The best time to buy a car: it's not when you think
Filed under: Bargains, Shopping, Transportation
So I was at a dealership yesterday, gritting my teeth, not bothering to pretend to be happy about buying a car.We needed a second car. My ancient wreck of a vehicle died last month, or came close to it, anyway, when smoke started pouring out of my engine and the rear of the car as I zipped along the highway. I was able to make it to a mechanic but was told it would cost $3,000 to repair the engine, and so we told the car doctor not to resuscitate. Still, I didn't want to be here, since I've been here before: in the land of car payments. I had only paid off my car, which I bought used several years ago, about a year ago. And now, as interest scores are skyrocketing, we were here again.
Anyway, at some point, my wife and kids were off getting fast food while I discussed financing options, and the sales guy and I made polite small talk, and at some point, this Cincinnati-based car salesman, an affable man named Bob Freihofer, offered a car buying tip that I thought was particularly interesting.
Freihofer said -- and I have no reason to doubt him; he knew he had us as a customer, and he didn't know he was being interviewed until after we talked, when I asked if I could quote and attribute this information to him -- that the best time to buy a car isn't at the end of the month, as everyone believes.
Why is that? "Because everyone believes it's the best time of the month to buy a car," said Freihofer. Everyone has read that salespeople are desperate to fill a quota, and so you can always get a good deal. And while you may get a good deal, because everyone shows up at the end of the month, salespeople aren't feeling all that desperate to get cars off the lot. This is the period of work where they can somewhat relax. They know that they're going to find a customer to buy a car.
The best time to buy a car is really at the beginning of the month.
Why is that? "Because it's a very slow time," said Freihofer. If you want to find a salesman who is desperate for a customer and will bend over backwards to make a deal, so they can earn a living and pay for their kid's braces, go visit at a time when the dealership is something of a desolate wasteland. You'll be treated like royalty.
Geoff Williams is a freelance journalist and the author of C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America (Rodale).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
10-14-2008 @ 1:44PM
Mary Hanson said...
Actually your wrong. The absolutely BEST time to buy a car is during Super Bowl. The salesmen are all pissed at having to work, there is NO ONE in the dealership but the salesmen and they are in the mood to stick it to the dealership for making them work. We bought a new Honda Element for $2,000 less that Manufacturer's list (not suggested retail) price.
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10-15-2008 @ 7:18AM
Stuart said...
Mary,Mary,quite contrary
The SuperBowl is on a Sunday when dealers are closed
10-15-2008 @ 9:55AM
Ron said...
Wrong Mary, the best time to buy is when things are either slow at the beginning of the month or 30 minutes before the dealership closes because they want to go home, and will save you hours by giving you the best price to get you out of there quickly.
10-15-2008 @ 11:26AM
JONNY774 said...
PREACH ALL YOU WANT NOTHING WILL CHANGE
IVE READ POSTS FOR 10 YEARS NOW, WHILE IN THE BUSINESS, STILL BUSINESS AS USUAL
10-15-2008 @ 11:32AM
John said...
Ron, in response to your comment to Mary, you are wrong. Dealerships may close in places like Columbus, Ohio on Sundays, but their sales section is definitely open across most of the greater Washington, D.C. area....you should come and visit the coast some time!
10-14-2008 @ 7:25PM
Theresa said...
It all depends. I sell cars. I always see better deals at the end of the month. I'm never satisfied with just meeting the quota; beating it into the ground is what makes me money. I'll always work harder to add a few more bucks to the paycheck at the end of the month.
I love all the blogs and articles about the best way to buy a car because most of the suggestions are insanely wrong. If you are pleasant to deal with, I'll bend over backwards to get you a good deal and I'll take care of you after the sale for as long as you own your car. If you're a pain in the behind and you nickle and dime me to death then just hope you never need my help for anything. You get what you pay for.
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10-15-2008 @ 6:19PM
E said...
So to you a person being "pleasant to deal with" is a person who pays the asking price of the car that you are trying to sell, even if they want to pay a slightly lower price?
10-15-2008 @ 9:54AM
BKG59 said...
You could not be more right...consumers please read this carefully. This is how the world goes round.. Doing this 25 years this month and have many loyal customers. The nasty ones have gone by the wayside and do not get handled when they cant deal with the service dept.
10-15-2008 @ 10:35AM
Frank P said...
