When Is The Best Time To Buy A Car? Recommended Months, Weeks & Days

When is the best time to buy a car? Sure, there are periods when getting a bargain that will save you money is far more probable than at other times. 

Understanding when to purchase may help you avoid paying hundreds of dollars in finance and new car costs.

A competent automobile salesman may provide you with a wealth of justifications for making a purchase right now. 

Whether deciding whether to purchase or lease a new or used automobile, savvy car shoppers know to look beyond the banners and enormous inflatable tube dancers. Regrettably, there are many urban tales that promote ways to save money. 

Some will result in you actually paying more for your automobile, while others won’t save you any money at all. Later on in this article, we’ll cover how to prevent them.

The manner we may purchase automobiles has seen a significant change in recent years. There isn’t much of a motive to stay at the dealership after a test drive (unless you want to). 

During their breaks from work, shoppers may peruse automobiles on their cellphones, or they can visit the websites of dealerships that are far from where they reside. 

In reality, most of the labor regarding a vehicle purchase may be done online. The ideal times to purchase a vehicle and the reasons they provide discounts are covered in the sections that follow.

Recommended: Which Luxury Automobile Does Not Feature An Animal In Its Official Logo?

Prior To Needing One

While it may seem counterintuitive, buying a vehicle is best done before you really need one. 

If you have to make a last-minute automobile purchase or lease, you may not have time to perform the research required to make a sensible auto loan, leasing, or purchasing choice.

When you have to purchase a new car fast, you play directly into the hands of a smart salesman, who may take advantage of your lack of preparedness. 

Why would they argue with a consumer who needs a new set of wheels to go to work on Monday?

If you have a deadline for buying a new set of wheels, you may not be able to locate precisely the automobile you desire on a dealer’s lot. 

Even while the supply-chain problems of previous years are easing, there are still shortages. If you wait to go shopping until the day you absolutely must purchase a vehicle, the selection on the lot can be limited.

If you’re thinking about trading in your old automobile, keep in mind that it will sell for much more money if it’s in good operating condition as opposed to being abandoned by the side of the road needing costly repairs. 

Instead of using those funds for a down payment on a new automobile, you could be compelled to spend money maintaining your present vehicle to make it a trade-in.

You may confidently choose the automobile you want, how much you should spend, and how you’re going to finance its acquisition when you begin the car-buying process early. 

Knowing that time is on your side allows you to enter the dealership with greater ease. You may even test drive several vehicles in advance, allowing you to act quickly when you find a good offer.

The Month’s Conclusion

The majority of businesses and their sales representatives have monthly sales objectives, whether they are selling big-screen Televisions or Toyotas. 

You are considerably more likely to get a bargain when the month’s end is near and a dealership or salesperson hasn’t met its objective. 

They may not explain the reason for the discount, but it’s probably because they just need a few more sales to surpass their goal and gain from reaching it.

The stakes are quite high for dealerships. In addition to receiving cash rewards from manufacturers for exceeding sales targets, they may also be given access to more cars or more popular models.

Of course, the dealer or salesman won’t have much motivation to give you a discount if they’ve already surpassed their sales goals.

Rcommended: How To Unmute Someone On Instagram? 3 Easy Steps

What Time Of Year Is Ideal For Buying A Car?

Undoubtedly, there are some days of the week when renting or buying a vehicle is preferable. 

Shopping for a vehicle on a proper day might not only possibly result in financial savings, but it can also make the process more enjoyable.

According to an urban legend, you should buy a new or used automobile on a busy weekday. 

The assumption is that since salesmen will be so busy, they would strive to close a transaction quickly in order to move on to the next client. 

They won’t want to spend much time haggling and will accept your first offer. If it ever did, it doesn’t actually function anymore. 

Salespeople will take the time to negotiate a bargain that consumers can accept, and they could suggest setting up a follow-up session.

Mondays

On dealer lots, weekends are normally the busiest days of the week, whereas early-week days are typically considerably calmer. 

You’ll have more time to discuss the purchase with the seller in addition to more time to have your questions answered and test-drive vehicles. 

You could even leave the showroom sooner since the dealership’s finance office is less likely to have a queue of people waiting to get in. 

Don’t overlook the fact that the dealership will be less hectic for you as a customer as well, which might help you stay within your budget and plan of action.

The fact that many lenders are only open during the week is another advantage of purchasing on a Monday. 

You’ll have more chances to discuss financing options with regional lenders, such as community banks and credit unions, to make sure you’re receiving a decent deal. 

While making a weekend purchase, you have to trust the salesperson’s assurances that you’re getting a fair price. 

The ideal approach to get reasonable finance is, of course, to have a pre-approved financing arrangement in place before you go to the dealer.

