When is the best time of year to buy a car?

Question

When can you get the best deals from a car dealer, if I had no timetable to buy one? I just want the best deal, even if I have to wait 6-9 months. Is it around Xmas, or when the new models come out and you get an older model.

I do want a new car, not used.

Also, any tips on getting a vehicle even cheaper?

Answer 1

Any time between now and the end of the year. The Christmas season is the best for several reasons.

1. Contrary to what the TV ads imply, people do NOT buy cars for Christmas.

2. Dealers are wrapping up the month, quarter, and year. Those sales numbers will affect their allocations for the next year.

3. Due to slow sales, stock is sitting on the lot eating up floorplan $$$ (the money the dealer borrows to buy the cars).

Best way to shop:

1. Get pre-approved at your bank or credit union. You now know the best rate you can get. (Multiple applications for credit for the same purpose at the same time do NOT affect your credit rating.)

2. Figure out the dealer's cost (Edmunds.com, ConsumerReports.com, etc.) and start out 10% BELOW that.

3. Grind on price -- but let the dealer get it back on the financing.

4. Go straight to your bank or credit union and refinance the inflated rate note from the dealer. They'll pay off that note for you. It will cost you a month's worth of interest at the higher rate -- maybe $25.00 extra or so -- but will save you THOUSANDS!

Answer 2

ok, first of all let me clear this up, there is really no such thing as a dealer quota for a day. There is an unofficial one for a month, but most of the time, they all scrape by and get the number of customers they want. Now the best time of the year to buy a new car from a dealership is the memorial day weekend sale during may. I'm saying this from experience, because it is the exact middle of the year, this is when the new cars are still new and there are no such things as "old models" that the dealership is "trying to get rid-of" so during this month, you can get a great car for the true value that it is worth. I've bought about 6 cars now, and 4 of them were during this time, and trust me this is truly the best time of the year to buy a car, only if you are buying a brand new car.

Now, if you want to get a car for a cheaper than advertized price, what you do is that you go on the official website of the car that you wanna buy and you e-mail about 5 or so dealers and let them know that you are interested in buying a car, they'll all give u a call and you talk to them and ask them to e-mail you an internet price quote (which is always less than the price you get when you just show up at their dealership), and after you get all their quotes, try to go through their inventories, and pick out a couple cars that you mite be interested in, after this you tell dealer A that you are getting a better deal with dealer B, and you tell dealer C that you are getting a better deal with dealer A, and after you play some games like this and you actually go over to the showrooms and get their quotes on paper, go to the dealership that says they'll beat anyone's prices (there's always atleast one or two) & show them that you're getting this deal from these dealers, ask them for a better deal & trust me all of this is actually worth it, because it can save anywhere from $500 to $2000.

Answer 3

I love it. So many different ideas, so many wrong. "Deals" as we refer to them are based soley on supply and demand in most cases. Therefore it's impossible to gauge. I can tell you now that a bmw 5 series is now up to $100 less per month in a lease than it was all year. So again, it's impossible to tell, just find a car you like, and if the price fits your budget, go for it.

As far as shopping: Going to 5-7 dealers, even if it's over the net will most likely cause more grief than save you money. This is a common misconception. You are more likely to get "low-balled" by a sharp salesman, who has other ways to pick up the gross. If you have a friend in the business ask him. If not, check your local dealer as long as they are reputable, and just tell them you plan to shop, at that point you should get a fair number. Most dealers will only be a few hundred dollars apart on most vehicles, that's pennies when you are talking 35g's. Try to buy from your local dealer, you'll be much happier if you ever need something.

Answer 4

Usually in Feb.

After the new year models are already 2 months old. Sales are down because everyone is getting hit with bills from Christmas and most people have not gotten their tax returns yet. The new, never driven models from the previous year are sold at a drastic discount because they are last years models.
In USA, February is also when they have the Presidents Day Sales.

Answer 5

i heard that you can get good deals when it's raining because the dealership wants to meet their daily quota and not many people go car shopping in the rain.