Its not "when is a good time to buy a car" but rather, how to buy a car that counts. Superbowl, end of the month, beginning of the month; all nonsense. Heres how to buy a car. Shop around and decide on the exact car you want. Go online and get the MSRP and invoice on that same car. Go to the dealership that will best serve you geographically. Walk in and "be human". Be totally honest with the salesperson and tell him/her that you have done your research and you know exactly what you want and that you know how much that car will cost the dealership. Offer them a couple of hundred dollars as profit and buy the car. No games, no gimmicks, no bs. The bottom line is, that if a customer comes into the dealership and acts like a "know it all" or a "maven" you will put the salesman and his/her managers in a "defensive" position. If you walk in to that same dealership and "be human" and educated, the chances of being "pressed" or "conned" by that dealership will be null. Try to take something that they have in stock or comming in as they will work closer to cost if they need not locate the car from another dealership or have to purchase it from them.
The more pleasant a customer is to us, the more pleasant the transaction can be executed. Its real simple. Good luck. By the way, I have been in this business for 23 years, I know what I'm talking about.
10-15-2008 @ 10:47AM
Mark said...
As a sales trainer, I welcome your candid and thoughtful comments. If the customer sees you as the enemy, he's only setting up an unhealthy relationship he'll regret.
Keep on keepin' on.
Mark
10-15-2008 @ 11:34AM
Keila said...
So, Teresa, do you happen to work in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area?
10-15-2008 @ 7:07AM
Mike said...
In the car business you are only as good as your last month. I was a sales manager at a dealership in Florida. The absolute best time to buy a car is at the end of the month. The dealership as a whole, salespeople and finance people are all trying to make bonuses. Not all, but most salespeople kick it down a notch when they achieve their needs (can cover their monthly bills), sad but true. We always turned down deals at the beginning of the month that we would take at the end...don't go by the word of one salesperson.
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10-15-2008 @ 7:11AM
George said...
The salesperson has nothing to do with the selling price of a vehicle. It's set by upper sales management who know exactly what is acceptable to the ownership. When have you ever seen a salesperson initially confirm a deal with you at their desk once you give them your offer without sales management approval? Also, why would any dealership offer best deals at the beginning of the month when it's not yet necessary to lower their profits?
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10-15-2008 @ 7:15AM
Mike said...
George you hit the nail on the head...
10-15-2008 @ 9:11AM
Julius said...
George,
It depends what store you go to for a vehicle. The sales people at many dealerships, especially high end cars, are empowered to make the deal as they see fit. No manager approval needed. Yes there are quotas, but if the dealership has made their quota already, you will not have a great deal at the end of the month, its all really luck, and the salesperson you end up with.
10-15-2008 @ 7:35AM
Luthien11 said...
Actually Stuart, I purchased my car on a Sunday of a holiday weekend during a "special sale". Tags, taxes and final exchanges came the following Tuesday when PennDOT was open but all the rest was a;ready done on SUNDAY.
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10-15-2008 @ 7:45AM
BetteRose said...
Car dealerships are open on Sunday in South Dakota. Not every state still has blue laws (can't sell certain items on Sunday). Some have moved into modern times.
Best time to buy a car is when you don't have to have the car now. The best deal I ever got was when I went with a certain amount I was willing to spend and I didn't budge. Since I didn't need the car TODAY, the dealership allowed me to buy a lost leader (car advertised underpriced to bring in sales) which was coming in sometime in the next three weeks. They called me when it was coming in and I had to be at the dealership the minute it opened on that Saturday (the day it was advertised) but I got a new car for almost 25% off the regular price.
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12-22-2008 @ 10:03AM
Steve said...
BetteRose, you're correct that this situation can work well. However, the term is "loss leader" not lost leader.
10-15-2008 @ 12:13PM
naser said...
How would i know what is the dealers cost,dealers never tell their price.Can any one reply.
10-20-2008 @ 7:59AM
Adam said...
This article is horrible. The best time to buy a car is the end of the month. Yes, the salesman might not give a crap that it is the end of the month. You can gaurantee the sales manager does! The sales manager wants to hit thier stair step (which is money that they manufacturer gives to the dealership for selling X amount of cars). The price of your car has nothing to do with a "salesman's quota" because the salesman doesn't make the final price. The sales manager or GSM makes the price.
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