Watch out on Mondays immediately after significant sales events or in locations where Sunday sales are not permitted. 

Under such circumstances, a large portion of the dealer’s employees would be busy on Mondays cleaning up on paperwork from the previous weekend and would not have as much time to adequately respond to your queries.

Weekends Of Three Days

Three-day weekends are an exception to the “avoid weekends” rule. Even though the dealership will probably be busy, dealers typically experience some of their finest sales around the holidays. 

Memorial Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and the weekend of February’s Presidents Day are the weekends when you’ll probably discover prominently advertised offers.

One of those finest times to purchase is around Memorial Day. It marks the beginning of the summer vehicle sales season and often features a wide range of incentives from both OEMs and retailers.

Due to the start of the autumn sell-off season, the Labor Day weekend is also a great time to get a bargain. 

Dealers are attempting to unload models from the previous year as automakers begin to release the items for the next year.

What Month Is Ideal For Buying A Car?

In addition to certain days of the week or holidays, some months are preferable to others for leasing or buying new or used automobiles. 

Generally speaking, the best months to visit an auto dealer are May, October, November, and December. Find out why by reading on.

Specifically, May

During the slow winter and early spring, the hectic summer shopping season officially begins in May. 

Well before the holiday, automakers and their dealers begin to promote their Memorial Day specials. 

So, the year’s most numerous and generous leasing, financing, and cash-back offers will also be accessible throughout this period.

The big car show season has always run from late autumn to early spring, but this is shifting. 

In the late spring, many of the cars that manufacturers unveil at auto shows begin to emerge in showrooms. 

You’ll undoubtedly discover discounts on any surviving models from the prior year that are still on the lot.

The October Month

The yearly calendar for the majority of us goes from January to December. The new year really begins for the car industry in October, when a number of completely new and revamped models hit dealer showrooms. 

So, it is necessary to clear the lots of outdated models. More incentives and discounts are offered during the transitional months than during most other months for customers.

• Fall foliage on a Cape Coral country road 

• Fall foliage on a Cape Coral country road (GETTY IMAGES)

Of course, the discounts will mostly apply to discontinued models rather than newly developed or newly released versions. 

Take advantage of this situation if the departing model includes characteristics you want and the incoming model doesn’t have any essential new ones.

Specifically, November

Black Friday occurs in November in addition to the ongoing model-year sales that continue through the autumn. 

Customers who travel to auto dealerships instead of the crowded large box shops and malls in their community may save a lot of money.

Automakers often provide excellent low-cost financing incentives and sizable cash-back vehicle bargains throughout the month, and the deals generally become better as the month goes on.

Specifically, December

December is spent by dealers and their salespeople running to meet their month-, quarter-, and year-end sales objectives. 

The greatest day of the year to purchase a new automobile is coming up in the next month. Automakers often assist dealerships by providing alluring finance and cash-back offers.

Also, they could still have some cars from a prior model year on the lot that they wish to get rid of before the year is through.

A lot of businesses start searching for year-end tax write-offs in December. Automakers are aware of this, and many of them provide alluring leasing offers to win their patronage. Individual automobile buyers often have access to the same discounts.

Cyber Monday

Choose the automobile if you can save $1,000 by forgoing a big-screen TV in favor of a new or used vehicle. 

Auto dealers have fantastic Black Friday vehicle sales, much like other merchants.

Black Friday occurs at the conclusion of the autumn sell-off season in addition to being a part of the extended Thanksgiving weekend and the beginning of the holiday season. 

Also, the year’s conclusion is approaching fast enough for dealers and their sales representatives to be focusing on crucial end-of-year sales objectives.

Like other holidays, prepare by doing your homework beforehand and having a loan that has been pre-approved. 

Be careful to know the advantages and disadvantages of leasing an automobile as opposed to purchasing one if you’re thinking about it. 

Getting the best bargain requires understanding how much you can spend on your monthly lease payments and the overall cost of the lease.

Events For Year-End Sales And New Year’s Eve

Some of the finest times to purchase a new or used automobile are on New Year’s Eve and the holiday on New Year’s Day. 

The days are often jam-packed with exclusive end-of-year sales events backed by fantastic finance and leasing offers from manufacturers.

There are several sales targets that salespeople, dealers, and manufacturers are attempting to reach as we approach the end of the month, the end of the quarter, and the end of the year. 

You don’t normally have to finish the agreement before the end of the year due to the way manufacturers track sales. 

Transactions closed on January 1st (and perhaps even a day or two later) often count towards the year’s sales goals.

It’s a good idea to complete your research well in advance since dealerships will be quite busy during the holiday. 

Salespeople won’t have enough time to address all of your concerns or point you in the direction of a vehicle that meets your requirements. 

