Buying a new car - best day in December?

[Anonymous]

We are planning to trade in our SUV and get another newer SUV and plan to do this before the end of the year. Any better days? December 31st?

[Anonymous]

12/31

[Anonymous]

Go before that...like now...to have time to negotiate and test drive. Be circumspect. Then if you want to pull the trigger, go to buy at the end of the month.

[Anonymous]

Between Christmas and New Year's Day

[Anonymous]

Last day of the year.

-Family member works at one of the luxury brand dealerships (bmw/audi/mercedes).

[Anonymous]

Just bought a Volvo XC90 this week! My deal was so good I feel like I stole it. I would think anytime in December would be good. They are trying to move the cars off the lot! Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just bought a Volvo XC90 this week! My deal was so good I feel like I stole it. I would think anytime in December would be good. They are trying to move the cars off the lot! Good luck!

What price did you get?

[Anonymous]

We are looking to buy a Subaru - an Outback or Crosstrek. Will they also let go of certified pre-owned for a song? Or is this just them trying to clear out the remaining 2018 models?

[Anonymous]

December 24th is the slowest day of the year for car sales. No one in the world is even thinking about it. Any car dealer would gladly make a great deal just to get one sale plus there also trying to meet end of the year sales goals. December 31 isn’t necessary that slow compared to Xmas eve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to buy a Subaru - an Outback or Crosstrek. Will they also let go of certified pre-owned for a song? Or is this just them trying to clear out the remaining 2018 models?

Honestly, it really depends on the stock. We tried to do this a few years ago with a Subaru and ended up having to wait until January, because they didn't have anything on the lot and everyone was eager to get the next cars to arrive, so there wasn't much of a deal to be had. You can look to see if there are a lot of the cars you want sitting on the lot, in which case you have negotiating power. In our case, we didn't want to pay the premium for the limited packages and there were literally no other Crosstreks or Impreza Sports (the two we were considering) on the lots of any of five local dealers. We ended up waiting until late January and got a decent but not amazing deal on the car we wanted (though it had to be gotten through a dealer trade since they still didn't have any on the lot locally).

So basically--manage your expectations, and look closely at what each dealer is listing on its lot and how long they are sitting. You will probably do better with the Outback, because the 2020 Outback is a "new generation" model so some people may be waiting for that. But they also turn over their model years in the summer, so anyone who wants to buy one in the next six months has to make do with the 2019 (vs. the carmakers who release new model years at the new year).

On a side note, I would be mindful of the fact that although the Crosstrek is technically a crossover SUV, it is still built on the Impreza platform, so it is very small. (We drive an Impreza wagon and it works for our family, but it is very definitely a compact car.) If you are looking for typical SUV space, you likely want the Outback.

[Anonymous]

This is a cliche. The best day to buy a car is the day you need one. Do your research, drive a hard bargain, and you can get the "best deal" any day of the year.

[Anonymous]

I'lm doing this too OP and noticed a lot of new cars (2018's) and price drops on ones previously listed just starting within the last few days.

[Anonymous]

Without even thinking about we went to luxury dealership on 12/31 New Years Eve (friend was top salesman there.) Not a good day and he said busiest day of year/no bargains!!!

People are desperate to spend money for tax purposes/write offs; they have annual work allowances thet need to spend-and other date specific issues procrastinators have.

[Anonymous]

Whoever said anytime in December is slow doesn't know shit about car sales. Most dealers will be doing what they can to move cars this entire month but you can guarantee the last week of the month they will be trying to give them away. My husband is manager at a huge Honda in our region and will only be home on Christmas day. They are completely slammed through the end of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoever said anytime in December is slow doesn't know shit about car sales. Most dealers will be doing what they can to move cars this entire month but you can guarantee the last week of the month they will be trying to give them away. My husband is manager at a huge Honda in our region and will only be home on Christmas day. They are completely slammed through the end of the year.

Would love an AMA from him (or you, if you have the knowledge). How much is reasonable to expect to pay on a new car (like is 10% off what they initially offer too low, etc?) This would be for a 2018.