So much for Memorial Day sales.
Memorial Day weekend is usually one of the best times of the year to buy a car, as dealerships are eager to move older inventory to make room for fall’s new models. But despite big banners and flashy promos, this year was a flop, according to a car salesperson who had an unexpectedly bad sales month. Are tariffs to blame, or is something else scaring off potential buyers?
Dodge Salesman Vents About Bad Month
In a trending video, Dodge salesman Dalton Stacey (@daltonstaceycars97), who’s based in Oklahoma, shared what it’s really like to sell cars in this market. Surprise, surprise, it’s not pretty.
Stacey explained that despite his employer giving the team an extra day to wrap up deals (instead of the cutoff being on Sunday, when customers might still be wavering on a decision), he made way fewer sales than he expected.
“I had so many people back out on me,” Stacey explained. “It ain’t even funny.”
Because of all of the reneges, Stacey missed his bonus. What really hurts is that he was just one car shy of making the cutoff.
“Today sucked. May sucked. June better come correct,” Stacey said in the caption, clearly frustrated by the situation.
Some people might hear this and think Stacey is making too big a deal about missing a bonus. But most people in the United States live paycheck to paycheck, and if you’re relying on that extra income to cover your expenses, not getting it (especially by such a small margin) stings.
Why Did People Back Out?
Stacey doesn’t explicitly state why his customers backed out, but we’ve got some context that’ll help put things in perspective. Cars are getting more expensive—are tariffs to blame?
Short answer: yes and no.
In April, the average price of a new car jumped by a rare 2.5% to just under $49,000—a sharp rise for just a month’s turnaround, Kelley Blue Book (KBB) reported. Even used car pricing increased. KBB described it as “likely the first, softest wave of a storm.” Why? Tariff-related sticker shock is only a few months or just a few weeks away, depending on the brand.
Right now, dealers are trying to get rid of their pre-tariff inventory. But when tariffs hit, vehicles could have up to a 25-percent markup baked in. (That 2.5 percent doesn’t look so bad now.) The other factor affecting affordability is loans. Most people don’t have the cash on hand to buy a car outright, so they rely on loans. But a good loan (meaning one with a low interest rate) is getting harder to qualify for.
So even if you cop a deal, the loan may be what screws you over. No wonder so many people were sending Stacey the “Actually, I need to think about it” texts.
What to Do If You’re Thinking About Buying a Car
It depends on your situation, but here’s a good place to start:
If you’re ready to buy soon:
Shop around now while there’s still pre-tariff inventory available, and take advantage of the slow market to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.
If you’re using a car loan:
Shop around for loan rates and consider getting pre-approved through a credit union or your bank.
If you’re on the fence:
If your vehicle is running fine, then waiting things out could help you avoid peak tariff prices. But have a backup plan, like a budget, in case your car ends up needing a major repair.
If you’re selling or trading in:
You’re in a good position here since used inventory is tight. Get multiple quotes and don’t forget online retailers like Carvana and CarMax, which may offer you a better price.
Motor1 reached out to Stacey for comment via email and TikTok direct message and to Dodge’s parent company, Stellanis, via email. We’ll be sure to update this article when we hear back.
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