The Best Time of Year to Buy a Car

Dealers have sales quotas set by the manufacturer, and those quotas reset on predictable schedules. Timing your purchase around those resets is one of the few negotiating advantages that costs you nothing.

End of month, end of quarter, end of year

Salespeople and dealerships both have monthly targets, and missing one can mean losing a manufacturer bonus. The last few days of any month put more pressure on a dealer to move inventory, and that pressure compounds at the end of a quarter and especially at the end of the calendar year, when dealers are also trying to clear outgoing model-year inventory.

Model-year changeover

New model years typically arrive in late summer through fall. Once the new model is on the lot, the outgoing model year gets discounted to clear space — sometimes significantly, especially on trims or colors that did not sell well. If you do not need this year's exact model, shopping for the outgoing year in September or October often beats any other time of the year.

Days of the week and weather

• Weekday visits get more attention from sales staff — weekends are the busiest and least flexible.
• Bad weather keeps other shoppers away, which can work in your favor for negotiating leverage.
• Holiday sales events (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day) bundle manufacturer incentives with dealer pressure to hit monthly numbers.

What timing will not fix

Timing helps you negotiate a better price on a given vehicle, but it will not fix a bad match — the wrong body style, an unreliable model, or financing you cannot afford. Use dealer reviews and current inventory to find the right car first, then apply these timing windows to negotiate the price.