'New Cars Really Don’t Have a Price:' Dallas Salesman Shows How to Shop for New Cars. Then He Demos on This New Honda Civic

• Honda

A Dallas car salesman has sparked debate online after offering advice on how and when to shop for new cars.

TikTok user Brandon (@shopdfw) is a Dallas-based car salesman. He posted a video with advice for prospective car buyers on timing the market on Sep. 10.

The video starts with Brandon looking at the window sticker of a 2026 Honda Civic 4D LX, which is listed at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $24,595.

“New cars really don’t have a price,” Brandon says. “I know that sounds crazy. New cars have a ‘suggested retail price.’ Which means this price could go up or down depending on the market.”

Is Now the Time to Shop for a New Car?

In Brandon’s mind, it’s a simple matter of supply and demand. “If it’s just one car and it’s a certain color in the whole country, then that suggested price could go up,” he explains. “If there’s just one in that color in the whole country but 8,000 people want it. It’s no different than real estate. If it’s a buyer’s market, the price is low. If it’s a seller’s market, the price is adjusted.”

He continues, “I think for some reason people don’t understand. Cars and real estate fluctuate the same. I hear a lot of people talk about, ‘I don’t like going to the dealership; it’s a scam.’ It’s not. It’s the market.”

“I think we don’t pay attention to the market,” Brandon says. “Now is a good time to buy cars. During Covid was a terrible time to buy cars. When should you have sold your house? During Covid. When should you have taken your car to trade in? During Covid.”

Brandon cautions viewers to not make the same mistake again. “If you didn’t, when is the time to buy? Right now,” he claims. “It’s the slowest time in the market. Car sales are slowing down. Housing prices are going down. The market is slowing down. It’s correcting. That’s when you buy.”

In the comments, viewers debated whether Brandon is offering sound new car shopping advice or if his real estate metaphor is lacking.

“You compared real estate to vehicles?” asked one viewer. “Homes don't lose value even if the market is down. Cars lose value day by day. And even if the market for car sales are high, the car won’t gain value when purchased.”

“Nah. Cars are a dime a dozen,” argued a second viewer. “I used to sell Audis. MSRP is the baseline. Extras push it up. You settle in between.”

“Oh they have a price,” said a third viewer. “Whatever the bank owns it for and what the lot rent is. Market value is becoming less local and more regional.”

Is This the Worst or Best Time to Buy a New Car?

When it comes to MSRP, Brandon is correct that it’s merely a suggested price. The final price is indeed impacted by supply and demand, extra features, incentives or tax credits, and the negotiation skills of each individual buyer. 

And what about his claim that it’s the best time to buy a car? That’s more complicated. Earlier this year, a Reddit user posted to r/askcarsales asking whether now is a good time to buy a new car. The OP, who coincidentally drives a 2014 Honda Civic, is concerned about the Trump administration’s tariffs driving up costs and trying to weigh that against the trade-in value of the Civic.

In response, one person wrote, “There’s never been a worse time to buy a car. There will never be a better time to buy a car.” A second user agreed. “As an auto lender, this is the truth,” they wrote. “People feel like they’ve been waiting for months, but it’s really been years. And it’s still bad.”

Motor1 contacted Brandon via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We’ll update this if he responds.