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When is the best time to buy a car?

When is the best time to buy a car?



As with many things in life, when it comes to buying a new car, timing is everything. You've likely done a ton of research already, and have even taken test drives of the cars you're considering. But when should you actually pull the trigger and sign the dotted line? Is there a time of year, a day of the month or a specific season that's better than another? Will there be a better selection of vehicles available on the showroom floor or dealership lot in the winter or summer?

As it turns out, if you can hold off on making that new car purchase by a few days – or even a few weeks – you can potentially save some serious money when it’s time to sign on the dotted line. Some of this information applies to both new and used cars, so if you're looking for a deal, this is the information you need.

When is the best month to buy a car?

The absolute best time of the year to buy a new car is in late December. That's when a dealership’s yearly, monthly and weekly sales goals all converge. Meeting these goals can unlock lots of incentives and rewards for the dealer, meaning they’ll likely be more eager than usual to finalize a sale.

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Of course, there are still plenty of other good times to buy a new car. Here are a few of the big ones, as well as the times when you might be better off waiting.

When is the best time to buy a new car?

The end of the month

Car dealerships have monthly sales quotas, and individual salespeople often have bonuses tied to these goals. At the end of the month, a salesperson might be willing to let a car go for less than they otherwise would since the financial reward for meeting a sales goal can often outweigh the amount of money lost by lowering the price of a new car to make a sale.

The end of the day

Any good car salesperson knows to not let a customer leave empty-handed. By trying to negotiate a purchase price at the end of the day, a salesperson might be more prone to cutting a deal. After all, there’s no guarantee that you’ll come back to that dealership once you walk out the door.