This week is the biggest and most successful of the year for car dealers in Acadiana. With more than a thousand cars, dealers set up shop at the Cajun dome and hope for the best. Dealers describe this week as their super bowl. It's their chance to dig deep and try to sell more cars than any other time of the year. They say it's something customers are waiting for too. "People wait for this time because they know they can save some money, they know there's a great selection and they know this is the best time to keep money in their pocket and buy a new car," said Sterling sales consultant Dez Bourgeois.
The Lafayette Automobile Dealers Association or LADA has put on a car show at the Cajun dome for more than 20 years. It's a time where thousands of people come out and try to get deals. "We've got wholesalers that give you the most money that you can get for your trade so it really makes a difference," said Johnny Meaux.
Buyers can see cars decked out with sunroofs, leather seats, navigation and much more. Every dealer has one their trying to push. For sterling it's the Sonata, for Chevy it's the Equinox and the Camaro, and for Toyota, it's the Tundra and Camry. "They've come out with zero percent financing on most of our inventory, they've also got two years free maintenance, two years 25-thousand miles. All you do is put the gas in the car, everything else is free," said Hampton general sales manager Don Moyers.
Coming out or a rough season, Toyota is offering big deals to make up for their loss. "Fortunately we've got some very loyal customers that understand our product. We had a dip in sales back in November and December and now all of a sudden they're starting to come back," said Moyers.
Hampton Toyota's general sales manager says the company's sales have increased 70 percent in the last two months. The car show began Tuesday and will end Saturday. The show begins every morning around 8am and ends around 9pm.
Sarah Rosario
srosario@katctv.com
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