The end of the year is fast approaching.
That means it’s about time to go car shopping, say some of the country’s best-known auto experts.
Sure, you have family and friends around for the holidays, and there’s lots of other shopping to do, but are you going to let a little inconvenience get in the way of a deal on a car?
Of course not.
“A great car deal could be on your holiday shopping list,” says Kelley Blue Book, a top auto research site. “December may very well be the best month for getting a great deal on that four-wheeled gift.”
Many others seem to agree.
- “At the end of December, car companies and car dealers are trying to sell as many vehicles as possible to boost unit sales and revenue numbers for the year that is coming to a close,” according to an article published online by J.D. Power –McGraw Hill Financial.
- “The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is traditionally the period in which car shoppers can strike some of the sweetest new-car deals,” writes Jim Gorzelany at Forbes.com.
- Bankrate.com suggests the last couple days of the year “are excellent days to get great deals.”
Shop early in the week – Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday – near the end of the day, especially around a holiday or if the weather is bad, experts advise. End of the month and end of the year are good times to shop because that’s when sales people and dealers are trying to hit sales quotas.
The worst time to get the best deal? The weekend, it seems, when many people do their car shopping.
“A dealer once told us that car salesmen refer to the weekends as the ‘tuna run’ — there are so many customers on the lot, you just pull them into the boat,” writes Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com. “If you try to stand firm on price, the salesman will just hook another tuna.”
What all this may mean is that this year ought to be a particularly good one for last-minute car shopping, with Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve holidays falling on Tuesdays at the end of the month/year.
“[But] don’t expect dealers to ignore the laws of supply and demand just because the end of the year is at hand,” writes Gorzelany. “Shoppers can expect unpopular and overstocked models to be offered with the deepest discounts, while the hottest-selling rides may still command at or close to sticker price.”
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