When is the best time of the year to bargin for a car?

I used to work at a car dealer. If the monthly sales quota was not met by the last selling day of the month, you could usually save some more money on that day. I would suggest that you do your homework and get some pricing during the month and strike on the last day. I would be interested to see what other people think. Maybe I will learn something in the process.

End of model year of particular car, last selling day of the month. Go with Edmunds Base price in mind for all the model variations, keep your iphone or blackberry handy for a quick browse from the store, take a break from negotiations and look online if you are unsure about the base price and cost of upgrades for that particular model, and stick only to the add-ons features you want. The good 'ol "I'm walking out the door if I dont get this price" trick still works in some places. Remember you have nothing to lose till you sign the paper work so be bold and confident about your price.

I work at a used car dealership. I cannot recall how many times people did that. It depends on if you start dealing with the owner or just an employee, the owner will fight harder to get you to agree to a lower discount. Also, please remember these people are trying to help you and themselves so please treat them the way they treat you (hopefully with respect). The only advice I can give is depending on the dealer, you could be better off going with they're asking price just so they do a good job on the safety cert (or whatever they have in your state)

Pardon me while I collapse in laughter for a moment.

*pause*

Seriously, anyone who thinks a car salesperson is out to help them is out of their mind. They're there to sell the most expensive thing they can. Period. They'll tell you anything you want to hear to get you in the office, and then do their magic with the numbers to try to get you to pay too much.

If you're looking for a new car, go at the end of the model year or start of the next when they're trying to blow out last year's inventory. If you're going for used, I'm not as certain what the best time would be.

There really is a good time at Christmas eve. The Boss wants to go home, then he will take any deal just to get you out the door. No one is in the mood to grind/work. Do not show up too late.

Cheep used makes the most profit for the dealership.The expensive new has add prices. The only time they(the salesperson} make money on expensive new is if it was a dog that hung around for awhile.

dunno if it works like this for you, but if you know someone who's willing... you can put your sale up for bid and dealers will duke it out among themselves to get you to buy from them. This is something that requires connections, but usually if you ask really nice like, your second cousin's boyfriend's older brother might just do it for you. lol

It really depends on the dealer.

When I was shopping for a Honda Civic Si, I got all sorts of **** and bull stories about how in demand they were, was seriously lowballed on my trade in at every dealership, upsold on nonsense 'paint and fabric' packages, lied to about interest rates, etc. Their initial offers were consistently $3000-5000 off their final offers, interest rates were well into the 8% range, and paperwork always magically 'got lost' when they called you came back the next day. Truly miserable experiences.

Completely different story when I was looking for a Subaru WRX. Their first offer was $200 off from my target price. Took about 3 minutes to narrow that down to $100 and sign for the car. When I didn't qualify for the promotional interest rate (2.99%), they found me a 3.99% rate within 15 minutes. No upsale, no $400 wheel locks, nothing. Just a smooth dealership experience with no hassles.

So yeah, YMMV, but there are honest dealerships out there.

/Huffines Subaru for those in DFW that are looking for a Subie.

End of month and end of model year are the best times to bargain for a car from dealers if you are looking for brand new.

Another thing to consider is that if the care you are looking for is one that was particularly unpopular with the masses or is the previous year's model, the dealer may let it go for less cause they want to get rid of it. Ex: We got a fabulous deal on my Mom's Chrysler Pacifica this year because A). It was an '08 model car that the dealer still had on the lot in '09 and wanted to get rid of because Chrysler was not planning on updating it with an '09 model so he wanted to clear stock for something else and B). The Pacifica is not a very popular car up in this part of the US so he was having a hard time getting rid of the 3 '08s he still had and the used '07 that was also sitting on the lot.

I'm not sure what the best time to bargain for a used car would be if you went through a used car dealer but I would imagine that the beginning of the new model year might be a good time because that may be when used car dealers would be collecting a massive pile of cars and they may want to quickly relieve themselves of the older ones sitting on their lots.

Check this out before contacting any auto dealer:

TRUECAR - The Authority on New Car Pricing

First, are you sure you want to spend $40k on a car? That's a lot of money and whatever you buy will depreciate to $10k or so after seven or eight years. Do you really want to give up at least $30k for nothing? How long did it take you to earn that money? Think it over.

If it helps, I'm itching to pick up another duplex in Arizona for $70k. Let's look at some numbers. I can get it with $7k down and get a $6,500 tax rebate. If I apply the tax credit to the property, then it ends up costing me about $55k. Plus, I get to write off depreciation, repairs, etc. etc. every year, which will save me a couple thousand.

Then there's the income. That'll be about $1,200 a month, or about $14k a year.

Anyhow, take a look at your priorities. If you have to have a luxury, high-end, sports, etc. car, then consider a used, depreciated one. If something like a 2000 model doesn't strike you as "good enough" then sit down and think whether a 2010 will be "good enough" in 2017.

Anyhow, the best time of year to deal with a dealership is in January and February at the end of the month. Any Christmas sales are long gone and they might have a few left over from the previous model year.

I find taking a few people along with me to up the pressure - especially when I bring my lawyer friends (I am one) and we carefully pick over contracts and ask legal questions. It makes salesmen sweat. Always a good time.

Also, I like to play several dealers off each other. Keep telling them things like "well, I really like your dealership and you're a great guy, but money is tight, etc. etc." Make them like you. Make them want to give you the best deal possible. The more time they have invested in your sale, the more willing they are to bend.