Overhaulin'

What time of the year is the best time to get a good deal on a new car?

I assume end of the year.

Public Comments

1. Yep at the end of the year. When the new years models are coming in they will try to make space in the lot for the new ones.
2. It all depends, if car dealerships operate on a fiscal year, which ends usually at the end of September you might be able to get a good deal than when they are trying to make all their profit and quota's. Also in gereral mid week is better than a weekend. You probably wont come out that far ahead but might be able to get a better deal if it is slower and not that many people shopping around. The biggest way to get a good deal is to never buy a car on your first trip to the dealership. Tell them you are going to go to another dealership and shop around. One other tip I just learned from my last purchase, don't negotiate by monthly payment. I did that and spent an hour getting the price to where I thought I was getting a deal and than when I went to sign the purchase and sale agreement I noticed that the actual price I was going to pay was the sticker price!!!!!!
3. End of the year mostly a Myth. Cars are looked at in Quarters about every three months. The longer a model sits the more likely they will make a deal on it. Dealership make there money on the Used Car inventory most making 2500 to 3000 dollars. New Cars they are lucky if the make 500.00 because they are locked in what they can make from the plant.
4. 1. When a dealer is about to be fired due to poor performance. 2. The dealer has thirty days to sell a car and get the money back to the manufacturer. Once the thirty days has elapsed and the dealer has paid the manufacturer for a car sitting on their lot, there is little room to give a customer incentive because they have to make up the money they paid to the manufacturer. This is the time the dealers need to get rid of the 07 models and make room for the 08 models
5. All very good guesses. Actually, the best time is beginning right now because the manufactures are cutting off orders of the current year model, increasing rebates and other incentives to help dealers move those vehicles to make room for the next year model coming in. The new year models, in some cases, are already rolling in depending on new body styles and replacement models. Otherwise, they will begin to arrive around September. Either way, beginning in July through the rest of the year you will see larger rebates and incentives, but don't wait past December because those incentives are cut off not long after.