What’s the best time of the year to get a new car?

Post date: Nov 13, 2018 5:37:50 PM

Timing is a huge factor when buying a new car, because it could spell the difference between saving hundreds or thousands of dollars on that next purchase.  The burning question is: when’s the right time to buy, and how do you use proper timing to get the best car deal possible?

A lot of salespeople won’t tell you this, but December is a great time to buy a car.  Auto dealerships have quotas and sales objectives to meet, and your car purchase could determine if they will hit their sales goal for the year—and if the salespeople will bag a nice bonus.  But if you simply can’t wait for December to roll around, buy in the last week of the month, since it’s also a time when quotas are being hit.

Fall is also argued as an excellent time to buy, as it’s an important time for the industry to move its older model year vehicles out of inventory in order to make room for the new ones.  Irresistible, extra-special deals usually abound during this time, particularly on models that don’t sell too well.  Heavy discounts can be the result of managing a huge inventory, or a big surplus of cars that need to be sold.

How about holiday weekends?  Yes, Labor Day or Thanksgiving are also an opportune time to buy, as car dealerships advertise huge deals or blowout sales during these times.  There’s also often special financing or cash-back deals on these holiday weekends.

Whatever time of the year you decide to get that new car, remember to buy a good car that will last you at least 10 years.  Don’t stretch your budget and always stick to conscious spending.  Good luck and enjoy shopping! 

Jeff Lupient is the president and CEO of the Lupient Automotive Group, and he has worked every job in the automotive retail business as early as his mid-teens. Read more about automotive sales on this site.