• This thread is just the tip of the iceberg.The people ahead of the curve aren't Googling for answers — they're already in here, having the conversations you haven't found yet. DealerRefresh is free.Get the full picture →

The new norm could be 84 months and $7,000+ negative equity

Alex Snyder

President Skroob
Staff member
May 1, 2006
4,070
2,926
Awards
13
First Name
Alex
Edmunds recently posted that 29% of Q4 2025’s deals had $7,200 to over $10,000 of negative equity.

CDG sourced some data that showed 28% of January’s loans had terms longer than 72 months.

We can confirm these trends are happening in our data as well. As shocking as it is to see the data, it isn’t surprising. And I don’t see it getting better any time soon.

This is why I want dealers to think more about managing customers who can’t buy a car, but want to. Despite the financial situation, people are still people and want a new car every 2 years. And your sales team has 1 gear: “buy car today.” The mixture of 1/4 of customers being stuck and your sales team driving to sell them is potent for bad things.

How do you not come across as an asshole to them?
 

✨ AI Highlights

A significant portion of new car buyers are now carrying substantial negative equity ($7,000-$10,000+) and financing over 72 months, creating a challenging dynamic where sales teams pressure customers with poor financial situations into deals. The poster argues dealers need to thoughtfully manage customers who want but cannot afford vehicles, rather than defaulting to aggressive sales tactics that risk damaging customer relationships and dealer reputation. The key insight is that understanding and empathetically handling financially-constrained buyers will become essential as these market conditions persist.

Replies Views 0 194 Started Last Reply