When is the Best Time to Buy a New Car?

Award-winning Kia Sorento is one of the best seven-seater SUVs available in Australia today

Award-winning Kia Sorento is one of the best seven-seater SUVs available in Australia today

Hi John,

I am looking to buy a Kia Sorento Si sometime before the New Year. You have said the end of the month is a great time to try to get the best deal. Do you think there would be a benefit in waiting to the end of December?

Is the last week in December usually a better time to get a good deal than the end of November? I would appreciate your opinion.

Thanks,
Matt

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Hello Matt,

I really don’t think it’s as clear cut as end of November vs December. The end of the month represents potential leverage for a good negotiator if that person is at a dealership that has not yet met its sales quota and the end of the month is close. So, basically all these conditions need to be met for this to work:

handing over keys.jpg
  • You need to be a good negotiator (don’t ask for a discount - rookie error - offer a low price like you mean it.)
  • Dealership needs to be under pressure to sell more (they don’t telegraph this)
  • Car needs to be in stock
  • It needs to be the end of the month
  • Supply has to exceed demand for that vehicle

This is a complex arrangement. Many people simply presume the equation is EOM = discount for everyone. (It doesn’t.)

(End of the month is like having a gun for self-defence. It’s only going to help if you know how to load it, aim it, take the safety off, and not shoot yourself in the foot when employing it - an oddly apt metaphor in the circumstances.)

Basically what I do is I achieve the kinds of discounts most people fail to get whenever they shop for a car, because of rookie errors and presumptions that oversimplify what’s going on. My team and I use volume purchasing and other leverage to achieve better than retail discounts every day of every month. You can easily confirm this, and there’s no obligation. Read also:

Sincerely,
John Cadogan

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