When is the best time to buy a car? How to buy a car manuals charge big money to tell you this, but we'll do it for free here, and in a lot fewer words!
One school of thought on when the best time is to buy a car says that you should purchase your new or used car at Christmas time. With everyone else looking for Christmas presents, no one's thinking of buying a new car; dealers work harder to make a deal and salesmen are more willing to haggle down to your price.
This same school of thought says that you can also get a good deal from July to October because this is when dealers are trying to get rid of the current year's inventory to make way for the new models. For a lot of reasons, we've come to take model close-out sales with a large grain of salt-they're usually not nearly as good for the buyer as they sound.
The other school of thought says that the best time to buy a car is when you're ready to buy one-you want to buy one, you've done to research it. Car dealers and salesmen will do everything in their power to get you to buy a car the day you walk into their showroom-not the car you want to buy either, but the car they'll make the money off of.
Whether you decide the best time to buy a car is at Christmas, during the end-of-year close-outs or when you want to buy a car, no one who knows anything about the subject would argue that you should first research the car you're interested in and learn how to get the best deal on it. Any time can be a great time to buy a car, and you can get taken to the car cleaners any time of the year too.
Still not sure?
Here are four simple tips to get the upper hand in your car purchase or lease-whatever time of the year you do it. If you're looking to buy a car you should begin with these tips.
: some dealers refuse to haggle over the cost of a car, so once you make your opening offer, they will not accept anything higher. (Go somewhere else.)
: never talk about monthly costs during your negotiations. You'll pay less if you focus on the cost of the car and all the things that come with it.
: never buy a car when you're in desperate need for one because a dealer will see that and take advantage. Never wait until your old car is dead before searching for a new one because you should give yourself time to shop around for one and get the best deal possible. Desperation clouds judgment.
: do all your research before any money changes hands.
The best time to buy a car is not a date or season on the calendar, but a time on your schedule when you have the time to do what's necessary to get yourself a great deal. We firmly believe you should start with reading a book on the subject. Great luck!