When it comes to buying your new car, once you’ve finally decided on the model that’s right for you, the next battle is trying to get it for the right price.
While some manufacturers are known for offering greater discounts than others, getting the right deal on your car can also come down to the time you buy it. So, when is the right time to buy your car?
Black Friday
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Whether or not you like the idea of the Americanised Black Friday phenomenon, it’s hard to ignore the deals on this annual occasion (or, in many cases, weeks) of bargains.
While you might think it’s more likely the right time to buy a new TV and Bluetooth speaker, a surprising number of carmakers are starting to offer a whole host of Black Friday discounts and deals.
While these can often just be for appliances, it often stems to many new cars, too. While many firms are still to announce their Black Friday savings for 2019, if we look back at 2018, it’s a good indicator at what you’ll be able to get.
In 2018, for example, Land Rover and Jaguar were offering up to £5,515 off some of its models as part of its ‘Black Event’. Meanwhile firms like Citroen were bundling in cut-price servicing deals, and firms such as Hyundai were offering significantly reduced finance.
Just offers like these demonstrate why this year’s Black Friday – held on November 29 – is a perfect time to buy your new car.
August and February
Why these two months? Well, in the rush for people to get the brand-new registration plate in March and September, it means that many dealers can be left struggling to try and meet their sales targets.
Use this to your advantage, as you can often obtain far better savings by car shopping in these months.
The last days in the month
Linking to the previous points, many dealers may also be more willing to discount their cars towards the end of the month if they have sales targets to meet. While this isn’t guaranteed, by shopping in the last few days in the months, it’s more likely that you’ll be able to secure a better deal.
Certain cars are more popular at different times of year
As you can imagine, there isn’t a great demand for convertibles in the winter months or off-roaders during summer, so if you’re willing to think ahead and grab a discount, buying a car at the ‘wrong’ time of year can help.
This logic typically applies more to used cars, but if dealers have leftover stuck that they’re really struggling to shift of a certain car, they’re far more likely to give you a better price for it.
Buy a model just before it’s about to be replaced
While there is always a rush to buy an all-new model as soon as it is launched, there is a lot of logic behind buying a car just before it’s set to be replaced.
That’s because these models are a main focus for dealerships and manufacturers to sell and promote before the new version is released – meaning they’re far more willing to drop the price in order to get the sale.
Current examples of these are the Renault Captur, Volkswagen Golf and Honda Jazz, as all-new versions of these cars are due in 2020.
