The Best Time To Buy A New Car

Timing Can Save You Big Bucks

People spend lots of energy and time trying to get their best deal on a new car.  But one area where they often neglect is WHEN to buy.  What follows are some tried and true strategies for getting your best car deal based on the month and day you walk onto the car dealership...

If you can wait until the winter holidays, you stand to save money for sure.   Reason is with everybody buying their Christmas presents, not many of them are looking to buy a new car; This forces dealerships to ramp up their sales strategies.  They'll do just about anything to make a sale during Christmas, which puts YOU in the driver's seat :)

You can also get a good deal from July to October because that is the time of year when dealerships are trying to get rid of their inventory to make way for the new models.
This is known as the End of the Model Year.  Last year's model loses its luster and also its high price as the new models get in.  You can get some cash rebates and really good discounts.

This is related to the End of the Car's Design Cycle: This is where the manufacturer is going to continue making a certain model car, but they are about to introduce a completely redesigned car under the same name. You can really see some serious discounts here. True, you may be buying a car that is essentially outdated and out of style, but that shouldn't bother the bargain hunter at all.  Here, the savings can be huge.

This brings us to the End of the Car's Lifecycle:  If you hear that a manufacturer is announcing that a car model will be discontinued, you'll be able to get it for peanuts--unless the car is a "classic." (Which will make it even more expensive.) However, unless you really want that model car or want to save money badly, this can bring you problems.  Like not being able to get parts for it (cheap) when it needs work.

Rainy Days: The idea here is that if it's raining, then most people won't be out shopping for a car.  This leaves you as one of the few prospects for the salesmen that day.  Which means they will be more apt to give you a deal so that their whole day isn't a "wash" (tongue-in-cheek).  But there's also the chance that the salesman will look at you as being "desperate" to get a car if you're willing to slosh around a car lot in the rain. So use your judgment on this one. 

Early in the Week: This is a good idea no matter what.  Because on the weekends, car dealerships are jammed with hungry prospects who are PLANNING on buying a car that day; This was a task on their "things to do list."  They've come with money and aren't leaving until they've got a new or used car.  So the salesmen will be able to pick and choose their 'fish.'  If you put up too much of a fight, they'll just 'throw you back' and look for more easy fish who are willing to pay MSRP.  So why not go early in the week when sales are slow?  Besides, you'll get the dealer's undivided attention.

End of the Month:  This is another great idea.  Car dealers may be a car or two short of their quota or need to sell more for an award (read: "bonus").  So they will be much more likely to discount the car for you because they know they'll make up the discount in their bonus.