Big-ticket purchases & their financing

Big-ticket purchases (autos, appliances, furniture) operate on two price layers. List prices are sticky — manufacturers don't like changing them. Dealer incentives, financing APR, and lease subsidies are the real adjustment mechanism, and they move with inventory and credit conditions.

Watch the invisible layer, not the headline list. That's where 80% of the variation in what you actually pay lives. For non-urgent purchases, six months of patience usually beats today's transaction by 5–15%.

Late expansion

expensive · wait if possible

Early recession

good incentives · still high APR

Mid-recovery

best window