Dealers Still Can’t Sell These Brand-New 2024 Model-Year Cars

Even with incentives and discounts, some brand-new 2024 cars just aren’t moving. Slow demand, pricing missteps, and shifting buyer priorities have left certain models stuck on dealer lots far longer than expected often setting the stage for aggressive price cuts.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

So, uh, apparently dealers still have these things sitting around? The Mach-E. I mean, it’s electric, it’s cool-looking, but somehow… it just doesn’t feel like a Mustang, you know? It’s like they tried too hard to make it futuristic but forgot the part that makes your chest vibrate when you press the gas. I saw one in red, and for a second I was interested, then I sat in it, all screens and silence. Felt like my phone on wheels. Around $45k, give or take, which, honestly, I’d rather spend on two slightly used V8s that smell like gasoline and regret.

Jeep Compass

Man, I don’t even know how they still make the Compass. Every time I see one, I forget it exists. It’s… fine. Just fine. But fine doesn’t move cars off lots. You could probably walk into a dealer right now, offer thirty grand, and they’d follow you home with paperwork and a balloon. The headlights are nice though, always look kinda angry, like it’s pretending to be tough even though it runs on mid-grade.

Chevrolet Malibu

Ah, the Malibu. Feels like a car that’s just tired of being alive. Dealers can’t move these because, well, everyone’s buying SUVs now. I rented one last summer, smelled weirdly like crayons and old air freshener, you know that smell? Seats were kinda comfy though. For $26k-ish it’s, like, fine transportation, but it doesn’t make you feel anything. It’s a car your dentist drives because it “gets good mileage.”

Nissan Altima

If I had a buck for every time I saw an Altima doing 90 in the left lane, I could buy one outright (they’re what, like $28k now?). The thing is, people love to hate it… but it just keeps existing. Which is kinda impressive in a cockroach-after-nuclear-war way. Interior’s okay, but the CVT feels like driving a blender with wheels. Still, weirdly reliable. I’d almost miss it if it vanished.

Volkswagen Arteon

Oh man, the Arteon. Gorgeous name, right? Sounds like a spaceship. But no one buys it. I saw one at a dealership lot collecting dust. Literally dust. I wiped my finger across the hood. They want like fifty grand for it and yeah, it’s beautiful and all, but who’s buying a fancy VW sedan when you could grab an Audi for a little more? It’s like bringing a guitar to a symphony, cool, but out of place.

Toyota Crown

This one confuses people. Half sedan, half lifted limo thing. It’s like Toyota looked at a Camry and said “let’s give it more forehead.” I kinda dig it though, there’s something funky about how unapologetically weird it looks. But $42k? Hard sell. I sat in one once, soft seats, smelled new and plasticky in that satisfying way, but I couldn’t stop thinking it looked like it was wearing high heels.

Infiniti Q50

The Q50’s been around since dinosaurs, hasn’t it? Every year they tweak the headlights and call it new. Dealers have 2024s sitting out back while the salespeople pretend they’re “rare.” Yeah right. About forty grand new, which, I mean, for that price you’d expect the infotainment to not lag every time you sneeze. But that twin-turbo still sounds nice, gotta give it that. If I didn’t already hate touchscreens, I’d maybe consider it.

Dodge Charger

The last of the loud boys. I love it. I really do. But at the same time… it’s over. They said it’s going electric now or something, and the gas ones are just sitting there, shiny and hopeless, waiting for someone to take them out for one last burnout. Around $39k for the basic one if dealers are desperate. I’d almost buy one just to keep the noise alive, you know? Like adopting a dying breed.

Subaru Legacy

People forget about the Legacy. It’s safe, quiet, all-wheel drive, reliable in that cardigan-wearing kind of way. But it’s not exciting. And that’s why dealers can’t move them. Somewhere between the Outback and the Impreza, the Legacy just got lost in translation. I do like the smell of Subaru interiors though, that subtle rubbery scent, kinda comforting. Like being hugged by your hiking gear. Maybe thirty grand? Seems fair. Feels like it should come with a free flannel shirt.