By Lauren Fix
Are you in the market for a new set of wheels? It might surprise you to learn that the day you choose to visit the dealership can have a major impact on your car-buying experience. Here’s a little-known secret in the car buying industry, did you know that there’s a specific day of the week that you should avoid going to a dealership?
There’s a specific day of the week you must avoid buying a car from a dealership. Why? Because it can cost you a lot of money. In this video, we’ll reveal to you the day of the week you should avoid buying a car from a dealership and why it’s a lousy idea.
As you embark on your car-buying journey, remember that the day of the week and our car advice will save you money and time. There are other factors to consider, here’s some information on when to and when not to buy a car.
I’ll get right to the point:
Best Day to Buy a Car: Tuesday
The best days to visit a car dealership are usually weekdays, particularly early in the week. Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be less busy as many people are occupied with work and other weekday commitments. By visiting the dealership on these days, you’re more likely to receive prompt attention from salespeople and have more negotiating power. Additionally, early mornings or weekdays around opening time are good options.
Worst Day to Buy a Car: Saturday
As expected, Saturdays are likely to be the busiest day at a car dealership. With all the other buyers there, sales staff might be more rushed in working with you. Typically, weekends, especially Saturdays, tend to be the busiest and most crowded days at car dealerships. This high foot traffic can result in longer wait times and less individual attention from salespeople. Therefore, if you want to avoid the rush and have a more personalized experience, it’s best to avoid visiting dealerships on Saturdays.
The worst time is the first week of the month. They’ve already paid their financing on the vehicle and they’re less flexible. As the month continues, they are more flexible and pricing in the last day of the month is the best day.
Best time of the year to buy a car
When the month is coming to an end, dealers might be a few cars short of a sales quota that would win them a big bonus. Salespeople will have more motivation to make a deal with a buyer and might deeply discount cars, making up any money lost with the bonus. This is the time when you shouldn’t slow walk a car deal. Keep in mind, however, that if the sales team met its quota earlier that month, salespeople may not be as motivated to give you the screaming deal you might be expecting. This is difficult to know ahead of time. But if you’re in the midst of negotiating and the dealer offers you a super-low price, or a special deal ask the salesperson why the dealer is willing to potentially lose money on this sale. If the price is considerably better than your research says it should be, it could be a sign the dealer is trying to make a sales goal.
This is why it’s important to test-drive the car you want earlier in the month and close the deal at the end of the month. It’s risky that the vehicle could be sold but that is the risk. Many new-car incentive offers, and financing deals are good for a few days after the month ends.
Best month to buy a car
While the data shows that December is the best time of the year to buy, there are also a few other viable months. In other words, if you need a car in January, there’s no need to wait 11 months to get a good deal. The discounts on new cars typically follow a trend that coincides with the introduction of new models.
The least discounted months are January, February, March, and April.
The better discounted months are May, June, July, August, and September.
End of the calendar year
If your goal is to buy or lease a new car at the best price possible, according to Edmunds data indicates that December’s year-end sales events will give you a “perfect storm” of savings.
You should look for a vehicle from the outgoing model year that has generous incentives. According to Edmunds data, December has the year’s highest discount off MSRP of 6.1% on average and the highest incentives. Automakers and dealerships want to close the year with strong sales. They also want to get rid of the prior model-year cars that are taking up space, so they’re motivated to sell or lease.
Each manufacturer handles the end-of-the-year sell down differently. So, some car dealerships will have a better selection of outgoing year vehicles late in the year, while choices could be slim at other dealers. Be sure to check manufacturers websites for customer cash rebates, low-interest incentives and lease specials.
When we combine all of this valuable advice, the prime time to pay a visit to the dealership would be on the last day of the month, preferably if it happens to fall on a Tuesday.
The dealerships will be looking to meet their sales targets, and they may be more willing to negotiate and offer enticing deals.
There are more ways to save money when buying your next car. Check out our channel and get your Car Smarts. Just remember to avoid visiting dealerships on Saturdays and save yourself a headache.
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, analyst, author, and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news, and safety issues.
Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows, including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, Community Digital News, and more. Lauren also co-hosts a regular show on ABC.com with Paul Brian called “His Turn – Her Turn” and hosts regular radio segments on USA Radio – DayBreak.
Lauren is honored to be inducted into the Women’s Transportation Hall of Fame and a Board Member of the Buffalo Motorcar Museum and Juror / President for the North American Car, Utility & Truck of the Year Awards.
Check her out on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenFix.
