Best Money-Saving Deals on Cars Between Christmas and New Years!
December 22, 2008
I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz that the best time to buy a car, because of all the money-saving deals, is between December 25th and January 1st. So I decided to talk to a couple contacts I have in the auto industry to see if it was true. According to them, it is.
Dealerships want to get rid of their previous year’s (2008 in this case) inventory to make room for the ’09s. They also have monthly, quarterly, and annual sales goals to meet. Plus, they’re having a hard enough time as it is selling cars right now.
Do your homework before you shop. Find out what the invoice price is on the car you want. You can probably get the car at invoice, or below. Don’t let them try to upsell you – be one step ahead of the salesperson. Also find out if they are offering a rebate. Taking the rebate usually works out in your favor, as opposed to taking the 0% financing, if they offer it. I wrote about this in a previous post.
Another tip – if you’re buying a General Motors vehicle, ask about the Conquest rebate. This is offered when you switch car “brands” to GM. It’s not posted on their website, but after a phone call it was confirmed that they are offering it. So don’t forget to ask your salesperson.
Some other tips:
- Test drive the car well in advance of your anticipated purchase. This way, you won’t be as likely to make an impulse buy.
- Get pre-approved before you shop so you know how much you can safely spend. If you want credit union financing, make sure you tell that to the salesperson up front so they don’t try to get you into other financing that may not be to your benefit.
- If you really want a new car but can’t spend a lot, consider buying an ’08. It’s still technically “new” but will most likely save you a few bucks.
- Play hard to get with the salesperson. Don’t be too anxious to buy the car, otherwise they’ll see you as an easy target and will use their coersion skills to try to upsell you or take advantage of you.
Let us do the shopping and negotiating for you! Don’t want to hassle with Dealerships but want to get the end-of-year deals? Use our auto buying service – Auto Expert! They’ll work hard to get you the same deal as if you went into the Dealership, and will have the car you want, at a price you can afford, delivered to you at the credit union!
Be tough, do your homework and get the car you want with a monthly payment you can live with. And Happy Holidays from everyone at Matadors Community Credit Union!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at blogger@matadorsmoneymatters.com.
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