How Long Does a Car Have to Stay in Inventory to Be Considered a Stock Vehicle?
2 Answers
A car that has been in inventory for more than three months or half a year can be considered a stock vehicle. For imported cars, due to the considerable time spent on transportation, customs clearance, and entry procedures, the timeframe is more lenient—generally, if it exceeds half a year or a year, it can be called a stock vehicle. The production date of the vehicle can be found on the nameplate located on the side of the passenger seat or in the engine compartment. The time elapsed since the production date is the inventory duration. When a car remains stationary for months or even a year, components such as the battery, various fluids, rubber parts, paintwork, and related drainage holes can be affected to some extent. For stock vehicles, it is essential to regularly clean them, charge the battery periodically, and move the vehicle occasionally. Even if a vehicle has been in inventory for over a year, its condition can still remain good with proper maintenance.
I specifically asked about this issue when I visited the 4S store to look at cars. The salesperson told me that any car unsold for over six months is considered inventory stock. Those cars parked in the corner of their lot were covered in dust, with manufacturing dates on their nameplates from half a year ago. Actually, buying inventory cars has its advantages—you can get them much cheaper. But you need to carefully check if the tires are deformed, whether the battery is drained, and if the engine oil has deteriorated. Remember to ask the salesperson to replace all the fluids with fresh ones. In the end, the car I picked had been sitting for eight months, but I managed to negotiate a 30% discount.
