How to decide between a 2016 and a 2017

If you go into a dealership today, you will notice something strange. Most dealerships will have 2016 model-year vehicles to offer, but some will also have 2017 models in stock as these are starting to come in. How do you choose then between the 2016 and the 2017?

The fact is there are a plenty of considerations involved in making that decision. It’s actually an odd decision to even have to make, but the fact is over the next few months more and more 2017 model-year vehicles will be arriving at dealerships, each of them lining up next to 2016 models that are also brand new.

You have to consider price firstly. The 2017 model will in essence have less incentives and less rebates than the 2016 model because the automaker as well as the dealership want to get it out the door. That means that there will be less price reduction on the 2017, and interest rates when leasing or financing may be higher as well. So you do have to keep all that in mind.

Moreover, in three or four years, the 2017 model will have better resale value than the 2016 even if they were bought on the same day. It doesn’t really matter to pre-owned vehicle buyers when a car was purchased, but the model year does factor in the same way a 2014 vehicle will be worth a little bit more than a 2013 equivalent today even if they were bought on the same day.

On the other hand, have a look at how much the 2017 model changed. It may be more powerful or more fuel-efficient. It may also be more spacious and more comfortable, and have more safety features. Some cars change completely from one year to the next while others stay the same. It’s important to consider if there are significant changes and if so, are these changes important to you.

Thank you to Bruce GM Middleton for their help with this article.