Auto Shopping Questions: When Is The Best Time To Buy A New Car?

Car buying is always an exciting time. However, there aren't too many people who like to spend more than they should in a new car. The first thing to consider is your credit. There is no doubt that you will be financing a new car and if your credit is good, it will help you save money in interest charges. People with less than perfect credit tend to pay more in interest charges. Next step is to actually go out and looking for the car you want. Check local newspapers for sales prices. The Sunday paper is usually full of sales for new cars. You'll want to get the best possible price and catching a good sale will help in that cause. Also the Internet is a wonderful tool in finding new cars. The difference between the internet and your local paper being that the internet will obviously give you w wider range to cover, including dealerships in neighboring States. If you could save a few thousand dollars it may be worth a two or three hour drive.

There are also certain times throughout the year that will allow you to find a new car at a great deal. Most of the major holidays will spark a sale, like Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, etc. Dealerships will reduce prices to create a buying frenzy at their locations during holidays. Also, if you are a new recent college graduate you can sometimes get additional savings. If you visit a dealership where you have done business before, many times they will offer you a customer loyalty discount on top of the sales price.

Then of course there is the year-end sales event at most of the car dealerships. This is when they have to drastically reduce their inventory of existing year models to make room for the new cars for the upcoming year. This is also a great time to save tremendous amounts of money. Don't be shy in asking the salesperson to reduce the price for you, especially at year-end. A car that sits in a dealership's lot will eventually lose its value. You'll be surprised as to how often they are willing to negotiate a deal for you. Car dealerships usually will add in factory rebates as well at this time of year. So the savings can be even greater. This time of year is probably by far the best time to get a new car. Remember, even though you are buying a 2004 model car in November or December of 2004, and the 2005 models are coming in; keep in mind that it is still a new car. And in these cases you could be walking, or driving away, with a steal.