This calls for having a clear notion of the automobile you want, a pre-approved auto loan in hand, and a solid grasp of the trade-in value.

When There Are Rebates, Incentives, OR Financing Offers?

Not every car is a smashing success on the market. To achieve an automaker’s sales or leasing targets, a vehicle, truck, SUV, or minivan may sometimes require a little push. 

These incentives take the shape of rebates, loan offers, or lease offers with cheap monthly payments and a lower-than-normal amount payable at signing.

Taking advantage of automotive bargains may help you save hundreds of dollars, receive a fancier automobile, or have your loan term reduced.

On our new car deals page, you can find the best auto loan and rebate car-buying incentives. 

The top bargains in the leasing industry are shown on our lease deals page. In contrast to the norm, our used car sales page highlights the finest financing options that manufacturers are providing on certified pre-owned vehicles.

The Model Year’s End

Although a new automobile may debut at any point throughout the model year, autumn is still the customary time of year for new cars to enter dealer showrooms. 

The previous models are often undervalued before that occurs. The price reductions can be made public or they might just be known to dealers, who can then choose whether or not to pass the savings along to customers.

The lowest reductions are often seen in cars that are carried over with minor alterations. 

The price cuts often are higher when a vehicle is renewed, adding a few new amenities and an improved appearance. 

When a car is completely redesigned, there may be significant savings on the previous model.

When A Vehicle Has Undergone A Redesign ORIs No Longer Made

Both the design and life cycles of cars exist. The interval between total redesigns is known as a design cycle, which is often, but not always, roughly five years long. 

While other consumers are examining the new model of a car, the conclusion of its design cycle, is a fantastic moment for thrifty customers to buy or lease. 

Before the new models are out, you’ll notice manufacturers begin to advertise automobile leasing packages, financing options, and cash-back incentives.

When a manufacturer chooses to discontinue producing an automobile, the vehicle’s life cycle is over. 

If you’re prepared to purchase near the end of a car’s life cycle, you may save a tonne of money. 

When manufacturers announce a vehicle’s imminent retirement from the market, you’ll regularly see large purchase and leasing discounts are given.

Should I Purchase A Discontinued Vehicle?

Purchasing a discontinued automobile is OK as long as you intend to retain it for a considerable amount of time. 

An automaker’s discontinued models often lose value faster than its current models. 

That’s negative for lease customers who need to look for cars with high residual values, but it doesn’t actually have an impact on long-term owners of automobiles.

If you’re okay with the fact that a discontinued automobile won’t have all the cutting-edge amenities of a new car, the reduced price is an alluring trade-off.

Understanding the reasons a car was discontinued is crucial. Some just get a new name after being remodeled. 

Others should be avoided since they are so outdated and uncompetitive. Due to shifting consumer preferences, such as the radical switch from sedans to SUVs, many automobiles are taken off the market.

What Time Of Year Is Best To Purchase A Used Car?

When buying a used automobile, many of the same guidelines that apply to new car purchases also apply. 

Holiday weekends and other important sales occasions are an exception. There are a few circumstances when it is preferable to hold off on making a purchase until a few days have passed.

Several members of the sales team will be overwhelmed during the actual sale as new-car buyers take advantage of the advertised offers. They may not have the time to talk to purchasers of secondhand cars.

Customers often sell or trade in their old automobiles when they purchase new ones. It usually takes a few days to clean, check, and relocate such autos to dealer used car lots. 

Buyers who want to sell their automobiles privately may wait to do so until they have taken delivery of their new car.

When Should You Avoid Purchasing A Car?

There are excellent moments to purchase or lease a vehicle, just as there are excellent times when you should wait.

Waiting a while for a car’s pricing to stabilize is advised when the vehicle is brand-new or the best-selling model in its category. 

The same holds true in cases of vehicle or supply shortages. There are many consumers out there who are prepared to pay more than the suggested retail price for the newest and greatest items, but waiting is preferable to paying more.

There’s a myth that says you should visit a dealership on Christmas Eve or just before it shuts. 

It is believed that they would give you a fantastic offer in order to finish their business and go home. Simply said, it is untrue. 

If a dealer is sincere about wanting to sell you a vehicle, they will invite you back during office hours or work harder to close the purchase. 

Keep in mind that the average automobile buyer only visits the showroom once every several years. 

There are car salesmen there every day, and they are more adept at the game than you are.

Never purchase a secondhand automobile soon after a significant flood or other calamity has hit your neighborhood. 

It’s possible that opportunistic sellers are attempting to get rid of damaged cars before the damage is noted on vehicle history records. 

To be sure there is no hidden damage, it is advisable to take the time to have a pre-purchase examination performed by an impartial technician.