worksheet so you can compare apples to apples

• If a store will not email numbers, move on

2) Use timing plus aged inventory and stackable incentives

End of year can be great, but the real advantage comes from combining timing with units the store is motivated to move and incentives that quietly stack.

What to target

• Aged inventory that has sat 60 to 120 days

• Last year body style or a color that is less popular

• Executive demos and service loaners that are sold as new with miles on the clock

• VINs with finance bonus cash that only applies if you use the manufacturer lender

How to ask

• Tell the sales manager you are looking for their longest sitting VINs and any demos or loaners that still qualify for new incentives

• Ask them to price an aged VIN against your new offer deadline today

• Ask which incentives are stackable. Examples include loyalty or conquest, college, military, first responder, finance bonus, and membership programs like a credit union or warehouse club partner

• If you are trading a car, confirm that your trade value reduces the taxable amount on the new purchase, which matters in Florida

Put these two tactics together and you get clean, written offers you can compare in minutes, plus extra room from units the store actually needs to move. End of year helps, but a same day bid on an aged VIN with stacked incentives can beat a random late December walk in almost every time.